We invited a couple of Kitty's friends to bring their children to meet the dogs. One family might borrow Bob soon.

I arranged to meet some people to introduce Peyton today. I knew that he wasn't smelling great so I loaded the dogs from home (minus Marley who was already being groomed and Grazie who went with Kitty to the farmers market) and headed to the kennel to bathe Peyton.  Wrangling the other dogs took about as much effort as bathing Peyton.

Peyton was clean when I got him so this was his first bath with me.  He was easy.  It was a pleasure to work on him.  The other dogs also did a remarkably good job of waiting while I bathed him.  Then we all went out to play!

It's been awhile since the Norwood family visited us. The boys are growing! They got along beautifully with all the dogs. They especially liked Conner and plan to borrow him next week.

"152 nails to trim.  152 nails.  Grind one down.  Move to the next. 151 nails to trim!"

I've been neglecting nail trimming.  I didn't want to try the new dogs until I felt more comfortable with them and I was really reluctant to handle the crazy-long double rear dewclaws on Harley and Dexter.  And I'm lazy.  But Grazie, Marley and Bob have Pet Partners tests tomorrow so I decided to do them.  Then Kitty helped so I decided to do the rest of the dogs.

O.k., it wasn't quite like that.  I was trimming Bob first.  We were outside and I put some pieces of raw venison medallions on the table.  Bob is so easy that I didn't grab any meat treats for awhile.  Then I heard something and turned to see Harley coming off the empty table.  Grrr...  So I decided to switch to Harley.  He struggled a bit at first but Kitty gave him lots of treats (Ewww!  Meat!) and I sat on him.  It took quite awhile to grind down over half an inch from each of his four rear dewclaws.  By the time I finished he was lying on his side and relaxed.  I was sweating.  I cuddled with him for awhile before switching back to Bob.

Bob makes nail trimming so easy.  It's remarkable how calm he is about it.  Since Grazie is testing tomorrow I did her next.  She was happy to get treats during the trim.  Marley tests tomorrow too so I did him next.  That was a breeze, especially with his recent haircut.  He's such a sweetie.  (He's lying on my leg as I type this.)

I was feeling refreshed after Marley so I decided to try Dobky.  He tends to "freeze" whenever he's stressed so I was hoping he'd just hunker down and let me trim.  He was a bit more active than that but he did well, especially for his first time.  He got a lot of meat.

Another set of long dewclaws remained.  I've been wincing whenever I see Dexter's rear dewclaws and it was time to tackle them.  I was expecting it to be quite a chore but Dexter was a doll!  He was so good about letting me grind and grind on him.  He even remained standing the whole time.  I was impressed.  Dexter was the big surprise of the evening.

Jarreau...oh, Jarreau.  He's a handful.  Nothing new.  I finished on Morgan because I can always count on him to be solid.  I'd say that he's stoic about nail trimming but I'm not sure it even bothers him.  He's so confident and trusting.  It's a joy to work with him.  And that's it!  No more nails to trim...except my own.  I really gouged a couple with the grinder.

Yesterday I took everyone but Grazie (3 family + 4 foster dogs) for a quick jog around University Place.  Harley had a seizure early the next morning so I thought it might have been too much for him.  Today I went on a longer jog to campus with only six of the dogs (3 family + 3 foster).  It was comfortable.  I kept my guys on the left and the fosters on my right and they all did well.  Bob, of course, lives to run and always pushes me.  Dobky is often in trail but sometimes comes up with the others.  I keep a close eye on Dexter because I always wonder how he'll do with others on the trail but we passed and were passed  a few times and he ran right along like a gentleman.  O.k....there were a couple bunnies and a squirrel that ran in front of us.  That did cause a bit of excitement but it was easily managed.

The dogs do fine even though we're running in 80F weather. We stopped half way and had some drinks but most of the dogs were not interested. (Dobky was happy to drink from my bottle.) I'm looking forward to going on longer runs as the weather cools and the dogs get the rhythm.

Kitty and I took all the dogs to playgroups, as usual.  The kids were walking Dr. Banker's dog, Zeus, out as we arrived.  He got mobbed a bit but everyone handled it well.  He's getting so big!  But he still acts like a puppy.

Judo, Keowee, Peyton and Conner were already out of the kennel and had been playing for awhile when we arrived. Keowee was too much for a Dalmatian in the large area but Judo was still playing there. Layla ushered us down to the agility area to help with evaluations of a couple Yellow Labs. Grazie, Jarreau, Dobky, Peyton and Dexter quickly entered there while I worked on the gate so we could use the playgroup area with a tree. The dogs roamed while I worked on the gate. Morgan joined Judo in the big area and Harley was invited into the adjacent playgroup. By the time I fixed the gate I had only Bob and Keowee. I wandered over to check on the evaluations.

Everyone in the evals was doing remarkably well. I expected my guys to be a little high-energy for the Labs. There was one outburst. I didn't see what started it but I did see Dexter getting chomped by a Lab a few times and he kept moving away. I called him and he came to me. The Lab had a bunch of white fur in his mouth. I was so proud of Dexter!

During evals a guest joined us to see Dobky. He was more social with her than I expected and she took him for a walk in the playgroup corridors. I was impressed that he did so well.

After the evals I moved my dogs into the area with the tree. We were adjacent to some very small dogs and Dexter was especially interested in them. Eventually I took Dexter on-lead to see them. There was a Boston Terrier with his owner and a smaller terrier(?) girl, Morgan, who was "stay and play." Conner was also in there but he didn't come to see us. Dexter did great with the little dogs. After the Boston left I let Dexter go off-lead with the tiny dog. (We joked about taking a photo and calling it "stay and pray.") Eventually I just opened the gate and let tiny Morgan meet the rest of the big dogs, including Harley who had joined us by then. There were no problems at all.

Oh!  One more brag on Dexter.  We've always had to help him into the Jeep.  Today he jumped in all on his own both to and from playgroups!  I think he's lost a bit of weight and is feeling more comfortable but I'm sure that the peer pressure (literally!) of seven other dogs shooting/squeezing past him helps too.

Good people. Good dogs. It was a good day.

I played volleyball this morning, then went to a birthday party in the afternoon and had a jazz party in the evening - all without the dogs. I needed to give them some activity but I didn't have a lot of time...and then I got a work call and had even less time. I decided that I'd jog with the dogs to our evening party to meet Kitty and I'd grab the Jeep and drive home to shower so Kitty could be there on time and we'd end up with only one car. It didn't work that way though.

I took only six dogs again, leaving Grazie and Harley at home. I ended up with the skijoring belt I use to connect the dogs on top of the waist pack I wear to carry water, my phone, etc. It seemed a bit more comfortable there so I decided to try it for this trip. We took the path along Lindberg, through the Celery Bog and as we came up the hill we passed a young lady with her dog. For some reason Dobky was having trouble right then and was dancing out it front of me. I tried and tried to just pull him back into position without stopping because I wanted to keep up the speed as we passed the other dog. And then Dobky's collar snapped open. It's no fun having a loose dog at the side of a busy road, especially a new dog who doesn't yet respond to his name. Fortunately he stayed close and checked out the other dog. I asked the dog's owner to grab Dobky and she did. As everyone mobbed her dog I looped a lead around Dobky's neck and we were quickly jogging again.

It wasn't until I was waiting to cross Salisbury that I realized I'd lost my phone. I flipped around and retraced our steps. I kept thinking that it must have happened during the Dobky incident and I was relieved that when I reached that area it was there in the grass where we'd pulled around the other dog. (I'm guessing that the skijoring belt pushed the phone from its spot when I was twisting and bending.)  We went straight home and Kitty got one of our collars to replace Dobky's faulty quick-release collar.

I've hit an especially busy time and I've been neglecting the dogs and my updates. I'm going to stuff this entry with updates.

On Monday I took Grazie and Bob to the clinic for their Delta Society Pet Partner health screenings. I took Harley along because he's still drinking amazing amounts of water. Everyone seemed in good shape so we decided to test some more samples from Harley. (Kitty submitted those samples today.)

For a long time, I've been feeling like the dogs need more than just "free play." Taking them all for walks is difficult but six of the dogs at our house are getting quite comfortable with jogging. (I've been leaving Grazie and Harley at home during our runs.) We've been doing a 5-6K path that loops into campus. I'm trying to get the dogs accustomed to being in public and especially on campus before the students return. They're tired enough and "in the groove" when we reach campus so they don't react much to people around them. I'm hoping that this will be such routine that they'll be comfortable when students return.

Dexter...oh, Dexter. He's rolling on the floor with Jarreau as I type. Marley is in on it too; Kitty just removed a big glob of white fur from his mouth. They are all such great playmates. Dexter frequently initiates play with them and they go for hours.  Dexter is doing great at eating from my hand every meal.  He goes right into his crate when we ask and he doesn't bark when we leave or return.

Dobky is standing into Kitty to be patted right now. He'll do that for several minutes. I haven't worked with him beyond the general stuff around the house and during our runs. I'm trying to get him to be comfortable and confident before I push much more on him.

Bob delights in our runs. He's always in the lead. Such a Husky. Then he crashes at night. I love tired dogs.

Kitty took Marley to the West Lafayette Farmers' Market this evening and then they went to a friend's house for dinner. With only seven dogs at home I decided to take everyone for a jog but I didn't want to push Grazie and Harley so we just went across the road and around University Place. We ran into some residents in back and when we stopped to talk I think the entire dining staff came to greet the dogs. It was good to see everyone and the dogs behaved beautifully. I am especially pleased that the foster dogs are so social without being overbearing (although Dexter does like to thoroughly greet everyone).

Allison wrote that Keowee is staying with her again and keeping Mackie active. She also told me that everyone's samples came back "normal" today. That means we're still trying to determine why Harley drinks so much. I'm taking him to the clinic for another blood draw tomorrow.

The weather was beautiful this evening - sunny but not terribly hot, especially in the shade. We arrived at 5:00 with all eight of the home dogs and the four kennel dogs were already out. Judo, Keowee, and Peyton were playing in the main area while Conner was in an evaluation with a tiny Pomeranian in a small area. Conner was his usual - relaxed and off to the side.

We mostly milled around the corridors for awhile. Layla requested a big dog to introduce to the Pom so I sent Jarreau. He did beautifully, of course. Eventually I also sent Grazie, Morgan and Harley to meet the Pom. I also took Dexter on-lead at first but he did a great job and I quickly released him. Dexter provided a wonderful example of how barking is not always aggressive. Layla narrated as Dexter did a full play bow and barked repeatedly to invite one of the small dogs out from under the chairs. Although he's a bit overwhelming he's always careful with the little dogs.

Bentley, the Dalmatian, arrived soon after we did. Peyton was a little too much for Bentley so Peyton got to join the house dogs in the second area while Judo, Keowee and Mackey worked on Bentley. There were several heated exchanges and the monitors had their hands full keeping control of the situation.

Peyton wanted so much to be with his buddies that he popped the (weak) gate a few times so that he could run in the corridor along the main area. It's not that he's "mean" - he's just so active and driven. He needs someone to give him a lot more attention. I had no problems retrieving him and the others each time and herding them back into their area.

Dobky didn't get any special activity. He obviously would have enjoyed sticking with me the whole time but I wasn't yet comfortable putting him with new small dogs. It's not that I think he'd do anything wrong but I just don't feel like we know each other well enough to ensure that he'd behave appropriately. He's really gaining confidence though. He often goes head to head with the other dogs, not fighting so much as just asserting himself. Morgan has been incredibly forgiving of this behavior. Although Morgan has given Dobky some corrections they've all been minor.

We didn't get to run yesterday so I was especially longing to hit the road today. Then, of course, I had an afternoon meeting that ran long. I was hoping to run six dogs to the library to meet Kitty and the other two at a concert there. I fed the dogs late and we were way behind schedule. I didn't want to run them right after eating but after 45 minutes I had everything in order so we went!

This would be a test of how well the dogs do in public. We took the path along Lindberg through Celery Bog and then joined Northwestern at Cherry Lane. There was a fair amount of road and foot traffic but not nearly as much as there will be in another week. The dogs did well. They quickly get the rhythm and Bob is doing well at playing the lead dog and following my calls. I rarely get tripped...unless my shoe comes untied (as it did today).

Coming through campus was a non-event. The dogs pretty much ignore other people. I can usually keep them in line by just picking up the pace if they get distracted. It was a good quick run to the library and then I picked up Harley from Kitty and walked to the restaurant while Kitty drove with Grazie. Kitty got a parking space right by our table so I put the foster dogs in the car with Grazie. The boys stayed on mats by us while we ate. Jarreau and Morgan did great but Marley was constantly breaking his stay. The dogs in the car got a lot of attention from passers-by.  Although Grazie hides in the driver's footwell, the other dogs seemed fine in the car - alert but content and not at all bothered by the busy area.

Four of our friends came over for dinner and brought a Great Pyrenees and a Standard Poodle puppy. Things went pretty well but the Pyr was a bit overwhelmed by all the dogs. Marley and the puppy, however, had a glorious time playing by themselves.

I returned from the farm just in time to load the dogs and head to the park. The kennel dogs were already out playing. Bizet was with the little dogs. We joined the bigger dogs in the main area. All the dogs there were cool so I brought Bizet over to join us.

Dobky and Bob were a bit too interested in Bizet. Once, when Dobky was chasing Bizet Peyton broadsided him. I could imagine that he was "splitting" - trying to diffuse the situation.

Some young friends joined us and did a great job with the dogs. It was a good night.

Toward the end of last semester some Purdue students contacted me about working with the dogs. What a wonderful opportunity! I've always had this hope that I could get students involved with working the dogs and I know there are students on campus who miss their own dogs or wish they could have their own but can't because of their housing, schedules, etc. The students took a couple of the dogs out for tours of campus last year and did a great job with the dogs. I looked forward to their return - and today I got the call!

The ladies were already at playgroups when I arrived. We talked about the current group of dogs and some of the changes coming to the group. There's still a lot to resolve but I'm excited about getting more people involved and getting dogs on campus for socialization. There are wonderful possibilities.

I caught a brief nap after playgroups and then fed the dogs. After waiting an hour we still had some sunlight so I took everyone for a run to campus to get a glimpse of the weekend before classes start.

We take the trail along the golf course and then through the IM fields to Purdue West. I could hear the band playing as we approached. They were practicing right where we turn to head toward the RSC. Even though they made some startling sounds and were milling around the trail, the dogs did well staying with me and keeping pace. We needed to go off-trail a few times due to traffic but the dogs didn't get spooked by any of the activity.

I've been getting fairly comfortable taking six of the dogs for a run most days. Harley has become so much more active lately that I've been considering taking him with us. I wasn't going to take him tonight but he was so excited I just couldn't leave him again.

Harley was pulling hard at first but then he settled back after about a mile. Then we ran around campus and he was really dragging. I stopped a couple times to check on him but each time he'd start pulling again so we'd resume. As we approached Slayter Hill Harley just dropped. I wasn't about to push him to continue. Kitty was out with a friend so I asked them to provide sag wagon service. Waiting with all of the dogs at the busy corner was a good experience. Everyone seems comfortable with all the activity except Marley is spooked by skateboards.

There were a couple evaluations at playgroups today and we were also short on staff so I went for the whole time. Well, I arrived a bit late but I made quite an entry. I unloaded my dogs from the car and was mistaken about one of the new dogs, Lough, (for evaluations) being through the second gate. Instead, he got swamped by my guys in the entry area - quite an initiation. He handled it well, though!

Playgroups were uneventful after that and I had time to talk with Onyx's owner. I had completely neglected her request to try a playmate for Onyx. At first I was thinking that one of the doodles would be good but then she asked about Dexter. Of course! Dexter lived with a cat, has great housetraining, and his original owner was also a young woman. Dexter went home with Onyx. I neglected to mention that Dexter has difficulty getting into cars and I realized it just as I watched him start to enter her car. Then he high-tailed it out of there as I headed for him. I gave him a boost and it sounds like he did fine after that.

I visited Dexter later and took his crate and some food. He'd been doing fine with Onyx and seemed relaxed in the fenced area with Onyx. I just set up the crate and tried not to bother him. I look forward to hearing how he does.

I had Harley and Dobky with me and we headed straight to Global Fest in West Lafayette. Even though it was finishing as we arrived they got lots of attention and they did beautifully. Afterward a bunch of us went to a restaurant in Lafayette. Harley and Dobky got lots of attention while waiting for everyone to arrive and then I hitched them to the fence near the restaurant entrance. They continued to get nearly constant visitors throughout the evening.

I was amazed at how well Harley and Dobky did with all of the people, smells and sounds. I've traveled the country with lots of great dogs for many years so I have fairly high standards when it comes to being in public. Although I would expect my family dogs to maintain downstays in public without being tied, these guys were awesome and didn't seem to mind be restricted by their tethers. They were rock solid not spooked and social but not pushy. These are wonderful dogs. It was a delight to have them with us and they were fantastic representatives for our program.

With the two biggest dogs out of our house my attention has turned to Dobky. When we had four foster dogs at home it was just too much to feed everyone in the kitchen so I let Dobky and Harley eat on their own while I worked the other dogs, especially Dexter. Now that there are only two foster dogs, and Bob is more like part of our family, Dobky really sticks out as needing some training.

From the start, everything about Dobky was a chore. Getting him in and out of the plane, car, crate, house, bedroom...I often had to (and still sometimes do) just lift and place him where I needed him to be. Dragging him would require a cleanup. I decided to take it easy on him and not push his comfort too much. I wanted him to have some time to get comfortable with his new situation without being stressed by too many rules. In fact, I like that he "hunkers down" when he's stressed/unsure about a situation; it's much better than running or snapping.

So Dobky has had about a month of doing things more or less his own way. Our runs are the only time I require him to "toe the line" but that hasn't taken much effort at all. He weaved around me a time or two at the beginning but since then he always runs in the perfect spot just to my right and slightly behind me (a mirror of where Morgan runs). He'll occasionally venture out ahead if we're approaching another dog but I just start running and he falls back in place.

With the other two fosters gone I've been requiring more from Dobky recently. I've returned to waiting for all the dogs to sit before going outside. I've never had such a hard time baiting a dog to sit as with Dobky but now he does it on his own. (I started waiting for him to sit briefly for his food weeks ago.) I'm also feeding him with the other dogs so he has to maintain a down stay from before I start filling bowls to after I've cleaned the bowls. That's been a bit of a struggle but now I just stand over him and he's starting to relax.

Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be able to get Dobky ready for CGC testing and then I look back and think how truly easy he is to train whenever I give him some attention. He's just different from the other dogs. Where others will go nuts offering behaviors for a chunk of meat, Dobky just freezes. He's such a wonderful dog though! I love how he behaves in public. His recent night out with Harley showed me that he has the potential to be fantastic, especially at things I can't train.

Dobky is lying on the couch next to me as a type this. I'm going to stop now so I can give him a big hug and think of ways that I can make it fun for him to do the things I need to do.