BOXER ADVENTURES

 We got our first snow today - that stuck anyway.   Just 30 miles south of us they got NAILED with several feet of snow, but here we only got a little - that's the fun that is known as lake effect! But it was Booker's first time seeing snow so of course, we had to see how he would react! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Booker and Sisko (@boxeradventuresny)

 It has been cloudy and so cold here, which is typical for this time of year in Northern NY.  So when this morning it was not only a not completely intolerable 38 degrees and the sun was shining, we went to a nearby trail for a long hike. Sisko is such a great role model and we didn't see another person until we were literally 2 minutes away from the car, so Booker got to be off leash the entire time.  A great time to practice commands, especially recall, and a fantastic enrichment experience as he got to experience new places and new smells.  We knew the length of the trail and we prepared to carry him as we have done before.  But he was having no part of that!  He hiked the full 5 miles with us and showed no signs of being tired or slowing down.  He is still a baby so we couldn't believe it!  I am so happy that he seems to love being active!     After we got home, both dogs got a well deserved can of wet food and they are zonked. ...

It's always fun (cough, cough) when you begin decorating for the holidays with a new puppy - or kitten for that matter!! When we got all of our items out and began decorating it didn't faze Sisko, who has been through this many times, but Booker was very interested in why a tree was going up in the middle of the house! We had the tree up and the lights on about 45 seconds before Booker reached over, grabbed on of the bulbs, bit down and broke it apart.  He then snatched the largest piece and began chewing on it as fast as he could as we ran around like maniacs screaming and trying to pry it out of his mouth!  Fortunately we got it right out and he didn't have any cuts, but we finished decorating our tree and everything is about 2.5 feet and up!!  I am excited about Booker having his first Christmas - he'll meet Santa and there will be a lot of other fun things for him to experience.  But this was a reminder that a lot of hazards come with the holidays as well!  ...

 From these 2 turkeys! Since they are going to be stuck inside all day, first Sisko and I did a short tun together. We then got back to the house and grabbed Booker.  He did his first walk on the tandem leash with Sisko and we discovered he lacks the ability to walk is a straight line!!  :D But honestly he did great!  AND he walked 2 miles straight and showed no signs of being tired!  What a good boy! Then it was time for some special Thanksgiving food.  We'll leave them while we are good with a pig hoof that we stuffed last night with wet food and froze.  That should keep them busy for a while and then they will take a much needed nap while we are gone!

 We brought home Booker 4 weeks ago tomorrow.  So he was due for a distemper and parvo boosters today.  So he had his first visit to our vet's office.  Unlike some dogs, Sisko loves the vet so we brought him along.   Booker was definitely a hit with staff at the office and they all gathered to greet him.   He then met our vet.  Booker happily smothered him with kisses and showed him all the famous Boxer wiggles. He listened to his heart and checked him over and he was the picture of health.  He got his shot and was scheduled for his next set of shots in a couple of weeks.  He was also given his first dose of flea and tick preventative.   And he was of course weighed.  He went for his pre-adoptive check up the day before we picked him up and weighed 9.5 pounds.  Today he weighed in at 19.3!  He is growing like the cutest weed ever!!

While straight out aggression by dogs certainly happens, the greatest cause of dog reactivity is fear based.   One of the most effective ways to prevent your puppy from growing into a fear based reactive dogs is to build his confidence.   Exposing your puppy to different people, different smells, different sounds, anything potentially scary is so important.  Then he's used to these things and they become part of his life and are not threatening. Another way to build confidence - which seems counter intuitive to many people - is by teaching your puppy self control.  Yes, being able to control yourself builds confidence.  It also reinforces your role as the leader of the household.  Many dogs have fear based aggression because they feel forced to take the role of "alpha" in the household which they don't want and can't manage.  None of us - grown adults, kids, and dogs - particularly like having to exercise self control when we really want some...

  We have a ton of these absolutely disgusting creatures in our area.  Deer ticks.  They are just all over and you can barely go outside anywhere near woods without have at least a few of these repulsive bugs getting on you. Worst of all they carry a variety of diseases that people, dogs, and more rarely cats can contract.  Around here the most common is Lyme Disease which can be absolutely debilitating. After our hike yesterday, I pulled 4 of these off Booker and 3 off of me.  Marc also had a couple on him.  Fortunately, we spotted and pulled off all of them before they actually bit in and latched on. We always get our dogs with the Lyme Disease vaccination.  That way even if they get bit by a tick they won't get Lyme.  However we also treat our dogs with preventatives. The decision to use flea and tick medication is a little controversial in the dog world.  There is some evidence that both oral and topical medications are linked to "neurolo...

 Today we took Booker on a big adventure with a lot of firsts! We are big hikers and today was the first time Booker got to experience a hiking trip.  We headed down to a state park that is about 90 minutes from us.  The first challenge was to see if he could be calm and relax during the car trip.  He, of course, has been in a car before - starting on the day we got him - but this was the first time he wasn't riding on one of our laps.  And - YAY! - success!  He laid right down next to Sisko and slept or chilled the whole trip down. We arrived at the park and it was very chilly by the water.  I don't know who I made it for, but I remembered that I had seen a sweater I had crocheted for one of our dogs when they were a puppy in a storage box so I dug that out.  It was a little big on Booker, but not so big he couldn't wear it and I knew if would help keep him warm.  So we got him out and put it on and clipped him to the leash for the first tim...

 Booker has been with us 2 weeks.  I wish I could tell you he has mastered potty training but we're not quite there yet!  He knows to ring the bell and we think we can hold it and then we find an unwelcome surprise.  I guess it not a coincidence that these surprises tend to happen most when it's cold, rainy or both - which has been true a lot - grrrrrr. He is also a little devil when it comes to the cats!  We have 5 cats and he thinks they can and want to play like his litter mates did.  He is very, very wrong.  He doesn't understand that the cats don't want to be stepped on and bitten with sharp puppy teeth.  And the hissing doesn't phase him a bit! Sisko gets along great with all the cats and I'm hoping Booker will get there once he learns to treat them more respectfully. Booker is sleeping with us every night.  He goes right to sleep when we do and sleeps through the night usually curling up to one of us. He is growing like a weed!  H...

 Now that Booker is getting adjusted to being part of the family, it has been time to start training.  We're talking rules, boundaries and limitations as the great Cesar Millan talks about. While some people teach their dogs "tricks" - and there's nothing wrong with that of course - we focus on teaching things that are functionally important.  In fact some of the things we teach could save their lives. Take for example "stay".  We have started working on that immediately.  We don't use any physical fencing or electronic collars on our dogs.  Instead we train them from puppies where they are allowed to go.  For example, we have some bushes on our properties that they are not allowed to go beyond.  So when we go out to get the mail across the road they don't follow us across.  This pic was taken at the front of our driveway: Booker is learning to stay pretty quick.   This is in addition to other things Booker is learning like the basi...

 I recently won a Petcube camera .  O.MG.  how did I ever live without this??!! OK, so maybe it's a bit much that now I can check on all my animals with just a click of my smartphone.  But seriously, I LOVE it.   The setup was extremely easy.  The instructions take you step by step and I just plugged it in to a USB port on my computer desk and aimed it towards where Booker and Sisko spend most of their days and now I check on them while I'm at work. The resolution is good and the night vision works great.  While watching you can take live photos and videos.  I took these pics today. You can also unmute your mike and talk to your pets - I happened to catch Sisko eating Booker's food and unmuted and told him to stop - boy he whipped around and was confused but he stopped. You can also listen through the camera.  It broke my heart a bit since Booker still hates him crate and was alternately barking and letting out a mournful cry.  But ...

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jennifer Hudson Mosher (@jenhudsonmosher) Playing is so so so important for puppies!  Engaging in play helps them learn about the world.  If you're lucky you have another dog that helps them play - like Sisko is doing above.   Puppies can play by themselves, but engaging in play with them is so important!  It increases the bond if you are down on the floor playing with them, wrestling over toys and throwing toys for them to chase.  It also teaches them boundaries.  It is extremely common for puppies to get really wound up while playing and start biting you hands or other body parts instead of the toys.  A sharp OW!  and then stop the play.  Booker is learning quickly that biting is unacceptable.  Sisko has been reluctant to put him in his place - he is such a good boy - but those puppy teeth HURT and last night he Booker did bite Sisko a little too hard and Sisko did...