Distracted by Poppy

This is Cabana's pal and fellow puppy-in-training, Poppy. Poppy is just a couple weeks older than Cabana, and Poppy's puppy raiser is our puppy group leader.

This morning, Poppy and her raisers came over to give us instruction on food protocol for Cabana's raging dog distraction. Basically, we had Cabana sit on the sidewalk in front of our house, while Poppy sat several yards away. Every time Cabana looked away from Poppy, she got a treat. Eventually, Poppy got closer and closer, while I kept marking Cabana's positive behavior with "nice" and a piece of kibble.

Next step was to have Poppy walk toward Cabana, with Cabana stationary, while still encouraging Cabana to pay attention to me as her handler and ignore Poppy. Finally, we progressed to both Cabana and Poppy walking past each other. Normally, Cabana would have been pulling and going bonkers, wanting to play with Poppy. But thanks to all the positive reinforcement, Cabana was able to walk past Poppy with barely a glance. Miraculous!

Of course, the real test will come when we go for a regular walk and pass some big fluffy German shepherds or huskies (Cabana likes fluffy big dogs best). But I felt like we made a lot of progress today. The challenge for me will be to take it slow. I think I have a tendency to expect too much, too soon.

After the training session, we let Cabana and Poppy play--and boy, did they ever play! They were so happy to run around with each other, cavorting and nipping and jumping. They're so similar in size that it was sometimes hard to tell them apart.

Here they are drinking water after their romp session. Cabana is darker and redder, pictured in the back.

I think Poppy's raiser had called Poppy to come to her and was rewarding Poppy with a piece of kibble. But it looks like Cabana was horning in, even though she'd already received plenty of kibble earlier.

Tonight, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to teach some good manners when someone comes to the door. We don't get many visitors at our house, so when the doorbell rings, Cabana becomes overly excited. This evening, when trick-or-treaters ring our doorbell, I'm going to give the "go to bed" command while someone else in my family hands out the candy. So hopefully, in the future, Cabana will know that's what I want her to do when someone really is coming over, instead of running to the door to jump all over the person who enters.

Happy Halloween to everyone!! Don't eat too much candy! Well, go ahead if you want to--it's once a year, after all!

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Aw...Snap!

Celeste is our CFR (community field representative). She is in charge of Guide Dogs' puppies in this territory--you might think of her as one of GDB's dog whisperers!

I knew that Celeste was there to evaluate Cabana at our puppy meeting a couple nights ago. In the back of my mind, I wondered if that was going to be Cabana's last night as a guide dog puppy in training! But, wisely, Celeste said she'd put off an actual evaluation until Cabana has gone into season (ha, whenever that happens).

Celeste took Cabana with her flat collar for a little stroll and assessment--and I was glad to see Cabana on her best behavior. She walked calmly, looked at Celeste solicitously (I could see her mind going, "What does this person want from me?"), and followed all her commands, with the exception of laying over on her back (Cabana hates to be rolled over). But overall--hooray, good girl, Cabana! There's hope for her yet.

We were given a handy new collar called a snap or snap-around collar (pictured above). Because it's clipped on, rather than having to go on over the head like the usual training collar, it has a much closer fit. Effective corrections can be given with the slightest tug, rather than a big yank with accompanying zipper sound to take up the slack as with a training/chain collar.

This snap collar has definitely made Cabana more likely to mind her p's and q's. Does it make her perfect? Alas, NOOO! But to her credit, that's mostly because I am far from the perfect puppy raiser/walker. Cabana has been pulling for all these months, and she's pretty bound and determined to keep pulling, even at discomfort to herself.

The first day after we got the snap collar, Cabana was a little dreamgirl on our walk. If I had written this post yesterday, I might have titled it "Magic Collar". But today, with the novelty worn off, Cabana got a bit ornery. Celeste had warned me that this would happen, though, so I should have been more mentally prepared for the hard hit of reality. Tomorrow, Cabana and I are going to shake it off, go for a shorter walk, but keep expectations high.

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Proud to Be a Raiser

This is another new pup in our group, Tulani. She is 4 months old and was transferred from another group. Our fabulous CFR, Celeste, was at our puppy group last night, and she spent some time with Cabana. I have so much to tell about that, but I will post about it tomorrow.

For today, I wanted to mention R's blog In the Center of the Roof, though I know many other puppy raisers have found her wonderfully written blog already. R became blind about a year and a half ago and is going through the steep learning curve of learning to navigate life without the sight she'd had for the previous 29 years of her life. She is currently in the application process with Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Recently, R learned about puppy raisers, and the gratitude and amazement she shares in her post is so heartwarming. Her anticipation to get a guide dog someday and have it become her eyes so touched me, and I was reminded about how important puppy raising is.

I'm keeping this post bookmarked so I can easily find it on days when I need a little attitude pick-me-up.

R's post about puppy raisers can be found here.

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I'll Eat You Up, I Love You So

We all know Cabana IS a wild thing, so I decided months ago that she should be Max from Where the Wild Things Are for Halloween. Little did I know that it would be a bigger challenge than I thought!


Pattern companies do not make patterns for dogs of Cabana's size. I consider Cabana to be very medium-sized, but a "large" dog, according to Simplicity, is 16" from base of neck to base of tail. Cabana is at least 26". I thought I could use this pattern as a foundation and increase the size. But having never made dog clothes before, the pieces are all these wonky shapes that didn't make a ton of sense to me. I managed to enlarge and cut the pieces out, but then trying the costume on Cabana and attempting to make adjustments--NOT an easy task! I wished I had one of those fitting mannequins that designers use so I wouldn't have to keep trying to get Cabana in and out of the costume. She wasn't too happy about our fitting sessions.

Finally, I realized, WHY am I trying to make a furry beige costume for an already furry beige dog? So I ditched the body part and just made the hood. I also made some big claw feet, but Cabana can't really walk in them.
Wearing just the hood seems more humane than a full-body costume, so I'm happy enough with the outcome.

And now, LET THE WILD RUMPUS START!!!!!

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No Heat and No Costume

Over the weekend, poor Cabana was confined to our house and backyard, just in case she was in silent heat. She performed her share of labby loops through our living room, but we all survived. Thanks in part to the fortunately timed arrival of the new GoughNuts stick!


We already had the GoughNut donut, but the stick is their new rollout, and on the Guide Dogs' approved toy list! These toys have a lifetime guarantee. If the green wears out and you can see red, you send it back to them, and they give you a brand new one.


Yes, it definitely has the look of the obscene, but it's rather ingenious. Your dog can play with the pieces individually, or you can create a "puzzle" that the dog can try to separate. Cabana enjoys being able to demolish her toys, so the puzzle gives her the satisfaction of feeling like she ripped them apart.

Shocking to realize this contraption is $50!! ($25 for the donut, $25 for the stick, plus or minus a few cents.) Still, the lifetime guarantee helps make it worthwhile. It's better than spending $10 on a toy that doesn't last til nightfall.

Onto other news, no, Cabana is NOT in silent heat. We saw the vet at Guide Dogs today, who was very nice and complimented Cabana on her lack of fearfulness. She was her usual outgoing self, trying her darndest to meet every dog in the kennels and vet clinic. The doctor said Cabana was definitely showing some signs of going into season and that it could happen anytime now, maybe even the minute we got home. But for the moment, nope.

Well, I suppose it's my fault, though, because I never made Cabana a Halloween costume. If I had, she would have gone into heat by now, but since I didn't, she'll have nothing to wear to our puppy group Halloween party tomorrow night. Maybe her fairy godpooch needs to show up and whip up an outfit for our little Cinder-Cabana. If no celestial beings visit us this evening, I'm going to have to get busy tomorrow! But a Cinderella dress isn't what I'm envisioning. Suffice it to say, if I can make what I'm thinking, it will be the perfect costume for this wild little girl!

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House Arrest

This handsome fellow is Bucky. He belongs to my friend Suzi. I took exactly 3 pictures of these dogs together. And look, it's like the dogs are mimicking each other. Isn't it uncanny?!



Cabana has played with Bucky before, but Bucky isn't much of a dog's dog. He's sweet and friendly, but he's a people dog. On past play dates, he would growl at Cabana and refuse to romp with her, no matter how much she tried to incite him.



This time, though, Bucky did not growl. He still found Cabana a bit too high maintenance (I can relate--haha), but he was much more tolerant. Cabana kept playing a game with him that he didn't seem to mind. She'd dart under his body over and over, sliding under his belly and legs, almost sending Bucky toppling over.

On a related note, I took Cabana to work with me last week, where the tiny male Boston Terrier, Leo, was EXTREMELY amorous toward her. I mean, he was like a moth to a flame, the whole time we were there.

Both Bucky and Leo are neutered, so there's no worry about anything happening. However, I mentioned these incidents to my puppy group leader, and in consulting with Celeste, there is a slight possibility that Cabana is having a "silent heat" (being in season but with no bloody show). Cabana's behavior toward Bucky could be a mating ritual, and Leo was WAY more affectionate than ever before.

So, Cabana is on house arrest until we can get an appointment with the Guide Dogs' veterinarian. I called them today and left a message, but I didn't hear back yet. Hopefully, we can go in on Monday, because I don't know how Cabana's going to fare with being cooped up for too many days. She's used to going for walks every day without fail. I think there have only been about 2-3 walk-less days since we got her 10+ months ago. From the start, even if it was just up and down our driveway as a baby pup, we knew it was important to give Cabana an outlet for her energy. We'll need to get creative this weekend!!

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No Tomatoes for Cabana

All summer long, we've had a bounty crop of tomatoes in our backyard--overflowing the sides of my planter box as they got heavy and ripened. All summer long, Cabana never touched them. She showed no interest, never looked at them, never sniffed them.

BUT about two weeks ago, my little cherry tomatoes got to that overripe stage, where they burst through their own skins, exposing their juice and seeds. All of the sudden, the tomatoes became the focal point of Cabana's attention in our yard. I caught her eating one of these overripe guys--and that was the end of undisturbed tomatoes.



Since that time, I don't think Cabana's eaten many more ripe tomatoes. Instead, she likes to find hard green cherry tomatoes and hold them in her mouth. I can see her rolling it around in her mouth like a marble. When I catch her with one, she spits it out, whole and unsquished. Still, tomatoes are so acidic, and I don't think it's good for her tummy to be eating them, whatever color or degree of ripeness.

In order to keep Cabana away from the tomatoes, I haven't been letting her roam in the backyard off-leash. This was okay for a while because it was rainy and wet, and I didn't want her walking through mud and dirt anyway. But now that the weather is nice again, I'd like to give Cabana some of her freedom back.

So today, I'll pick what I can, then the rest of the tomatoes are going in the compost. I think my family has had their fill of tomatoes for the season anyway. I've fixed tomatoes and/or zucchini in some form just about every night for the past couple months! Thank goodness that all good things must come to an end.

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New Pup in Town

We have a new puppy in our group. Meet Ginger, an adorable little bundle of energy!

Here's Ginger meeting Cabana.

And here's Ginger meeting Poppy.


We haven't had babies in our group for such a long time. It's so great, though, because being around the new babies gives me a puppy fix without having to go through the sleepless nights and puddles on the floor myself.

The debate rages inside me everyday. Regardless of whether Cabana makes it as a guide dog, do I have it in me to raise another puppy? I lean one way one moment, the other way the next. I'm so conflicted! But I know there are lots of other in-between options, like starting a puppy (raising for the first 2-3 months for someone who isn't in a situation to have such a young pup), or being a puppy sitter. Good thing I don't have to decide right away!

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Random Ramblings without a Catchy Title

I spent this past weekend in Los Olivos, a little town near Santa Barbara, where I had a booth at "A Day in the Country" event. The house we rented didn't allow dogs, so I didn't get to take Cabana. That was unfortunate because if ever there was a town that is dog-friendly, Los Olivos is IT! Everyone seems to take their dogs with them everywhere in Los Olivos.

Although we've never met, the owner of the house we rented must be a yellow Lab fan, because she had this little ceramic statue (pictured above) on her fireplace hearth! It was a sweet reminder of our cutie Cabana.

Cabana had a fun time at home, though, with my husband, who took her to the beach and for her daily morning walks. He also gave her a bath AND decorated the outside of our house for Halloween!! Isn't he the best?!

There are 4 unspayed females in our puppy group, all about 1-2 weeks older or younger than Cabana. Poppy was the first to go into season, about 2 months ago. Then, Tara went into season last month. And yesterday, I found out that Persia just went into season. That leaves Cabana as the last holdout in our group!!

I've been waiting to make a Halloween costume for Cabana because if she goes into season anytime in October, she won't even be here to wear it. Another puppy raiser in our group told me last week, "If you want to make sure she's in season by Halloween, make her that costume! And if you want to be doubly sure she's in season by Halloween, spend a lot of time and money on it!"

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My New Default

Cabana and I stopped at a pumpkin patch this morning for a photo op. It's supposed to start raining this afternoon, so I thought I'd better do this before the ground got mushy (weather forecast calls for "torrential" rain tomorrow). Cabana wasn't too excited about posing, but she humored me. Good doggy!


I had a VERY rough weekend with Cabana. She just about broke my puppy raising heart! She started having her "episodes" again, which she had when she was about 6 months old but had stopped doing for such a long time. Over the past couple months, Cabana's dog distraction has worsened, which I kept attributing to her being close to going into season--but which I now think was not the reason at all. Her episodes are always triggered by passing dogs, like she's so frustrated at not being able to play with them.

My husband offered to walk Cabana all this next week, but I felt like I needed to "get back on that horse". After having a good cry yesterday, I got some ideas for working on this problem, and after this morning's walk, I think they worked. Cabana always seems "penitent", i.e. very well-behaved, after she's had an episode. But I think my interpreting her as being penitent may be too humanizing. One thing I know for certain is that MY attitude and behavior after she's had an episode are very different from my usual "default" demeanor with her. So, I think I need to ACT from the outset as though she's just had an episode--i.e., I'll tolerate no nonsense, no crap, no episodes.

This morning, armed with my NEW default demeanor, Cabana was much better about passing dogs without going into hysterics. She even sat calmly while a huge jackrabbit bounded across our path! Yay, Cabana! We're still rooting for you! And hopefully still rooting for me, too--after all, I think I'm the one that still has a lot to learn.


One other positive thing is that my hand/arm stopped hurting! I believe the culprit was Cabana's new green head collar. Our old tan-colored one was fraying, so a couple months ago, I asked our puppy group leader for a new one. I selected this green one because the webbing was thicker, and I thought it would hold up better and be a bit more comfortable for Cabana. Well, it might have been SO comfortable that she didn't mind pulling pretty hard with it on. When I think back (and look at my old blog posts), I started having arm problems at just about the time we switched to the green one. For the past week or two, I went back to using the tan one, and voila--no arm pain!!

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In's and Out's

This is Cabana's standard position during our dinnertime, half on her bed, half on the doormat. She lays exactly like this every night, patiently waiting until we are done eating. At 6:30, one of my daughters will enter the kitchen and open the drawer that holds Cabana's food. When Cabana hears that drawer open, her feet make a happy trot-trot-trot into the kitchen.

I always wondered why Cabana insists on laying like this, but after I took these photos, the reason dawned on me. She is facing in the direction of the kitchen, of course!

Cabana eats 2 cups for breakfast and 2 cups for dinner, which we mix with warm water. We are transitioning her from Science Diet Puppy to Science Diet Adult lamb and rice. Last night was the first time she had the puppy/adult mixture, and she hesitated a bit, probably thinking, "Whoa, what's this?! New food!"

I wouldn't call Cabana a fast eater or a slow one--she seems very medium. It takes her about 3-5 minutes to eat her 2 cups of food (I haven't actually timed her, so I'm guessing), and then she spends a minute carefully licking every iota of flavor from her bowl. Currently, she weighs 52 pounds.

Since I'm on the subject of what goes IN to Cabana, I'll say a brief word on what comes OUT. (I happen to enjoy bathroom subjects, especially since they are important when it comes to dogs--but if you're squeamish or gross out easily, click here to exit this post.)


Cabana has a very regular relieving pattern. She poops first thing in the morning, around dinnertime, and at bedtime.

One thing that my puppy group leader told me, which I found very helpful and somewhat fascinating, is that the more segmented the poop, the better the dog's digestion. So, if the poop comes out in big smooth lumps, the food is not being digested as well or as fully as if it comes out in lots of smaller pieces all stuck together. I know, I'm getting a little gross. But at least I'm able to tell that Cabana is digesting her food very well!!

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Happy Birthday to Cabana!

Cabana is ONE!
I won't continue on with my bazillion things at bazillion months--all good (and not so good) things must come to an end. And trying to think of so many things to make a list every month was taxing! I will commemorate by saying that Cabana is a sweet, energetic and happy puppy.

The hats in the photo may be fake, but I did celebrate my birthday this week, too. Although 45-years old may not qualify me for any senior discounts at Denny's, I'm feeling a bit decrepit these days!

My left hand and arm are taking a toll from taking care of Cabana. I'm very left-handed (my right hand is quite inept), and I use my hands all day for work (sewing, graphic design) and hobbies (gardening, computer). I have had problems in the past with carpal tunnel and repetitive motion injuries, which make me very susceptible to re-injury.

Holding Cabana's leash during walks, coupled with the pressure of making dozens if not hundreds of small corrections over and over, is probably the major stresser on my left hand. It's not that Cabana pulls overly much even (although she definitely does her share), but simply wrapping my fingers around the leash has become uncomfortable. I've taken to looping Cabana's leash around the belt of my camera case (which holds a bit of kibble, my keys, and a just-in-case poop bag). Being able to let go of Cabana's leash for even a few seconds every 5-10 minutes seems to help.

What DOESN'T help is that I like to hold Cabana's bones for her in the evening while watching a TV show. Or that one of Cabana's favorite games is tug-of-war. I have cut back on doing these things with her, but it makes me sad because she loves them so much.

At the one year marker, Cabana still hasn't gone into season!! I'm looking forward to this milestone because I have heard that female dogs get calmer after their first heat, and because Cabana will be at the GDB kennels for the 3-week duration. It's not that I want to "get rid" of Cabana--I know I will feel quite lonely and even slightly worried about her when she's away from us. But I'm hoping that the long break will give my hand and arm some time to recover.

For now, we will celebrate Cabana's birthday with lots of new toys (I went a bit crazy at Petco last week with birthday money burning a hole in my pocket) and some extra kibble (just a little) for dinner.

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Doggy Pat Peeve

I'm in the midst of reading (listening to) a great book called For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend, by Pat McConnell. While not a dog training book per se, it is full of insight and helpful information, going deep into dog (and human) psychology, sociology and physiology. I am looking at Cabana with new eyes and much deeper understanding for how she feels and communicates.

One no-brainer tidbit the author shares is the fact that most dogs don't really like to be patted on the head. I say it's a no-brainer, because if someone gave us bouncy pats on the tops of our heads, we'd all say it doesn't feel so great. But it's amazing how automatically people perform this gesture. After reading this, I purposely patted Cabana on her head, and sure enough, her body language told me that she isn't fond of that expression of my affection. She took a few steps away from me, still wanting my affection but acting a bit stiff, rather than going limp and relaxed like she would from an ear fondling.

The worst part is that I have caught myself patting her head a few times since without even thinking about it! It's not as annoying as the pat-pat-pat shown in the image above, but just a neutral stroke across the top of her head. Another human form of affection that dogs don't really care for is getting hugs. I wouldn't say Cabana dislikes these kinds of touches, but I don't think she enjoys them either. I'd like to give Cabana more affection that actually feels good to her, rather than things she just tolerates.

Some other topics in the book include how to select a puppy from a litter, how to judge its temperament, whether dogs have the ability to rationalize, tips for dealing with anger and separation anxiety, and reading a dog's facial and body language.

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