ATTENDANCE: 14 today!  Bruce, Juicy, Lucy D, Cullen, Stella, Emmie, Cooper, Lilly AS, Anabelle, Freddie, Gemma, Scout, Eden, Dexter.

DWD will be CLOSED for the week of August 22-29.  School reopens on August 29 for the Monday class.  School will also be CLOSED for the 4th of July Holiday on Monday July 5 (observed) and for Labor Day Holiday on Monday, September 6.

NOW OFFERING....Copies of up to 200 of your dog’s best images at play at DWD, including solo shots as well as group shots and action shots!!  Sign up if you’re interested and a photo album containing your pup’s shots will be put together for you to view on the big screen of my 27” iMac.  CD’s will be $100 each and will contain up to 200 photos for you to download on your computer and use in your own calendars, cards, photo books and prints.  You get to VIEW BEFORE YOU BUY!

This coming weekend, there’s a fun event happening in the parking lot at the Cabela’s complex in Scarborough.  If you’ve never been out there, now’s the time!  Dock Dogs will be happening on Fri, Sat and Sun.  There’s a link on the DWD website to The Kennel Shop’s site for the event.  I will be there on Saturday with an info table for DWD.  I had such a GREAT time watching the dogs compete last year!  There’s a BBQ, tons of vendors giving away free pet stuff and just a whole lot of friendship and good will.  Hope to see some of you there!

Reminders for summer....  ALWAYS rinse and dry your dog well after a lake swim to rinse off any bacteria from the water that may get into your dog’s skin via a bug bite or other skin opening.  Hot spots are very common in summer months!  ALWAYS carry bottled water for your dog when on outings in the heat.  Many dogs accompany owners to ball games, parades, fairs, etc and there is not always a water source to cool them.  Other ways to increase your dog’s comfort in hot weather:  a cold, wet bandana around the neck, sun screen on the face of short-haired, fair-skinned dogs, ice cubes to chew on, a small wading pool in the yard for dipping.  NEVER apply Frontline or Advantix on the night before or morning of a school day at DWD.  These are harsh chemicals that can be spread to other dogs during play.  AVOID walking your dog in the heat of the day.  Stick to early mornings or evenings after sundown on the hottest days.  Pavement can be very hot!  NEVER leave your pet in the car in the heat, even with windows down.  Too much of a risk to take with your precious pal!

OUR DAY:  Great day, weather-wise!  The pool has been well-used...mostly by Lilly, Emmie, Stella and Lucy!!  They love it!

Bruce has had a FABULOUS first couple of hours of school.  She has been independent and unafraid of social interaction!  Around 10 a.m., though, she began to pace and whine and seemed like she was concerned about where the humans had gone, most notably her own human.  I have had to use the squirt bottle a few times to get her to quiet her howling.  If she has a lot of difficulting coping during the second half of the day today, I may suggest a half-day of school next week for her.  She’s making great progress and I don’t want to compromise that by having her get all stressed and unhappy because she wants to go home.  We’ll see what happens....

Scout is having his last day with the pack today, and he’s leaving around noonish because he is seeing a special trainer with his mom to work on his discomfort around new/unknown dogs.  He’s had NO incidents thus far today.  I have kept very close to him with my squirt bottle the first couple of hours so that I can “coach” him when he encounters a classmate.  The only one he has growled at has been Lilly, and he didn’t love her last week either.  The only thing I can think of that he wouldn’t like about Lilly is that she’s small, young and fast.  Perhaps he just doesn’t feel “safe” around her energy?  I’m not really certain what sets him off about her.  In any event, I intervened immediately w/the squirt bottle when he stiffened and growled at her and he stopped immediately.  He  has sniffed her and investigated her a bit since then w/o incident.  Scout has also played REALLY well with Dexter today, and he just met Dex last week, so go figure...  Scout really loves to play with the little dogs and he’s super-gentle with them.  He had Dexter’s nose in his mouth and Dexter was totally cool with it.  When he wanted to get out of Scout’s grasp, he whined and Scout let him go.  Their play goes on and on.  Both are enjoying it greatly!

I like it that a boy has been keeping Dex busy today because his boy-crush on Stella continues.  They engage in fabulous play about 80% of the time and he tries to hump her the rest of the time.  Usually, she sits down or growls at him, which is awesome of her!  They are good pals and both will be neutered/spayed next week so thereafter we won’t worry so much, right?  (Not that they can make babies at this point...but STILL!)

Gemma has been hanging with the Schnauzers for the most part today. It’s a nice threesome.  They are busy little bees!  Cullen and Eden have such a love for each other and they just wrestle all day!  Cullen occasionally chases Emmie and likes to wrestle with her and with Freddie, too.  Emmie gets all wild and excited and leads Cullen right over to the pool, where she promptly jumps in and splashes around.  “Drats!” says Cullen!  He won’t get into the pool (yet).  Eden hasn’t ventured into the pool yet either....but it’s still early in the day, right?

Freddie has been having a fabulous day.  He likes to hang out in the sandbox.  He found a Nylabone up there and was simply gleeful running about the yard with it, taunting one and all to chase him for it.  He’s tough to catch!!

Lucy and Cooper and Emmie are fabulous furry pals!  It’s great that they have each other to romp with, as their play styles match beautifully.  All three bark occasionally, so we’re working on that.  Cooper has also been caught twice digging big holes in the playground, in the WRONG places!  He totally HATES the squirt bottle and if he gets reprimanded, he goes to the gate and sits there for a few moments, as if he’s ready to just go home.  Sensitive one!  He’s easy to teach because he totally “gets it” when a stern word is spoken.  I will be gentle with him, knowing he is a tender pup!!

Juicy has been AWESOME today.  She and Lilly love each other.  Juicy is a safe, gentle playmate for the most part, and that’s wonderful to see in a big, powerful pup.  She had a blast with Bruce and Anabelle for the first half hour or so of the morning, as they were the first to arrive and they LOVE each other!  Run, run, run!!!  Bruce is an amazing runner, just a joy to watch flying through the yard.  Anabelle isn’t as playful as she normally is today.  Not sure if the heat gets to her with her long, thick coat.  I’m making sure everyone drinks plenty of water today!

Stella is much less clingy to me today and that’s wonderful to see!  She’s more interested in romping and less interested in licking me.  Stella is super-social with humans and really loves to kiss and cuddle....but here at DWD, it’s her time to just be a dog and to hang with her pals and socialize, so I’m trying to stay out of the way and just support her growth, socially.  She’s doing GREAT!!!

Lilly is also doing great socially.  She’s a very savvy gal and can “read” other dogs easily and responds as needed.  What I mean by that is that she’s able to adjust her play to suit a number of different pals.  That’s why the older pups enjoy her...she’s learned quickly to stay in control of her sharp teeth, to go on her back if she needs to, etc.  She’s been experimenting with her voice here and there, so we’re beginning to work on “no bark” today.  Freddie really LOVES Lilly!!

So....Bruce has been whining and pacing around the lower yard while I’ve been typing for about 15 minutes now.  It went from loud and insistent (squirt squirt with the water bottle) to howly (squirt squirt again) to now just pacing and beginning to let go of the behavior.  Why?  Because the behavior isn’t “working” for her.  I’m careful not to give too much attention when a dog is performing a behavior I don’t want to see more of, as even negative attention can sometimes reinforce it and keep it going longer.  I simply catch up with her close enough to use the squirt bottle and then I walk away.  It sure does help that Bruce isn’t a water-lover.  Eventually, and I think soon, Bruce will give up the behavior and get back into play.  Fingers crossed....  I love this pup!!

It’s much less humid so far today, and this class has been far more energetic than yesterday’s.  Those dogs tended to lie around a lot and pant to stay cool.  When it’s hot here, I locate myself in the shady areas of the yard.  The pups always follow me and play around wherever I am, so it works well.  I also bring them to the lower yard and allow them to rest in the school room.  The tile floor is nice and cool and the fan overhead provides additional comfort.  There are additional water bowls out as well.  Later, I will give them some ice cubes to play with.  They love this!!

Oh!  Check out the front page of the Portland Press Herald this morning!!!  The PPH is looking for some “weather pets” and their having a photo day soon at their facilities.  I expect MANY of you to show up with your adorable pups.  Let me know if you intend to go and I’ll hunt up a lime green & purple DWD bandana for your pup to wear, okay?  I think I still have a few in the closet somewhere.....