Waldo~Waldo spent three days at the vet this week getting his anals taken care of again. He is on Clvamox 375 2X a day and a high fiber prescription food. He came back with a rub on the top of his nose, but the vet staff reported that he was "excellent" to work around and very well behaved.
I took him home with me on Saturday morning and we went through the car wash (fine, no reaction) and was in the car for about 45 minutes with another dog and was able to settle, and then to work at the training center where he was crated for a number of hours and brought out to serve as a distraction to other dogs in various stages of training. He barked once but stopped when I put a bark collar on him. He worked on and off leash and was very well behaved. During free/play time he was disrespectful of Draco a 2 year old male GSD (mine) who tried several times to put him in his place and finally got rough with him, but got the point across. He was also disrepectful with a 2 year old female doberman who also tried to put him in his place for taking her toy. He was great at Barnes and Noble and Starbucks when we went with Dawn and Chesty on Sunday, even in down stays with the other dog almost touching him while we had coffee. He participated in an agility class and showed no fear of the tunnel, tire jump or weave poles, going through all effortlessly.
Star~Mark got a temporary roommate this week and due to the space constraints we learned that Star may be a bit claustrophobic, or perhaps just concerned about everything in the room getting moved. She was also very concerned about the new person sharing her space, he is ill and so snores, coughs and gets up frequently during the night time. I have asked Mark to ask his roommate to hand feed Star this week, hoping that she will see him as a positive person through association with food. Her WPR reports that she is refusing to go into her crate at all~if she is forced into it she will stay without complaint and settle, but getting her into it is a big problem. I have asked her to try to make it a game, throw hot dogs into the crate and tell her to kennel, then call her out immediately. She is still refusing to go in, so I will take her out with me next weekend to see what can be done. Mark is not having any issues with her crating. Her urination issues resolved, she appears physically perfect. Mark is working on the rawhide issue with her, but so far she will give it up to him every time before he asks.
Chesty~Was great in class on Friday with AJ, but very nervous around a new wheelchair. WPR Dawn got to sit in on a part of our class which was exciting because she now knows exactly what Chesty is capable of, so will expect more from him. Chesty's only playmate for the last several weeks has been General because he has had bullying issues with lower ranking dogs and puppies before. AJ has gotten to the point that he is able to call him out of play interactions with General before it escalates into Chesty bullying the younger dog, but WPR Dawn was unable to do that during free play with other pups yesterday in Princeton, so I have asked her not to allow Chesty to play with younger or lower ranking dogs until this is completely under control. He is fine with dogs that he perceives to be of higher rank, even smaller ones, and does not challenge them. He is also fine while working, he seems to be much more oriented toward people, specifically his handlers, than other dogs.
I observed Chesty during the agility class that he's taking with Dawn, they were a great team and he's learning that jumping brings great rewards! He was excellent in Starbucks today with Waldo lying practically on top of him at one point. Chesty also went out this weekend with his GL on and did really well tolerating it.
General~Got a new Triple Crown collar at training on Friday. He appears to be entering puberty with a vengeance and is challenging WPR Lisa alot on the leash. Lisa is of small stature and has a difficult time getting his attention back when General pulls on the leash, so we're hoping this will correct the issue before it gets out of hand. Mike noticed a small cut on the inner aspect of the front left foot, first toe pad, on Friday. It bled a small amount and I asked that Lisa soak it twice a day to keep it from getting infected. General is getting neutered on January 16.
