Walked in spite of the rain today

It rained on and off most of the day today. Both Zachary and I needed to walk, so we kept watching for a break in the rain. Finally after dinner, the rain stopped. Zachary and I walked a mile and then he wanted to fetch toys inside.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Zach has a another play ball

Zach has a another play ball, so he is a happy little Westie. If you recall, his last one popped when he bit it too hard. It is amazing that the sight of an inflated ball could bring such joy to a puppy. Some people say that dogs can't smile, but I have seen many dogs smile. And I saw Zachary smile when I showed him the new play ball.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Zachary walked 1 mile

Tonight both Zachary and I walked 1 mile. This has been a goal we were working towards, so I am happy to arrive at our goal. He had no problem doing the 4th lap around our block. When we came to our driveway he wanted to keep going tonight. We will continue to walk 1 mile each night for exercise.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Zachary's play ball died

While Zachary's was playing with his ball outside he bit to hard and it popped. Poor Zach, he did not know what to do, he just stood there looking at his flat ball. Then all of a sudden he picked it up and swinging his flat ball. We brought it inside. Zach thought you might want to see a before and after picture of his favorite ball.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Zach walked 3/4 mile, I walked 1 mile

Tonight we started our normal walk. We walked 3/4 of a mile and I wanted to go one more lap. Zach wanted no part of it, he kept looking back towards the house and pulling to whole way in the opposite direction. Well after passing the 4th house I took him back to the house and I did one more lap. So tonight Zachary walked 3/4 mile and I walked 1 mile.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Learning to Spin

I tried to train Spin about 2 months ago but, I stopped because Zachary was confusing hand signals. This time he does not seem to be confused, so we are going to continue our Spin training. I will let you know how we progress.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Coming when called

Today we did some training with Zachary on coming when called. We concentrated on inside work today. To make it fun and interesting, we kept changing locations. He did well looking for us, when we were not in the last place he looked.

"Happiness is being owned by a Westie"

Helping us shoot pool

When we first got Zachary, he was scared to death when we shot pool. The balls hitting together was just too much for his little ears. Now that he is older he will stay in the room with us most of the time we shoot pool. There are times when we break up the ball or loud combo's that he will leave for awhile and then come back to watch.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Walking 3/4 of a mile a day now

Yesterday Zachary and I increased from walking 1/2 mile a day to 3/4 of a mile. I think he enjoys walking as much as I do, since he loves being outside. After a week we may increase to 1 mile. Since we started walking Zachary, he seems to be sleeping more at night. I also have been sleeping better.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Playing with his ball

Zachary loves playing with his ball. He will chase it all over the back porch when given the opportunity. When outside, the fence is the only limits for the ball play. It is funny, the ball has been around since he was a puppy, but just started playing with it for any length of time.

Relaxing on the porch

With the cool nights and the warm days Zach spends lots of time on the back porch. When the sun comes up and heats up the back porch we open up the sliding glass door to take advantage of the warmth from the sun. Zach loves spending time laying in the sun whether on the porch or outside.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Our Westie loves helping

Zachary saw me taking pictures of Smurfs for eBay auctions. I guess he could not resist the temptation and jumped up on the chair and started moving off the smurfs I was taking a picture for eBay. I had all I could to not to laugh out loud, since I did not want to reinforce he last move. I did snap a picture before removing our Westie who loves helping.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Walking program for Zachary

About 5 days ago I started doing a 10,000 step a day walking goal. Well if I am getting more steps per day Zachary will benefit. He has been going for a 1/2 mile walk each day. We either walk in the morning or late afternoon when cooler. He enjoys the walks and seems to settle down after walking. The walking is in addition to his normal play times.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Westie discovers squirrels

We were out in the back yard this afternoon when out of the blue Zach took off running. In a fenced yard I was not concerned he would go far, but curious what he saw. Next I saw a squirrel running as fast as it could up the tree. I was in amazement as Zachary went away from the tree just far enough that the squirrel felt it was safe to come down, then he treed the poor squirrel again. After about twenty minutes I brought Zach inside so the squirrel could continue his journey. I knew it was only a matter of time, since our former Westie loved to chase squirrels. Actually, all the Westies that I have ever known love to chase squirrels.

Review Day

Today Zachary and I did a review of all the behaviors we have been training. It is amazing just how much he has learned is such a short time. I know clicker training is the reason he has learned as much as he has in such a short time.
Karen Pryor Clickertraining can help you train your puppy or adult dog.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Our Westie is 5 month old now

Our Westie is 5 month old, wow how time flies. Sometimes it seems like he is growing up fast and then other times I wished he would grow up faster, especially while he is teething.
He is now 14.5 pounds.

"Happiness is loved by a Westie"

More puppy teeth falling out

We have found 4 more teeth on the floor. He had a tooth hanging out the side of his mouth tonight. He came over to me and I held his mouth open and pulled out his loose tooth. I knew he had a tooth loose, because his white elephant had blood. I have no idea how many teeth Westies have but, he has got to run out of puppy teeth soon.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Dogs and Thunder Storms

This afternoon we has a serious storm. Marble size hail came from the sky with heavy rains. Zachary was scared to death, trying to run from the sound. We have had some heavy rains, but this is the first time we have had hail and continuous lighting and thunder for about 45 minutes. Being a puppy brings new experiences each day.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Teaching Zach to Jump

Zachary loves learning new things. Today we started teaching Zachary to jump over objects. We first laid a bamboo stick on the floor and had him walk across this coming to each of us on both side of stick. After 5 complete, we raised 2 inches. At first he knocked it down, but then caught on that he needed to jump over stick. After 5 with no knock over we raised to 3 inches. After 5 with no knock over we hugged him and stopped for the day. We saw this taught in the Puppy Clicker training DVD that I mentioned on Tuesday, January 10, 2006. If you would like to order this DVD just click on the ad.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

After our Clicker Training today

After our Clicker Training today on attention, I gave Zachary an icecube. He played and batted the cube all over the porch. I know it felt good on his teeth, since he is still teething.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Attention training

Attention training for Zachary is ongoing. It is important that when we call his name he pays attention. Without his attention other commands are tougher. We are training inside and outside, outside is the hardest because of distractions.
Would you like to have a Clicker trained puppy like Zachary.


"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Back to training schedule

We are back home from are our RV trip and everyone is tired. Today I started Zachary back on his normal training schedule, three 5 minute sessions each day. We were more relaxed while on our trip, some days had no training. For those that have just started reading Zachary's Blog we are using Clicker Training with our West Highland Terrier puppy.
Getting Started Clicker Training for Dogs Kit

Zach and the cowgirls

Zachary and Roxie were playing in the Bichon Frise play area when all of a sudden the motorhome door flies open. Out comes 4 cowgirl Bichons, Roxie and Zach went nuts. They were chasing the cowgirls and the cowgirls were running away. The puppies were soon corraled and the cowgirls had their home back. Laughter was all around when when order was restored and cameras started clicking.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Relaxing in the RV

Cold this morning 32 degrees, but we were snug as a bug in a rug in the RV. It will warm up fast today, it is already high 40's.

Like old home week

It is always fun to come to our monthly RV rallies. We have been catching up with friends and Zachary is in heaven. Zach got a present from a new doggie buddy he had not met, but had been reading his blog. This morning we were playng fetch with the dog toy he received. He has gained 4 pounds since the last time everyone saw him, so everyone was curious to see the baby boy.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

On the Road again in the RV

We are heading out again to another RV park where we will get together with our monthly RV group. When we started our travels several days ago, we put Zachary in his small travel crate while driving. Zach did very well, he fell asleep. We will do the same thing when travel today, he is safer there if we have an accident.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"

Pet Cemetery

I went with a friend of ours to the dog groomer in a small town close to the RV park close to where we are staying. In back was a small Pet cemetery; I had to take a closer look. There were several hundred grave markers some with loving tributes, some with just the pets name and dates on earth. I stood there thinking of the 3 dogs in my life that have past on to Rainbow Bridge. When we went inside we asked about the cemetery. The owner told us her dad started it when he was a Vet over 40 years ago. Besides the dogs and cats, there were pet deer; monkeys and horses all had grave markers. She said several pets had no markers, but none were turned away. When we left I felt how blessed I was to see such a loving tribute to beloved pets.

Training outside on leash

For a change of environment, Zach and I tried training outside on a leash. We did not get too far as several of his dog buddies walked by the motorhome. I was able to get Zachary to pay attention enough to sit, down and high five. I will try this again while we are on the road, since it is something I want him to accomplish.

Went on 2 long walks

Today was a relaxing day mostly. Zach had playtime with other dogs and went on 2 long walks. I did a recap of his training behaviors. We are continuing to increase the time of Zachary's Sit/Stay. If you just started reading Zachary's blog, we are using Clicker Training to train our Westie puppy.
For more info on clicker training
Getting Started Clicker Training for Dogs Kit

Happy New Year

We had a very quiet New Years Eve, no fireworks here at the RV park. Zachary had a blast playing with Buddy whom he had met at another RV park, they renewed their friendship. He also made friends with a dog named Block-head. Block-head was raised with little dogs, so he enjoyed Zachary's company.

"Happiness is being loved by a Westie"