Road Tripping with Kyle

Last Wednesday Kyle and I set out on a road trip that was supposed to cover 1034.42 miles in 15 hours and 20 minutes of drive time over a six day period. That estimate didn't even include drive times while we were at our destinations. Now that we are home, I can say that we covered that much distance, but thanks to road construction, we logged more time than that in the car.

It was with a bit of trepidation that I took Kyle with me on this trip. How well behaved can a puppy be in a car for hours on end? Let's just say that Kyle was a pro. Honestly, I have never met a dog that traveled as well as he did. I hope Kyle gets paired with a partner that loves to travel because he is the dog for the job!

When I first got Kyle, we had a contest of wills over where he would sit in the car. I am insistent that my puppies belong on the floor. He has learned his lesson, and sits on my passenger floorboard now. Thus, that is where Kyle started this trip.

(Kyle is smashed in a tiny ball on my floorboard.)

Eventually, I started to feel bad for his cramped position, so I invited Kyle onto the front seat. He sat well mannered and enjoyed looking out the windows.

(Kyle in a perfect sit on the front seat while he looks out the windshield.)

You never know what interesting things you will see on a road trip.

(A foot and leg are hanging out of the trunk of a car. I'm pretty sure they are fake because my family used to have one to use for Halloween and April Fool's Day.)

While I had good intentions of giving Kyle more space by allowing him on the front seat, he wanted to sleep more. Thus, he curled in a ball on the seat which offered less space than the floorboard. At one point I looked over at him and he had half fallen off the seat and was still dead asleep.

(Kyle is sound asleep with his front half on the seat and his rear end on the floorboard. His body is bent awkwardly.)

The towel on the front seat gives away the fact that I planned from the outset of the trip to let Kyle on the front seat eventually. However, I realized that he really needed even more space. Kyle never complained one bit, but I felt bad for him. About four hours into day one of our trip, I pulled over, got my emergency blanket out of the trunk, and covered the backseat so that Kyle could have more space. He loved that!

(Kyle sitting on the backseat with a lopsided grin and his tongue hanging out of his mouth.)

Truth be told, although I have cute pictures of Kyle when he was awake in the car, he spent almost all the car time on our trip asleep. That is what made him such an easy travel companion.

(Kyle is lying on the backseat half asleep.)

My favorite moments with Kyle in the car were when he wanted to keep enjoying the luxury or the back seat while being by me. On multiple occasions, he stretched so that his rear end was on the back seat, his front end was on my arm rest, and his stomach was suspended in the air. Talk about a good ab workout.

(Kyle has his head and both paws wedged on my armrest and his hind quarters on the back seat.)

(Kyle is tipped sideways on my armrest and falling asleep. This time he had fallen off the seat, so he was sitting on the floor.)

I'm amazed at how well Kyle did. Today as I traveled home, I actually talked to another raiser in my club who wants to take Kyle to the California Fun Day at the end of the month. I was happy to tell her that he is the perfect dog for that road trip. Between that trip and one we have planned to Colorado next month, Kyle is going to be a seasoned traveler before long.

The real question is how long it will take me to retrain Kyle to only sit on the front floorboard now that he has experienced the luxury of a back seat.

Team Mascot

Right before getting Kyle, I moved into a home where I would be able to puppy raise. Because of the move, I also began attending a new church congregation (known as a branch). I love the people we get to associate with in our branch, and they have opened their arms wide to embrace Kyle and me.

Today one woman at church talked about the need for everyone in the congregation to act as a team and support one another through life's ups and downs. Then she said something that made me smile and made most of the congregation chuckle. She said, "We even have a team mascot, and his name is Kyle."

So there you have it. Kyle has a temporary career as my branch's mascot. Go Kyle!

Puppy Class

Tonight was puppy class. We had a nice low key class where we watched a movie about how to properly use head collars. While the movie was really helpful, I was pretty bad and talked to the other raisers around me. Cringe. Sorry club! That said, I just love everyone in my club, and they are so much fun to talk to. Our group is amazing.

(Kyle is sitting calmly looking at the camera while we talked before the movie. I may be biased, but isn't he turning into a handsome dog?)

We had all nine dogs from our club plus one dog being puppy sat from another club all in one living room tonight. You would think 10 puppies and about 20 raisers in that environment would be mayhem, but it wasn't. All of the pups were incredibly well behaved and settled really well. It was actually pretty impressive.

(Lest you doubt where Kyle sat during the movie, he curled up on my lap. Even though he is getting huge, he still prefers my lap to anywhere else.)

After the movie, we headed outside to get a new club photo. Several of the puppies from the last group shot are in formal harness training, and we have two new additions to the club. With each new puppy truck, we have to retake the group photo.

(Here are all nine dogs in our club with their raisers. From left to right: Jacinda (FBL), Julimae (FYL), Kyle (MYL), Spike (MYL), Christina (FBL), Picassa (FYL), Keiko (MBL), Breeze (FYL), and Sugar (FGLD))

When I first decided to puppy raise again, my plan was to get a puppy off the June puppy truck so that it would be house broken before I had to go back to teaching in the fall. However, in April my club leader briefly mentioned an 18-week-old male yellow lab that needed to be transferred from a club in Colorado. Without a pause, I told her that I wanted him. A week later I found out that Kyle was mine.

While I wouldn't trade raising Kyle for anything, I do miss the fun of getting to play with a baby puppy. When Julimae and Keiko arrived last week, I couldn't help thinking that my baby puppy would have been on that truck. Things turned out perfectly for me and Kyle, but I did have to trade Kyle for a few minutes so that I could cuddle little Julimae. She is such a doll baby!

(Here's me holding little Julimae. She is tiny, adorable, and completely cuddle-able. During the movie, I also played with Keiko. He had the best puppy breath! Yes, I'm weird.)

After club meeting, Kyle headed off to a puppysitter's home until Monday. Saturday I have a cousin's wedding in the morning and tickets for a fireworks show in the evening. The wedding was doable with a puppy, but puppies in training cannot attend fireworks shows. Thus, I needed someone to watch Kyle Saturday.

(Kyle, Picassa, and Sugar in the hatchback of a car before Kyle headed off to the puppysitter's home.)

The puppysitter that is watching Kyle loves him. As we talked, she managed to convince me that Kyle needed to stay with her for five days instead of the one I intended. Honestly, I will miss him a ton, but I think he will have a blast with her. After all, Kyle is going to get to play with three other dogs and two kittens. Plus, he will get all kinds of new experiences like riding public transportation and working a night shift. Kyle's puppysitter promised pictures in exchange for his extended stay, so I will write about his adventures when I get him back.

(The last view of Kyle's cute face until Monday. He looks so happy with his goofy grin and his tongue hanging out.)

Have fun and be a good boy Kyle!

Too Long

Today I was talking on the phone to one of my good friends. In the middle of our conversation, I mentioned my guide dog.

After a brief pause, she asked, "So are you blind now?"

I think I need to be better about keeping in contact with this friend. What do you think?

Seven Things at Seven Months

Time is flying! In honor of Kyle being seven months old, here are seven wonderful things about him.

1. Kyle hardly ever needs to wear his head collar anymore. On most outings, he behaves wonderfully with just his flat collar. I'm amazed how quickly he figured this out.
2. Goodbye constant tie-downs! Kyle is now free in the house with just his longline almost all of the time. He even sleeps free in my room.
3. At this time last month, Kyle still had digestive issues. Now he is medicine free, transitioned to a new dog food, and doing great!
4. Kyle mastered the command "down." He doesn't always want to do this command, but he can do it perfectly if his mind is on it.
5. Kyle must have gotten a break job when I wasn't paying attention. He used to sit stubbornly, or put on the breaks, when he didn't want to walk anymore or he didn't want to get in the car. Now he is always willing to walk as far as I ask and doesn't hesitate to jump in the car.
6. I have one smart puppy on my hands. Most of the time his intelligence makes him easy to train. Sometimes he uses this trait to assess a situation and figure out how to be naughty. Even that makes me laugh though.
7. The best part of Kyle's progress in the past month is his attachment to me. While he has always been cuddly, a month ago he still maintained some emotional distance from me. (He had just lost his first family after all.) I honestly feel like we are a bonded team now, and that makes a huge difference for both of us. 

I love my boy. Time is flying because we're having fun!
 

(Kyle got a seven month present today. Here he is with his new jollyball. )

Evaluations at Cabela's

Last Thursday our club had evaluations with our CFR. Barb came in from Colorado to meet with the Utah puppy clubs. Since we needed a central location to meet, we gathered outside Cabela's.

The evaluations went well. Everyone had to share one thing their dog did well and one problem area. I snuck in two of Kyle's strengths...his new mastery of puppy pushups (consecutive sits and downs) and the fact that he no longer has to wear a head collar on all of our outings.

Kyle has the same issue as other pups in our class, so we spent a lot of time talking about dogs that voluntarily relieve on walks. I got a few great pointers. Kyle is still having accidents on neighborhood walks and hikes, but now I have an idea of a few things I can do work on the issue.

After the club meeting, Megan, Hannah, and I decided to walk our dogs through Cabela's. We figured there would be plenty of distractions for Picassa, Sugar, and Kyle. Of course, all three dogs ignored all the displays and worked through the store like pros. We have amazing dogs in our club!

(Picassa, Sugar, and Kyle siting in front of a display with a black bear looking over their shoulders. Picassa is the oldest, yet smallest, dog in the picture.)

I never get pictures with Kyle since the camera is always in my hand. Megan was kind enough to snap one of us together.

(Kyle and me in front of a mule deer display.)

After all the dead, stuffed animals, we decided to visit the live fish. I tried to show Kyle the fish, but he wasn't interested and watched the little kids in the room instead. If there is anything that distracts Kyle, it is children. He loves them!

(Kyle ignoring the fish display. The photo is dark, but if you look closely, you can see the fish.)

Next time we have a club meeting, we'll have two new puppies to play with. I'm excited!

Weekend with Sugar and Kassie

Almost a week and a half ago, Sugar and Kassie both visited Kyle and me. I finally found a few minutes to post pictures of our adventure.

I know that Kyle's first raisers had a pet dog. Since he has lived with me, Kyle hasn't had many opportunities to play with other dogs. Sugar is only two weeks older than Kyle, so she and Kyle made great playmates. However, when I first let Sugar and Kyle play together they were pretty rough on each other.

(Kyle is pouncing on Sugar while she bares her teeth at him. They both look pretty vicious.)

After a few corrections for overly rough play, I put them both in down stays with bones to entertain themselves. They did a great job with this one even though neither was on tie down.

(Sugar and Kyle are both in great down stays. Both happily chewed on their bones and ignored the other dog just three feet away.)

The next day my sister Kassie came into town for less than 24 hours. This was Kyle's first chance to meet one of his human aunts. He took to Kassie immediately. She sat on the floor and he pulled one of his typical maneuvers. He curled up in her lap and made her hold his bone while he chewed on it. Anyone who will let him do this is okay in Kyle's book.

(Kassie is sitting with Kyle in her lap while he gnaws away at the bone in her hand.)

My family is full of dog lovers. I have five younger sisters and three younger brothers so we make quite the clan. All six sisters are adults and four of us have homes of our own. That means that four of us have dogs. My brothers also have dog fun with dad's two pet dogs. Needless to say, Kyle was a happy addition to the whole mix.

Kassie wanted to bring Kyle a present when she met him. Boo, Kassie's black lab/chow mix, didn't like her nylabone, so she brought it for Kyle. He loved it and already has it pretty worn out. In return, Kyle and I sent a Kong wobbler back for Boo. She now eats a large portion of her meals in it. Yes, my family spoils our K9 members.

 (Kyle curled up against Kassie's leg chewing on his new Nylabone.)

During all the introductions, Sugar also got plenty of attention. With two humans, the dogs got plenty of love. Of course, they both liked to vie for the same human's attention at the same time.

 (Kyle on my lap with Sugar on the floor in front of us.)

Kassie is 5 1/2 years younger than me, so when I raised Turk she was too young to help much. When Becky and I co-raised Mesa, Kassie didn't help much either. Thus, with two dogs Kassie got a new adventure. We took both dogs to the bank and grocery store, so Kassie got to walk a guide puppy in public for the first time. She loved it! Kyle and Sugar made it easy since they are both so wonderfully behaved in public.

Later in the evening, Kassie and I headed to our favorite hangout spot...a local arcade. Since we weren't sure how the dogs would handle all the noises, strange lighting situations, and other odd goings on, we only took Kyle. He did so well, we really could have taken Sugar too. Kyle didn't even blink at all the fun. He simply curled up at the skee-ball, video games, and basketball hoops. The only event that caught his attention was the air hockey. Kyle put his front paws on the table, but I think that was basically because he wanted to see what was going on

(Kyle and I playing air hockey. I had to get a picture before correcting him and making him stay down. He was too cute!)

When we got home, we let Kyle and Sugar play in my spare room while Kassie and I visited. Sugar got tired and stretched out on Kyle's dog bed. After a while, Kyle noticed that there was enough space for him too, so he joined Sugar on his bed. I was impressed that they wanted to cuddle each other without play fighting.

(Kyle is on the bed while Sugar is half on/half off the bed. Sugar chose her position first.)

Early the next morning, we took Kassie to the airport, and I was left with two dogs and one human again. The day before, my club leader had Kyle, Sugar, and Mara. She walked the three of them for two miles. I'd never walked two dogs at once, but Kris inspired me. I figured that if she could walk three dogs for two miles, I could walk two dogs for three miles.

(Kyle and Sugar both walking on loose leash. Although they are almost the same age, this picture shows that Sugar is a lot bigger.)

My neighborhood is great because it is still zoned for livestock. On our walk, Sugar, Kyle, and I got to see horses, cows, and goats. Even though Kyle sees these animals all the time, Sugar actually did better around them. She didn't even blink at any of the animals, while Kyle backed away from the horses a bit.

(A beautiful white and brown paint horse with the mountains in the background. I love the scenery in our community!)

(Kyle and Sugar in perfect sits while watching the horses. Notice that Kyle is behind Sugar. He didn't want to get as close.)

Kyle and I loved puppysitting Sugar, and she is welcome back any time she wants to visit. Kassie already knows that she has an open invitation to visit whenever she wants. :)

On a final note, here are a couple adorable pictures of the two pups. Their personalities and looks couldn't be much more different, but they are both incredible dogs!

(This shot of Kyle looking at the camera shows off what my mom dubbed the "skid mark" on his lips.)

(Beautiful Sugar! As the only golden retriever in our club, she is adored by all. Since she is on breeder watch, maybe some of us will be lucky enough to raise a Sugar puppy someday.)