Micfriends Fairbourn Felix Felicis
Felix!
born March 8 2013
Visiting stage March 29 -
June 7
Visited with Karen and the puppies at least once a week.
There was a moment just around when the puppies were opening their eyes I
picked up Tyger and held him up in front of my face and he opened his eyes
sending a kind of shock through me.
June 7
Brought the puppy home a week early. A little freaked out!!
Took him to P and A’s for supper. He played in the front yard and then inside
he hung out on my lap. By the time we got home and it was time for bed...for
the second time we had to catch him...This worries me. He knows he can run
away! Have to work on that.
June 8
Spent the day at Cindy Leung’s for a heeling workshop with Emma.
I learned a lot and had fun, but I was exhausted and being on my feet was
hard. Mark was not happy because I
was going to take the puppy. .who needs a NAME! with me...But decided he needed
to rest and acclimate at home.
June 9, 13
Names! Malcolm, Hobbes, Felix, Tyger, Rafi.... Mark had been
calling him Felix on Saturday and he seems to like that. Felix. He is very
sweet. Very smart. Restless and vocal. He has only had one accident in the
house that I know of. He potties every time he goes out. But he doesn’t have a
friend in the house yet. Ike is super vigilante and intimidating. Fergus and
Maude are friendly but detached. The paps act like there is no puppy ...
Fergus and Ike went to Addie for the day so I could
work...LOL. Then Portly had 2 big
seizures...Ike predicted one and alarm barked ...but when P went into the grand
mal, he was confused and attacked him although I don’t believe he actually
attacked him. No biting. Long
disjointed day. The puppy is fun.
What he is learning. Collar touching. Feet touching. Ears. I
WILL catch you when you run. It is better to entice him to follow...which he
readily does. Food in a Kong...but
ants may put that on hold for a while.
Good Felix.
June 10
Was able to have him go back in his crate after an early
potty break and after a bit of howling, he went back to sleep. But parts of
this day and evening were awful...whining for hours....
NO CONTACT: eye, voice or physical untiil he is quiet! Resolve! He is very strong-minded!
June 13
Progress. Wait 10 seconds of quiet before letting him out f
pen or crate. Slowly increase the time.
Be more vigilant around shelties.... he is unfazed by them....
does not seem to really register the size difference, although he is learning
to stay out of their way. Human feet are no longer a problem. He went into his crate tonight on his
own!!! Treats help.
ANTS!!! Food
filled Kongs are out ---at least in the pen. Cleaned up, put out Terro...here’s
hoping.
He is so funny. How can a 4 lb puppy STOMP his feet!!?
June 14
Tomorrow it will be a week. What have we learned?!
--Felix knows his name and responds quickly. He is also MUCH
better at coming when called and not running away...he is learning that running
is futile.
--The whining continues to get better...he’s smart and is
getting it.
--He goes right in to his crate, on his own, at night to
sleep and is quiet all night.
Potties outside Bold.
Needs more leash training. Pressure on that collar.
June 15
Long day for the puppy. Went to the Tualatin KC B match and
won Best Puppy in breed! He was not thrilled with running around that ring in
the heat and did a lot of whirling around at the end of his leash...but we
moved through it and once we were out there, he moved beautifully!
I, on the other hand, felt rather like an oaf...the lead was
too long, and I was frequently in the wrong place. I think the judge really
liked him, but I showed him so poorly that we ended up with a Group 3. None of
this is the point though. The point is to have fun and practice.
In the evening Felix was intent on taking a bully stick from
Ike. I kept moving him...but he was focused and Ike was patient...up to a point
where he snarked at him and scared Felix half to death... He’s a sensitive
little guy and I think he was upset for a while. SO I was too. Didn’t help to
watch a film called Rust and Bone, which was damn depressing...
But anyway...we shared a cheezburger on the way home; I
strapped his little crate into the passenger seat and had a nice time, some
more ribbons and a little more time and info under the belt.
June 16. Sunday
Finished schoolwork!
Interesting day. Noticed that Felix is even more bonded
since the match and wants to be lifted up...does not run away....cut that shit
by 2/3. I don’t know how or why.... except maybe on Saturday he was hot and
tired and felt relieved when lifted. I also have been lifting him just to
scritch his neck, kiss him and then put him down.
I love his puppy-ness. If he stayed 14 weeks old for 16
years I wouldn’t mind. Usually I can’t wait to see how a puppy becomes a dog.
June 28. Thursday
Over 10 days have passed. The whining has begun to improve. A stern “knock it off”
seems to relay the message...at least for a while. He knows that it will not
win him what he wants.
We went to the show at Canby last Sunday to get micro
chipped and walk around. The chipping went well. He walked around on
leash (when did that happen? He is leash trained...!) And he potties well on
lead. Otherwise I carried him in the red carrier and he seemed fine. The weather was awful. Sweat or
get rained on....but we were happy.
Went to Ellie’s...working
on “look at the cookie” and set yourself up.... gait nicely on lead and it is
gong well. Ellie wants me to teach the sit, down and stand...but sit becomes
such a default behavior...I’m in no hurry.
Went to Tish’s on Wed. Felix showed great interest in the
ducks. Growled at the sheep. Baited well in the middle of all of it for cheese.
Our first handling
class was today. Everything is good...he walks NEXT to me in good heel....
but I’m not sure we want that for the show ring. And we need to work on the
table. He kind of shuts down...leans back into me. Every day a couple times a day on the table for a treat.
Easy.
Love his confident, happy, loving nature and his structure,
his movement and his perfect face.... Great puppy!
He has been riding in his blue crate strapped into the front
seat and is such a kick. He chews
his bully stick, rolls over on his back and snoozes...without a care....
June 30, 13
We are all legs now. I can practically see him grow before
my eyes...but when I look at photos of the little fuzzy round thing he was it
is a little jarring.
We ‘ve been working on the table...I fried some calf’s liver
in garlic and cut it into tiny pieces. Stand on the table...get liver.
Yesterday He stood there and took 4 pieces. It’s funny how when I write about
it, it is clear that this is progress
and not a fluke...I wonder why that is so hard to see!
He communicates now much better. His favorite thing is to
come up on the bed with me and the other paps where he snuggles in like a cat.
When I go to get coffee he acts like he’s taken a page from the Lassie
playbook.... trotting just ahead of me looking back every 2 seconds to be sure
I know to follow him back to the bedroom. He’s also gotten a more clear sense
of NO....knock it off.... when he
whines...or off when he wants
something on the table.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so in love with a puppy
before....except for photos of Flynn at his age (I didn’t meet her til she was a
yearling).. Similar to Flynn...he evokes notions of cream pastry and hot water
bottles covered in heavy silk....a
physical pleasure so pure...it is joy. Period.
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