CHIN REST TASK PRACTICE

Training card from my Facebook Training Levels Group

A CHIN REST is a type of body targeting - teaching a dog to put some part of their body on something in a specific way.  For the base of this behavior, it is their chin onto the handlers palm.

 WHY?

Chin rests serve a multitude of purposes helpful to handlers, vets & groomers.

• Helpful for creating calmness in overly excited dogs
• Helps nervous/anxious dogs overcome hand shyness
• Gives a dog a positive option to do when overstimulated by play or drive
• Helps reduce mouthing behavior in puppies
• Creates a foundation for cooperative care / positive vetting associations
• Forms the basis of some pressure therapy tasks for service dogs

While working the TRAINING LEVELS system, I added bonus skills categories for my group to train including TASKING and PUBLIC ACCESS skills.  This is one of the skills from the tasking category.  At it's base - we are just looking for a calm chin rest in the handlers palm for 10 seconds. Then there are additional extra credit options as you progress.

Luna is just starting to learn it and we practiced a bit while waiting at the vet.  She even offers it a few times on her own.

SECOND WELLNESS VISIT

Luna and I just came from her second wellness appointment and vaccination update.  She was a little rockstar once again.

Initial Weight 11/7/17:  14.8lbs
Second Visit 11/24/17:  21.8lbs
ON TRACK - 7lb gain in 3 weeks

Unbothered by vaccinations, sounds or smells of the exam room or general handling behaviors needed.

Preparing your pup for things they are likely to have happen during grooming or vet visits is a very important part of the socialization process.  You should be able to touch, handle and manipulate any part of their body without fussing.  It is actually covered under the TRAINING LEVELS system we are using in Level 2 but I always start it from the beginning.  It is a great follow through to the ENS (early neurological stimulation) exercises the breeder started for us.

While we were waiting to be seen I shot some video of the exercises we are doing although it looks a little different doing them one handed while holding the phone... LOL

QUICK VET VISIT

We have had a bit of unexpected tummy trouble for the last few days and I was concerned Miss Luna was looking a bit skinny in comparison to her siblings, so just to be sure everything was okay - we made a trip to the vet today.

There are many reasons pups can develop upset stomachs and although she was not running a temperature or showing any signs of distress, she does have some loose stool and I wanted to just rule out that she needed another worming and that she was negative for things like coccidia and giardia. 

Both of these are common in puppies and even more common when pups have access to "farm/country" life where they could eat other animal feces or drink from puddles/streams where an infected animal may have pooped etc.

It also happens in dog parks, city streets and your own backyard, but an estimated 35-60% of puppies will contract one of the two in their lifetime - so better safe than sorry.  Sometimes the only symptom is diarrhea and though she wasn't that bad - we just wanted to be sure.

We had a short wait to see Dr. Munich so I took this time to work on some general handling skills on the table, like checking her ears, teeth, tail, feet and eyes.  The girls took her back and weighed her and trimmed her nails as well.  She was unfazed even though I noticed they quicked one of her nails in the front.

9wk weight = 17.1lbs which is a gain of 2.3lbs in 6 days.  So although she is looking very leggy here, Dr. Munich is happy that she is putting on weight at a regular level and we will see at her next vaccination appointment on 11.24.17 how that is progressing. 

We practiced her Settle (which is an over on one hip, relaxed DOWN with duration) behavior on the table, even when people arrive or walk past.  She did great and even fell asleep waiting on her fecal test results.  (All negative)

Nice job little one!

1st WELLNESS CHECK COMPLETE

We just got back from our first Wellness Check with Dr. Munique of Veterinary Associates of Princeton.

I chose Dr. Munique to be her vet because we are on the same page about the importance of growth plate closure before spaying, she has a great understanding of Giant Breed nutritional needs and we are on the same timetable with vaccinations and parasite control.

It's nice to work with a vet that sees things the same way you do and isn't pushing to fix a giant breed puppy at 4 months old.

They were quite busy when we arrived and it was almost an hour before we were seen. Luna couldn't have behaved any better.

While we waited, she met some great people who learned about her breed / training and loved on her.

She was very settled and relaxed around the cats and other dogs - many people complimented her on her behavior at such a young age!

She settled on the bench and after about 30min, she was sound asleep.

When it was our turn, she did beautifully with her exam and Dr. Munique said she is in wonderful condition.

Current Weight: 14.8lbs
Heart / Lungs / Ears / Eyes:  All Clear
Body Condition: Great

Again, so many thanks to Shawna for producing such a wonderful litter and putting the extra time and effort in to help us choose the right pup...

She is amazing!