T uck's chart and notes.

Friday, March 31, 2006
Tuck got rabies vac. yesterday. The vet advised that he not be worked today. He gets a free pass because he will be achey, sore, and learning conditions will be poor. Stationary exercises should be good though. Last night he went to a board meeting with me, and held a down stay for an hour and a half. Not shabby for a 13 week old puppy. He was alert, and watching, not just sleeping through the command.
thirteen weeks is about when the myelin surrounding the brain nerves close, and I should be losing the rapid learning phase advantage about now. I'm thrilled with the progress that we have made during this valuable learning window.
I gave him a heavy skillet to lick, and when he finished, he brought it to me! I saw him trying to carry it towards me, and so I asked him to bring it here (which I'm pretty sure was the destination anyway, since he brings me cereal bowls after he gets done 'washing them'. A heavy skillet is a big step though. And I was out in the yard just now, planting strawberries. A wrapper blew across the yard, and Tuck was asleep on the ground beside me. I asked him to go get it for me, he woke up, and looked, I pointed where he was to go, and he ran and brought it back for me. 13 weeks old, and he's getting "useful" it I haven't hear from my friend how she felt about naming Tuck REASON, But a . norwegian friend suggested this Why not use a letter from the old Viking alphabet? We have the letter "Wynja" or "Wynjo". You know back in Viking-Age the runes also were magic symbols and not just letters. And each rune-letter had its particular and individual magic meaning and could proteciest you from special things and bring you happiness and joy. The Wynja is the rune for something that brings you happiness and joy. According to old legend it was said that to wear this rune would give you a good life an much joy and happiness. So why not name the dog Wynja or Wynjo? Which is the rune for something bringing you happiness and joy. If you say the word "whunjoe" in English you are pretty close to how it was said in by the Vikings in old time and by the Vikings living to day -) The rune looks very much like P but not with that soft and round half circle. If you exchange the soft half circle in the P with > then you have the rune Wynjo.

w - Wynjo - joy, happiness, rewards.

Thursday, March 30, 2006. He wasn't sleepy either
Still awaiting approval on Tuck's name change. He made his first turn this morning in tracking (Left turn) successfully. The track of 60 yards was a bit aggressive for him, because he lost momentum several times, sitting down, and making me move him forward again.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Tuck has just had a name change. He is now REASON. Because he's renewed my reason for even getting up in the morning. Della reached 20 pounds last week, He's reached 20 pounds today. This will be the final entry for this month.

Saturday, March 25, 2006
Tuck has learned to retrieving skills to many different objects including food bowls and dumbbells. He is learning problem solving skills on how to use his paws to extract items that he knocked under furniture. He's becoming an extraction expert. He's very calm, yet observant. Astute in picking up details and process how they relate to him. His puppy breath is long gone (more than a week or so). Yet he still retains his love of cuddling. He calls on his puppy pass when he asks to crawl in bed with us and cuddle for hours, if not all night. He's developing more and more of his father's traits daily. He is not the funny little clown that Reka was. He's very serious with a desire to do things right. We laugh a lot at his antics, but he is not the hambone comedienne that Reka is, who does things with a twist, just to get a response. His desire is to get it done right. No funny stuff.

Reka is very good at showing him the ropes, accelerating his learning curve, But she's been forced to accuracy, because I only pay for a job done right. If Reka does something funny, she gets rewarded with a laugh. But the reward goes to the one who did the job properly, which often is Tuck. Tuck is adding an honesty factor to Reka's performance. He's good for them both.

Thursday, March 23, 2006
This past week, he learned the retrieve. In fact, he's retrieving EVERYTHING, judging from the growing pile of articles accumulating on my desk. He has learned to retrieve slippers from across the room, down the small hall and in the bedroom.
He's now completely housebroken, and reliable off lead. He sleeps by the bed, unrestrained at night, with free run of the house. He has begun tracking training. Nothing super impressive, but he's got the idea. He's quiet, and observant just like his father was. The spaces that Danny used to occupy have been vacant for too long. Tuck has found them, and occupies them. It's a very comforting feeling to see them occupied by his son. For some reason, Reka would never occupy those sacred places. It's nice to see them now filled. If I drop my hand, a tiny head rises up under it, just as his dad did, years before.
I took him to the local taxidermy shop today, and the proprietor looked at him, and said, "He looks just like his father, except shrunk. I said, to most people all elkhounds look alike. He said, no, I do animal expressions as an art. And trust me, he looks not like just any elkhound, he DOES look like his father. And he's RIGHT. I never thought of a non-elkhound person as knowing the difference, but expression IS what makes this taxidermist a renowned artist. He would know.
This little dog has grabbed our hearts. He's not hyper, he's not noisy, and he's very laid back, loves to cuddle like velcro, He's the joy of my life, the first real happiness that I've had since Danny got sick in 2000. He has a long attention span combined with a strong desire to please.
I'm awed at the miracle that occurred everytime I look at this incredible little dog. I think he's going to work out.

Friday, March 17, 2006
Major breakthrough today. Tuck learned the retrieve. He's been bringing back things, for which I would remove them from his mouth, and trade for treats. Tonight I opened a sardine can, and he walked up with his orange treat ball. I traded him for a sardine, and kicked the ball away. Tuck kept returning the ball until the can was gone at which time I terminated the game. He accurately plays the shell game as well.

Thursday, March 16, 2006
Tuck is now able to go out in the pasture off leash, chase chickens and rabbits, and eat horse poop (YUM!) and calls off when I yell, LEAVE IT! and comes running to me. His recall is proving reliable under distraction conditions. He's turning from grey fuzz to creamy his black guard hairs are coming in, giving him elkhound definition. He's shedding charcoal grey puppy fuzz. . He has managed the basement flight of stairs. This morning he had a rabbit pinned between the wood pile and fence, and had a mouthful of hair. I thought he had made his first kill, but he simply had a bunch of rabbit hair in his mouth. He could reach the hair, but not the rabbit. The rabbit stayed put, and allowed him to dehair it. Dumb bunny. He has awful clumbsy movement. I can't remember any puppies being so inept in movement, but he IS only 11 weeks old. I may simply not have recorded it. So here it is.. Tuck moves like a clumbsy puppy. Imagine THAT! He still cuddles endlessly for hours like a raggedy-ann doll. He's definitely a velcro puppy. He will cuddle as long as you will hold him. He loves being messed with, whether it's brushing, toe-nail trimming, or tooth brushing.

He's almost grown into his tracking harness. As soon as he does, tracking training begins. He is now housebroken except when majorly excited, or in strange places and isn't sure where to go to the door and ask to go out. Reka and Tuck are best play buddies, and Reka is showing him all the ropes. He's still as likely to be chased by chickens as he is to chase them. I had to laugh last night though, when Tuck and I were out in the pasture, the rabbit chased a chicken clear across the pasture and into the barn. It was hilarious. Tuck is now either sleeping on the floor by the bed at night, or in his crate. He comes to bed with us until bed time, and when we wake up in the morning, but the night time bed belongs to us. Whether he sleeps in the crate at night, or beside the bed depends on how much sleep I want to give, and if I want to spend the night monitoring his whereabouts. So far, night time has been uneventful. Tuck gets vaccinated again today. His favorite toy is the orange treat dispenser ball. Second favorite are rawhide chip chewies. He loves to ride, and knows the front seat belongs to humans and is not to ride there. He rides in the back. But he put's his right front foot on the drivers arm rest, and his left paw on the driver's shoulder's and captains his ship from the rear seat, supervising driving with interested detail from his vantage point. He's a curious observant little guy. He is very fat. I can't ever remember a puppy being such a marshmallow. Short backed, heavy legged. Hopefully summer ATV runs will trim off the weight and give him more athleticism. As for now, he's rounder than he is long. I may be remembering incorrectly, but Danny always struck me as an athlete. This guy is the overweight nerd behind the computer on a desk job. Torin was very athletic, so this should (it BETTER!) change.

Monday, March 13, 2006
Powerful Tornados swept through IIowa, llinois and Missouri last night. Residuals from those cells reached us in the night. Tuck spent the night unrestrained on the floor by the bed. I intended to half-asleep+monitor him all night, but felt dead asleep instead. He did no damage, nor had any incidents. GOOD puppy! I did wake up in the night a couple times during the storm when heavy thunder and lightning rolled through. I noticed Tuck would sit up and look, and then lie back down. He seemed aware and curious about the storm, and barked at it twice, but not really stressed or fearful. He laid back down uneventfully to sleep.

Sunday, March 12, 2006
Strong Storms with heavy thunder moved through the area last night. It was Tuck's first real experience with Lightning. The first time he heard thunder, He stood up and barked. Because Cappy is afraid of storms, and because Reka hides in the bathtub, Jeff and I plunked Tuck in the middle of the bed with us, and responded normally. He woke up many times in the night, with his paws on the window sill watching the light show, exhibiting interest, but never showing fear. He seems to be a fearless puppy. When I throw a penny can "AT" his crate to stop his barking, he simply shifts his interest to the penny can and attacks the can when he gets released. Penny cans make very poor distraction so that I can redirect his behavior. It DOES redirect his attention, but the behavior usually continues. AT the penny can.

Thursday, March 09, 2006
There were a couple of accidents yesterday, but every accident was preceded by a warning that he needed to go, and with enough advance warning, had we been better at interpreting, would have prevented them. We have abandoned management for the most part, and are allowing him to dictate his needs to us. He has managed to accomplish up and down staircases. He's losing his grey puppy down. The excavations that appeared while I was gone was due to Taya (staying with Jeff, while the family traveled to see aunt Fern) and not due to Tuck. It rained today, and I came home to wall to wall mud yesterday. The mud will stay until the rain ceases. I'm relieved that the moonscape is not Tuck's doing. Irregardless, he was still a mud puppy, and he got his first soapy bath on Wednesday. He was a very good boy. He's still bringing presents and being paid for them. I still don't know if he is actually bringing them, or choses to carry them to where I am, and I then take them from him and pay him. regardless, he is learning that he gets paid. He 'really' hates the "DOWN". When he gets chewies, the other dogs get some also. They wolf theirs down, and circle Tuck like buzzards waiting to steal the candy away from the baby. His vocabulary extends to sit, down (he knows what it is.. he just hates it), out, go, potty, come, kennel, eat, ride, [puppy, Stubby, Tuck, DJ, --all personal identifiers] Daddy, bed, oops, GOOD-BOY!!, off, leave-it, toy, ball, bone, chewie, touch, breakfast, ok [release word, so that he knows when he can quit doing what he he was told to do], and NO!!!.

He is reliable off leash in a wilderness setting. he has a reliable "come", he has a reliable sit.
Tuck has finally discovered his treat dispensing ball. When Torin was here, she pretty much dominated the thing. Reka finds earning food is easier than making that ball work, and can reward more for less effort. But Tuck spends a good deal of the day chasing it around. I've been waiting for him to show me a sign that he's his daddy's son. It just hasn't happened.
But today, I think there was a glimmer. He's figured out how to roll the ball so the hole dispenser is down. Once he gets it into position, he picks up the ball and shakes it like an old rag, and then he runs, cleans up the mess he made, and goes back to the ball, rolls it until the hole end is down, and picks it up and shakes it, repeating until the ball is empty. It empties it's contents "much" faster than the usual roll and manipulate method.

Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Here he is, 10 weeks already! I just got back from Illinois after visiting my gravely ill Aunt Fern. It's nice to find my was-a-puppy-when-I-left has grown into a gangly teenaged boy. He's had some unsupervised moments when I was gone and when I saw my slipper that he had worked on, I laughed. It was worn out and I replaced those slippers anyway, but still wore them to the barn. That won't be happening any more. They were leather shearling boots, and half the entire uppers were gone. The hole was bigger than the entire pup! I'm keeping the new replacements up off the floor since I know now that he has a taste for them. They cost $70 to replace. The next couple days are filled with meetings, or we wouldn't be home yet. I was so glad to come home to my dogs
I came home to muddy paw prints all over the house, a brown nosed puppy, and a brand new (his first) archeological excavation dig in the back yard. He's growin up with aspirations of being a scientist. How nice. He looks so big, yet his weekly weighing shows he actually lost an ounce. He's sprouted, but taken on a leaner less tubby look. He looked like a chubby square block last week, this week, he looks like a very typical elkhound teen.

Saturday, March 04, 2006
Yesterday Tuck took his first woods walk. -offlead. We took Reka to the fish and game club with miles of wide wooded trails. He didn't see any squirrels or rabbits or deer (I don't think) but he got a taste of what exploration was about as he ran with Reka. Jeff was afraid that it was going to be too big for him, but he ran on ahead. So apparently he didn't over tire. As soon as he realized we were out of sight, he'd come checking back. We allowed Reka to range, because we know she's never out of ear shot, and comes bounding back as soon as we call her, even if in mid-pursuit. Allowing a puppy the confidence to explore and satisfy his curiosity and give him the confidence that he WILL be allowed to investigate is the first step in a trusting relationship and a reliable recall. How frustrating it must be to dogs who want to explore and see what is really out there, and the only way they get to do that is to create (unwelcome to the owners) their own opportunities. The exercise today was to provide those opportunities and build the relationship while he is still so little that we CAN get him back. Getting him back was never an issue. He came everytime we called, and even when we didn't when he realized he couldn't see us any more. I prepared for this by taking ziplock bags of bear meat, cheese and sardines. He loves all three, and he never knew what he was going to get. We are just about out of bear meat given to us by a friend. But this is a fantastic imprinting opportunity, because although he didn't see any game, the experience was thrilling for him, but we always had something even more intriguing, and something tangible that he was confident would be there, rather than whatever was out there that he couldn't catch.
I've always been opposed to bed dogs, but Jeff always brings him to bed. This surprises me, because he HATES dogs in bed. But these puppies lay quietly and without wiggling or crowding. They are very nice to take to bed, and we both enjoyed them both, and still enjoy Tuck. He's such a good puppy.
Friday, March 03, 2006
I just looked out in the yard, and there sat Reka hatching Tuck. I have no idea what he did, but I was warmed by the revival of an old Danny trait that I haven't seen in a very long time. When Danny dissapproved of a behavior, he sat on the offender. Reka spent a good part of her youth in 'hatch' mode, and I thought the tradition had come and ended with Danny. Apparently Reka reached into her inner closet of memory pegs and pulled this behavioral modification trick off the shelf. Apparently she felt it was very effective. Passive resistance works well. Watching Tuck following Reka around the yard, sniffing where she sniffed, investigating trees, so he learns that prey can also have a vertical plane and watching him emulate Reka, who for the most part is very patient and is the role model that I wanted for him, is very gratifying. I have a feeling I'm the only one reading these notes now, and I'm keeping them for future reference, for whatever the reason, but I'm very glad my English teacher dad will not be reading that last sentence! Youch!

Tuck at last understands the word "OUT" and when you say it, he runs to the door barking. He now goes out on his own without needing to be carried or directed, and understands what his ultimate mission is, once he gets out there.
I accidentally kicked him out of bed last night, and he waited by the bed until I realized what I had done, and then asked him if he had to go out. He beat me to the door barking all the way. He repeated it again this morning. He's finally quit looking for his sister. He's a more vocal puppy than I'm used to, but not a problem barker. But he gives one or two barks about everything, wanting his opinion to be heard. But he does not ever continue the noise. He states his case, and finishes. Last night he was trying to get my attention and I knew Jeff wanted to work with him. He was presenting his best "sit" to me. And Jeff was there with a treat, about to work with him on his down. As soon as Jeff said his name, he did a butt flip of 45 degrees facing Jeff. It was very athletic and military perfect. It was really hilarious to watch. He's carrying stuff from the bedroom, and brings them to me. I'm not sure if he intends to bring them to me, or if he finds them interesting and as he comes into the room, he gravitates to me, and at that time, I take them away, and pay him for them. I can't call it a retrieve, because I don't understand the intent of his motivation. But he sure is making a mess of the living room, and my desk in particular as Reka brings me gifts for pay, and now Tuck is collecting his own additions.

Thursday, March 02, 2006
Tuck was 9 weeks old yesterday. He's 'finally' getting the hang of leash walking. I thought he would never get it. Housebreaking accidents are fewer and fewer. He still isn't asking to go out, but it seems as if he's waiting until he gets the opportunity to go out. Intervals at about every 3 hours. He was a mobile puppy yesterday, going everywhere with me. At the meeting at mom and Dad's regarding CAFO's last night, he was a good little guy, and had no incidents. He was 9 weeks old yesterday on mom's 80th birthday. Tuck just accomplished his first puppy chewing damage. He put a hole in the heel of my $18 a pair Smartwool socks!
some pretty cool links that I hope will never be needed Lost dog behavior. Behavior of different dogs determine the circumstances that affect their recovery.
A study on osteosarcoma and speutered large breed dogs. Rottweilers specifically
An interesting study on e-collars
Tuck just brought me his first slipper. No it wasn't on command. He picked up the slipper in the other room, and carried it in to me. I paid him big time. He has seen Reka do this countless times and got paid. This was his first attempt and he got it right. I hope this is a repeatable behavior and not merely an accident.

Tuesday, February 28, 2006
I've always stated that problem barkers are caused by the owner within the first two weeks an owner gets a puppy.. Over indulgence of the puppy, responding to demands of the puppy, not teaching the puppy to deal with frustration, and allowing it to sort it's separation anxiety. Yet I've kept Tuck in constant presence even to the point of taking him to bed with us. He got up this morning, i took him out, fed him breakfast in his crate, and the moment he finished, he starts howling to tell me that he's done. It was then, that I realized my errors. I will not go to him until he is quiet. I should have predicted this coming on last night. He had spent the day with me in the living room. Suddenly, he decided it was bedtime, and ran to the bedroom, barked at the door, demanding that it open, "RIGHT NOW!" , and then pushed it open, and jumped up on the bed, flopping down on my pillow. He's a man who knows what he wants, and is going to get it.

Monday, February 27, 2006
Della got sent with Tuck's favorite toys, since they were Della's favorites, and she played with them most, it seemed to give her something soothing on the plane, and send her to a new home with something familiar that she likes while she finds herself only made sense. I only needed to duplicate the known favorites with Tuck, since I already know what they are. Jeff said last night, after lunch today, let's take Tuck toy shopping. So Tuck gets new toys. Reka is out in the yard now, rolling with him, and playing the chase game. Really cute. I'm going to try the treadmill on Tuck today.

Sunday, February 26, 2006
Torin and Della went home yesterday morning. The day was filled with meetings after we got back from the airport. but managed to catch some winks at the expense of the weblog of Della Tuck and Torin. Tuck is finally feeling better and has finally awaken. He was under the weather after his vaccinations. Dee was right, the full vaccine battery given to pups is just too hard on them.
Tuck has been very clingy, and spent the day asking to go out, I think he was looking for his sister. By 6pm today, he was in full bore search, looking in every room, under furniture, and behind it, then asking to go out and after fully searching the yard, asking to come back in and resume his search. Nothing escaped his search. Tuck has been much more attentive in his commands and more into trying to please now that he's forced to engage with us instead of playing with his sister. His desire to please took a dramatic rise.