T uck's chart and notes.

Friday, April 28, 2006
Tuck has a UTI (So much for the myth boy puppies don't have to worry about it) His urine is very concentrate and I always correlated dilute urine with utis, because they generally drink a lot trying to flush the system. Tuck drinks a lot, but dilute isn't the case. I have been turkey hunting every morning, and have come home after 6 hours absence, only to find Tuck soiled his crate. And judging by the drying borders, had done so some time ago. I thought, ok, the general rule of wisdom is one hour for every month of age, so I've been coming home earlier, still finding he had soiled his crate. Hmmmmmm
and it smelled bad, like old stale concentrated urine. hmmmm.
No other symptoms, no accidents, no typical precursors that would make you think there was a problem except... he peed in his crate when left, and he did go out more frequently than i felt was normal.
So today, I took him with me turkey hunting (at my vets house) and left him in their kennel, figuring if he has to go, at least its not in a crate, and left a note under a complementary two dozen eggs, asking them if its possible to take him in and do a urinary tract and kidney workup... complete. I'd just feel better. If they could work him in, I would pick him up at noon, if the schedule did not allow, I'd bring him home with me... but note the extra dog in their kennel...
When i finished hunting, Tuck was not in the kennels, so I went to pick him up. Results... he has a raging infection going on with tons of struvite crystals in his urine. He's got a bladder stone, suggesting he's had this infection for quite a while. HOW can he have a uti so badly, for so long, and live so close to me, and I never had a clue that he had a problem?
So much for the myth boy puppies don't get UTI's, although my vet blames the vit c, I blame the rawhide chewies, and there may be that teething/uti theory. Whatever, I'm feeling like an incompetent mommy right now. Tuck is now on a prescription diet + antibiotics
Tuck retrieved his steel dish this evening.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Tuck's registration number arrived today (HP20403001) sounds like a printer, Next week, he certifies in tracking

Friday, April 21, 2006
Jeff keeps comparing Tuck to Danny, because the parallels are unmistakable. I keep denying it. Tuck lives at heel. Prefers no other place, occupies all Dannys places that have remained vacant since he died. Everything he does mimics his dad. I still insisted that Jeff Quit making associations. But tonight, I got on the floor, when I did that, Danny would always slide his nose under my chin, and hold it. I've never had any other dog do that. Tuck immediately slid his nose under my chin with the same intensity, body language. I was startled and shaken. I got up, then got back down. He did it again, just like his dad. exactly.
All of a sudden I grabbed him by his great (little) neck, and filled his fur with tears.
I've been having a ball with this puppy. He's been a great puppy. But suddenly he's not just a puppy any more.
He's been alpha dog here for several weeks. He's just a puppy, but he's in charge
Tracking this mornng, we did a vst type track in td regulation length. He had difficulties but worked it out well. Good track intensity.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006
4 months already! How time flies when having fun. Tuck is now tracking a regulation sized track with 4 turns. Aged 15 minutes, but it needs to be aged 1/2 hour - 3hours for a td. We also need to eliminate the hot dog drops but even they are playing a less important role in the broad spectrum.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Tuck attended the nationals last week with his sister. Good puppies both. He attended doggy school last night, and Jeff took pictures of him getting in the car. Big deal, Jeff's scene of the hankie, nose blowing and sentimental send-off was hilarious. That was the missed kodak moment, but he had the camera. Tuck is now tracking 84 yards with two turns, food on track, 10 minutes aging. Karen's poodles are here, and he loves it. A puppy in class was having recall issues How-To-Teach-Your-Dog-NOT-To-Come.doc

Thursday, April 13, 2006
Last night Jeff was out shooting birds and said that Tuck was busy retrieving them all to him, except for starlings. I've never had a dog that liked to retrieve starlings. Cats either, They must taste nasty. I offered Tuck a stuffed kong, and while he was working on that, I offered the beagle a pudding bowl to lick. Tuck took it over, but the beagle made a bee-line to the kong. Tuck decided guarding two territories was difficult, and he picked up the kong and dropped it in the (by now) thoroughly licked over bowl. I asked Tuck to bring me the bowl, and he brought the bowl and kong, when he arrived, he removed the kong and sat on it like a penguin egg, handed me the bowl, and took posession of the kong. Problem solving at it's best.
Last week, I commented that Tuck had the worst front/rear movement that I had ever seen. This week, the rear has corrected and the front is coming in.

Saturday, April 15, 2006
Tuck had his track lengthened this morning, and I put the turn at the usual "track end" distance. I also had him track "me" and _not_ hot dogs. Motivation was good, drive, nosework excellent, but he failed to make the turn. He indicated loss of track by sitting and waiting. I showed him the turn and he continued the track to completion, eagerly and accurately. Track distance 172 yards.

Monday, April 17, 2006
Tuck tracked like a rocket sled on rails this morning, I could hardly keep him still long enough to put his tracking harness on this morning. He loves tracking and does it well. His track had 2 turns . Conditions wet, 35 degrees, 25mph winds. Track distance 150 yards, short lush grass (3-4 inches) with much horse manure. track aged 15 minutes.

Our "local" (70 miles from home) tracking club always holds their tracking test on Easter Sunday. The club web page says nothing about tracking classes, but I was sure they still held them. Wanting to enroll Tuck, I wandered over, hoping to get current information on upcoming classes.
good news they still hold tracking classes
bad news class prices have gone up from the $50 that I paid for Danny so many years ago to $150. Worse news Their classes are all booked solid for the next TWO YEARS!!!!!!!!
Guess little Tuck and myself are training on our own, He will be titled before he ever makes beginner classes!
Last night, Lucy, Karen's golden-x was doing its usual house pacing when it came through the door. I thought nothing of it, until it's tail followed through the door. There latched on to the tail, was Tuck. The hardwood floor was offering no resistance, and he was not tugging or pulling, but instead sitting in a perfect obedience style sit as he glided along behind as he sat as if on some leisurely sled ride across the entire floor.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006
I took Della, Tuck, Reka and Taya woods walking this morning. It's a gorgeous spring day in Ohio. Before we left, Tuck was out poking around the pasture and deposited a dead cowbird on the porch. He was really proud of himself.
First out on the trail, Tuck found himself a Turkey feather and proudly trotted back to mom and me to show us what he had found. This was the beginning of his scavenger hunt, because as we approached one of the ponds, Tuck was out of sight, but we could tell he had disturbed some goose. We knew exactly where he was. I called him, fearing he was in trouble, and here he came trotting down the path with a goose egg as big as his head. "Look mom!! Look what I found!" Reka went out swimming in the pond, and Tuck and Della went after her. Della was surprised when she found herself over her head, and thumped around splashing in the water, bouncing off her back legs until she got ashore. Tuck, who had already learned to swim with Reka from previous excursions swam right out in the water and headed for the geese. Knowing that Geese could easily drown him, I called Tuck back and he immediately turned around and came back.
Reka is a wonderful water fowler and it appears that she is properly schooling Tuck to be the same. Both puppies came back thoroughly covered in mud, and required a bath when they got home. Both tired kids, and quiet.. I think this experience for Della was good. She got lots of practice on recall, got to explore and investigate and was with three dogs with a reliable recall. I did not believe she would strike off on her own. There was no forbidden fruit for her left to investigate. I believe dogs develop an unreliable recall because they never have their desire to explore properly satiated.
Having reliable peers helps.
When Tuck got a chewie today, he left it before he was done, just as he saw Reka, Della and Cappy making a dive for it, he grabbed for the crate, and put the chewie in the back, came back out, and closed the door. I'm thinking, yup... Danny re-incarnated
Della weighs 23 pounds 4 ounces

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