There is something I love so much about how Ada sleeps curled up like a little nugget when the weather gets cold.
And I especially love that she’s cuddled up with Dan’s hat.
I just want to jump in and snuggle my nose right under that ear. Must resist!
Oops I woke her up!
I guess she’s still pretty cute when she’s awake. Snuggle time!
An unseasonal snowstorm in Seattle meant Ada got to play in the snow for the first time over Thanksgiving.
I expected her to dislike it since she hates getting wet.
But to my surprise, she loved it.
For my birthday Dan got me two lessons with Kathleen of Heart Dog Agility and an overnight in the Santa Cruz Hilton.
Princess Ada could get used to this.
We had lessons with Kathleen on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Since Ada is just a beginner so we just learned some basics including how to effectively train using a clicker.
We started off with Target Training which helps Ada learn to interact with her environment to get a reward.
Ada gets a treat for touching the target with her nose.
Ada gets a treat for walking to and then touching the target.
Then I had to get her to stand in a box without luring or gesturing. She just had to try things and see what would be rewarded.
First she gets a treat just for touching the box.
Next she gets a treat for stepping into the box.
Finally she gets a jackpot (3 or 4 treats) for standing all feet in the box.
We finished off with Kathleen helping Ada overcome her fear of walking through a tube.
Ada weighs her fear of the tube against the deliciousness of hot dog.
Although Ada has a long way to go before she’s an agility champ, I think we’re all excited to learn more and it was terrifically fun. What a great birthday!
UPDATE: Something to aspire to: National Finals Small Dog Agility Course (video) and National Finals Large Dog Agility Course (video)
I like to cook. Ada doesn’t like kibble.
And here we have pupcake.
Yes, I know I’m spoiling her. But it actually costs less than some high quality wet food and takes less time than driving to our local pet food store. And this is only about half of what she eats in a day – the rest is kibble and duck treats.
The recipe originally came from another dog owner who said she got it from her vet. Her recipe called for baking it in two loaf pans for 60 minutes, cutting it into slices, wrapping the slices in foil, and freezing. Cupcakes are much faster and easier.
1/4 lb chicken liver cut into dime-size chunks
1 1/4 lb ground turkey (dark thigh meat if you can find it)
2 eggs
1 lb chopped spinach (frozen is ok if you thaw it)
2 carrots, grated (about 1/2 lb)
1 cup + 2 Tbsp rolled oats
1 Tbsp multi vitamin powder
2 tsp calcium powder
Preheat oven to 350. Put 14 foil cupcake wrappers in cupcake tins.
Mix all ingredients with your hands. Grab a large handful of the mixture and form it into a ball and plop it in a cupcake wrapper. Repeat to fill 14 wrappers. (The mixture should divide evenly into the 14 wrappers and they don’t rise or shink in baking if that gives you an idea of the size.)
Bake for 35 minutes. Cool in pans on a wire rack. Once cool, put a few in a tupperware in the fridge (they are safe to keep in the refrigerator for 3 days) and put the rest in a ziplock bag in the freezer (move to fridge to thaw ~24 hrs before serving).
Remove wrapper before serving.
**I am not a vet nor a nutritionist. Please consult your vet before changing your dogs diet.**
I’ve mentioned Ada’s destructo-tendencies once or twice before. It’s probably a bit harsh to compare her to a serial killer*, but a serial toy destroyer she certainly is!
Here we find a common scene:
What was once a favorite toy lays now abandoned, dismembered and gutted.
Ada appears remorseful of her destructive actions.
Maybe not. "Nommy toy guts... Mmmmmm."
* To my knowledge, the only living thing she ever killed was a tiny spider. And I’m not even sure if it was really dead or just playing dead.
I think Ada likes my new office.
It's got lots of places to curl up.
And the people watching is fantastic.
Feets!
On Tuesday Ada graduated from Smarty Pup 201. The instructor Fawn Pierre was absolutely fantastic – she’s very patient and engaging and so good with pups of all different temperaments. We can hardly wait to sign up for the next class!
Congratulations Grads!
A while back Ada and I took a short hike in Glen Canyon. The canyon is so lush and dense that it’s easy to forget you’re in the middle of the city.
This particular spring day was pretty warm...
...so we took lots breaks to rest and hydrate.
