Bob starts agility!

The baby boy is growing up!

The little man is almost 9 mos old now, and this week we have started actual agility training. Up to now we've played with the clicker, working on some simple behaviors (sit, down, and interacting with a box). The only thing slightly approaching "agility" has been the start of RTO (Rear Toe On) behavior on a short plank.

Earlier this week we began jump training. To avoid wasted time while he searches for cookies in the grass we've worked on the deck. Thank goodness for small dog. : )

Jump progress
Day 1 (for those interested, pretty much steps 1-4 from Foundation Jumping)
Session 1 - . Learned to offer jump over 4" bar. Lured only about 2 or 3 times for him to "get it." After several happy, successful jumps, went to 6".
Session 2 - He went from 6"-12" (2" increments) with no problem. Once dropped bar at 12", but I had dropped the treat when he started takeoff so that's my bad, not his. Aside from that, never even ticked the bar.
Session 3 - progressed to me standing, and tossing treat to different spots, instead of just base of jump. Never touched the bar, and still happily offering.

Day 2 (rainy, cold, windy and awful! So only one time outside to train)
Session 1 - I began to vary my position, so he is always going away from me to take jump (Found. Jumping step 5)

Day 3 (cold and damp again, numb fingers making treat dropping difficult!)
Session 1 - I moved the jump so he is jumping away form me, TOWARDS a solid barrier.

The two "Bobs"

"Big" Bob (Sergei Bobrvosky)

Small" Bob

Accomplishments in the last week

Bob has learned to come up the steps onto the deck, lift his leg to pee (occasionally), play tug with Daz sleep in a little crate (with no door, it just sits in his pen), run to his pen when he sees me getting his bowl ready and chase Neat out of the little dog bed when he wants to nap there (if you've seen Monsters, Inc, she sort of thinks of him like the monsters do children <g>). Started learning to stack like a good little show doggie.

What he has NOT learned is to sleep quietly all night.... <yawn!> I don't really think he wants out to pee. I think he's lonely. Poor guy!

Bed all to himself!

We've gone from this...

...to this.

This is hard work!

"stacking" with Auntie Pam

Good friend Pam Williams came over to visit Bob this afternoon.  Pam does the structural evaluations for many conformation and agility folks in the area. I value her opinion on canine structure. Bob is just over 6 weeks old, so really too soon for a real structural eval, but she did like what she saw AND she found his testicles (yay!). I never can find them...

He was not terribly cooperative about his rear today. (of course, this was after the testicle check... <g>) He was keeping the rear legs tucked under more than we wanted. He doesn't really have as much rear angle as this looks. 

I truly love his top line though. I will readily admit his mother's isn't as nice as I would like. The "hanging" picture is very representative of the puppy I see standing at alert in the yard. 

Big time wrestling

Yes, they are blurry, but that's because they were moving! Daz and Bob love to wrestle.

So funny!

I change out the set of toys in his pen every few days. Just did a total clean out of paper (though it really doesn't need it), mats and toys. He's just running from one thing to another checking it all out.

Is he still there?

Neat is somewhat less than enthusiastic about sharing her big comfy bed with Bob I'm afraid.

If I can't see him he's not really there!

But really, who could resist this face??

Bob learns steps

How big is Bob?

I know everyone thinks Bob is huge. Yes, he looks like a little polar bear. : ) So I decided to go back and compare him to Fada's other pups.

Piper (Fe) and Drummer (Ml) are from the Christmas 2009 litter. Daz (Fe) and Vettel (Ml) were born Feb 2011. And Bob, of course, June of this year.

                        Piper       Drummer                 Daz        Vettel                     Bob
Birth               6.3              6.6                          7.9          8.1                          7.5        (oz)
1 week           10.6oz        10.8oz                     1:4.6       1:05.8  (lb:oz)        13oz
2 weeks          1:04.1        1:04.8                     1:12.3     1:15                        1:6
3 weeks          1:11           1:13                        1:14.8     2:4.1                       1:11
4 weeks          2:02           2:04                        2:08        3:00                        1:15
5 weeks          3:04           3:08 (5.5 wks)         2:09        3:04                        2:05
6 weeks                                                           3:04        4:00                        2:11

Daz (top) and Vettel (bottom)

Piper (top) and Drummer (bottom)

Bob

How time flies!

Bob will be 6 weeks old tomorrow. I can't believe how fast it has gone! I have been taking pics all along, and you can see them on Google +. More blog updates on what Bob has been up to these past weeks coming soon, but for now, here is our first attempt at a "stacked" photo. Not easy, but this is the best we got.

Birthday celebration!

Today was the first really nice day here in Central Ohio in... well, all month really! So Bob celebrated the lovely weather and his birthday by spending some time outdoors with his buddy, Oliver.

And after his outdoor exercise, Bob was exhausted!

4 weeks old today!

Oh my, has it really been so long since I have done a Bob update? Things have been pretty hectic here; cuddling him has taken priority over posting about him in my free time. I have still beent aking photos though, and you can see the most recent HERE. So, where to start?

 He is 4 weeks old today and weighed in at 2 lbs 3 1/2 oz this morning. That puts him about the same as Piper and Drummer (first litter) and still a little less than Daz at this age and a half pound less than Vettel was at this stage! Though Bob may have a little more roly poly going than they did...

He has become pretty active in the last week. Since he doesn't have littermates, I expected him to take a little longer to get up and going on his legs. But now that he is, he's pretty darn good at it!

More to come!

Photos

I know I am VERY behind and a BAD puppy mamma for not posting for so long. But I have at least uploaded all photos up t today and you can see them HERE.

Happy 4th of July!

Bob hopes everyone had a happy and safe Independence Day. He ate and grew. : )

Days 6/7

Finished toenails! He actually wasn't too bad for the back feet. He did make cute little trilling noises. They end in what is almost a little "rrrruff!" noise.

Just about his favorite position (other than eating) seems to be laying between Fada's front legs.  I think he misses having a brother or sister to cuddle with. Poor baby! He's going to be lonely when his ears and eyes start working and he realizes how alone he is. : (

He is getting around a little better every day. Hasn't actually gotten OUT of the nest box, since that first day when he was looking for Mama. But he has been climbing up the edge. I assume by the end of the week I'll take that small box out and he'll just be in the 3' x 4' box, which will really make him look tiny!

Day 5

Apparently Bob is just going to gain a half ounce every 12 hours. He weighed in at 10.5 oz this morning and 11 tonight. We'll see if he hits 11.5 by morning!

Today we made a start on toe nail trimming. Yes,baby puppy nails need trimmed too. It's just somewhat nerve wracking because I'd really rather not amputate a toe. <g> We did a few today, will try for a few more tomorrow. Holding him semi still long enough for more than that is impossible. Also, Fada gets a little stressed when I have him like that, especially once he starts squeaking. As much as he complained about it though, he went right back to sleep afterwards (below). More photos on Google+ for anyone interested in more.

Comparison

Photos of Drummer, from December 2009 litter, and Bob, sowing face and neck markings. Bob's overall color is much lighter, but white pattern on head very similar.

Bob

Drummer

Bob

Drummer

sleep = grow!

Bob weighed 9.5 oz at 9:30 last night. At 9:30 this morning he came in at 10.5 oz!

Quiet day

Pretty uneventful day. (that's a good thing) Bob ate and slept. Fada is still being the great Mamma. He weighed 9 oz this morning, up to 9.5 this evening.

We started off our morning with my grandson, Oliver, staying for a couple of hours. Then later this afternoon, Lianne, Andy and Oliver came back over to stay with the crew so I could run to the grocery. I don't leave Mom and pup(s) alone for 2-3 weeks at least. When I went upstairs to shower  I could hear Fada downstairs when I got out. She was having a mini meltdown. She's a good Mom, but wants someone close by at all times.

Which means I am still sleeping by the whelping box at night I am getting too old for this sort of thing. Hoping by tomorrow night I can move Fada and Bob in their st up to my bedroom for the night. Last night I tried moving ME. I started out on the sofa, just across the room. Fada was having no part of that. Wanted me close enough to touch her. I moved back to the floor then, and will just start there tonight.

Here are a couple of photos for today, there are more here.

Chunky Monkey!

He is up to 9 oz this morning!