Day 7 -- time to say goodbyes

The time with Marley has flown by. I can't believe he's going home tomorrow. He has been so much fun to have and has fit in so well with the other dogs I have here. Now it's time for him to show off what he has learned and see his people. I know he will be very excited to see everyone!

In addition to working, we did take time to sit in the sun for a while. We even did some work in the sun. Everyone was most with the weather after long periods of rain.

And, of course, we balanced out our rest time and work time with a little play time. Sinbad and Marley were enjoying sharing a stick.

Everyone will be sad to see Marley go...

But we would be happy to have him back any time.

Day 6 - Back to work!

Marley was happy to see Kravitz again but he only had a little bit of time to play with him today. Kravitz went back to the facility where he is being puppy raised for Canine Companions for Independence.

Marley and Kravitz happy to see each other again

But not to worry, there is alway another playmate here:

Marley and Omi initiating play

Even when Marley is playing we can sneak in some work. He loves to come running when you call him.

And he's learning so well to sit for things he wants. A nice, polite way to ask to go in or out the door, to wait for his food or water, or to get on the couch is to sit. More times than not Marley is sitting for things he would like including attention from people. And who can resist that face when it's looking up at you in a perfect little sit?

It's hard to believe tomorrow is our last full day together. He's been such a fun, little guy.

Day 5 - Hello to new friends

As I suspected, Marley and Kravitz are getting along like two peas in a pod -- one really big pea and one really small pea. They are playing great together. Kravitz is doing a really good job trying to be small and Marley is trying really hard to be big. As with Brutus, any time Marley starts to get a little bossy, I just say to both dogs "ah ah -- too much" and they settle down. Marley does a really good job paying attention to the humans even in such a high distraction environment like when he is playing with the other dogs. Good boy!

Kravitz starts the meeting off right with a play bow -- nice invitation to play

Marley is going to get up close and personal to say "hi" to this big guy.

And both are having a great time!

Another good sign of appropriate play....Kravitz is trying to get small to even the playing field a bit.

That wore everyone out so the whole gang had to get a drink of water all at once. What good boys at sharing their resources!

As promised a picture of Marley brushing his teeth. I had no idea how difficult it would be to try to brush his teeth and take the photo. He was doing really well with letting me handle his mouth so I started by letting him lick the toothpaste off the brush. We are slowly working our way into his mouth. A lot of dogs think this is a fabulous treat and it has the added benefit of getting them accustomed to having their mouth handled. And, of course, it will cut down on the costs of future dentals which require that the dog go under general anesthesia. This is particularly important for smaller dogs. They tend to have more dental disease than larger dogs.

Day 4 - goodbye to friends

We had another productive and fun day. But sadly, Marley's friend, Brutus, left today. Marley tried to get Sinbad to play with him but it's just not the same. Not to worry Marley, tomorrow Kravitz will be here and I happen to know he is another playful sort. Kravitz is another puppy in training to be a service dog. He's 10 months old and quite a bit bigger than Brutus, but he is all puppy. They will have a great time together. And I finally found out why Marley had no interest in toys while he was here. As soon as Brutus left, Marley started playing with toys. I guess Brutus is better than any old toy...at least in Marley's eyes.

Marley says this dog, Sinbad, isn't nearly as much fun as Brutus....

But who needs to play with other dogs when you're so good at working? Marley even stays put in the crate when I pick up his leash and put it on him.

Marley likes to be REALLY close to people. Always the good snuggler.

And he keeps my lap warm during the evening news.

Did I mention that I started brushing his teeth today? He was doing so well at letting me handle is mouth, I thought it would be a good time to introduce brushing his teeth. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow.

Day 3 - steady progress

Oh that Marley....he worked hard today. He made great progress on his crate skills. He is doing fabulous and sitting and waiting to be released from his crate. In low to moderate distraction environments he is near perfect. We're still working on high distraction environments (like first thing in the morning when he is excited about life) but he's making nice, steady progress.

Here Marley is learning that my hand on the latch means to sit. What a good boy!

Marley waiting so nicely in the crate with the crate door wide open

We balanced the work with a lot of play and then Marley joined me as I ran errands. What a good little travel companion!

Still lots of time to play with friends and take naps to rest up for the next big romp.

Sinbad is wondering why the two youngest pups got the most comfortable dog bed in the house.



But now for my favorite time, snuggles on the couch. Marley is trying really hard to remember to ask permission to get on the couch by sitting or laying down in front of me. Occasionally he forgets but he only needs a gentle reminder and a few minutes off the couch before he gets his next invitation. He is such a sweet guy!

Marley doing a great job of asking to get on the couch. Who could resist that face? Some praise for such nice behavior and the words he's been waiting for, "Marley up!"





Day 1 & 2 with Jacob Marley

This is Jacob Marley's first stay with City Dog Country Dog. He has been such a pleasure to have and he fits right in with the pack at my place. He became fast friends with Brutus, a 4 month old puppy in training to be a service dog.

Marley and Brutus meet

Marley gives Brutus a little kiss

All in all, Marley fits in well with the pack

It's not all been hard work here at the city portion of City Dog Country Dog board and train. Marley has been playing hard too. Don't tell Marley, but even when he's playing he's learning how to play appropriately and listen to his humans. Marley plays very well with Brutus but if they start to vocalize too much or one of them looks like they are getting upset, a simple "ah ah, too much" and walking towards them calms everyone down.

 Nice appropriate play between Marley and Brutus

 The standoff

 Which leads into the chase

And a nice break in the play and a chance for Brutus to shake off

It's ok for Marley to use his mouth some in play with other dogs. If it gets to be too much, I just interrupt the behavior. But it's not ok for Marley to use his mouth on humans. He is a quick study. He has not put his mouth on me once today.

But it's not all about play with other dogs. In between training sessions, it's important to make sure that you are doing activities with your dog and playing with your dog.

Marley helped me with some gardening today. He was quite pleased with the pumpkin we harvested.

But after a long day of hard work and lots of play, Marley needs to rest. I didn't have my camera ready when he and Brutus crawled into the kennel together but this one was close:

We're looking forward to seeing what adventures tomorrow brings....