Busy Busy Buster

Busy Busy Buster

I realize it's been quite sometime since our last update.  I've had quite a busy schedule.  And, one thing I've learned about trying to take your dog everywhere with you - it's takes almost twice as long to do everything.

Going to the store:  Walk Buster to the truck after making sure he doesn't need a potty break.  In the parking lot, putting him in the back of the truck. Shopping.  Come back to the truck, place Buster in the back.  At home, Buster gets out first, then...well you get the idea.

Size - Growing Boy

Buster is over 60 lbs now.  His appetite has stabilized at 2 cups of Blue Buffalo in the morning and 2 cups in the evening.  He is much taller than Rusty as you can see in the picture.  He still loves horse manure judging from the luscious green color of his poops.

Exercise

According to the Nike tracking app on my phone we walk over 35 miles each month.  We are already over that for April.  I don't keep track of every step we take either. Buster tolerates walking, but I don't think he is a big fan.  He generally is looking all over the place, which brings us to...

Training

Buster has a sit and a down.  His heel is whatever he may feel like.  As long as he doesn't pull me around, I kind of tolerate that.  Oh, and he can pull!  This is much different from other dogs I've owned.  I usually wouldn't tolerate such insubordination.  I've realized over the last couple of months however that Buster just needs constant reinforcement.  Trying to force him into a regimental training program just isn't going to work.  For the most part he wants to be a good dog, it's just that sometimes he has too much puppy energy juice flowing through him and it carries him right away.

We've done a little dock diving.  He loves going in the water, but he has yet to consistently "jump" in.  I think this would be a great sport for him.  We will continue to work on this and see if he can get the hang of it.

Socialization

We've been to the dog parks in and around Bakersfield over the last couple of weeks.  One had a lot of dog traffic, one only had a little, and the third had no one else around.  Buster is not quite sure what to make of the other dogs.  We'll keep working on this too.

The people downtown know him well.  People see us on almost a daily basis.  They've seen Buster grow up.  I had to start asking people to make Buster sit before they touch him.  Most do, some don't.  It was getting to the point where if Buster saw someone he thought he recognized he would just pull me over to them.  We've managed to get this behavior under control.

Buster is great on the trail with the horses.  He follows along well and has good stamina.  At our usual restaurant stop, he rests quietly while we enjoy a meal or conversation.  We still buy him a burger before heading back to the stables.  Most definitely his favorite part.

I do get concerned about his lack of concern for the horses.  I'm not sure how to make him understand that all horses aren't as friendly as ours.  This might be something he will learn the hard way.  I took him over to a friend's house to help her with her horse training.  She had a little mule there too.  The mule put Buster in his place.

Buster Brown the Clown

He still makes us laugh on a daily basis.  He is totally uninhibited and truly a free spirit.  He has learned to deal with the cats.  He still sleeps in his crate until 6:15.  He can go 90 miles per hour or be a couch potato.

He is still hard on Rusty.  Rusty is a tough old girl and refuses to back down.  Buster will steal Rusty's rubber ball and run circles around her until she pretends to give up.  She looks disinterested, he drops the ball, THEN she steals it back. 

A Day(s) on the Beach

The Five Day Weekend 

We have had quite the week with Buster being exposed to a whole host of new experiences and environments.  And, we discovered traveling with a dog can be quite a chore.

Last Thursday we were invited to Ojai Valley Cowboy School to do a remote podcast for our show, The Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship.  We knew it would be a long day.  Our choices: leave Buster alone in the yard or locked in his crate.  There is just too much trouble he can get into if left alone to roam free for ten hours.  We opted to take him with us.

Buster is a wonderful traveler.  Once in the truck he curls up and goes to sleep.  The trip to Ojai is about two hours.  He slept the whole way.  The Cowboy School is a ranch and all ranches have dogs.  I let Buster out and he soon discovered he was not "Top" anything.  Ranae and I took this as a good thing.  The other dogs played and showed him a good time.  And, when he got too rambunctious, they put him in his place.  I did have to crate him for a time while I rode.  We couldn't have him chasing the horse around and that's just what he would have done.  I offered him the opportunity to be tied to the outside of the arena, but he chose to bark and left me no choice.

Once the riding events were over we let him out and he was a good dog.  I was worried about the food - there were hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill.  We kept a watchful eye on him because he would have definitely helped himself to some goodies.

He slept most of the way home and on Friday we headed off again for a weekend in San Diego. Wonderfully, the trip down was great. Buster slept for about three hours until we got to the town of Norco.  We found a place to eat with a patio, walked around a bit, and then finished the ninety minute trip to our hotel.  La Quinta Inns does not charge for pets.  I was a little concerned when they were only rated two stars on the website, but our room was clean, breakfast was good, and we were pleasantly surprised.  We had two crates with us, the travel crate and the sleeping crate.  We move the sleeping crate to the room and kept the travel crate to contain Buster when we went to a restaurant that didn't accommodate dogs.

We visited my brothers staying at an RV park.  Buster was well rested and eager to check things out.  People were excited to meet him and he fed off that excitement. We were recommended a few dog parks and told of a dog beach.  We could not wait to give it a try.  

Two dogs playing chase and roll.

Saturday morning we found Dusty Roads Dog Park.  I've never been to a dog park.  Buster had never been to a dog park.  It was time to let nature take its course and see what happened.  

All the years I've owned dogs I had never observed this type of behavior.  Plenty of times I had seen dogs interact on-lead or loose out in the open.  This was a self-contained dog play area.  The dogs who regularly come here, come specifically to play.  New dogs are greeted, it seemed to me, with a very stern eye that conveyed the notion, "You will have fun...or else".  

Buster was greeted with a couple of dogs in his face and was a little intimidated at first.  There were far too many good smells for him to comprehend.  He interacted with a few of the dogs and played a game or two of chase.  He discovered on his own that one does not just take any dog's ball without a good romp and a run.  He played with dogs bigger than he and some of the smaller ones too (although there was a separate penned area for the dogs under 20 lbs.)  He kept me in eyesight and if I wandered too far off, he would come over and check in with me.

Dog Beach San Diego

Once I knew he was good in the fenced area we set out to see what delights the dog beach held for us. We found we had parked about half a mile away.  Ranae and I enjoy walking and this was the fun part for us. 

This was an amazing place!  There were dogs everywhere! Some dogs wanted in the water, some did not.  Buster was not too sure what to think at first.  Again, the smells were overwhelming, but there were dogs, there were balls and Frisbees being thrown, and there were waves to dodge.

Buster did an excellent job of balancing having fun and keeping track of where we were.  It was hard to even take pictures of him because every time I squatted to get a "dog level" shot he would come running to me.

Finally, he went tearing through the waves with a new-found friend.  He got a real kick out of splashing water around.  He's too new to the game to come back to us before shaking the water off, but I'm sure if given time and opportunity, he would pick this up in a heartbeat.

It was wonderful seeing him run.  The boy does know how to have a good time.  We went to another dog park the following day.  I have to hand it to San Diego.  They know how to treat their dogs.  In all the time we spent around the loose dogs - around three hours I would guess - there was not one fight incident.  There were pit bulls and Rottweilers and some other intimidating breeds, but nothing ever escalated passed a bit of barking.

Surf's Up!

On Sunday while grocery shopping we ran across a pet store.  Knowing we could take Buster inside we decided to do a bit of window shopping.  As luck would have it, there was a scale inside.  Buster is up to 42 lbs.  Oh, and I should mention that he was off his feed on the trip.  He usually scarfs down about 5 cups of food a day.  Friday he had three, Saturday I don't think he ate 2 1/2 cups.  And, with his appetite off schedule, his poops were too.  He woke me up at five in the morning for a walkabout.  We had a talk.  I tried to convey that this was a vacation and the goal was to sleep in.  After a day at the dog beach I think he finally got the hang of it.  I'm not sure what was going on.  His appetite is back to normal now that he's home.

This Boy Can Eat

The other day after breakfast Buster looked hungry.  I had given him the usual cup and a 1/4  or so.  I thought I would dump another cup of food in his bowl and whatever he did not clean up, I would put back in his food bin.  He is a magician.  Presto Change-O the bowl was as clean as the day I bought it!  This week Buster weighed in at 32.5 lbs.  He has tripled his weight in the 60 days I've had him!

He is now getting 2 cups in the morning, a cup and a half for lunch, and a cup and a half for dinner.  He is sleeping through the night and wakes up when we do around 6 am.  We will go out and feed the horses and then he gets to eat.  He's got about half an hour of wrestling with Rusty before he needs a nap.  That allows me to shower and shave without worrying what he might get into.  Then it's off to work.

Yesterday I put him in the back seat of the truck.  I think he prefers me being the chauffeur.  He generally sits up and looks out the window for awhile before curling up on his towel.  This morning he asked that I pull his truck around and take him to Petsmart to refill our quickly dwindling food supplies.  We met up with Belle, a pit/shepard mix, shopping in the same aisle.  After a few pleasantries they both thought they should be able to play.  I must teach Buster the importance of his "inside voice" because I got a boisterous rebellion after informing him the store aisles were no place to romp around. He let me know that he had never been talked to in this manner from a chauffeur and that if I continued I would be forced to seek employment elsewhere.

He headed over the the cat food aisle to look for dropped morsels of kibble while I picked out some delicious flavors for the fellas at home.  When he was ready, I once again pulled his truck around and gently lifted him to throne in the rear.  (Now I understand why people get Pomeranians)

Older, Longer, Full of Juice

As I sit here writing this Rusty has chosen to stay outside for a little peace and quiet.  Buster's "switch" is on. Excuse the typos as one eye has to remain on him. Friday he got his final puppy shot and we felt safe to take out to larger, more public places.  Buster is getting long and lanky as he is reaching the three-month mark.  

We went to a horse show/Cowboy Christmas event yesterday. It was here in town, but it was an all day thing. We left here with the horses and trailer around 8:30 am and got home around 5:30....excuse me he has lost his toy under the chair, be right back. Okay, he chased his ball down the hallway and brought it back several times. Between me and Rusty maybe his is winding down. Nope.

Back to Sunday...we walked him around the crowd and he got to meet a lot of people. There were also horses everywhere. He did really well. He doesn't seem like he'll be the dog that goes bouncing up to people, but maybe.  He took everything in and I think he liked being out and about. 

When we had to ride our horses, Buster stayed in his crate quietly. The only time he was a handful was when I was in the arena and Ranae was trying to take pictures. She said he was figetting and whining - he's a Papa's boy for sure. 

The last couple of mornings he has slept until five. We go out and share a pee in the dark and he goes back in the crate if I want another little snooze (some mornings I just get up and start the chores).  The feeding goes like this:  Buster has to sit while I prepare everyone's bowls - cats and dogs.  Then, I take Buster's bowl outside.  I rush inside and, cue Mission Impossible music here, distribute all the other bowls as quickly as possible. The mission, should the cats choose to accept it, is to finish in about four and a half minutes. Buster is up to over a cup three times a day and he is quick about it. 

Buster taking a boot break

Once the cats are finished bowls have to be picked up because Buster really likes cat food and will go bouncing around the kitchen trying to reach every bowl he can smell. Then it is about an hour of outside while I feed the horses and muck stalls. He and Rusty usually romp around for a bit until nap time. 

When it's time to go to work he just lays there. I have to put his collar on and entice him to the truck for the ride to work. He's like I was as a lazy teenager. Once there he'll get a bit more rest before our mid-morning walk. 

We're Very Bullish on Buster

Oh, if only the stock market went up like Buster's weight.  16 lbs!!!  I'm buying Roundup - we need some weed control.

The worming medication gave Buster some runny stools.  Finally, yesterday morning he passed some nasty looking roundworms.  Roundworms are only supposed to get 6-7 inches long.  Some of these were at least three.  (I really didn't look too closely)  I think his tummy was upset because he was off his meals a little bit too.  It's funny, before the worm medication I would moisten his food.  After worm medication he didn't touch moistened food.

His training is coming along.  He has a very nice "Sit", except it is in front.  He has just the slightest hint of a "Stay".  His recall is good if you're kneeling.  We just started working on the "Down".

Our socialization continues.  Now that he has had his second shot we are venturing more places.  People can't resist Buster's green eyes.  He doesn't always appreciate the attention, but I think he coming along nicely.

I had a meeting today and had to leave him in the kennel in the truck.  It was a cool day.  He stayed in the cab with the windows opened.  My meeting lasted about 90 minutes.  He tolerated very well and took the time to catch up on some napping.  When he is in sleep mode he is the devil to wake up.  After lunch we walked Ranae back to work - the long way - well over a mile by her tracking app.

Ah the First Weekend

It's great to have another set of eyes on Buster.  Ranae and I can take turns playing and watching him.  He looks to get into everything, he is a puppy after all.  We have tinkering with his feeding schedule a bit.  We are trying to tweak it to help him get his play and sleep time more in sync with our own.

The boy has an appetite.  We tried him with 3/4 of a cup of dry food and he was still looking for more.  I bumped it up to a full cup last night, but I think it was a bit much.  We'll keep it at 3/4 cup four times a day for now.  He is a nose surfer, always looking for a bit of kibble dropped on the floor or running his nose along the edge of the coffee table to see if any snacks may have been left behind.

He has discovered the delicacy of horse poop.  Rusty taught him that.  He also also a good appetite for hoof pieces.   The farrier came the day after we brought Buster home.  I've collected as many of the pieces as I could find, but Buster's nose is stronger than my eyes.

This morning he slept until about 5 am.  He has gotten very good at going outside to pee.  As with any puppy this age, you just kinda have to let them figure things out.  The cats are tolerating him more and more.  We have to be a bit careful because during his "high energy" times his motor is revving and he wants to chase everything.

The crate is working well as long as we don't try to put him in there during one of his energy periods.  We've found it best to play hard and just as he is winding down, place him in there.  He fights it for a short time, then dozes off.  We me trying to take him everywhere I go he may have to spend some time in the crate inside the truck.  Right now the temps have cooled off.  It will be interesting to see how he handles that when the time comes.

Oh, How We Long for the Good Ole Days

Oh, How We Long for the Good Ole Days... 

Rusty

Which were like two days ago.  Buster is gaining confidence.  He also has begun his training.  He is not allowed to jump up anymore.  And, he's not allowed to use us as a chew toy.  The jumping has improved quite a bit.  We use the gentle knee bump timed to set him back a bit.  The chewing I'm sure will be a much tougher problem.  He has his toys, but as most puppies, he prefers our socks, the throw on the sofa, or Rusty's tail.  Rusty is helping keep her in line.

Buster slept through the night.  He woke around 5 am and I let him out.  We walked around a bit after his constitutional and, because he had some energy, we played for a bit.  My normal start time is around 6 am.  Instead of placing him back in the crate for an hour we laid on the floor.  He played with his toys for about 15 minutes then he curled up next to me and was just about ready to fall asleep when one of the cats wanted out.  I got up, he waited in "our" spot.  A couple of minutes later he was slipping into sweet Morpheus when he was attacked by - duh, duh, dunnnnn - puppy hiccups!  Eventually we got about a cat nap's worth of shut-eye and were ready for a hearty breakfast at six.

Ready To Walk

We have just about transitioned him over to our house brand of food, Blue Buffalo.  He is getting almost a full cup in the morning, about half a cup at noon, about 3/4 cup at dinner, and 1/2 a cup an hour before bed.  His stools have been good.  He's only had one accident in the house and that was because I need to grab a jacket before taking him out and he couldn't wait.

Our walks are growing longer.  He still is afraid of almost anything that makes a noise, but his fear is getting less and less.We walked by the train today and the air brakes gave him a terrible fright.  We kept moving and everything was okay.

It's just about time for lunch....off we go!