Obedience School. Class #3.

Today marked the half-way point of Bryer's schooling.  Has he changed much?  HA!

We got to school today about 20 minutes early, so we did our usual stroll around PetSmart to try and wear him out a bit before class begins.  We ran into a few dogs and people before class, one dog growled at Bryer, the other wrestled with him.  We go in the ring to look to check it out while nobody is in there.  There were two toys laying in the floor that they were using for a class that is right before ours.  Bryer walks in, picks up both toys in his mouth and walks right out.  Just like he owned the place and those were his toys and nobody else's.

The tricks we were learning in class today were:  "Take it", "Leave It", "Drop It".  Well - we are a ROCKSTAR at "Take It", and yes, it's literally what it sounds like.  You offer your dog something and he takes it - we finally succeed at something from obedience school!  Next we try "Leave It".  In order to do this I had a special treat that the instructor gave me and I had to hide it in my hand, let him smell it and try to get it, then say "Leave It" while I try and distract him with a different treat - once he looked away from my hand he got the treat.  He actually didn't do too bad with this one, except for the fact that my hand was completely covered in spit!  Then we try "Drop It".  In order to do this we get a rawhide.  Well, Bryer is so distracted from being in class he won't even pick up the rawhide - therefore we cannot "Drop It".  The instructor then brings out a big bin of toys.  Bryer is in doggie heaven.  Bryer ends up with 5 different toys, and the other two Prima-donna's won't even take one toy.  We try to practice "Drop It", and he does it every now and then, but he does not want to give up his new fabulous toys.  He completely soaks four of them in spit and then covers them with black hair - I'm sure PetSmart really appreciated it!

Bryer's other two classmates were mentioning how they've tried to teach their dogs to catch, but they just can't quite do it.  Well that sure triggered Craig.  Then he and his son had to show off a bit!  Bryer's favorite toy that he was playing with was a yellow rubber squeaky ball so Craig and Bryer had to play catch just so everyone could see how athletic our wild man was!  Craig was a proud father..

I'm not really sure that obedience school was everything we thought it was going to be.  I think an hour is way too long for Bryer's attention span.  He does well the first few times we try and do a trick, but then he gets bored with doing stuff for treats and just flat out ignores me and Craig.  I think he thinks the instructor is some type of treat God because he will do anything for her - but when Craig and I try and get him to do stuff he doesn't even acknowledge that we exist.

This class was kind-of lacking in humor, Bryer was too focused on his new toys so he couldn't perform for the crowd tonight!  Stay tuned for next week - he's supposed to be hooked on to a 10 foot leash and Craig and I are supposed to call him and he is supposed to come to us - that should go just swell!

Obedience School. Class #2.

Well, we went back to obedience school today.  It was eventful (as everything always is with Bryer) but not quite like last week!

Let me also remind all of you that Bryer has 4 staples in his back foot.  The staples are almost right where his foot bends, so you would assume that when he's acting like a nut bag that his foot would hurt - just a thought.

This is how staples spent his Tuesday before obedience school.  We got a paper last week on overexcited dogs, it said it would be a good idea to exercise the dog before class so he's not so wound up.  Here is how Bryer exercises - he takes after his Mom!

So we get to PetSmart a bit early today.  Craig walks him in and we decide to walk him around the store a bit to help calm him down.  The teacher suggest that this would be a good idea to try and help him get more comfortable while we are learning.

We start walking around and he's just taking it all in.  Then we come to the cage in the middle of the store that has the mice, hamsters and birds.  Bryer thinks it is the scariest thing he has ever seen!

Then we get to the dog toy aisle, he thought he was in heaven!  He would grab a toy, he knew he wasn't supposed to have it, walk a few feet and then drop it!  It was pretty funny!

Then class begins.  At first the teacher asks how everyone is doing with their tricks.  Of course the other two dogs are perfect (showoffs) - then there is Bryer.  Little did we know that this entire class would consist of nothing but walking Bryer around the store, exactly what we just got finished doing.  The goal was to be able to walk on a loose leash and not to jump on people when they greeted him.  To get Bryer to stop pulling, we were to start walking, and as soon as he pulled we were to stop and wait on him to quit.  Our walking started like this, Craig would take 2 steps and then stop, wait, 2 more steps, stop, wait, 2 more steps, stop wait.  As we went on it got better and better - I truly think this is because he may have been getting worn out!  Then, as we would walk up to an employee or customers in the store they were to pet Bryer.  They would ask him to sit and he would get a treat and his reward would be them petting him.  I was so very proud of him - he only jumped on one person!  Except, everyone he met he was vigorously liking their hands because he figures everyone in PetSmart was a magical treat dispenser!  

While we were walking around, we did come across the vet place they have inside of PetSmart.  It had a scale to weigh your dogs.  Since Bryer has been on his diet for almost a week now we figured we would weigh him and see how he was progressing.  Last week at the vet he clocked in at 75.7 pounds.  Today he weighed 80.2.  REALLY??  How does that happen??  

As I mentioned last week, there is a dog in class named Austin, he is an Australian Shepherd.  He is super shy and gentle and just beautiful.  Bryer is OBSESSED with him.  He would not leave this dog alone at all.  This dog is probably half Bryer's size, maybe even smaller.  Bryer started out by wedging his head all the way into the dog's crotch and smelling him for a good 10 minutes.  Then Bryer really sniffed him all over, he got a good ear sniff and everywhere else on his body - all the while this dog is cringing in disgust.  Then Bryer thinks it would be a good idea to make out with him in class - he literally starts licking the dogs mouth - who does that?  Then, Bryer does the infamous Bryer trick - the 'let me stand here with my paw on your back' - WHICH I HATE!  I felt so bad for this little dog, Bryer just would not leave him alone!  Bryer even made him yelp at the end of class!  The instructor says that Bryer stepped on this dog's foot - I think Bryer bit him - not mean in any way shape or form, he was just playing.  Poor Austin, he's never going to be the same.. :(  I apologized to the dog several times and his owner really didn't seem to care, thank the Lord.  I think next week we are going to choose seats that are not right next to Austin!

On the way home, Bryer was pretty tired (or seemed pretty tired)

He pulled one over on us for sure!  As I'm typing this he is running around like a chicken with his head cut off throwing his dragon and chasing it.  We are getting ready to go on our nightly walk and practice our loose leash walking skills.  Our 15 minute walk may turn into 2 hours..

Staples the Conehead - AKA - Bryer

Well, our Bryer adventures continue.  There is never a dull moment around that big guy.

(This one is a bit lengthy too - there is just a lot to say about our wild man!)

Way back in our Minnesota days, Craig and I notice that there is this odd little spot on Bryer's foot.  It was small and white and he really had no idea it was there.  You know me though, crazy, I start worrying about it.  We don't do anything about it and just keep watching it since it doesn't seem to bother him.

Well, it grew, and recently it started to get rather large and turn red.  We finally decide it would be a good idea to get him to a vet.  I call and set up an appointment for this past Wednesday (two days ago).  I warn them ahead of time that he is crazy, and they said "Bring it on, we love the energetic ones!"  I think to myself "You haven't met Bryer, yet!"

I take Bryer into the vet Wednesday morning while Craig is at work.  We are just scheduled for a check-up and to get that spot looked at.  We get set up in our little room and he his panting/drooling/shedding like crazy!  The nurse comes in to talk to me and get a little info on my son.  He loves her and is soo excited to see her.  She says "Wow!  We usually don't get dogs that are happy to see us!"  Then she leaves and the Doc comes in!  I absolutely love him!  He sat down and petted Bryer and talked to me just like we were old friends before we got down to business.  While we were talking he told me that he finished his vet schooling at VT.  WHAT?????  This can't be good.  He tells me that Bry-man is getting offered too much dog food a day and he needs to go on a diet.  He was cut back from 5 cups of food a day to 3.5 (he clocked in at 75.7lbs!)  Then he looks at Bryer's foot.  He starts poking it with a needle and pulling stuff out of it - poor guy :(  I felt so bad for him!  Good news is that it was "a whole lot of nothing".  The Doc felt like it should be removed before it ruptured on its own and got infected.  We went ahead with the procedure and had it lazored off.  He ended up with 2 staples and the doc wrapped it with vet wrap.  He came back in to talk to us and I said "So, when he starts messing with it what do I do?"  The good 'ole VT Doc said "He won't mess with it."  I laughed.  I'm sure if he graduated from UVa he would have had a cone day 1 so the stitches would last all 10 days - just a guess though?  (I had to throw that in there)  :o)

Here is what it looked like on Wednesday:

The wrap was supposed to last one day - it did not.  The stitches were supposed to last 10 days - they did not.  The two stitches made it until Thursday night.  Craig and I decide to go to the grocery store and when we return, I do my staple count, and have a heart-attack because both staples are MIA.  I start super freaking out because all I can think about is now his intestines are going to be ruptured because he has two staples in his belly and that his crater is going to get infected and it's going to cost us $1,209,382 to fix it all.  I call the emergency vet because it was after hours, and I ask them what to do.  They said it cost $100 just to bring him in to get looked at and then depending on what kind of anesthesia he would need for the staples it would cost another $30-100.  WHAT??  So we put neosporin on a paper towel, place it on his crater and wrap it with tape until the morning.

This morning, we are just going to run him by his new vet and see if they will check the hole and replace the staples.  (Also, this morning I found both staples laying in the floor - THANK YOU LORD!)  When we get to the vet, we just decide to leave him there for the morning instead of having staples put in, then throwing him in his crate right away while Craig and I are out looking at houses.  That would just be yet another opportunity to rip out those staples and I was not doing that again!  

We go and pick him up this afternoon and this is what comes bopping around the corner:

Craig and I died laughing.  He could have cared less that he had that thing on his head!  It was hysterical!  

This go around - he has 4 staples in his foot.  Sweet - double the chance of poking a hole in his intestines.

With Bryer at the vet, I had the most productive morning I have had in such a long time!  I love that boy but let me tell you - I so enjoyed my morning!  We got his foot taken care of, and a cone and it was only $20 bucks!  I love our new vet - even if he did graduate from VT!

"Shew Mom, I've had a tough day!"