Odie Beagle Boy, BS Basic Obedience 2014

Oops! I haven't posted Odie's last set of homework videos! My baby boy graduated from Pet Centrics' Basic Obedience - Advanced Level on March 8. He's one of the only two dogs who have officially completed Pet Centrics' Basic Obedience series (the other one is his classmate Beagle the beagle). To put this is human school terms, I'm not sure if he's a senior high or a college graduate, but I'd like to think it's college because of the work involved.

Since our pace was a bit behind, teacher decided to change our homework and scrap the ones that were too advanced for us. I guess I know where we went wrong. Beagle did really good with the mat exercises but not so much with perch work. Odie was the complete opposite, nailed the perch work, lagged behind with the mat.

Here's why we didn't get to practice much with the mat.

It happened during class. He was tasked to run toward the mat, which he did, and then he picked it up and ran all around the training venue. When he finally stopped, he shook his head while carrying the mat, which resulted in breaking it apart. I'm lucky he didn't eat parts of it! It took a while for me to find a substitute because the options were just too few. I ended up buying replacements in Eastwood. Bye, moneys.

We did what we could though, homework-wise. Here are our final requirements which we submitted the night before graduation.

04 Send to Mat from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

05 Recall to Mat from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Right now we're getting much better with the send to mat exercise. While filming the homework though he had sooooo many episodes of biting the mat, picking it up and playing with it, and trying to eat parts of it. He was able to tear off some of the thread so I put some duct tape to hold the damaged area in place. Take note, these were the newer mats so seeing one damaged kinda hurt. As for recalling to the mat, he's still a bit late in dropping to a down when I increase distance, so that needs a lot more work.

06 Heel in a Circle from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

07 Recall with Heel from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Odie is doing a lot better with the heel, most of the time even offering the behavior when he sees me holding treats. This is the desired end result of the perch work, if I understood our lessons correctly. 

08 Lily Pad Stay from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Lily Pad Stay was one of the games we had in class. Basically the dog just has to stay on one mat as the human moves the other mat to a different spot. It's a great test of focus, mostly because picking up, walking, and putting the mat somewhere else are more than enough distractions for a hyper beagle. He kept breaking to look at me doing what I was supposed to do. Pretty good watch dog, I must say. Or not!

Unfortunately, we weren't able to complete our homework tally sheet because of an accident that happened while we were filming homework outside of our house.

We were working on Recall with Heel outdoors that day so I clipped our long leash. I lured Odie to his starting spot, and when I turned around to walk 10 feet away, I saw a slim, white cat across the street. I immediately looked at Odie and saw him already fixated at the cat. Within a split second, he took off running toward the cat! I don't know what came over me. I stepped on the long leash for a while (which was what we're supposed to do anyway) but I felt that I was going to fall so I grabbed on to the leash with my hand. I suffered a couple of burns from the intense friction between my hand and the thin leash being pulled by a running dog. Was it painful? A bazillion times YES! But of course I still had to bring Odie back home and in his crate, bring my camera, treats, mats and perch inside the house, and then attend to my injured hand. I dressed my hand temporarily and drove to the drug store to get medicine and more bandages.

A broken mat, a broken hand, and a broken dog (Odie got gastroenteritis the day after graduation) were the challenges we had to get through in order to graduate. A week later, Odie graduated from his illness, and two weeks following the accident, my hand is bandage-free. I was also informed just recently of Odie's homework points and the prizes we can get with what he worked for. I think the real reward here though is the fact that I now have more options for Odie to release his energy! Having a hyper dog is NOT EASY. That's why I decided to take classes and really make time for Odie and I to learn how to not be enemies. I think we're handling it well so far.

Oh and okay, I forgive the cat for appearing out of nowhere.

Wake Up!

Aaaaaand we're back to making homework videos!

Odie is currently enrolled in Pet Centrics' Advanced Basic Obedience class. The last time we submitted homework videos was sometime in April, I think, when we were in Intermediate class and I have to admit, the stress is getting to me. It wasn't very easy to cover outdoor locations this time around. I thought of just staying in our neighborhood and in the surrounding area of our training venue but it took a while for me to get that done. There are just too many free-roaming dogs! Same problem as before, stubborn owners who open their homes' gates in the morning, when it's cool enough to actually STAY outside. My only consolation is that it feels extra good to accomplish something because of the perpetual challenge.

There are only two dog students in the advanced class right now. No competition, right? WRONG. The exercises are tougher, I find myself going over the handouts more than thrice, I'm still given the same amount of time to do home training, and that time is just not enough considering the other things I need to write and my very erratic sleeping pattern. I've resorted to boiling/grilling meat instead of baking treats to save time. I seriously need to refocus.

Here are our submissions for session 1. I won't be submitting session 2 yet because we haven't covered six locations yet. Keeping my fingers crossed that we finish session 2 videos by Tuesday. May there be zero free roaming dogs this week if not forever.

01 Go to Mat from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

02 LLW/Heel 1: Perch Work from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

03 Front Recall with Sit from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Odie and Beagle are lagging behind on the lessons so our teacher is adjusting to the dogs' and the humans' learning curve (read: taking out some lessons, aka fewer stuff to learn). The epiphany happened when I saw Odie doing really well on the perch and kept making mistakes on the mat. Beagle, however, did a splendid job on the mat but was having trouble with the perch. One thing's for sure, the humans are focusing on just one lesson instead of getting a good grip on both exercises. Perhaps Odie's old mat which he tore into pieces played a role in this.

This isn't the first time I got frustrated about homework. But then it does feel very different when you're competing only with yourself (there are still homework points, but there's obviously no ranking involved). At first I thought the urgency isn't there, except it kinda punched me on the face. Then again I'm also learning a lot from all the stress so there's no use dodging the punches. In spite of everything though, I'm still proud of whatever Odie has accomplished. Not a lot of dogs are given the chance to get a good education, and I couldn't imagine what life would be like if we didn't immerse ourselves in training.

I'll take his breakthroughs as a sign. This week, we'll be much better. I'm claiming it!

A Day in University

Oops, looks like this entry is way overdue!

Photo courtesy of Pedigree Philippines

On November 24, 2013, my siblings and I brought Odie to his second Pedigree event: Pedigree University. The event was originally scheduled on November 10, but was postponed due to the wrath of Typhoon Haiyan. I woke up early on the 24th to make sure we're ready for a long (but fun) day out. I gave him a bath, packed his going out things (collapsible bowl, water bottle, waste bags, toilet paper, two meals' worth of kibble, and DentaStix) then made some freshly baked liver treats to last us the whole day. Registration was at 10am but he might get too tired so we decided to go after lunch.

Lessons to Learn and Lessons Learned

We have been given the privilege to join Pet Centrics' Basic Obedience (Intermediate) Class and are now halfway through with the course. The six-session class is currently offered exclusively to graduates of the Basic Obedience (Beginners) Class for humans and their dogs to keep the ball rolling. See, the beginners class tackles the most important things such as recall, polishing sits and downs, durations, and minor distractions. The intermediate class is scheduled almost immediately after graduation so that humans and dogs don't experience an abrupt shop just when they are gaining momentum.

Odie already graduated from the intermediate level in April of this year. He even placed first in the homework submissions "competition" (well, we took it upon ourselves to be tiger parents and submit all the videos that we could) and breezed through his final exam. Yes, I'm a proud parent. I actually am just amazed that although Odie is a very rowdy boy, his focus when training is impeccable. This time around, however, Odie goes from demo dog to being a regular student because there are so many changes in this batch's syllabi! Their beginners class involved recall drills with agility equipment, and they haven't discussed distance yet. The intermediate class now makes use of the crate and the place bed. We never discussed nor practiced crate exercises before.

I'm actually pretty excited to get an introduction to crate games because Odie has a love-hate relationship with his travel crate. I taught him to get inside the crate overnight when we went to the Circulo Verde Trick or Treat event last year and he got it in a snap! Later on though, he developed the habit of going inside and then just turning to go out. He also had the habit of going out without being told to do so.

We went to Pet Centrics this weekend and did some recall games before proceeding to the crate lessons. Odie absolutely enjoys recall exercises so we didn't have a problem with that. When the humans were given a lecture on crate games, I was surprised that Odie kept quiet for about 95% of the lecture. He kept looking at me because I was about five meters away and I tried my best to give a reassuring smile whenever I checked on him.

The first exercises involved opening and closing the crate door while keeping the dog inside the crate. Whenever a dog attempted to get out (well, in my case, SUCCEEDED. TWICE), we had to close the door. It was hard to get by because my hands are small, so frequently opening the crate door made my hand hurt. I mean, I could barely reach an octave on the piano. That slowed me down so Doc Marose did a demo with Odie to give everyone an idea of how quick we should be with opening and closing the door. It was heartbreaking to see how fast she closed the door on Odie whenever he made an error. I teared up a bit when I saw it  -- Odie taking a step forward while wearing his sweet smile, only to have the door closed on him and with no treats to boot. It took a lot of effort for me to control my emotions because I felt really sorry for him. But then I had to buck up because feelings would hinder us from having him learn the lesson.

We got our much awaited break to run and play because the lesson was quite stressful. We were playing push-back-and-run while Doc attended to another student. Horror of horrors, Odie suddenly ran in a different direction and headed toward a beagle with aggression issues. See, that beagle used to take private lessons because of his aggression and is being introduced to group classes so that he could get used to being around other dogs and people. He's sensitive about hyper dogs and prefers that he would be the one to approach and make friends. That is the exact opposite of Odie, being a very hyper and playful dog who gets a good sniff and launches into puppy wrestling. Odie approached Beagle and started to sniff and play, and I did see him on the verge of humping. Beagle panicked and started growling so I was about to try to break them apart. Beagle's owner told me to step back as he also gets sensitive around other people. So yeah, I just watched the whole thing unfold and couldn't do anything about it.

They showered treats in the area in hopes that Odie would decide to go after the food, which he thankfully did. I guess it turns out that Odie chooses food over getting a new playmate. Doc intervened and suggested that Beagle step outside first so that he could recover. When he got back inside, he was responding to verbal cues and accepting treats. He was okay, but we were told that Odie should maintain a safe distance because Beagle remembers such incidents.

I seriously couldn't believe what happened and went home still in shock. I apologized to Doc Marose, and she told me that she was more worried for Odie because he could have been hurt. I also can't hold anything against Beagle because he needs the socialization to get over his aggression issues. He's not going to learn that it's okay unless he joins a group class. He's been making a lot of progress and I'm happy that he's no longer as timid as when we first met him.

At the end of it all, I was reminded that Odie is FAST so I really have to be able to read his every move to avoid potentially dangerous incidents. I had to learn it the hard way, but hey, at least I'm sure it's gonna stick. I'm also thankful for our classmates and for Doc Marose for handling the situation really well. The best part? Nobody got hurt, and we all went home feeling relieved and ready to do homework.

The First Year

A year ago, our lives took a turn and went straight to happy land!

On September 6, 2012, I landed in Tiendesitas and bought all the essentials for the puppy that we're getting that same afternoon. I spent quite a lot on a large wire crate (I thought he was gonna grow real big), 5 kg of food (which I was stupid enough to think would only last for a month), a clicker (which later on proved to be useless), three toys (all of which are now broken), a huge retractable leash (which I massacred when we needed a long line in school, and it's a lot more useful now), a huge collar (I was stupid enough to think we were getting a big dog, not a little puppy, so we had to buy a smaller leash and harness the day after), soap, shampoo, and a comb. My brother and I were interviewed by the breeder the night of September 5, and the day after that, we went to Ortigas with our driver to finally meet the puppy who endured the trip from Laguna.

Odie was inside a crate which carried two other puppies who also went to their new families. Since we had no travel crate yet, we put the precious little puppy in an eco bag as we made our way to the car. We unleashed him inside the car to get a good whiff of his new humans. He was really shy, took tentative baby steps, and was mostly asleep on the drive home.

One of Odie's first photos. Poker face!

Sleeping 8-week old Odie

Commencement Exercises

Odie and I spent the last month sitting in at Pet Centrics' Basic Obedience for Beginners class. All the alumni of the class are given the privilege to attend the same class over and over, as a refresher course of sorts, to do demonstrations of the skills being taught, and for me and my dog to learn even more. See, just like in human school, learning never stops. As we meet different sets of dogs, I get to learn different training techniques, common behaviors of humans attending training class for the first time, and the importance of timing when marking new behaviors. Pretty amazing stuff!

Odie poses for the camera as he presents the
tunnel, chute, and adjustable bar jump.

This module of Basic Obedience is quite fast-paced. I was surprised that what our batch did in six sessions, they achieved in three. We learned the place exercise in the intermediate class, but it was introduced to this class on their fifth session. Even more exciting is the use of different agility equipment like the tunnel with and without the chute, an adjustable bar jump, a tire jump, and a six-pole weave. We didn't have those, not even in intermediate class!

As usual, Odie is doing all sorts of demonstrations prior to having the other students try the activities. There are times when we'd take a while before he performs (he's been marking a lot in school lately, and sometimes he's really busy sniffing). When I do have his full attention though, he just struts like a complete show-off. He consistently impresses the other humans who keep complimenting him for his "unbelievable intelligence" when they, too, can achieve the same results if they consistently train. I mean, they should see Odie's batchmates!

The Saturday class is graduating in a few hours. I hope that they're getting the hang of training, and that they would sit in and also do demos when they officially become alumni. Oh, and I hope they submitted homework videos so they could get nice toys!!!

Fauxcolate cookies on the kitchen scale

I went on a baking spree this week and decided to let the graduating class be the judge of the fauxcolate cookies I made. I like calling it fauxcolate because I'm really sad that dogs can't have chocolate and I can't have a photo of me and Odie happily sharing a tub of Nutella. I love Nutella. I love chocolate. I mean, we can share peanut butter, but it's just not the same. Is cookie butter safe for dogs? Maybe we can work with that!

Anyway, yeah, I'm using carob which is like chocolate for vegans and is safe for dogs. It doesn't contain theobromine, a caffeine-like molecule found in chocolate that makes it dog poison. I still have a lot of carob powder from Singapore (it expires in 2014) and it's taking up space in the fridge. I didn't know what to bring to training so I whipped up a batch of cookies. The batch I did after the one in the photo has a nice marble effect because I split the dough in two, one part plain, one part with carob. Today I finished baking and put the cookies in little packs I found at home, and made sure that each one weighed 25 grams. The scent of cinnamon filled our humble home while I baked and packed. It was amazing.

I hope that the graduates like it so I can develop the product more and maybe start legit baking for dogs. No cakes because I have a loooong way to go in terms of frosting, but maybe little muffins could work!  I'm really getting into cooking and baking for dogs (maybe because my taste tester is too kind). Plus my cousin has an industrial kitchen that he hasn't been using recently, and it has complete equipment, and my aunt said I could whip something up in there if I want to! Exciting times.

Pet Centrics is holding a FREE orientation on September 14 for Puppy Class! Wow, time flies. Odie's puppy class orientation was on October 6 of last year. This means he's been training for nearly a year! I don't know if any human would aspire for his/her dog to be as crazy as Odie, but to get you started, sign up for orientation here! Gotta admit, I never imagined myself training a dog, but here we are.

Odie Birthday Boy

My little boy is no longer a little boy. This puppy is now officially a dog.

Full-grown Odie at one year old

Odie turned one-year old on July 12 and it's just beyond belief! Time flies, really. He's been living in our home for ten months now and I've seen him grow from a wee little puppy to an adult dog. A few days prior to his big day, I can't help but look at photos and videos from months past. He sure looked like a rat and his howl sounded like a cat. Now his looks really tell he's a beagle, and his bay, bark, and howl all sound so rich and deep and beautiful (he's a baritone). Well, he's actually pretty small for his breed, but I have no problems with that. Honestly, I find it good because our front yard is just the right size for his play area. Plus his little trick that involves him jumping and me catching him? I don't think we can manage if he grows any bigger.

We had a simple celebration at home. I got back in Manila three days prior to his birthday so I sourced for ingredients the 10th, baked his cake on the 11th, and spent a happy, chill day on the 12th. I didn't make any adventurous going out plans because I figured that quality time with Odie would be most effective when nobody got stressed. We just did our usual walk around the village, had a candle-blowing ceremony, gave some cake to neighbor dogs, and fed Odie periodically which I think was enough for him to figure out that it was his special day.

Candle-blowing ceremony

ALL IN MY BELLY!

I asked my sister to take photos of him blowing the birthday candle. I was careful to not let him have full access to the whole cake for fear that he would finish it in one sitting because god knows his mouth and tummy know no limits. Just like the parent of any one-year old birthday celebrant (be it human or dog), I carried Odie to blow his birthday candle which of course, he was totally clueless about, so I blew it on his behalf. By the look on his face, he seemed weirded out by a gigantic treat with fire on top, so I brought the cake back to the kitchen to slice him a manageable piece. I also brought out some frozen yogurt treats to pair with the cake and arranged it on his dish. Right after giving him the signal to eat, the cake just VANISHED. And one by one, the yogurt treats also disappeared. He ended up having a goofy smile on his face, played for a bit, and happily took a long nap.

We also sent some cupcakes to Ollie and Tramp who live 10 minutes away. I know they're also always hungry, but I wasn't sure if they appreciated fruit-based treats (because Doc always brings chicken liver or liver bits to share with students). I received a photo response from them that same day.

Ollie and Tramp's birthday greeting! Photo by Doc Marose

The feedback I received from Odie, Ollie, Tramp, and our neighbors' dogs were more than enough to make my heart swell. As you can see, the cupcakes and the cake both look rustic (aka messy) because like I said in the previous entry, I'm a first-time baker and I had no idea what I was doing. Whatever. The dogs love it and that's what matters.

For dinner, Odie had chunks of beef alternating with a beef leg bone that I bought from the supermarket. I consulted our vet before prepping the bone after reading horror stories about dogs swallowing shattered bones and damaging their bodies. I didn't want to serve it raw either because I've never fed Odie raw food out of fear (e-coli, salmonella, whatever else he could get). Doc instructed me to dunk the bone in boiling water for 20 seconds to get rid of surface bacteria without making the bone brittle.

Give a dog a bone!

Odie zoomed in excitement when he saw his first ever bone! I took advantage by letting him do a run-down of his tricks and finally gave my go signal to dig in. Dig in, he did! He chewed on the bone for a little over an hour, although I did have him trade the bone for beef on certain occasions, because the bone is a very high value treat which he might guard if not taught to release early. He growled a couple of times when he saw me getting near the bone. He even growled then barked which bothered me a bit. Thankfully, he figured a slice of beef was a good thing and tolerated having me take the bone away from him. I let him work in peace after a while. I just watched him have the best day ever.

Celebrating Odie's birthday made me feel very grateful that I'm not raising him alone. Sure, I do provide for most of his needs (ie. food, medical expenses, toys, cleaning supplies), but I'm very thankful for the help that other people are giving me. It's very rewarding for Arkei, the breeder from whom I got Odie, to tell me that I'm raising Odie well. I'm also thankful that although she was away for around a month, April takes Odie on walks when I can't, and gives his meals when I'm still asleep, and bathes him when he stinks or is dirty. She even reads the handouts from classes and shares with me what she's gathered from said handouts. She also told our nearby neighbors to keep their dogs on a leash when letting them out so that everyone can walk in our street peacefully. It's such a big help, especially for me, and for those who have been bitten (I once saw a woman walking fast, covering a wound on her arm).

I'm very grateful for getting to know such good classmates and humans in Pet Centrics. The PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) of the PCAA (Pet Centrics Alumni Association) are the pioneers of tiger parenting and healthy competition for dogs. Funny how I saw the recent handouts for Basic Obedience class and the guidelines say there's no need for fancy editing of homework videos. That may have been my fault because my sister and I are maarte like that. We also still share recipes, videos, and behavior matters with one another and I'm thankful that I'm really learning a lot from them, seeing that I'm pretty new at being a hands-on human.

I'm also so happy to have found Pendragon Animal Health Group for microchipping Odie, and for giving me assistance when Odie needed medical attention past midnight. They're also a good source for Frontline (!!!), and they have all these promos and product auctions from time to time. I hear they're now a legit animal hospital, renovations and expansion and all.

Of course, Odie and I are thankful for the gem that is Doc Marose, for giving Odie the best care and training, for answering all my questions, for alleviating my fears, and for going the extra mile. From teaching us tricks not found in the handouts, to letting Odie meet Ollie and Tramp, to letting us sit in and enjoy her training classes, among other things. Although Odie is crazy enough to show off all his tricks and make all these noises when you're discussing, thank you for not banishing us to the park :D

Although my sister no longer makes Odie's videos and no longer goes to training with us, I really appreciate how she is also trying to raise Odie by trying her hand at the new things we're learning, and by going to the drama prince beagle when she gets home (and before he starts crying). I couldn't imagine life if I were the lone absorber of the dog's craziness because it's just too much!

And to you, who visit our little corner in the world wide web, thank you for taking the time to read our entries. I sure hope people are learning from our experiences and are giving their own dogs the best possible lives they can provide. I've learned so many things and have gone through so much since we had Odie. I'm totally looking forward to more play dates, more adventures, and more good times with this baby beagle who is no longer a baby.

Eight Days to Go!

By this time next week, I would be frosting Odie's birthday cake. The recipe I got is pretty big so I'll most likely distribute to neighbors and friends. I'm not sure if I can get carob chips. Maybe I can substitute sweet potato instead. I also intend to use recipe 5 for the frosting. As for the letters, maybe mashed carrots? I think bright orange is gonna be a pretty good contrast. Hmmm... whatever I end up using, I hope the cake turns out great.

I've reposted the needs and wants entry to act as a wish list of sorts. I don't think we'd be opening lots of presents on his birthday, and some of those things are impossible to get on time (most of them are available only in the US haha). Some are impossible, period. But of course, even if I'm working towards getting a good number of those material things, his health and happiness would still be top priority.

Can't believe it's going to be his first birthday real soon! His other classmates celebrated their birthdays on the 1st of this month and did their own festivities. It's crazy! The first time I met Odie, he was a few days shy of being two months old. He was only about to turn 3 months when he first met teacher and his classmates. The goldens were so small back then, and Odie was small enough to pick up with one hand. Sigh. Time flies and I sound like a mother.

Odie's first day at home

We got Odie on a rainy September day. He was a tiny puppy that fit in a small shopping bag. I bought him a large-sized crate in anticipation of his full size, and he looked like an infant in a mansion. On the first two nights, he kept crying at the oddest hours, maybe missing his mommy and his litter mates. After all, he was still on unfamiliar ground. He also kept eating the plants (he kind of shaved an entire patch of soil), would run away from me, and would eat his meals while lying on his belly.

I started training him on his third day at home. I went on YouTube and taught him how to do "sit" and "down" just so I could feel like I knew how to train. On day four, he finally got a leash and harness (the leash and collar we bought for him turned out to be too big haha). He would lie on his belly and completely refused to move whenever his harness was on, but the moment we removed it, he ran around like normal. Weirdo!

I looked for training facilities in Manila just for fun, but then I saw that one of them was really near our house! I initially thought it would be ridiculous for me to become one of those pet parents who would send the dog to school. WELL, we all know how that turned out! I kept going back to the page and saw that there was a Puppy Class the following month. It was a time when Odie was learning to misbehave - he chewed on the plants, bit me to the point of having lots of scratches on my arms, and was causing a riot no one knew how to control. My sister and I went halfsies and went to Puppy Class for the first time ever. When Basic Obedience Class came, she became pretty busy so I took it upon myself to keep Odie in school.

3-month old Odie at the Puppy Class graduation day.
Note how small he was, and how small his treat container was!
Photo from the Pet Centrics Facebook Page

He's still a crazy boy, but I could only imagine how things would have turned out if we didn't give him and ourselves proper education. Odie has finished three courses so far and could use another couple courses, really. He went on to become a "demo dog" for other Basic Obedience students, and for a TV spot! He's not perfect, he's far from perfect, but he's definitely a better boy than most dogs, thanks to Doc Marose and Pet Centrics. Going to training has been a big part of Odie's growth, having done so since he was a little over two months old. I didn't know that even for a dog, education is the best thing that we could give. Next to food, of course.

Odie has schooled me a couple of times as well! So much has happened in the span of 10 months that Odie has lived here at home. He's eaten strange things like a cigarette butt which caused him to throw up (he was three months old then and I couldn't be more thankful that he survived), a big twig which made my sister and I panic, a dishwashing sponge which worried his yaya April, among other things. He taught me that he's a lot stronger than I think. He's also teaching me how to let go and how to get dirty. When he picks up a dead frog during a walk, I would pick his mouth with my bare hands and throw the damn frog away. This has happened thrice already and it doesn't get any less disgusting. Also, prior to knowing Odie, I never imagined myself cleaning up after a pee/poop machine. I never thought that I would be picking up puppy poop in Eastwood or High Street. Posh places? Haha, dogs do NOT care where you are. If he has to go, he has to go. If it means wiping the floor clean at a high-end mall, there's no choice but to do it.

It's also going to be Godzilla's first death anniversary on July 16. During our walks, Odie and I still visit his resting place from time to time. I also still cry over his passing. I miss him, and to some extent, I take care of Odie this way because I regret not being as educated when we had Godzilla. But then, as it says in one of the comic strips in Marshall's Law, "you always end up with the dog you're meant to be with." I hope that as he looks down from dog heaven, he's happy that I'm doing this partly for him. And the fact that the day of his death is four days after Odie's birthday, I'd like to think (oh, here goes the lump in my throat) that he has picked Odie for us, he just wasn't so sure about it yet on the day that Odie was born.

One Month Later...

We haven't blogged in a month!!! See, the past few weeks have been really busy for me since I had to spend early mornings til late nights attending to Odie's needs. I'm just happy that April is finally back from vacation so I'm not the only one doing the feeding, bathing, playing, walking, and training. I've also become more thankful that work for that entire month was home-based. Imagine if I still worked in Makati! I would have brought him in the office or checked him in a boarding facility and even then I'd keep worrying. Imagine as well if/when we move to a different country with zero house help. Well, at least I was given a sneak peek into that kind of life. And I guess it was good that we were left to our own devices for a while - it was an opportunity to grow.

Over the past month, Odie turned 10 months old! In five days, he'll be eleven, then it's his first birthday in July!!! I can't believe it!

10-month old Odie, photo taken at Pet Centrics

I vow to spend the 12th of June until the 11th of July making plans and preparations for the birthday boy. I've actually started some research on baking a cake for dogs. Let's see how that turns out. I'm also going to formulate a wish list (well, there's already one here, I'll just organize it) for posting on Facebook to see who among the family, friends, and godparents would be nice enough to gift. Yes, I'm excited.

We spent the past month sitting in at Pet Centrics' Basic Obedience class for beginners. I originally envisioned it as having us do just a bit of the exercises and mostly helping out the other students. When we went there the first time, Odie ended up doing the exercises along with the others so I thought we couldn't do our part efficiently if I kept bringing Odie because how could that be of help? I should have enrolled as well! Turns out, Doc Marose wanted Odie to be there and be demo dog. Guess they didn't need ME! Haha, I kid. But yeah, we had fun, and Doc taught us a new trick!

Odie Learns to Fly from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

I've already attached the "fly" cue so that's what we're practicing now. I first saw this trick when I watched Legally Blonde: The Musical so when we were presented with the opportunity to learn it, I spent no idle time! In the show though, the actors were chihuahuas and mini pinschers so that would have been a lot easier to work with. It's quite difficult to have 20+ lbs of dog flying towards me, expecting to be caught. It's a really enjoyable trick nonetheless. So enjoyable, that during discussions at the class in which we were sit-ins, Odie would suddenly hop towards my lap, get off, then hop on again, while waiting for the humans to finish talking. Just like before, the puppy made sure that each session we attended would have an "Odie Moment," in which he would do something to stop the discussion and get everyone's attention, milking his audience for laughs. Sigh. Drama King!

The other students in the Basic Obedience class were actually quite good! Some exercises went really smoothly, some sessions ended earlier than expected. The only down side was that play time only happened after graduation, and the setup was very controlled. Apart from having varying sizes of dogs, some of them lacked socialization during puppyhood so it was a bit difficult to introduce the dogs and see who might be good friends. The advantage of our class is that 3 out of the 5 dogs were classmates since puppy class, and 3 are littermates so we had play sessions early on. Bernard also quickly caught on and became good friends with Odie (at least I'd like to think they're good friends, haha). What I liked about the other Basic Obedience class though is that the parents were very focused on getting their dogs to follow verbal cues in class, and they had really good equipment. I guess that's why they weren't too keen on submitting homework videos :D They still got prizes for being very good in class, and Odie also got treats for being very active as a sit-in.

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The Puppy Class is currently ongoing and sadly, we can't sit in. Odie is quite the bully when there are new puppies around. His confidence might be a bit too intimidating to the babies. The past few Saturdays have been pretty boring as we're limited to taking walks outside and occasional home training. 

Odie during one of the recall drills we did at home.
I love how he looks so fierce here, flapping ears and all.

I'm really looking forward to the advanced course or informal training we might take with Boo, Bon, Brix, Buzz, and Bernard. I hope that happens! If not, I hope we could also sit in at the Basic Obedience class in July! Enrollment has just opened and since the turnout of Puppy Class is pretty good, I'm positive that the turnout for Basic Obedience would be even better!

Catch Up!

I haven't blogged in more than a week! I've been doing quite a lot of work for sustenance, and I've been a lot more hands-on (yes, it's possible) with Odie because our house help is on vacation for the election period and we're left with house help that I don't trust. I'm lucky to have made time tonight because Odie has already gone potty for the night so he went to bed early and I have time to write. Finally!

For more than a week now, I've managed to wake up before 7AM everyday to give Odie his breakfast, make him go potty, clean his area and sneak in some play time. It's pretty tiring! So far I've also given him some baths, cleaned his ears, and did the cooking/baking days. It's fun to bathe Odie because in spite of his VERY crazy disposition during baths, there's a sense of accomplishment in finally finishing after what seems like a lifetime of soaping and scrubbing and having him try to swim.

I still bring him to Pet Centrics on weekends in spite of having graduated more than a month ago. Doc allowed us to sit in, do a couple of demos, and help the current students in her Basic Obedience (Beginners) class. We're not required to attend every Saturday, but we've done so for the most part because I really want to tire him out like that at least once a week. It also gives Odie and I something to look forward to every weekend. It's just a bit sad that the current class isn't as competitive as our class was in terms of video submissions. I guess they have the funds to spend on Kong toys. HAHAHA! Their homework is also really easy! If I didn't put the tripod back in the attic, we'd be doing their homework on top of going to their classes! But seriously, I hope they take the time to train everyday even without the videos. I also hope that the Puppy Class this June happens!

The other night, Odie swallowed another foreign object and gave my sister and I the best time to panic! We saw him approach one of the plants in the front yard and he suddenly started coughing and had a hard time swallowing! It must have been a big twig. He was gagging and there was a weird sound whenever he swallowed, so we tried giving him cotton balls cut into little pieces for him to ingest. I read online that cotton helps envelope a swallowed foreign object so that it would easily pass through the digestive system. We were shocked when he regurgitated the cotton and a piece of peanut butter treat, so we decided it was time to call for help. I thought he was choking! It was midnight then so I was a bit hesitant to call Doc Marose. I would usually just SMS her when something comes up but it looked like Odie needed immediate help so I called her and didn't get an answer. Turns out, it was one of the rare occasions when people drift from routine and turn in early. Next, I called Pendragon Veterinary Clinic as I know they're open 24/7. Doc Thea was the one who answered which gave me a bit of relief as she's the one who microchipped Odie. She gave me the option to observe Odie myself or to rush to their clinic for an x-ray. I discussed the matter with my sister and while we were doing so, Odie ate the cotton, drank lots of water, and even stole and swallowed a treat! We then called it a night as he seemed fine. 30 hours later, a big twig wrapped in cotton made a graceful exit when Odie went potty. Huge sigh of relief.

Gotta admit, I'm pretty exhausted doing all the puppy duties, but Odie seems to be very appreciative of everything I do so it's worth it. It's just unsettling that the house help isn't reliable so it's really hard for me to leave the house while April is on vacation. Last week, I had work from noon til midnight and the whole family also had their own thing. I was so worried that Odie would be fed strange things so I asked Doc if there's any boarding service where I can leave Odie and pick him up at midnight. Most boarding services tell you to pick up the puppy the following day so it was a bit of an absurd need, but I don't think Odie is ready for a sleepover at some dog hotel. I hope someone provides that service soon enough for moms who have work til late.

Oh, and as promised (I think), the TV feature on positive dog training aired on TV5 some weeks ago. I'm embedding the video from Doc Marose because it looks better. Just look at Odie, Buzz, and Doc doing their thing, being awesome and all.

MisadventureS.

It's 2:30 in the morning and I'm still up and about, vigilant until the household wakes up in the morning so someone else could watch over Odie.

A few hours ago, I let Odie out of his crate and he zoomed past me, past the front yard/garage gate, and basically went around the perimeter of the house. While doing so, he stole a sponge that was about to be thrown. It used to be the dishwashing sponge, a small, round one, about 3 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Our house help was the one running after him as I dug through Odie's things to search for a squeaky toy to lure him back. Recall didn't do us good. Upon finding his Kong Wubba, I squeaked it multiple times and told him to get it. He ran very excitedly past the tile steps and made the huge leap to launch the game of tug! I saw his neck touch the floor on the way and was surprised to see that while tugging, his collar was around a foot away from us. Darn it! His only collar finally gave up.

I made Odie wear his harness while waiting for the temporary collar to arrive.
I was telling him that he's a very naughty boy and that I'm worried about how the
sponge incident would end. He responded by giving me this face. ARRRRRGH!

Of course, I was more concerned about the sponge than the collar so I didn't think twice about contacting Doc Marose right away. I asked if there's anything I should watch out for because I've read lots of things about intestinal blockage. Doc willingly gave me advice and told me to monitor Odie's trips to the bathroom, and to watch out for signs of pain.

So here I am doing exactly that. It's been nine hours since the incident and Odie is happy as a clam, showing zero signs of discomfort which is hopefully a good thing. I'm really just waiting for a sponge to come out of the other end. Yuck! Odie has eaten two cigarette butts and two Christmas bulbs and survived all four separate hullabaloos without having me bring him to an emergency vet. It's the first time he's eaten something pretty big though so I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that the sponge gets out of his system within the day. Funny how having a dog makes you do things you never imagined, like watching for objects in dog poop.

It's pretty interesting, though. I was telling Doc that I wasn't so sure how clean/dirty the sponge was (it's definitely gonna be dirty now!) and she told me that the soap and dirt doesn't matter as much, what's important is that Odie passes it. Weird how a dog's stomach is strong enough to handle dirt, but it can't tolerate food like grapes and chocolate. Sad how we can't share a jar of Nutella. Doc also told me that the contents of a dog's stomach go out on the other end every 10-12 hours. Gotta admit, it's quite fun to learn about how a dog's system works and how they behave and how we play a part in their health and behavior. Who knew I'd actually be interested in Science, right?! Good job, Doc and Odie!

About the collar, my sister was on the way home and stopped to do a bit of groceries. She also thought of getting a temporary collar because it's hard to put the harness on and take it off when Odie goes in and out of the crate. In the supermarket, she saw just two kinds of dog collars and zero leashes so she thought of just getting a collar to last until I go out and get a legit collar, or a Lupine (whichever comes first). The collar she got had no price tag so she proceeded to checkout without asking. To her surprise, the collar cost her Php400 and she didn't want to go through the fuss of returning so she paid for it and took it home. When she got home, she put the collar on Odie and told me the story. I got upset when I found out how much it was because oh my god, just a bit more and we could have gotten a Lupine! So yeah, I checked it out and ended up laughing so hard because NO SHIT, THE COLLAR HAS BLING BLING! I couldn't photograph the buckle but it's the most studded part of the entire thing! Can't wait til Odie gets to school on Saturday. The boys might tease him, but I've resolved to think of it as his way of promoting gender equality. NO H8, right?

Odie's new collar, in detail. So gay, just like mommy!

I'm hoping to find a Wet Paint Lupine leash when I go out because that's the only leash that would match this collar :D

Because yes, he broke his leash in class on Saturday. He was tethered to one of the posts in the court while Doc was telling me and May what to do as humans sitting in at the Basic Obedience (Beginners) class. A Belgian Malinois went in and Odie wanted to greet him, he made a huge leap forward, causing the leash to break! That was the only day I didn't bring any of his backup leashes. Good thing Doc had an extra leash or I would have been forced to just crate him for the rest of the class or just go home. It got us through the class, and his backup leashes at home are getting worn out so yes, it's time to get a legit leash.

That Saturday was also the class where Odie did a demo of tugging with teacher, and he got really excited (they were using his Kong Squiggles which is STILL his favorite toy) and he ended up biting teacher's hand. When Doc returned Odie to me, she told me that he bit her hand and I only processed the information after 30 seconds or so. I apologized and offered baby wipes to at least cleanse the wound but Doc declined and told me it's okay because she's had much worse. Still, I felt bad because Odie would usually cut and bruise no one else but me. This one happened to his teacher, in front of the class, while doing a demo. I made a mental note to always bring alcohol and a pack of band aids from now on. I hope Doc's hand is okay.

We've had a couple of misadventures in the span of less than a week! I don't know what's happening, if this is adolescence, or if I'm raising Odie the wrong way (I hope not). It's pretty stressful for me as a human, because while I am very good at handling nerves and showing a calm disposition amidst emotionally charged situations, I do have a tipping point, too. Besides, expenses like a new leash, new collar, and (again, I hope not) a trip to the vet are something I am prepared for, but I try my best to avoid them so that we could just happily go shopping for new toys and treats. But if all these things are necessary, ah well, we have no choice but to put one foot (and paw) in front of the other.

After all, Odie might be YOLO-ing, but I still love him too much.

(NOT) Camera Shy

When Doc Marose asked the Basic Obedience (Intermediate) fresh grads if we were up to participate in a morning news feature, I gotta admit, I wanted to get Odie to try it out. I've always been curious as to how it feels to make a dog work his charms for the camera outside of doing homework videos. Sure, I know that dog actors for TV and film have humans nearby to coach them. In Legally Blonde: The Musical, I love how Bruiser barks and hops on to Margot upon being given hand signals. But like I said, I wanted to experience it hands on so I really REALLY know what it's like. I was also looking for a way to celebrate Odie's ninth month birthday and since this is new to both of us, I confirmed attendance for Friday morning and got all excited!

Three months til his birthday! Yipes! Time flies!

We successfully beat morning traffic and made it before 8:00, only to find Doc, Lovely, and Buzz hanging out. I figured the TV crew would arrive at least an hour late because it's always been like that, but I went before the call time anyway. I was also told that the whole thing would last for just an hour, but I made a rough estimate that it would take at least four. I was right after all.

Doc spent idle time asking us questions and playing with the puppies. As usual, Odie was expecting treats and play time the whole time because he's not so familiar with the concept of rest. When the TV crew arrived, Lovely, Buzz, Odie and I were left in the court for a while because Doc did the interview in the park across the street. I guess it's safe to say Odie missed being in school in a chill setting, in the company of teacher and a classmate. I let him run around the place a few times and it was such a pleasant surprise to see him running towards me when I shouted his name. I didn't expect amazing recall! I hope we get to practice that more. Because we were bored and were not at all under pressure, Lovely and I also had the time to exchange stories and marvel at how Odie was looking around whenever I tethered him to clean his mess. He would look from side to side, at the ceiling, it looked like he was doing a security inspection of sorts and it was funny to just watch him!

Play time with teacher! Also, obviously, I grabbed
every chance I could to take photos.

When the interview ended, Doc and the crew went back inside the court to get a few shots of us training puppies, and Doc giving verbal cues, among other shots they wanted. The cameraman set up his huge tripod which made quite a bit of noise. It startled Buzz so he started barking. When he started barking, Odie looked at Buzz, then at the tripod, and started howling! I swear he just goes with the flow. Even in our neighborhood, he only howls when other dogs are barking. It's like he doesn't have a clue of what the barking's all about, but he'll join in anyway and add his howl to the ensemble. Weirdo! His howl sounds pretty good though, to be honest. It's like a rich baritone. I wish I could teach him to sing.

Post sniffing the camera setup and the new friends, Buzz and Odie were unstoppably amazing! We did sits and downs on different cones which was too easy. Then I did heeling with Odie and his little poodle prance which went surprisingly smooth. We even went past the tripod and he handled it with such ease and confidence that I never thought would come from him. After a while, the crew asked Doc to give Odie a couple of verbal cues (sit, down, roll over, beg, shake). Doc was hesitant to do it because Odie might not follow the cues given by a different voice. I, however, wanted to take photos because I'm quite the stage parent, so I insisted to let Doc work her magic. It literally took seconds for Odie to recognize the cues and did everything perfectly!

There's my little boy (featuring Buzz's place bed)!

We did a few more shots before calling it a day. Buzz got tired after a while and chose to just relax. Odie doesn't know how to relax so Doc kept on getting Odie to follow whatever instructions they were given. But we also came to a point when Odie wasn't thinking anymore and was doing actions based on stock knowledge. Doc did some more shots with the segment host while we stayed in the park because the host's character voice (is that what it's called for TV people too?) caused Buzz to bark and Odie to tilt his head from side to side.

The dogs were pooped when the shoot ended! I knew Odie was tired when he kept lying down on the bleachers whenever it wasn't his turn. But when he was being filmed, it was pretty quick for him to be the eager beaver show off that he is. No wonder Doc has made him the class demo dog. He's really just a hungry puppy who will work for food.

We spent some down time at the park before parting ways. Upon getting home, Odie quickly transferred to his wire crate and was knocked out til late afternoon. He must have been really tired! I'm sure he had lots of fun though. I seriously didn't know we'd be doing things like this in Pet Centrics, doing TV spots on a day's notice!

Doc kept on thanking me, Lovely, and the puppies for participating in this "extra-curricular activity" but personally, the pleasure's all mine. Thinking about it, it was pretty easy to get Odie comfortable with doing things in front of the camera. He could totally rock doing short films, thesis films, whatever would or could use a happy, crazy, obedient beagle. We sure could use some treats and/or accessories as compensation! Or if Odie would earn cash from it, it's definitely gonna be all his! I'm going to spend it all on his education, vet bills, monthly doses of Frontline and Heartgard, kibble, treats, toys, and maybe some of the things in Odie's wish list. Oh my dog, I sound like a parent!

Yesterday's activity was a great way to spend Odie's 9th month. I can't wait for more new adventures! Sigh. This puppy has given me too much happiness, he's turning me into a nice human!

Finals Week

I can't believe that Odie's graduating from his THIRD class tomorrow! I still clearly remember bringing a tiny beagle to Puppy Class orientation and now he's going to be a graduate of Basic Obedience (Intermediate). My, how Odie and his classmates have grown. Odie is still the smallest in the bunch, though. Smallest class bully ever.

Darn. I shouldn't have looked at the official score sheet. I also shouldn't have asked for Odie's rank because holy hell, grade consciousness is kicking in! Odie has worked real hard in this course. We went to locations we've never covered before (LGV mini soccer field, Filinvest 2 clubhouse, Filinvest Heights basketball court), and went to the park across the training venue even if it wasn't a class day. Maybe the caretaker kept thinking, WTF WHY IS SHE HERE? I've also spent LOTS of time exporting and editing videos, sometimes nodding off to sleep (READ: Durations). I experimented with different dog treats and was a grilling/boiling/baking machine for a time. Safe to say it's the hardest we've worked so far.

Combinations: Patio from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Combinations: Front Yard from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Doc Marose said each session should be made up of two combinations, but we should try to go through the entire list. So I went through the entire list to avoid confusion in our homework chart. Besides, Odie seemed like he was up for it. I know a couple of combinations didn't go very smooth though. He got really distracted by the pebbles in the patio!

The front yard video was shot at midnight that same night. Odie was wide awake and kept barking that night so I decided to have him do homework to tire him out and get him to sleep so that I could sleep too. In some of the shots, I would shush him whenever he barked because I was scared that the neighbors might complain. Half the time, I was shushing him and whispering my verbal cues! Oh, and that white thing on the wall? This is what it looks like up close:

I made a cheat sheet to lead me for the first few tries! I also put it on the wall in the patio video but it wasn't seen on camera. I had no choice but to stick it somewhere because Odie's sure to pick it up and tear it apart if he sees it on the ground.

Combinations: Max & Toby's Place from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.


Combinations: Louie's Place from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Personally, I'm impressed that Odie wasn't as distracted as I imagined when we shot the outdoor videos. Cars and trikes and motorcycles passed by but he didn't run towards them! I did have mini heart attacks though when a vehicle would pass by and I was ten steps away from him. When we started, he kept going after the long line again. I got nervous at first because I thought we wouldn't get to shoot outdoors because of that. Fortunately, he switched his focus on me and the line just... blended with the ground, I guess.

I shot one of the outdoor videos at 6 AM today, and I didn't know that the rest of the neighborhood lets their dogs out to roam freely at this time. Did they agree on this? I don't know. But oh my god, it was so frustrating! I even saw one neighbor hitting her puppy with a stick! I wanted to hit HER with a stick! Thankfully, all the other dogs seemed to have felt my desperation so they went to different directions, all far from where Odie and I were. 

So I guess that's it for our homework videos for Basic Obedience (Intermediate) class at Pet Centrics! I'm really thankful for everything that Odie and I learned in this course. It really helped that we had deadlines this time, as well as a maximum number of locations, because I didn't have to keep guessing if I've done enough or if I needed to step up. It's nice to have clear goals. I do feel bad that I didn't get to check every box in my homework chart. But over the last six weeks, I learned more than I originally intended to, I have a puppy who's growing up to be quite a disciplined boy, I have human classmates to share separation anxiety with (I seriously want to follow through in a more relaxed setting, at least for the summer!), and we have a reliable teacher who is very patient in answering even our most bizarre questions. 

I can't wait for Odie to graduate a third time! I also can't wait to rest, and then bounce back and learn even more. All the time I spent meeting deadlines both for my work and Odie's homework came with early mornings, sleepless nights, a messed up body clock. In spite of he difficulties, however, I'm one happy camper!

Tricked

In our Basic Obedience (Intermediate) course at Pet Centrics, we were given a chance to learn one trick each week. These were taken on different days in different locations so Odie's understanding of the tricks may vary. Needless to say, I had so much fun shooting these videos because who doesn't love a dog that does tricks?

Roll Over from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

We learned the roll over on our first session. I've been wanting to teach this to Odie but didn't know how, so hooray for our class for deciding to give it a go! I mentioned in previous entries that Odie LOVES rolling over. He even kept doing it when he got injured, which I had to control because it worsened the condition of his leg. He's all better now, and he hasn't stopped rolling since. Too cute!

Shake a Paw from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Shake a paw was trick-of-the-week for week 2. Odie has been doing the "shake hands" cue a few months prior. I used to do it by presenting an open palm for him to put his paw on. However, when we learned targeting, Odie had a tendency to bump his nose on my open palm! Good thing Doc Marose had a different approach to teaching it!

Beg from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

This is how I want Odie to say grace before meals. I hope he could keep his balance for a longer time, enough to last until the end of his prayer. Yes, I taught him to pray before consuming his meals, thanking God for the food, praying for all other dogs and cats to also have food, and praying that the strays would find happy homes with loving families to take them in. When I say our prayer, he looks down on his food bowl and he'd usually have drool dripping one by one.

Begging is our trick for session 3 and I shot most of the videos a few days right after teaching it so they're not so polished. The ones in the kitchen and bedroom, however, I shot just yesterday because we were out of frame when I first shot in those two locations. So the kitchen and bedroom begging videos are spot on successful! His begging is just adorable, I can't stop watching this over and over and over!

Jump from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

The last trick we learned is jump up/over. Notice how it's basically just reaching the target. When we were still learning this, Odie would just run and stand on his hind legs to hit my palm. Teacher suggested putting a hurdle on the ground to act as a little obstacle. I found a PVC pipe and thought it was perfect! Upon trying it though, Odie got fixated on the pipe, picked it up, and started prancing around with it. We were offered an alternative obstacle which worked wonders. I swear, Odie's teacher knows magic. She really does.

Odie does all these tricks when I present a good treat in front of him, but he has a special preference for the roll over. He even does it in the middle of exercises in school! I know, doggie tricks are not really what we went to school for, but having a rolling, shaking, begging, jumping little beagle has made me a very happy human. It's also a great way to make people think that like Doc, I have superpowers.

The Calm Before the Storm

We didn't reach this week's homework quota. Insert sad face. We did, however, manage to do some rounds of all the homework on the list. I guess that counts for something!

This is just an idea of how my homework tracker looks like. GAH! So much red, so little time! That's not even all of the things we have to accomplish this week! We're gonna have to do a daily marathon to get this done. Not to mention, I'm gonna have to edit as if I really know how to edit.

I'm pretty thankful that this week's submission was moved to today instead of last night. I finished editing last night and finished uploading them by 3AM so all I have to do now is embed. Procrastination reduced exponentially! The next deadline is on Friday night though so GOOD LUCK TO US. Well, lucky for Odie, he gets to rest and play with other people after we shoot. The human has to export, edit, upload, and write a blog after shooting. So yeah. I am my own producer, director, talent (I appear in some videos, after all), video editor, and writer. Do I love Odie? Do I?

Here's our submission for Session 4:

Sit with Distance: at Home from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Down with Distance: at Home from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Stand with Distance: at Home from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

So thankful that I didn't have much trouble getting these done. I didn't know I've been doing distance exercises with Odie so this didn't need rehearsals. Yes, sometimes I do rehearsals before shooting because it's a waste of camera battery and memory if I just leave it on the whole time and hope for the best. When we do outdoor shoots, I even bring my laptop with me just so I can export when the memory card is almost full. I'm really that my equipment's intact and I don't want to speak too soon!

I think the only problem I had was keeping Odie in a "down" position. Sometimes, he would do a down and when I walk away, he would roll over. I don't know why he thinks rolling over is so fun. I swear, from the moment we learned it in class, he hasn't stopped rolling.

Sit with Distance: Outdoors from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Down with Distance: Outdoors from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Stand with Distance: Outdoors from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

These outdoor distance exercises were shot after class on Saturday. All week, I was getting really frustrated with using the long line for our outdoor shoots (by long line, I now mean a retractable leash that I cut off that huge plastic contraption and no longer a string of connected leashes). Odie has a fascination for moving objects, so having him see the long line in motion is enough to send him into a frenzy. It's like giving a yarn ball to a cat on Red Bull! To keep him from biting it, I thought of putting vinegar, hot sauce, or lemon juice, as I read that these are alternatives to bitter sprays. I had him try a few drops of each in hopes that he would show an aversion to at least one. He liked them all. Boo! Even the hot sauce, he licked vigorously. He scrambled for water after a while so I thought he didn't like it. I put another drop on the floor and he happily licked it again. We're doomed.

I was close to giving up and just ditching the outdoor exercises, but Doc Marose is too nice, she gave me a tutorial after our class. Guess she felt how frustrated I was so she decided to help me out. There was also some time to spare while waiting for her student to come in for individual lessons. Success in the training venue! Success in the park across the street! I had a quick nap upon getting home and tried laying the long line outside before taking him outdoors. Success in the outdoor locations, I just had to tear up when I exported the videos to my laptop. So grateful that Odie has gotten the hang of that distraction, and even more grateful for being reminded that help comes to those who ask. Now that's what light at the end of the tunnel looks like!

Place with Duration: Indoors from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Place with Duration: at Home from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Place with Duration: Outdoors from Pauline Gaerlan on Vimeo.

I divided the Place with Duration exercises into three because durations usually call for one extremely long video. That's gonna be so boring and I don't have the patience for such things. I also just wanted a way to use the very cute song which I ended up using for the outdoor video. It's called "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3, and it pretty much encapsulates my relationship with Odie. It can get real tough but it's all really just a matter of knowing how to approach it. When he does something wrong and gets to my nerves, I always remind myself that he just might not understand what I'm trying to say. After all, he is still very young. And for an eight-month old puppy to have already gone through three classes, I'm guessing that's a huge deal for him! Needless to say, I'm proud of what Odie has learned so far.

We were given our class standing this morning, as of the homework submission prior to this one. I'm quite happy with what we have so far. I don't know how the coming submissions will change things, and I don't want to know so I'm gonna have to keep working. The last stretch is always the hardest. Gotta get through and finish strong!

It's also great to know that although the videos I make are not as good as my sister's videos (she did the editing for Puppy Class homework), they are still fun to watch. I do have the option to just record and publish so it's not as stressful, but these exercises are sort of milestones in Odie's life and I would want to keep watching them over and over, and maybe share them with friends who might want to enroll their dog/s in a course at Pet Centrics. That said, the videos should at least be watchable.

We graduate for a third time on Saturday! After this course, I might give it a few months before enrolling in a next class. I really love going to training (and I'm sure Odie does too), but I can't handle the pressure of homework again just yet. It's also really difficult to do homework because of the summer heat. Even at 7AM, the sun already burns the skin and I feel bad for having Odie bathe in the sun. He starts panting after just a few minutes. I do hope though that the PCAA (Pet Centrics Alumni Association, coined by me and May, HAHA!) can do weekly training in a more relaxed setting. Even just at the park across the street would be good! I want Odie to constantly have playmates with humans who understand dog and leash etiquette. And yup, we both have gotten used to waking up early on Saturdays, a feat for someone who's not a morning person!

Separation anxiety!