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.

(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!

Moving Up Day!

Proud of my graduate. Even prouder of this camera-ready smile!
(Photo courtesy of Pet Centrics)

Odie is officially a grade school graduate!

Last Saturday, February 2, we had our last session of Basic Obedience class at Pet Centrics, which also meant that Odie, together with his classmates, Bon, Buzz, Brix, and Bernard, all successfully graduated from grade school.

I may have had more graduation jitters than Odie did. We got to class 10 minutes before 9am. Our teacher, Doc Marose, arrived a while after we did and had her equipment set up. Bon and Buzz arrived as well (with their respective humans, of course), so we all went in and saw a bunch of cones and stools and a table. It's our final exam day! We began the session doing reviews of the past lessons (sit, down, stand, impulse control, etc.) and worked more on recall as it was the last to be taught. It was such a surprise that Odie was very obedient that day! There were times when he would play around and mingle with his classmates, then he'd suddenly come back to me and sit in front of me, expecting to be given a treat. Upon seeing that I have empty hands, he would go back to minding his own business. Oops!

Our final exam was a course that tied all the lessons together. There was sit/down/stand, there were times when a volunteer would approach and interact with me, there was an impulse control station, and last was recall. Doc Marose chose Odie to go first, and told the rest of the class to watch. Pressure! I felt like we had no choice but to do well, but I also trusted that my baby boy would deliver. Odie did an exceptional job in all the stations, but had a bit of difficulty with impulse control because he's still working on holding his horses when treats are dropped in front of him. He's very good in controlling though when there's a bowl of food laid out before him (when I do this at home during meal time, he would stare at his food, with drool dripping one by one). I was happiest during the recall part because Odie is quite the runner, and there's just so much joy in seeing your puppy excitedly running towards you. We were both beaming during that part!

Odie is flying! Look at him GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
(Photo courtesy of Pet Centrics)

Our turn was supposed to be a sample activity, which Odie would have to do all over again, but Doc Marose said she was already satisfied with the results, and proceeded to having the other humans and dogs take the finals. After everyone took their turn, Doc said that some of the puppies weren't in the zone, so we just had consultation and were given individual notes based on the homework videos we submitted. Doc's main note for me is that I should make sure Odie does not nip when he takes treats from me, because she noticed that he has a tendency to pounce when told to take the treat. She also noticed that Odie does a lot of drama and theatrics when I cover the treat/s with my hand. I think he inherited that from me, the drama queen.

We had the awarding ceremonies after consultation. Like in puppy class, the top 3 scorers got toy prizes for doing homework, while the rest of the class got a pack of treats. Odie came in third place with 129 points! Not bad, considering we were very diligent with homework during the first half of the class, but got left behind after I went on vacation. We got our second classic Kong! Gotta look at more stuffing recipes! Bon came in second place with over 200 points and won a Kong Goodie Bone, while Buzz came in first and won a Kong Wubba, his prize after earning more than 600 points! The ranking from puppy class did not change at all! I guess that says something about the three children who want free toys for their dogs.

We also did the obligatory giving out of certificates of completion, and of course, a class photo...

From L-R: Pauline and Odie, May and Bon, Doc Marose,
Lovely and Buzz, Armen and Brix, Jimmy and Bernard
(Photo courtesy of Pet Centrics)

I really had a great time training Odie during the Basic Obedience course. I compared his puppy class videos with his Basic Obedience videos, and apart from looking a bit more mature, he also improved a lot by being more behaved, he can now hold positions for quite a while, and sits even without being asked to do so. Odie is showing signs of discipline, which is hard to come by for beagles. I'm really happy that Doc Marose taught me and Odie how to have a harmonious relationship with each other. I sincerely hope that more dogs would get to experience this.

Doc gave the signal for the graduates to go play, but she called me over to borrow Odie for a game of tug. She used a Kong Squiggles squeaker/tug toy (which I now want to buy!) and I just happily watched them play. Odie joined his classmates later on as they chased a squeaky ball and played with one another. I had to keep a close eye on Odie the entire time though. Even if he's the smallest in class, he never skipped on engaging in rough play with his classmates, unaware that they're much bigger and could easily topple over him.

Two puppies arrived for puppy orientation. Ooh! A new set of little babies!!! The first one who came was Tala, a border collie, followed by Royce, a labrador retriever. Seeing them all wide-eyed made me miss the baby Odie that I first brought to Puppy Class orientation in September of last year. Oh, how time flies.

We stayed until the end of Puppy Class orientation just so we could hang out and to get Odie to play with puppies that are closer to his size. Unfortunately, only the two of them showed up at orientation, so Doc Marose might have to dissolve the class. One of the main objectives of Puppy Class is to get the puppies to socialize with other dogs and people, thus developing their confidence. However, if only two dogs are there, it kind of defeats the whole socialization thing. I hope that Puppy Class happens! I'm more than willing to have Odie participate if they need more puppies. I'm also willing to do the exercises that we used to do like the cradling, passing the puppies around, vet exams, etc. That is, if Doc would need volunteers.

Help us find classmates for Royce and Tala! Make the puppy class happen! If you have puppies, or if you know anyone who has 10-18 week old puppies, do join the Pet Centrics Puppy Class! It's going to be so much fun!

Image from Pet Centrics

BRING IT ON, SECOND SEMESTER!

Odie is officially back in school! We enrolled him in Pet Centrics' Basic Obedience class which started this morning, and I'm happy with what we've learned in just one day! We reviewed some of the things we learned in puppy class, then learned two games and a very useful skill.

I'm sure Odie loved playing the games! His face was beaming, and he was hopping from time to time. Odie and I showed the class how excited he gets when he hears his name, and Doc Marose called him to come to the front for the chasing game and the impulse control. His energy in class today was really good, and his focus was spot on! When Doc called him for impulse control, I got a bit nervous because I knew it would take a while for him to give up. And hell yeah, it took long for him to get it today! Whenever I tried doing that exercise at home, Odie would end up humping my arm, that's why I was SO THANKFUL that he didn't hump his teacher's arm. Good boy!

Right after class, we went to the Philippine Animal Lovers' Society (PALS) Christmas party because Bea, Moxie&Theo's human (yes, she ended up mothering Theo!) invited us as her plus one. Odie was very fidgety at first, and he kept on pestering humans who were eating. I just decided to give him his lunch kibble for him to feel a sense of belonging. After a while, Odie became anti-social because nature called, and because we came from class which tired us both.

We then left and went to Pendragon Veterinary Clinic to claim the treats we won, and to get veterinary advice. It was Doc Mayem's first time to meet Odie (Doc Thea was the one who implanted his microchip) and she was very accommodating! They have complete animal hospital facilities, as well as a mobile clinic that goes to various areas on different days of the week. They also have a 24/7 animal emergency response, and is working closely with the Mandaluyong Animal Shelter (MAS) by treating the dogs that they rescue. Seems legit? Well, it is. And I digress. So I asked the same questions I asked Doc Marose and she gave the same answers. I think we really need to reconsider our options with regards to Odie's health.

Apart from play time with classmates, me, Moxie, and Theo, Odie also met Nori at Pendragon today and they hit it off pretty well. They were playing really rough (I think Nori was doing me a favor by finishing off Odie's pent up energy. After a while, I noticed that there were red stains on the floor, Nori's white coat had red stains, Odie's white fur also had red stains, and his gums were really really red! Doc Mayem pointed to a little white spot on the floor, I immediately picked it up and put it in my bag.

Souvenir!

I was right! Odie's baby teeth are growing out! I suspected it this morning when we brushed his teeth and he took a bath. He bit his bath towel and there was blood, which April thought was because his toothbrush had hard bristles. During the tugging exercise in class, the tug toy that Doc Marose gave Odie was a pink and purple fleece toy, and I saw loooots of fresh blood stains mid-play. I apologized to Doc Marose and Doc Mayem for the bloodshed, and felt so embarrassed for soiling their stuff. I should have offered to wash the tug toy, but maybe Doc Marose has a special method of washing tug toys thoroughly. She also told me that we should encourage biting to make all the baby teeth fall out. Yikes!

When we got home, Odie went straight to his wire crate and was knocked out from the day's activities! I went straight to my room and was knocked out as well, except I didn't quite make it to the bed. I fell asleep on the floor, a foot away from the bed, and woke up an hour later. I checked on Odie and tried doing his homework (OH, IT'S ON!!!), but he's really too tired to get his brain working, so we'll resume tomorrow. I did however, manage to get a round of the impulse control exercise. We were able to successfully do it thrice, and ended with the chasing game.

Take it!

I love how Odie really looks so focused every time we have exercises like this one. He also looks at the treats very intently during the pull-to-stop exercise! A while ago, Bernard (a new student) was being taught that exercise, and they used hotdogs as treats. When class was over, Odie was roaming around the court, and sat right in front of a hotdog that Bernard wasn't able to take! He had this same super focused face and stance, and wouldn't budge even when I lured him with my liver treats. Took a while for us to get out of there all because of a hotdog slice :|

Right now I'm really happy that Odie has learned a lot about focus, and is generally more chill now compared to how he was prior to puppy class. Pet Centrics is proving to be a really good training center, and Doc Marose's methods work for Odie really well. I hope to take LOTS of videos for homework (THE GAME IS ON. IT'S SO ON!!!) for a chance to get a prize that I'm sure we're going to like. I guess Doc Marose's methods also work for me!

The Happy Camper!

Odie and I went to the National Geographic-Pedigree Doggy Day Camp on Sunday at the Bonifacio High Street Central. We went with my sister Bea and her fostered rescue dog, Theo. It was also Theo's despedida of sorts, as he already went to his permanent home today.

Preparing for Odie's farthest trip ever was stressful for me, only because I kept thinking about it. I was worried because he was so hyper and snarky during the Doggie Trick or Treat at Circulo Verde, and my sister couldn't make it to the Doggy Day Camp so it was just me and Odie in the car (the travel crate is VERY helpful) until we picked up Bea and Theo.

I originally planned on buying a doggie diaper to keep the car safe from accidents, but upon consultation with a veterinarian who sells dog supplies, I was told that they stopped selling diapers because they didn't want to fool their clients. Doggie diapers are sold for around 40 bucks a pop for the smallest size, but it's basically a regular baby diaper with a hole for the tail. So they just tell dog owners to buy a baby diaper and cut a slit where the tail should go. April got a diaper in our neighborhood sari-sari store for P12.

The trip was long so I just moved the passenger seat forward and told Bea to stay in the back seat with Theo. That way, Odie won't be left alone at the back, and he and Theo could mingle with Bea's supervision, and I could drive in peace. Everybody wins.

Join the PACK! Photo from Pedigree Philippines' Facebook page

The venue was so full when we got there! The event organizers allowed 500 online registrants, who claimed their scarf and dog tag quickly in one tent, and there was also another tent with a long line for on-site registration! I've seen the BGC Central a couple of times, and it's definitely not a place where you could fit more than 500 dogs and around a thousand humans. I could only imagine the excitement of some dogs, and the stress of others.

I saw two dogs walking off leash, even if camp rules said that all dogs should be leashed. Due to the limited space and I guess some overwhelmed dog owners, a lot of dogs and dog owners ended up fighting because the dogs could easily interact with one another. Doc Marose emphasized in class that dogs should be out of leash range to avoid unwanted interactions. However, I saw some dog owners minding their own business, not seeing that their dogs are already all over the others, which I found pretty irresponsible. Worst was at the photo booth when the owner of this black chow chow kept going too near because she wasn't even minding her dog, and the dog slobbered saliva on Odie's body! Gross! I was so frustrated, I ended up just carrying Odie.

Inside, there were NGC loot bags being distributed which lots of people lined up for (we skipped that because it was too crowded, went back in the evening and they ran out. pfft), there was also a booth selling dog accessories and offering training courses, a stage, a Pedigree photo booth, an agility course, and tents which housed The Dog Spa and Pendragon Veterinary Clinic.

Odie is chipped!

I went with Bea to Pendragon the day before, so I got to acquaint myself with their place and their vets. Their services are amazing! They assist and confine rescue dogs, do lab tests, and even respond to emergency situations. They seem very warm and they looked like they loved what they were doing, so it was easy to trust them. Their clinic is along Kalayaan Ave. in Quezon City, but they have a mobile clinic that goes to our area on Mondays. Moxie and Theo are regulars at Pendragon, and I know that Bea takes care of them well, so I took Odie to their booth to check out what they had. OH WHAT JOY! They offered a 60% discount on microchipping! I only paid P280 instead of P700, which is a great steal! I finally had Odie microchipped, which I have been thinking about for quite a while now. He was really fidgety when we were there, and cried when the needle went in. Such a baby. They're also offering a 60% discount on microchipping at their clinic for any transactions that reach P1000. Don't know until when the promo is so it's best to head over to their place!

Too much fun!

After microchipping, we decided to ditch the event and went to Cupcakes by Sonja because Jamba Juice was also filled to the brim. Odie and Theo got to know each other more while we were there. Oooh, my boy met someone who could match his energy! He and Theo hit it off pretty well. Boys will be boys, I guess. We walked around the Serendra-High Street area some more and went to different stores, and stopped from time to time to because I guess Odie is such an upstager. We were looking for a place to chill when Bea took interest in letting the dogs try the escalator. It was Theo's first time and he lay flat on the floor! Odie, on the other hand, declined the offer, even if I already put a treat on the step. Gotta try it again next time. I'm discovering Odie's fears one by one. He did pretty well on loose leash walking, but still bit his leash a couple of times.

NGC dog tag and Pedigree loot. Dog scarf was too
dirty from rough play, I had to exclude it!

We got a bit tired so I had two beers at a nearby restaurant. Odie and Theo also gave up and slept on the floor. We checked out the Day Camp again at around 7:30, and most of the booths were closed even if they said they were closing at 9pm. We just had our photo taken, and a little loot bag, and headed back to the north. Upon getting in the car, Odie rushed to his crate and slept like a baby.

We went for dinner in UP Technohub for some peace and quiet, except we didn't quite get that. There was one little boy and one little girl who said they just got a female beagle. The little boy was about six or seven years old, I guess. He kept asking me so many questions about how I train Odie, what tricks he knows, what food he eats, what treats I give him, grabe, almost everything under the sun! Their parents kept telling the kids to go back inside and let me eat the food that I ordered, that I would be paying for, and that had gone cold, but they kept going back out. Hayayayyyy... Parents told me they had their beagle for only a week, so the kids were still very excited. They also asked me where I enrolled Odie, and I'm hoping they would attend Pet Centrics as well. We finally decided to call it a night when I finally had the chance to finish my dinner. Bea baked some peanut butter and bacon treats the day before, and gave some for Odie to take home, which he loved! I'm also happy that Theo loved the liver bits I made.

Peanut butter and bacon treats from Moxie's Kitchen!

I'm sure Odie was knocked out from the day's activities, as he slept in his crate the entire way home, and even refused to move from his travel crate to his wire crate when we got home! I carried him to his wire crate and said good night. The next day, he felt like doing absolutely nothing! We both slept all day. Whenever I opened the door of his crate, he would just stretch and find a way to go out while lying on his side. I've never seen such a lazy dog HAHA! I hope he had a fun day though. I would love to take Odie out more often, and let him meet my friends!

Odie Turns Four!

Little baby boy is not so little anymore! Odie is four months old today! He's growing up real fast, and has perpetually been ready to explore the world around him. I read somewhere that at four months, puppies experience the equivalent of a human baby's "terrible twos" so if that wasn't it yet, I'm bracing myself!

Odie and his just-woke-up look at two, three, and four months.
PLEASE STAY SMALL FOREVER :((

He spent his fourth month being a lazy dog and doing nothing, save for little bouts of training. I had to go easy on him as we spent yesterday at the NatGeo Doggy Day Camp (blogging about it this week, I promise) and he was really tired that by the time we got home, he didn't even want to transfer from his travel crate to his wire crate! Talk about dog tired in its truest sense. Today he just kept sleeping, woke up to eat and play with us, slept again, had a blast eating liver bits during training, the works. When we let him out of his crate, he crawled on his belly, and it took a loooong time for him to finally get out. He was probably thinking, "awww crap, the humans are here. FINE."

So far, Odie has been in this home for two months, and had already gone to two dog events, socialized with countless people and dogs, and graduated from puppy class, among other milestones. It's only been a while and I know we have a long way to go, but I can't wait to get to know Odie more! I hope he's having fun here!

Meeting the Ladies

Here's a video of Odie taking treats and sharing happy moments with two females that he met at the Circulo Verde Doggie Trick or Treat! Just like getting acquainted with dogs, Odie doesn't have apprehensions about meeting new people. He could easily get dognapped because anyone and everyone can be his friend :) Odie could teach me a thing or two about approaching and talking to strangers. What a sweetheart!

Socialization: Circulo Verde from Phoebe Gaerlan on Vimeo.

Odie's First Full Day Out

...which is also his first blog entry! The videos from past trainings and homework are still being edited by Idea Orchard Media, and I'm still working on the blog entries to accompany the homework photos and videos. We have a truckload of photos and videos of Odie, but a lot of them are just fun tricks that were not taught in school. So yeah, a lot of stuff to finish before he graduates from Puppy Foundations Class at Pet Centrics! Reminds me of finals week back in college, or maybe thesis documentation.

And major digression right there. My train of thought shows that I have become a Beagle myself.

So we went to Circulo Verde on Sunday, October 28, to participate in their Doggie Trick or Treat. It was a free event with lots of food for dogs and humans, and a parade of sorts for dog fashionistas to strut their stuff, and for dog owners to try making their dogs wear clothes.