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We are settling in.. quite nicely!

From Texans to Oregonians!

The wigglebutts LOVE LOVE LOVE their new yard! It is not as flat as the one we had in Texas, but it's so perfect! They also love the house as there is more space to move around (and run around in). No complaints. These wigglebutts are HAPPY!

Holidays 2022

Lucy's fourth Christmas and Linus's third. Momma got to spend the holidays with them this year which means plenty of pictures! They enjoyed their Secret Santa Paws gift exchange and the Christmas cards exchange. They had Chicken & Waffles for Christmas Day brunch and New Year's Day brunch: dehydrated chicken breast, waffles topped with homemade whipped cream and a drizzle of all-natural peanut butter mixed with non-fat greek yogurt, dehydrated sweet potato hash, and a side of fresh strawberries and blueberries. We played a lot of frisbee, and football even when it was freezing! 

How do I keep my pups entertained indoors?

My pups LOVE to play outdoors, rain or shine! But when there is a winter storm (winter season) or when it's too hot outside (triple-digit summer in Texas!), we would rather stay indoors to keep everyone safe. Here are some of the things we do to keep us busy when we're stuck indoors:

1. As part of our morning routine, we play "find it" where I hide part of their breakfast kibble all over the house and they need to go "find it" :) Alternatives to this game are:

a. The shell game, sometimes called the memory game - using three to four cups, place a treat under one of the cups. Let your dog sniff around and discover which cup the treat is under. When your dog paws at the correct cup, lift it up to reveal the treat while praising him/her. Let your dog have the treat!

b. The "which hand" game - place a treat in one of your hands, close both of your fists, and hold them out in front of your dog. Let your dog sniff your hands and choose which hand the treat is in. When your dog chooses the correct hand, open your fist and give your dog the treat!

c. Muffin pan puzzle - using a muffin baking pan, tennis balls (or tennis ball-sized stones if safe to use, crumpled paper, small pieces of clothing, etc), and dog treats, place treats in a couple of the molds and cover all the molds with tennis balls (or other items). Give the “puzzle” to your dog and let him/her explore by moving the balls to find the treats hidden underneath. Each time you play, change the location of the treats to keep your dog’s mind stimulated.

d. Cardboard box search - who doesn't have empty Amazon or Chewy boxes laying around? lol. Using empty cardboard boxes, place several boxes out on the floor. Place a treat inside one or more of the boxes, while your dog is out of the room. Bring your dog into the room (or call him/her) and let him/her search for the box which has the treat inside. When s/he paws at or nudges the correct box, reveal the treat, and give lots of praise.

2. After our "find it" game, we do some agility practice since they just started going to agility class. We do not spend more than 15 minutes per dog per agility training session. They take turns going through the weaves, jumping over a low bar, going through the tunnel and working on their place work. Agility training is both physically and mentally stimulating for the pups!

3. We also do multiple short obedience training sessions throughout the day. No more than 5 minutes per training session is recommended. Practice that "sit" and "wait" when going out the door, "on your mat" or "in your crate/kennel up" for when guests arrive, or the ever-challenging "leave it". A single 5-minute training session goes a long way. 

4. We work on new tricks. Currently, we are working on "sit pretty" and we know this trick takes a lot of practice! Lucy is learning it faster than Linus, Linus feels like he is going to fall over. Each pup is different, but we will get there! 

5. We work on different puzzles. They actually had their lunch distributed into 2 different puzzles, and we're planning to feed their dinner in a snuffle mat. Ditch that bowl! Use slow feed bowls, food puzzles or snuffle mats instead. Your pup will thank you!  

6. We have a soft indoor ball that I toss around for the pups to play with. We call the game "volleyball". I hit the ball towards one dog like I do when I play volleyball, and that dog should hit it back and the second dog either tries to catch it & drop it or hit it again. We play this game in a carpeted area of the house. If you do not have a carpeted room, you can lay down rugs or mats just to make the floor safer for the dogs. As long as there is nothing breakable around, this game is fun!

7. Last, but not the least, work on that "settle". Some call this the "off switch". Pups need tons of rest no matter how "active" the breed is. They too, need their "alone" time. This part of training helps prevent "separation anxiety". Leave them on their own (together) and by themselves (separate). This helps each pup be independent and not get anxious when there is no human around, or the other dog. Do it gradually. Start at 5 minutes if your pup is not used to being left alone, then gradually do it for 10 mins, then 15 mins, 30 mins up to a couple of hours. Having an indoor camera set up so you know how they react being left in the house helps. If you plan on leaving your pup in a crate, leaving a frozen stuffed Kong or something else to keep him or her occupied while you're gone would help a ton (if safe to do so!). 

Position Statement on Humane Dog Training from AVSAB

In August of 2021, The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior issued a new position statement on their recommended training methods:

“Based on current scientific evidence, AVSAB recommends that only reward based training methods are used for all dog training, including the treatment of behavior problems. Aversive training methods have a damaging effect on both animal welfare and the human-animal bond. There is no evidence that aversive methods are more effective than reward-based methods in any context. AVSAB therefore advises that aversive methods should not be used in animal training or for the treatment of behavior disorders.”

To read the full statement from the AVSAB, click here. 

Linus's Firsts

Lucy Got Fixed!

Nov 2019: TX-OR road trip

We were going to the Philippines to spend the rest of the holidays with Sherry's family. We did not want to take Lucy with us due to the long plane ride so we thought it best to leave her with her grandma in Oregon. So off we went on a long road trip from Texas to Oregon, with multiple stops for potty breaks and overnight stays. Lucy did awesome. She would pick a spot to lay on and just pass out and sleep through the night until sunrise. She didn't even bark in the room and would go to the door if she needed to go potty. 

Stop #1 - New Mexico (Albuquerque)

Stop #2 - Arizona (Flagstaff)

Stop #3 - Nevada (Las Vegas, Hawthorne, and Goldfield)

Stop #4 - California (Lassen National Forest)

Stop #5 - Oregon!

This means Lucy has been to 6 different states: TX, NM, AZ, NV, CA and OR. My travel buddy! 

Aug 2019

Meet our baby girl, Lucy. She is a blue merle Australian Shepherd, a medium-sized breed. 

Sage x Cruise baby born June 2019. ASCA (Australian Shepherd Club of America) and ASDR (American Stock Dog Registry) registered. She now weighs 8 pounds and is expected to be a small standard.