Fall Photos and Focus Update

I know, I know I have not done an update on Focus in quite a while. So I will start with our CFR coming to town.

About 2 weeks ago our CFR came to town and she taught use the new command 'go to bed' and the marker word 'nice' which we are aloud to use treats for. There were 2 groups one in the morning and an afternoon group with a picnic in between with everyone. Focus and I were the morning group. Focus was probably the worst and picking up the requirements in order to get the treat, he rather just jump at you and get it himself. :) Some of the other puppies picked it up very quick and were doing awesome! After everyone and there pup got to go, we had lunch. After lunch I talked with Celeste and explained all the issues Focus has been having (growling at you when he does not want to stay still it`s not a mean growl it`s kinda like no I am not going to do this, eating everything off the floor, barking for food, having bad tie down manners) and she suggested we use treats for everything for a month and than she would like to evaluate him. I was happy to hear that because Focus is quite food motivated. He basically knows all his command pretty well except stand we are working on that. His growling has improved so much that all I have to do know is give him a correction and say "nice" and he stops and waits for me to give him a treat.

Focus has also been staying with my mom every day while I go to school because of the growling thing, so maybe after Celeste evaluates him he will be able to go again. He has been going lots of places with my mom during the day: our shop, grocery stores, malls, restaurants and walking up in the hills. So hopefully he`ll be able to get a lot of experiences while not at school which is great!

He also has had a yeast and bacterial infection in his ears for about two weeks and is on medication. Also, since about 3 other puppies in our groups have bacterial infections and is causing dierreah, Focus decided to have it too! We took him in yesterday after him having dierreah all night and they were not able to test his stool sample because they did not have the right staff to do it. So maybe by the end of the week we`ll know. But for know he is on medication to help clear up the dierreah and a chicken and rice diet. They also looked at his ears and said there is still bacteria in there so he is still on medication for his ears.

He acts normal for the most part, sleeps a little more than usual. I hope he will be up for out club`s annual trip to Virginia City. Hopefully if we go I will post sometime this weekend!





And yes it is Thursday, we all know what that means!
DeSoto 49N7 LAB M 5 No
Yeah he moved up! Go DeSoto you are 50% done keep up the good work!
In phase 5 DeSoto is doing some guide work in San Rafael. He instructor is blindfolded for about 14 blocks while being spotted by another instructor. His instructor will be able to tell where is strengths and weakness lie. He will have many opportunities to pass the test. But we all know you can do it the 1st time! :) He will also be having some more medical tests.

Katlynn & Focus

Still There :)

DeSoto 49N7 LAB M 4 No

Did not move up, but at least he is still there. :)

Katlynn & Focus

Phase Report

Well it is Thursday! After reading other people`s blogs and hearing about all the Career Changes, I am just so happy to see that his name is still there every week!

DeSoto 49N7 LAB M 4 No
Diva 400N LAB F 1 No
Orwell 45N7 LAB M 1 No
Sherwood 46M3 LAB M 7 No

Keep up the good work Soto!

Katlynn & Focus

Candy Dance

Today Taylor (a puppy raiser in my club) and I decided it would be fun to go to the annual Candy Dance in Genoa. Fantom and Focus were very well behaved and did great! For those of you who don`t know what it is, it is basically a lot of people that make crafts and it is a large craft fair. I was really happy with Focus because he delt with all the people very good and got lots of attention! Towards the end he was very tired, we must have walked about a mile or so. We were there for about 3 houres and on the way back into town we stopped at Chili`s to get lunch! The dogs were awesome they were so tired they just slept and you would not have known they were there!

We stopped at a both and bought each of the dogs a Kool Hat. They are very nice and even have a cloth material inside so you can wet it with water and keep your dog kool. Fantom already had one, but it was to small so he got a bigger one.
Focus not so thrilled about the hat, but being tolerant of it.


On another note, Focus was with my leaders all week and I got him back on Thursday. They said he was very good and has great house manners. They also enjoyed taking him on walks and out in the public. I was happy to hear that!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Katlynn & Focus

New Comers!

DeSoto 49N7 LAB M 3 No
Diva 400N LAB F 1 Yes
Orwell 45N7 LAB M 1 No

It looks like DeSoto`s sister Diva has joined the fun (Soto you better lead her down the right road) and Orwell a dog in our club that went back Saturday. I wish the best of luck to all these guys!

Katlynn & Focus

Blog Awards

What a great idea this is! I want to say thanks to Kesley, Burgess, & Tahoe for this award! Now I guess I get to pick seven people. I will try to pick people who have not received this award
yet, if you have already received this award please pass it on to someone else!

• Taelor & Franklin
• Aerial & Splash
• Richard & Zane
• Jenny & Truman
• Frisco
• Becky & Cricket
• Hooper
  

I encourage all you guys to do it, but it is optional! I hope everyone has a great week!

Katlynn & Focus

4 Months Old!

As by the title, Focus is now 4 months! What a perfect day the phase report and Focus turns 4 months! Focus is growing up way to fast it and it does not seem like I have had him for almost 2 months, he has just learned so much in the little time I have had him. As for the pictures I know I have not posted some in a while, so here they are! If you have not noticed, he got his M jacket yesterday!

Can`t forget DeSoto!

DeSoto 49N7 LAB M 3 No

Go DeSoto! He has been there for little over a month and has done great so far!

Katlynn & Focus

A Year Ago Today....

The 4 hour drive to San Rafael seemed like an hour on end drive. When we finally got there, went to the kennel kitchen, checked in, they finally told me that I would be receiving 9 week old DeSoto. I was not real fond of the name at first, but it grew on me. He was the perfect little puppy from day 1. Though I did not get to spend quite a year with him, I am sure glad I got to spend the 11 months I had with him. Him being my first puppy, we learned a lot together. We had our bad days, but the good days out numbered the bad by a lot. The time I spent with him seemed like a day, but it was great experience for me and him!


The little puppy I had once..
turned into the boy I love and miss today!

Katlynn & Focus

Still Moving Along

DeSoto 49N7 LAB M 2 No
Sherwood 46M3 LAB M 5 No
Spike 4N55 LAB M 2 No
Suede 4N58 LAB F 2 No

Every Thursday it is always a relief to see them all still moving along. Mr. Sherwood is 50% done with his training, go Sherwood!!! The other 3 should be moving up to 3 hopefully soon.

For a quick update on Focus:
He has been going to school with me mostly every day, and he is SO good. He has not had an accident yet *fingers crossed* and usually goes on command when I allow him to. Everyone loves him, though I have discovered he is very people distracted to the point of lunging toward them, so need to say, we will be working on that! Today he stayed with my mom because he had a vet appointment to get his 4 month old rabies, and I am sure you all will be shocked but the boy weighed 35 pounds!! I was very shocked! Last month when he was there for his stomach issues he weighed 25 pounds. He was very skinny though so I feed him 1.5 cups 3 times a day and sometimes 2 for lunch, but now that he gained weight he is back to the 1 cup 3 times a day. Hopefully this weekend I will get around to posting pictures!

Katlynn & Focus

Yay!!

DeSoto, Spike, & Suede finally made it out of 0 to phase 2. I guess I am happy to see that DeSoto is out of 0. So I assume they have almost passed all of there medical stuff, and are now into the more "fun stuff."

DeSoto 49N7 LAB M 2 No
Sherwood 46M3 LAB M 4
Spike 4N55 LAB M 2 No
Suede 4N58 LAB F 2 Yes

Also, Diva (DeSoto`s sister) and Orwell (a dog in our club) are scheduled to go back on the 20-21.

On a second note, Focus is finally over the diarrhea (I hope). He has also been going to school with me and is very well behaved, and everyone just adores him! This week has been pretty boring, going to school or staying home with my mom, and going for walks up in the hills, well Focus that is! I don`t think we have anything exciting planned for the weekend, but who knows!

Katlynn & Focus