Home Sweet Home

Today was the day my family and I went over the hill to get Focus. I was very excited to see him! Ryder tagged along for the ride and was very well behaved. I even ditched school to go get my boy! We also took my leader with us because she knew we were going over the hill and she left her car on the side of the road, because is was not 4WD and she did not want to buy chains(her husband was with her in their other car so she did not camp out in the snow). So we took her to her car, dug it out (was not that bad at all) and we went on our way again towards Sacramento. My brother was ever so nice and agreed to pick up Focus from the campus, because he lives in the bay area and is quite close to GDB. He picked him up around 9 and started driving towards Sacramento. He ended up coming to El Dorado Hills (past Sacramento) because we were running late and he just kept driving.

When we met up, I was stoked to see Focus. When I got of the car I could hear his tail going crazy in my brother`s truck. I opened the door and out jumped this 90lb yellow lab! I was quite shocked with how big he was, but i am used to tiny Ryder, so he pry has not gotten too much bigger since August. I then got Ryder out and took them both to go potty. I walked them around and I swear Focus is not the same! He was not trying to play with Ryder at all (very unlike Focus), focused on walking and waiting for the next command. I double checked his tattoo to make sure it was him!

I then gave Ryder to my mom and took Focus out to work. I did forward, left, and right. I was impressed! Focus was truly amazing and stopped at all the curbs and looked for cars and when i told him forward he looked again and then proceeded if it was safe I did set him up and told him forward when a car was coming and he stepped out, looked, and then backed up. I was amazed. I really wish he had become a guide, he would have been awesome at it.

I will have Focus for a week or so and then he will go to the people who are adopting him. The family came over today to say hello to him and they brought their dog over for Focus to meet and Saturday afternoon he is going over there for the afternoon. All went well and they are very excited! He wants to get started on his training within the month so he can be ready and start competitions ASAP. Focus will still be a part of my life and I will see him over the years and be involved in his competitions and training. So I will blog about Focus when something exciting happens!

Ryder watching my parents and leader dig out her car.

Focus was very excited to see me!

On the way home, very good dogs!

Ryder looking at Focus who is on the seat.

Agreed to share the bed, though Focus has it now!

Katlynn, Focus, & Ryder

Update on Mr. Focus

As all of you know from my last post Focus has been career changed. At the time I posted that I had not yet made my decision on whether I would be bringing him back up to Carson and place him with a family that will be the best match for him or send him into search and rescue training.

My CFR said that search and rescue was not looking for any more dogs but he could go and be evaluated. I do not want Focus spending more time in kennel life if he does not have to, so I made the decision to bring him home and place him with this family in town.

So tomorrow we are making the trip to Sacramento to meet my brother who lives in the bay. He is going to pick Focus up form the campus and drive him to Sacramento, which is a huge help! The weather looks good no snow, but the roads I am sure will have snow and some ice on them but we have a good car and will do fine.

I plan on keeping Focus till the New Year, but if it is too much to have Ryder, Focus, and my pet dog Dietrich, he will go to his family earlier. The family he is going with I think is going to be perfect. He plans on training Focus to be a hunting show dog, and possibly dock diving (I am not sure if it`s called that, but where the dogs jumps off a dock for distance and retrieves something). It seems like a perfect home for him, he needs a job and lots of exercise, and that is just what he will get! He can also go to work as this man owns his own company! Focus is the kinda dog you can`t trust at home alone because he will eat and destroy everything! That is the main reason I am not adopting him, he would be kenneled 6 hours a day and that would not be fair to him. I could not be happier on this placement as I know Focus will be well loved and have an awesome life! I will also be able to be a part of his training and maybe get to show him, and I will see him periodically as he will live in town!

Tomorrow the good old halti will be placed on Focus and the leash will be in my hand....

Katlynn & Ryder

Bittersweet Ending

For most exciting times/days (like today), there is usually a downer. Well today my leader`s called and I thought for sure they were just calling to say the meeting was cancelled. Well my mom answered the phone and she sad she had some bad news. I was thinking oh no did DeSoto die, was Focus career changed, is Ryder ok? Well it turns out that Focus was career changed.

They did not really say why but mostly because he was so high powered and hyper. I can`t say I am surprised at all, cause that was Focus. When I read blogs and they say my "I have just been hit by a train" I never could emotionally understand that until now. As much work as Focus was he was my favorite, and all dogs are different. I love DeSoto and Ryder dearly but Focus just had something about him.

My family and I keeping him is 100% out of the question. We can not have a high powered dog that needs miles of walking daily. We could not leave him home alone, he would chew everything up, and kenneling him all day is not fair to him. I`d love to keep him and it breaks my heart that I can`t. I know of a family in town that is really interested in him, he just lost his 14 year old lab that was a hunting dog. Hunting would be great for Focus, and he could go to work with them, and I could see him a lot.

Since it is snowing like crazy, we are not able to make it over the hill for at least a few days. I`ve been talking with my brother who lives in the bay area about picking Focus up this week and keeping him till my mom and I are able to make it over, and he agreed to that. So Focus will get to live in a house again! He is also very interested in keeping Focus and he could go to work with his as well. So both options are great and I know Focus would be happy in either one of them.

SUMMARY: Focus is a large, strong, male yellow lab. He is very personable with an active curiosity level. He has a moderate energy level when he has an outlet for his energy. If cooped up and not exercised for a while, he can become busy and more energetic. He adjusted quickly to the kennel, gets along well with all other dogs and enjoyed having a roommate. He enjoys human interaction as well, quickly bonding to his primary handler. His progress in training was good. He learned quickly, really enjoying clicker training and food reward.
He does have a sensitive side when focused; he is willing and well-intentioned, but occasionally impulsive around dogs and food requiring above-average strength to manage the distractibility. His positive qualities are endless; however, with his size and strength, it would be very difficult to match him with a visually impaired client.
Focus is a dog that needs a job – a job to this dog would be to go jogging every day or to play fetch with the kids. (Possibly Search and rescue). He also would greatly benefit from consistency in the home, high expectations and fair handlers.

I just want to say that Focus, you did an amazing job, you made it all the way through training and you just decided it was not right for you. Good job my boy and I can`t wait to see you!

Katlynn & Ryder

Snow Day!

With our usual routine on school days, I get up at 6:00 feed Ryder, take him out to go potty, and then go back to bed till 7:00. When I took Ryder out, I was shocked at the amount of snow we had! Carson City usually gets a few inches but we have a foot and it`s still snowing! I immediately went in and turned the news on to see what was happening with the schools. It first said that they were still in session just late starts, but around 7:00 it was confirmed no school!! I am very excited as this is my second snow day ever!

Ryder last night when it started to snow.

This morning, pretty deep huh?

Snow face! Ryder loves the snow and played for hours with the neighbor dogs.

After hours of hard play, he is sleeping on his bed.

Katlynn & Ryder

5 Months

Believe it or not, Ryder is 5 months old and about 45lbs! We have been nothing fun, just going to school and regular shopping trips. Ryder is a pretty amazing dog, he never pulls, eats stuff off the ground and he always wants to please. He goes to high school daily and does awesome.

Today my family and I went up to Reno to go shopping for the day. We went to a lot of stores and Scheel`s (bigger then Cabela`s) which is a crowded store with lots of stuffed animal displays, holiday decorations, and a noisy environment. Ryder handled it like a champ. Ryder is such good dog I can`t explain it!

Since I have been lacking in the picture and posting department I took some photos of Ryder at Scheel`s.

Ryder in front of an animal at Scheel`s.

Ryder and my little sister in Scheel`s.

Katlynn & Ryder

P.S. Focus is still hanging in 10 looking for his forever match hopefully.

Training Report

I know I have been a slacker on posting lately. So today it was a must! I was driving around town checking my e-mail on my phone every second to see if the phase report had come yet. Finally around 2:30 it came, and this is what it said.

Focus 4S45 M 10

You are probably wondering why I posted a pic of a puppy vest (Rye`s actually) and a leash. Well I thought about it and what made Focus who is today was done with theses two simple items. Every day, by my side, I would put Focus` jacket on, hook up his leash and we would go many new places and more complex as he got older. He was a handful in the beginning but calmed down a lot by the time he went back. I miss him dearly and I know that he could sit in 10 for a few months before finding his perfect match, but I hope he finds it before the holidays!

As for Ryder, he is getting bigger by the day (about 40lbs now) and is such a good boy. He attends high school with me daily and is simply amazing. He is only four and half months old, but he acts like a mature 1 year old. He has had no fear reactions to anything that I have noticed/seen. He is the perfect puppy, just need love to make him happy. He is calm in general, does not need walks, happy to be lazy all day, and just loves being with you. I could not have asked for a better puppy! I will try to post pictures of him this weekend if I get around to it, but I certainly had to post the news of the day!

Katlynn & Ryder

Big Day!

Today was the day that all teen puppy raisers look forward to, bringing your puppy to school! Ryder got to accompany me to all 3 of my classes today and in each class when I was walking out I got comments like, "wow, I did not even know there was a dog." Those are the comments I love to hear especially since Ryder is only 4.5 months old!

I was a little nervous about him relieving while walking from class to outside, but he proved me wrong! He had no accidents and no big problems, sure he tried to eat pieces of paper, etc, but what puppy does not do that?! I am so proud of my little boy that he could handle a crowded high school with no problems and while being on a flat collar! I hope every day goes just as well!

Katlynn & Ryder

Flying

My boy Focus, is now in 8!

Ryder in my backyard looking mighty cute!

Have a good weekend everybody!

Katlynn & Ryder

Fall Colors

Our neighbor has this beautiful tree and around this time every year all the leaves turn this red/yellow color and it is a perfect picture spot! Ryder is now 4 months old, which means no more lunch feedings! He is almost there with being trusted in vest, potty wise, but besides that he is an awesome little guy!

2011 Calender Photo?

Focus is in phase 7! He`s only been in training for about a month and he`s 70% done! I am so proud of him and hope he keeps up the good work.

Off to puppy meeting in an hour, hopefully he will be a star!

Katlynn & Ryder

Advancing Boys

Ryder has been growing and maturing like a weed! As you can probably tell from the pictures he is in a medium vest. He got is 16 week old shots today and he weighed in at 35lbs! He has gained 11 pounds from his 12 week shots. The vet estimated him to be about 80lbs when he`s full grown.

He is getting more and more trust worthy in vest and can go in a store for about 15-20 minutes before we start to worry, we are down to about taking him out every hour or so to relieve rather then ever 20 minutes at home. He sleeps through the night great and has not had an accident in a while.

He is a very good little guy in stores, despite the garbage mouth, which we now use a halti to help out with that problem. I hope I will not have to use it very long, just use it to get him out of the "eat everything in sight" phase. I plan on taking him to school in the next couple of weeks, and I am excited to do that! I know he will do great behavior wise, but I am still a little concerned about the relieving issues, since he is not 100% trust worthy.

Our lives have been pretty boring, we got two new puppies in our group, Keno and Gordie. They are both very cute and Gordie seems to be quite the handful! Our club is back to all puppies again except Patrice (8-9 months old?) and Morgana who is going back in October, and Tahoe who lucked out on not getting recalled! Good girl Tahoe. :) I am excited to watch all these guys grow up and hopefully all become guides one day!

Ryder enjoying the fall colors and sporting off his medium jacket!

I think this picture really makes him look tall.

I got the phase report yesterday and Mr. Focus is in phase 5! I am so proud of him and hope he gets to become a working guide. If not, that`s okay too, maybe another job would suite him.

Have a good weekend everybody!

Katlynn & Ryder