Monday, December 24, 2012

Rory's Christmas Tree

                       Since Rory can't go into the living room, I put up a tree in my room just for him!


                                                      Did you notice the clicker on top!?



I just had to add a sheep!


And he LOVES ducks so I added them too!


Happy holidays everyone!! =)




Monday, December 17, 2012

2012 Christmas Photo Shoot

Who would have guessed taking pictures of a dog and a boy would be so difficult!?


When Rory is finally paying attention to me and staying still, my brother is not looking at the camera.


And when my brother is ready for the picture, Rory is either wandering off, trying to steal his hat, or searching me for treats.


It didn't help that the curtains kept moving around. D:< At least I got a few nice pictures.



I guess I need to do some more modeling work with Rory! He looks fantastic in these pictures! =D




Thursday, November 29, 2012

Temporary Foster Puppy

My local library is like a community center. Well, yesterday, the main volunteer found this puppy in the bathroom. According to the vet, she's about 3 months old, possibly some sort of Rat Terrier or Jack Russell mix. No one was able to take her until we find her home or a temporary foster home, so she's in my brothers room. We have Bailey, my foster dog, and Rory separated from the living room, it's just too much work. (The puppy is being kept in my brothers room.)

I have 3 people interested in adopting her, and a great friend of mine has offered to foster her until she finds a home. :) At the moment, things are pretty chaotic here. Rory doesn't know she's in the house, so all is good for now.

I've been working on the Surprise Party Game with Rory, and he is getting the hang of it. I'll be practicing with some distractions tomorrow, and if he behaves, I'll start with the dogs at a distance. I have my fingers crossed!

Once the puppy we found gets adopted or a new foster home, I'll go back to my regular routine with Rory. For now, he has to deal with no playtime with my brothers. That will be awful for him.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Love at first sight

I knew the instant Rory began to play with his Cagey Cube that it was love at first sight! He hasn't lost interest in it yet! I'm going to start rotating his toys just to be safe.

Sunday and Monday I felt very weak and sleepy. I did walk with Rory on the 3 mile trail, but it was exhausting, and usually it isn't. Today I was full of energy, and of course so was Rory! I worked on a few Control Unleashed exercises with him, that's about it training wise. Once he learns to calm down, I can continue trick training. Obedience just isn't the same as tricks though. :(

There's a possibility we may go on a hike or to a park tomorrow. I'll post an update to Twitter. I'm trying to use it more often. I'm actually not sure how it works exactly, or what I should be tweeting about. Oh well. :p

Rory's Twitter: Twitter.com/Rorythekelpie






Thursday, November 15, 2012

Toys!!!


Our package from The Clicker Company arrived today! 


I ordered 2 puzzle games, 1 cagey cube, a clicker whistle, and a target stick. I thought the clicker whistle was genius! Rory, on the other hand, could care less, he was obsessed with the cagey cube.


I'll be making some short review videos for each product. They will be just quick videos showing Rory interacting with them.


Today was like Christmas for Rory!! Shiloh and Delilah had no interest in any of the toys. Now this has me thinking about buying him a Christmas present… I found some adorable pjs in the Doctors Foster and Smith's catalogue. It's probably best I buy something that he'll enjoy though. And something that will keep him entertained, like the cagey cube! He's been playing all day with that toy!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Happy Birthday Rory!

All I know is that Rory was born sometime on November... So happy Birthday Rory!

Tomorrow I'm having a 'Puppy Party Palooza' celebrating me getting a new dog, but so far only 1 of my friends is coming for sure. Rory will be happy with that, he actually LOVES my friend who is coming. The park has a giant field so he can run around (on leash); he will have a blast! He won't even know the party was a fail. :p

His nipping has stopped a little bit, but he is still just too... crazy. I've been working on a few calming exercises which don't seem to work. I received a reply from the trainer I've been in contact with, so maybe he can also help me out with that. He's better than a week ago, but he's still crazy.


Monday, November 5, 2012

Good Job Rory!

Rory behaved less like a psychotic dog today! Yay!

I did a bunch of training sessions through out where I would treat him when he was calm. This advice was given to me from a great Faceboom group called 'Beyond Cesar Millian'. I'd suggest to anyone interested in positive dog training to check it out. :)

Rory ran off leash in the fenced in yard
for a good amount of time, and I then brought him for a two and a half mile walk.

Later in the yard, I tripped over nothing because I'm a clutz, and he began to play tug-o- war with my shoe. I 'grounded the leash' and he stopped bitting at my shoe.

Rory's favorite part of the day was probably playing with his cong ball, trying to lick out all of the delicious treats. He seriously loves that cong ball!!!

Rory only nipping me once is progress... And on the very first day is great! I know there are going to still be more ups and downs, but I'm ready for it. All I truly needed to know was why he was nipping me, and how to stop it.

A few other owners I've chatted with also had this problem. It was very stressful and emotional for them, but overtime by keeping positive and being consistent, their dogs stopped nipping. I can't even begin to explain how relieved I was to hear that I'm not the only one with a crazy, nippy dog!

(The picture is of Rory watching the cows we passed on our walk)

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Changes

There's nothing worse than being annoyed with your own dog....  That's how I've been feeling lately. Rory had been soo nippy these past few weeks. Luckily, I've been given some super advice on how to calm him down and prevent him from nipping.

Basically, I'll be planning out my whole day, adding in extra walks and training sessions. Changes will be made, good changes! I'm going to finally order Controll Unleashed, and contact a dog trainer I discovered after months of searching! I even used my $50 gift card from The Clicker Company, from Rory winning Pet of The Month, to buy 2 treat toy puzzles, a whistle clicker, a target stick, and a box & ball puzzle toy.

 Tomorrow, I start my new plan. I have a great feeling about this; I bet Rory will enjoy it too!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!

I wasn't able to film a Halloween video this year because my brother had a horrible case of posion oak... All over his face for 2 weeks! He was looking and feeling better last night until he got food poising. I will be working on a Doctor Who video though!

I just ran Rory around outside. At 6 I'll be trick or treating with my friends, so I'm trying to tire him out!

Rory is looking great with his costume on! Are you dressing your dog up for Halloween? If so, what is he/she going to be!?

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Rory The Centurian

Rory's costume is complete! It's not only a Halloween costume, it's also his Doctor Who cosplay costume!! I can't keep this secret anymore; I'm going as Amy Pond, and Rory is going as Rory! One of my brothers is the Doctor, so I'm taking advantage of this and creating a Doctor Who Halloween video! If you've never watched the BBC show Doctor Who, you probably think I'm insane. Go on Netflix and watch it! There's a reason it's the longest running sci fi show!

That's it for today. Other than being followed by a dog on a walk, nothing exiting happened.

I forgot to mention that his costume is homemade. That means it will need some work. :p


Friday, October 19, 2012

Busy!

I'm currently teaching Rory self control instead of tricks. Amazingly, I was able to walk with him behind a boy and his mom who where jogging yesterday. Rory kept an eye on them, but he didn't pull! We also passed by a dog park and I witnessed a dog fight.... I kept a good distance away from the dog park after that....

I contacted a trainer that's an hour away, and she is charging $150 an hour for reactive dog training sessions... I'm sorry, but that's just ridiculous! So, I e-mailed another trainer, and she no longer does reactive dog sessions... Now I'm having to search for trainers that are an hour and a half away. Who thought finding a positive dog trainer would be so hard!

October is booked for me with Halloween volunteering. These next 2 weeks will be hectic, but I *will* update this blog!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

He's NOT a Dingo!

Rory really surprised me a few days ago! I took him to a coffee shop, and some people asked to pet him. Two older, calm, men pet Rory, and he didn't even try to jump on them, until an exited woman walked over…. I'm thinking of buying a vest that says " In training, please ask to pet" so people just don't walk up to him and try to pet him. Everyone except for that lady asked to pet him.



Yesterday was the SECOND time someone has thought Rory is a 'Dingo'. A man was petting Rory, and asked me what breed he is. I told him he's an Australian Kelpie, and he said 'like a Dingo?"…. I was shocked to hear that! I explained that Australian Kelpies are a herding breed, not Dingos. This is getting crazy...


Last year my dad build a large hog pen next to our pasture, in the forest. We never ended up getting pigs, so I'm going to use it as a training area for Rory! There are trees, stumps, and it's hilly inside the pen, so when I do start agility with him, setting up a course is going to be a challenge. The gate and some of the fencing is falling down, so I've been wrapping a giant leash to a tree and connecting it to his harness so he can run around while I work on the fence. I'm also raking all of the leaves and pine straw out of the pen. I'm thinking of making a little Halloween video of Rory, but I can't think of any real cute ideas….



Thursday, October 4, 2012

Dog Bandana Giveaway!!!

You have the chance to win this cute bandana for your dog on Rory's Facebook page! To enter, you must live in the USA, and you must 'Like' and Share the picture that is on his Facebook page. The winner will be announced October 13th. Good luck!!  =)

                                                       Facebook.com/Rorythekelpie


Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Wordless Wednesdays (Blog Hop)


He's a country dog now.


Another Good Day


Rory greatly dislikes his head collar, but I absolutely LOVE it!! He hasn't completely stopped pulling on the leash, but now I have better control over him. The head collar doesn't work for all dogs, but it's definitely something you should look into if you're having trouble walking your dog!

I'm on my own with training Rory. The only 2 positive dog trainers near me have not replied to my e-mailes. Their websites don't have their phone numbers on there either, only their e-mails. But that's okay! This morning I did a training session with Rory and Shiloh. I had my mom hold Shiloh down on the other side of the road. I had Rory a good distance away, and every time he glanced over at her he got a treat. He didn't growl, bark, or pup his hackles up! I'm going to do this a few more times this week, staying away at good distance.


    Rory also visited the library today. He was much better about not jumping on people. I don't allow my dogs to walk up to people, unless they ask to pet him, so I had him practice sitting at my side while people walked by us. He did a fantastic job, which surprised a lot of people. He's improving, slowly, but all that matters is he is improving! 


Rory is now on Twitter! @Rorythekelpie 


Sunday, September 30, 2012

There's nothing like walking your dog in the rain. That's what I did today. I brought Rory to a park where we dodged giant puddles and searched for cover from the rain. It was actually fun! He doesn't like the rain, but he also doesn't like doing nothing either. There was an old playground I let him play on. He lead the way up the steps, and he even walked over the shaky bridge! I'm going to bring him to this park again since it's super close, and I'll also bring my camera along so I can make a video of him!

He's doing such a great job!

The picture below is a fail. We were under a gazebo next to the playground. He was soaking wet and wouldn't stay still for a good picture. :p

Saturday, September 29, 2012

National Dog Week!

There is only 1 more day left of National Dog Week!! I feel like I'm the only person celebrating this with my dog. :p

Before I get to the update, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who has voted for Rory in the Clicker Company Pet Of The Month contest!! I'm most likely going to win, and if I do, I'll be holding a give-away on Rory's Facebook page!! If you haven't already voted for him and you would like to, all you have to do is click on this link, and find the picture of him and press 'Like'. The contest ends in 2 days. :) http://www.facebook.com/THEClickerCompany/app_423981594282440


This evening we took Rory to a nearby hiking trail. The last time I walked with him, he was dragging me down the whole trail. This time he was PERFECT!! My mom wanted a coffee, so we also  went to a nearby community that has shops, a dog park, and a coffee shop. Rory stayed somewhat calm when people passed. He didn't jump on anyone! Right before we were about to leave, I spotted a woman walking a Bernese Mountain Dog and a Great Pyrenees. I rushed behind some tables far away from the sidewalk. Rory watched them pass briefly, he didn't bark, growl, or lift his hackles. Yay!!

This has been a great National Dog Week for me. =) Did you do anything special with your dog to celebrate? I didn't do anything too special, I just spent some time with Rory.



Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Success! Well, kinda.

Rory has done such a great job around people lately that I decided to being him along with us to the Library. I learned a couple things, and I also had some great training sessions with him.

Rory is surprisingly calm around girls, but once he sees a boy, his energy just changed and he goes wild... I'm pretty sure there are 2 reasons for this; reason 1, he played with boys at his old home, and reason 2, boys are crazy.

We walked outside mostly, and I brought him into the library a few times. He was good, but he still tried to jump on people. He didn't because he has the head collar on, but I could tell because of the look in his eyes...

I also played with him on the playground! I recommend to anyone who has an active dog and wants to do something like agility, but their dog is too young to train on a playground! I worked on sit and stay while I climbed the steps, him jumping on the benches, him walking on the playground, and I desensitized him to the spooky swings. :p It tired him out a bit, which is hard to do!

The most important thing that I've learned today is that Rory causes damage.... My mom will always say goodbye to the volunteer and end up talking for a hour... I went in to speed her up, and Rory saw a new girl who was working on her laptop. He tried to jump on her and hit her laptop, pulling out one of the letter keys. I felt awful because I know those are SUPER expensive to repair. I still feel pretty bad about it. My dog is a disaster waiting to happen.... He already has a record for destruction, he tore up his old owner's floor! I'm going to be extra careful next time. A few people already think he's a Dingo thanks to my brothers. Him acting like one doesn't do him any good.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Rory The Kelpie :)

This is a blog like no other! This is not a personal blog, it is ALL about my insane dog Rory! Here, I will tell you about the ups and downs of our trainig sessions, you'll have access to pictures of him that are not in his Facebook page, and you will get the chance to see a crazy puppy turn into a well behaved dog. :)


Rory is a very enthusiastic  9 month old Australian Kelpie. I adopted him on the 26th of August, and he's already improved soo much! I don't think he'll ever calm down though. :p