Yeah! Progress!

Sammy is coming along. He is finding his courage during our walks. He hit a rocky patch last week and tried to get Michelle to send him back to Tulsa. He has a funny way of checking out the environment when we arrive somewhere for a walk. If he hears traffic, he tries to get away from me by jumping over into the driver's seat. If he sees grass and people, he happily jumps out of the truck.I've decided to make every walk as fun as possible for him. The expectations for "heal" and "sit" are very relaxed right now. I've decided to not introduce "stay" in public. We only use that for whistle feeding. He gets anxious about loud noises. If he senses any danger, he will abandon me in a heartbeat and run for his life. He is very good at "finding the door" to the outside and to my truck when he is ready to leave the scary store. We are installing a new septic system, so he is getting lots of exposure to heavy machinery. He needs that. He also attended a drum circle. He is afraid of drums, but getting better.I think we are just about ready for Cabella’s and live music.Here are some fun photos of us working. He had a nice nap in Casa de Luz restaurant, and then we went to Home Depot.

Sammy is not digging the box stores. I had to put him in the shopping cart at Cosco's. He's 40 pounds now, so no walk-carries for him. At home depot, he tried to latch on to any person that was headed for an exit. Our second trip to Home Depot went much better, but he is pretty darn stressed out about shopping. He went into the post office with me a few days ago, but got scared of something and refused to move. I just scooped him up and walked out. Fortunately, I did not have any other packages to carry. He is more than an arm full.There's lots of good news in Sammy's training. He is a natural at jogging. He's got the straight line most of the time and is quickly getting the hang of "leave it" when we pass dogs in the neighborhood. He has overcome his fear of turned over trashcans too. He doesn't get carsick anymore and sleeps through the night. He had his rabies shot and is cleared for internal parasites.Sammy loves his days with the kids and is getting a little better about not going after the chickens. We had a surprise addition to our hen house yesterday when a hen that has been missing and presumed dead returned to Greenwood with 16 peeps. This is going to really limit the time that the dogs are out in the yard off leash. The baby chicks can slip through the fence and walk right out into the yard with the kids and dogs. Toby and Dixie killed 6 pullets last April. I hope we don't get a repeat disaster with Sammy.
Sammy joined me for a full-moon bon fire Wednesday night. He investigated the fire and chased a few sparks. I did some drumming, knowing that he was terrified of my djembe. Being outside with some much space helped him get used to it. I played for about an hour and he eventually relaxed and took a little nap nearby. He still leaves the room any time I start playing in indoors. I’ll probably enroll in a class at Drumz and take him once I can trust him to break on command.
We are taking Sammy to Tomball with us tomorrow. It'll be his first “meet the family” trip with a 3-hour car ride. My mom's dogs will teach him a few bad habits I'm sure. I worry about the barking. Sammy needs little reason to sound the alarm. He barks any time he is unsure of a situation. He got some practice with Dakota last week when the Lord family did some puppy sitting for me. Sounds like he and Ducky got along just fine. Now that Toby's gone, we will have to plan some play dates.

Oh, I almost forgot. We went to the dog park at Town Lake and he did much better than last time. He would follow people off, so I had to watch him closely. He would prefer a park full of people than one full of dogs, but he's getting used to the idea.

doggy park and Ruta Maya

Greenwood had a beautiful fall festival on Saturday. To avoid the harsh neglect that my dogs suffer at festival time, Sammy was invited on a field trip with Sharon and Phil and their puppy Phantom to go to the training day at Guide Dogs of Texas in San Antonio. He got a little car sick, but otherwise had a great time meeting all the other pups. He was a little afraid of Phantom at first, but that's understandable to anyone that has met "potato puppy."
Greenwood was closed Monday for a festival recovery day, to make up for the festival neglect, I took Sammy and Toby to the dog park on Riverside Dr. It was a welcome sniff fest for Toby, but Sammy mostly sat under my chair and kept an eye on things from there. Just before we left, I saw some nice little dogs playing in the small-dog area. I took Sammy in there and he actually played happily with a pug, a dachshund and a min pin. Toby was a little embarrassed for the Sammy.
After the dog park, we headed over to the coffee shop, Ruta Maya for a latte'. Sammy acted like a old yellow dog and slept soundly under the table by Toby.
Sammy ate all his breakfast this morning. That is a first. He usually passes on breakfast. I hope his appetite picks up because he is on the thin side.
Toby and Sammy have a nice bond. It will be sad to see the break up when Toby graduates in November.

First Day of School

Sammy was a perfect gentleman on his first day of preschool. The Greenwood School children all fell for his charms. I’m not sure if I can put video on this blog. If you don’t see a video of him playing with the kids, then check it out at our webshots album.
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/568128740zDmCHD
Sammy took a break from preschool today to go with me to vote at Randall’s. He was relieved to see me vote straight blue, since he is a yellow dog. His first training walk required a bit of duck tape to get the vest to stay on. I could sew it, but he is growing so fast I think I would be unsewing it in a few weeks. Anyway, I suited him up by the truck and we headed into Randall’s. There was a big noisy commercial truck by the entrance, but he bravely walked right by it, only stopping to run backwards seven times on the way to the door. He tried to accept treats for encouragement, but they seemed to keep going down the wrong pipe. Once he got out of reverse and into first gear, we made it into the produce section. He found the smells to be comforting, then he saw the people and knew he was in heaven. Instantly happy to be prancing around in his new vest getting praise and pets from all the voters in line. While I made my selections in the booth, he found a red smudge on the floor. It might have once been a red hot or a gummy bear. He had it just about cleaned up by the time I finished voting. A job well done, he walked proudly back to my truck. The noisy commercial truck was not so scary on the way out. I don’t think he went into reverse a single time.

A different dog today!

Sunday, October 19, 2008--After a day and night of rest, Sammy is a new dog. He is cheerful, confident and playful. He is a little cautious about meeting new people, but once he gets a sniff or two, he’s fine. Sammy is in love with Toby, and Toby is being the devoted big brother. Sammy's tools are firm and regular, so we may chance a puppy walk before dinner.
I’ve started a new album for Sammy on webshots. Please take a look.
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/568128740zDmCHD

Tired puppy arrives!

Oh what a tired puppy. Sammy's day started at 5:00 am in Tulsa where he said goodbye to his birth family. He landed mid morning in San Antonio and was whisked away to the vet for shots and microchip. The implant hit a vein, so he has a little boo boo on his shoulder. He arrived at The Greenwood School where I, Tracy Schagen, will be his puppy raiser. He is making some fuss about the crate, but not too bad. He is tired and gives up easy.
Toby is our other guide dog puppy. He is so happy to have a new friend. Toby is 15 months and schedule to graduate in November, but they will have lots of fun together for a few weeks. Sammy’s other new friend is Dixie. She is our senior resident, a 13 year-old dachshund. She is quite pleased with Sammy’s social skills. He did not offend her in any way and is the first puppy to integrate without getting an ear notched.
I noticed something interesting about Sammy; he doesn’t jump on children or play rough with them; however, he does jump on adults. He is learning fast, but really wants lots of affection where ever he can get it. I’ve watched the dynamic and every time he jumps on someone, they pet him. As soon as the new wears off, I’ll get all the Greenwood parents to help me teach him “four on the floor.”

Sammy's first day!!!

Sammy's first day!!!

Sammy's first sit at the training center. Sarah worked VERY hard to get it! Lots of liver needed :)

A boy and his duck

Look at those PAWS! Oh my!