Experiencing the Woods

After our TOPS meeting, Gimme and I went for our "usual" (two weeks in a row now <G>) walk on the St. Martins grounds.  The weather was really nice, so we walked for over an hour.  In the course of the walk Gimme got to climb on logs and over bark hill... She also retrieved a stick for me.  She had a great time running and playing.  Here's our pictures from her adventure...

Gimme enjoys climbing on things and has loads of confidence.

  

She even found a make-shift dogwalk to practice on.

We used our time to practice some recalls and Gimme was, like most puppies, very good about coming when called.

  

Gimme decided that cheese is a high quality motivator and her recalls got faster and faster.  She believes that a little ear action will get you to the cheese faster.  Good girl...

Originally I thought she was looking back to see if slow-poke me was still coming.  But in hindsight, it occurs to me that she may be checking to see if I'm about to call her.  Perhaps she thinks it makes no sense to go very far, only to have to run all that way back.

I threw a stick and she ran right to it...

  

... headed right back to me with it.

I was just about to say what a great retriever Tana had made of her...

... when Gimme changed her mind!










We took one of the paths through the woods and it was really fun to watch her explore all the weird things in there.  This was her first woods experience... they don't have woods like this in Colorado.  After this nice long walk, she slept contentedly most of the afternoon. 

When I took her out for a potty walk in the afternoon, she puked up the contents of her tummy, containing some small pieces of bark hill.  There was also an undigested grape that I'd given her with breakfast.

In discussion with my vet, he was very concerned about the grape and asked why I'd given her one, did I know they are toxic.  I remember hearing years ago that they were toxic to dogs, but when I researched it on the internet there was so much conflicting information.  Since I'd been feeding them to my adults for years with no ill affects, I continued doing so now and then.  Doc explained that the reason there is conflicting information is that some dogs are sensitive to them and some apparently are not.  That he advises never to give grapes to small dogs or puppies... and generally thinks there is no good reason to give them to larger adult dogs.

We continue to work on Gimme's eye contact game.  Its progressing slooooowwwwly.  Its so hard at this age to do anything that requires being still.  Everything else is progressing nicely. 

I am most pleased with her bite inhibition.  She only very rarely bites hard (with those needle sharp teeth).  When I shriek an "ouch"... she always comes back really quickly and quickly takes my hand in her mouth and rapidly and very gently taps her teeth repeatedly to show me (I assume) that she really does know how to be gentle.  She really tries hard, but sometimes puppy exuberance just takes over. 

I dont' think I've mentioned it in this message, so here goes - I really adore this puppy...