Snow + Flashlight
So it was dark by the time I got home… but Payton didn’t want to let that stop him, so I tried not to let it stop me either. I got a flashlight and the camera.
It didn’t work out that well but I got a FEW pictures that might convey Payton’s newest love… possibly even more exciting than leaves…
Snowfaec.
He plunged his face into the snow, came up for air, then plunged back down again, hahaha.
It’s NOMMY
And then he got the zoomies. For like five minutes. He just kept running laps and Auggie and I stood there just waiting for him to stop completely freaking out.
The wind picked up and started blowing, and in the light from the flashlight he could see the flakes… and decided to try to catch falling snowflakes. OMG so cute.
Ugh these will make cute pictures if I actually have light while it’s snowing hahaha.
This is our first REAL snow as opposed to a small dusting… I hope it sticks around for a few days so I can try for better photos in the daylight!
New toys in the yard
Yesterday Auggie and I went to PetSmart to try and find some new tugs that he would like to play with. We picked this one out and TA-DA! Tugging!! So exciting!
I let him tug with Payton briefly but mostly this will be reserved for tugging with me.
Payton says “I like this new toy! I want it.”
But I bought you your OWN new toy, Payton.
Look, it has two balls. Just like you.
No need to build tug drive on this thing.
I mean seriously.
Susan Garrett says tugging is not a duration behaviour.
…I think Payton disagrees… OMG puppy for real.
I have no idea WHAT they were looking at. I was holding the toy over the camera and they were both like “la la la, can’t see the toy…”
(And yes, Auggie looks tiny. He almost always does next to other shelties, unless they are also smaller shelties.)
Seriously, Payton?
Two nights ago I was laying in bed on my stomach. Auggie was on my right sharing my pillow. Payton usually sleeps down at the foot of the bed or with his head draped over my legs.
All of a sudden I feel somebody walking on me… which I know it’s not Auggie because he doesn’t do that anymore PLUS he was sleeping right next to me. So Payton is walking on me.
THEN I feel him LAY DOWN on my BACK. Like I was a big human pillow.
“WHAT the HELL are you doing” I believe is what came out of my mouth.
Last night we were all tucked in bed, same thing. I was laying on my stomach and Auggie was curled up against me on the right with his head on my pillow. Payton keeps pacing around… he’d lie down, SIGH dramatically, get up, move around, try again. He kept laying down with his BUTT on Auggie’s face and I kept pushing him away until Auggie was like “meh, fine” and got up to move down to the end of the bed. Then Payton kept trying to put his butt in MY face. Twice he burrowed under the blankets… sigh, moan, shuffle around, get up, move.
I couldn’t figure out what his deal was… he’d already peed and pooped, he didn’t seem to be acting sick… just being stupid.
Then a thought occurred to me.
And I rolled over on my right side…
and Payton shoved his head against my back and IMMEDIATELY fell asleep.
Apparently he just could NOT get comfortable with me laying any differently than I normally do when we all fall asleep… usually I start on my right side and then roll over in the middle of the night or move when I get back in bed after getting up to pee.
No excuse for deciding to try and use me as a human pillow two nights ago, but maybe he just really hates it when I lay on my stomach??
Oh Payton.
My little puppy…
He has a big. D=
I hardly even remember this!!
He is still rather squishy and I can totally snuggle him into my arms though, LOL. I always pick him up and say “I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine! And he shall be my Squishy.”
Seriously though, he’s turning out SO well, and I’m so happy with him. I mean the excited nose-touches all over the place and the jumping up on me to try and nose-touch my hands while I’m cooking dinner aren’t fun but we’re working on it.
Payback
So I think most of you know that Payton’s favourite toy in the world is a leaf. Last night he came running up to me in the yard carrying a stick with a few leaves still on it, all excited he had found one last stick to play with. We were getting ready to go to bed so I put it up on the picnic table on the deck to keep safe until we could play with it properly.
We went out to play today and Auggie decided it was time to enact a little bit of payback.
Auggie: You like this? Here let me have it.
Payton: HAY! That’s MINE!
Auggie: I want it. Give it to me.
Payton: Noooooooooo
Auggie: I am taking it now.
Payton: WAH!!
I was secretly cheering Auggie on. Seriously, he doesn’t even really LIKE sticks… he didn’t really want it except for the fact that Payton had it therefore he decided to steal it. This is the first time he has ever done this, LOL. Usually he’s the one getting puppies (or Pepper) running up to him going “WHAT’S THAT?” and he drops it so they can have it. Good for you Auggie, LOL.
“Hay Mom it’s kinda windy out here!”
My very handsome little boy. With dirt sticking out of his muzzle. Sigh.
A Very Sheltie Christmas
Yes okay I am AWARE that Christmas was almost a week ago OKAY I KNOW
Georgie gets to open her presents first!
Ooooh what’s in the box?
I eats this?
I eats the cardboard tag instead.
This was my present to Georgie. I bought her that Cuz toy (because she defuzzed one of Auggie’s balls so I got her that to try and defuzz), her very own firehose, an orange monkey, and something else I can’t remember right now.
Auggie is next… NOM. He got a bottle wrapper from Clean Run!
Next, Paytonmobile.
Hmm, how to rip this?
He DID start ripping it but then he stopped to try and eat the paper he’d just ripped off. So I had to help him. He got a sheepie ball also from Clean Run.
Georgie opening (one of) her present(s) from my mom… her own sheepie ball so she doesn’t have to steal mine, LOL.
The boys got a bag full of toys from me – this is Flappy, except I think his name is really Jolly (it says so on the back of him) but Flappy sounds better and he makes hilarious flapping sounds when you shake him from all those flappy legs flipping about. Payton LOVES Flappy.
Georgie stocking!
She got some Kong squeaker balls of her own, and…
this Kong squeaker bone thingie. That Auggie would like plz.
Auggie vacated so he could see what’s in his own stocking.
Gingie bread man squeaky ball!
Obligatory head in stocking shot.
Payton sucked at de-toy-ifing his stocking, LOL, so here’s a photo of what was in his stocking.
And what was in Auggie’s stocking! Yes that is a different sheepie ball than the two sheepie balls I already own AND the new sheepie ball… yes we have lots of sheepie balls in this house… Also he got a full bag of those orange Kong squeakers, but he was playing with the rest while I took this photo.
Babies playing in the wrapping paper!
And the loot for the boys. Except for the reindeer bottle wrapper, I bought a bunch of good tugging toys so they could play together.
Payton then proceeded to run around throwing all the toys in everybody’s faces, and Georgie ended up in her crate because she kept trying to steal Auggie’s new tennis balls instead of playing with her OWN new tennis balls and he was getting mad at her. And Auggie sat there like a grumpy tennis ball miser. MY TENNIS BALLS… MINE… PREEEECIOOOOOUS…
And then Christmas was over, and we all had a major sad!
24 Photos for the 24th
For the record, I made Payton cross his paws like that. He lay down with his legs like *SPRAWL* and I was like “You look stupid. Here.”
I was actually surprised he left them after I crossed them LOL.
And his stay is so good! He is the rock star stay-er in his puppy class.
Auggie, of course, is always a rock star. I was thinking I would like to take another class with him just because he would be so good it would make me feel like hot $@)# LOL.
My boys. <3
Just Georgie-Porgie!
She has had runny poo the last few days. We finally got her pooping solid again so she got a bath this morning to wash all the icky off her butt.
My mom was like “She looks stupid from the front with her puppy hair going everywhere! Did you STYLE her like that?!”
Yes Mom that is exactly what I did. I made your puppy look like she stuck her tongue in the electrical socket. On purpose. That is what I did.
Mom: “She looks like a HUSKY or something.”
Me: “No, she looks like a SHELTIE PUPPY. That’s what they LOOK LIKE.” Poor Georgie. I think she’s adorable, LOL.
Just Uncle Auggie with baby Georgie… aww!
Payton kept trying to ruin these photos by wandering in front of the camera. STUPID PAYTON
I love this one LOL… Auggie’s face…
Auggie has recently decided he doesn’t completely hate her after all. I’m sooo glad!
I tried to get him to wrap his leg over her but he was like “NO.” Okay, okay. I guess I shouldn’t push it.
Soooo if you make funny sounds Georgie tilts her head…
so that’s what I was doing… because it’s soooo freaking cute.
and over and over and over hahaha. I was making sounds like Pepper makes hahaha. I always say she sounds like Blue from Blue’s Clues. Bow-bo-bo-bow!
All three dogs! Aaaand Auggie looks pissed LMAO. Thanks Aug…
Little less pissed. (And yes I was still making Pepper-noises at Georgie.)
Probably the best shot of all three. Stupid Auggie and his stupid angry face hahaha.
The babies messing up the shot…
This is why Auggie always looks pissed. “JUST SIT STILL AND TAKE THE STUPID PHOTO YOU GUYS. GOSH!! IDIOTS.” (/Napoleon Dynamite)
Aaaand Payton started crawling away because he found something on the floor so one more of just Uncle Aug and the baby.
Merry Christmas everybody. =>
Secret Santa has arrived!
A box is here!! OMG!
So many beautiful little packages in there!
Auggie says nom nom nom my gift…
It’s a skull charm for his collar! Auggie says “oh I loves it. I kiss it.”
Payton got an awesome new toy!! I have told Georgie to keep her tiny puppy teeth off it because I love it and want to keep it safe, haha.
And Auggie got TENNIS BALLS!!
The boys were actually so enthralled with their toys they didn’t even notice there was more in the box… and that it was treats… Georgie, meanwhile, was like “Ummmm can I has?”
I couldn’t get the boys back to get a picture taken with the treats so I just took a picture on the floor, LOL.
The charms! Payton got a little bone with a blue blingy on it! And Auggie’s awesome skull and crossbones!
Payton with his dinosaur!
“Payton, that is your first ever Christmas present,” I said. “That’s exciting!”
“…well, for me, anyway.”
Some Christmas photos…
First, we asked Georgie to down. Auggie proceeded to do this. “ohhhh my goooood these puppies are killing meeeee.”
Bros! Poor Auggie has a busted lip right now. =< Not sure if he got it playing bitey face or if he bit himself at some point.
All three little doggies. Georgie apparently thought the boys had cooties today – she did NOT want to get anywhere closer to Payton.
Happy Aug!
Then we busted out the costumes LOL. “Payton won’t move now because he has something on his head,” I said. If only the same trick worked with Georgie…
Payton didn’t like the reindeer antlers so we switched him and Georgie.
Brudders <3
I think this might be the one I send to everybody! (And look! Auggie’s big ol’ chunk out of his leg hair has mostly grown back!)
Santa Auggie!
The end! I might get the big ornaments out again this year but I have to find the time to do it… not sure when that might be unless it’s literally Christmas Eve…
Payton the Amazing
This dog is awesome, and hilarious. I’ve posted a couple of times about our perch work. The last time he was on the perch was two or three days ago (I know, but I’m also working on other stuff, so we are actually rotating tricks…) He was going about a turn and a half for me, a turn regularly but often giving me more. I want him to be doing more than that before we start lowering the perch and then fade it out entirely, but he’s doing pretty good. The hand signal I’m using is Celeste Meade’s, which is a fist with my knuckles down towards the dog.
Well, I just had him in the bathroom with me while I was getting ready for bed. I wanted to put him in a sit so I said “Payton, sit,” and made the hand signal I use, which is scooping my hand up towards my face. Normally I have my hand open, palm up, but I was holding something so it was basically raising my fist up in the air. He looked at my hand but didn’t sit right away, so I just waited. Sit is his default behaviour so I knew he would sit in a second anyway once his brain caught up to his feet.
Except he didn’t sit.
He stared at my hand, which was a fist, knuckles down… and he thought about it, then proceeded to start pivoting his butt around.
I looked at him, totally shocked, then looked at my hand, and realized he was doing EXACTLY what I asked him to. Just not what I MEANT to ask him to do!
And he did it without the perch anywhere nearby and without having done any kind of fading of the perch. Just up and turned a pivot on the bathroom floor.
I then almost fell over laughing hysterically. Really, Payton? Wow. Okay.
Now I don’t know if I should just ditch the perch and make him start doing pivots without it since he already proved to me he can, haha.
Dogs in a box
It all started with a sale on treats at Petco.com. And a rather large order of treats from Petco.com.
Then I had a huge empty cardboard box. Well, you can’t have an empty box in my house for long.
It’s a good thing Pepper’s not here because I don’t think FOUR would have fit. Well, maybe if I got Pepper and Payton to sit.
“HALP” says Payton. Auggie tries to figure out if he can jump out before I notice.
Georgie: Oh no you don’t! If I have to be in the box SO DO YOU!
Auggie: NO!
Auggie: *starts to scream*
Auggie: *more horrified screaming*
Payton: haaaahahaha.
Auggie: I HATE YOU
Georgie: So stay there.
Boys: Fine. HI CAMERA LADY
Georgie: Now I gotta figure out how to get out of here.
Payton: Haha now she’s trying to get out and we’re all stuck in here!
Boys: LOLOLOLOL
Georgie: Curses! Why am I so little?!
Payton: Okay I’m bored with this now can we do something fun please?
Georgie: Maybe if I jump up and down I can tip the whole box over?
Auggie: I hate my life.
Shortly after Georgie managed to scramble halfway out and I told the boys to jump out and that was the end of that.
I take it as a good sign that Payton was pretty much like “Meh, this is normal, right?” He’s totally gotten used to living here…
Just two pics of two dogs
Better lighting today (the sun was just barely peeking out from behind the clouds) and I grabbed a couple of treats to make it easier on me… I’m a cheat.
Payton’s mane is getting out of control… the hair around his face, OMG. Floof!!
Also I’m obsessed with how he sits. It’s so nice and tight and straight and proper… LOVE it. Auggie is like “meh, I’m six. *slouch*”
And I love this one…
Not exactly what I intended, I wanted Auggie to lay down, but the Payton peeked out over Auggie’s shoulder… cute!!
Recall Bootcamp
After a lot of thought and a lot of staring at my bank account, I decided to enroll in Susan Garrett’s 5 Minutes to a Brilliant Recall e-course. It wasn’t exactly cheap, but I asked myself what a good recall is worth. If somehow Auggie or Payton were to get out the front door, or maybe broke the gate in the backyard, or escaped from their lead at an agility trial… and were running towards a busy road with cars coming… how much is it worth if I said “AUGGIE” and my dog would turn around and come racing back to me without hesitation? The answer, for me, is that it would be worth a lot more than I paid for the class.
So that will be our winter project… how much work we’ll get to do outside once the snow dumps on us, exactly, is anybody’s guess. But I will at least be arming myself with the games and the learning to work on it later.
Both dogs have also been learning perch work. Payton is doing better than Auggie, who ever since I got out the clicker and tried to teach him to speak has added barking furiously at me to his repertoire of “stuff to try during shaping.” Auggie was giving me two full turns around the perch but frequently would stop and bark at me, so I dropped WAY back and am currently rewarding for two steps in a row WITH NO. BARKING. and hoping that eliminates the annoying barkface.
Payton, on the other hand, is now doing a turn and a half. Sometimes he gets overly excited and ends up slipping off the perch and since he is no longer on the perch starts jumping around the room (my puppy is so weird) but once he gets himself collected and hits the perch again, he returns very quickly to pivoting. I’m very proud of him… when I first brought him home and tried to teach him to touch a target, he wouldn’t do anything. He would just sit down and stare at me. Having gone from that to a dog who learned to start zooming around a perch purely from offered behaviours, it just makes me smile. I almost cried when I saw the light bulb go off in his head and he started stepping in a hurry around the perch. Hurray for Payton!
So I will probably be posting some updates here, maybe with some videos, while we work through Auggie’s Recall Bootcamp! I’m looking forward to it for sure. (How can anybody NOT look forward to not having to go out and retrieve their dog who is in the back of the yard barking at ABSOLUTELY NOTHING through the fence when it’s 20 degrees out and they are only wearing a t-shirt and boxer shorts?)
Oh Brother
First, I apologize for the crappy colours in these pictures. I looked down at my camera while shooting and went “Huh, I bet those settings aren’t quite right,” but instead of fixing it I just kept shooting. Derp. So in order to make them not quite so washed out they are now semi-neon LOL.
First of all… ohhhhh Payton.
Auggie: seriously?
Auggie: I mean really. These are what our family photos look like.
Auggie: This puppy is an embarrassment.
Payton: Oh. I sowwee.
I don’t know why Auggie looks so disgruntled in these photos. Oh wait. Yes I do. PAYTON.
I think this is the best one that turned out… unfortunately Auggie looks irritated and the colours are all wrong. Meh.
Y’know, Payton really does look lovely when he’s not chewing leaves.
So annoyed with myself for not fixing my camera settings. And for stupid Auggie looking so annoyed with his brother LOL.
Shaping is awesome
Do you ever get really excited when training something when you see that ah-ha moment take place?Β I know how shaping works.Β I’ve done it over and over and over again.Β I’ve taught people how to do it and watched them shape their dogs.
So tonight we got the perch out again and I did exactly that… and when he started stepping left clearly over and over and over and all the way around the perch I got so excited I almost started crying. I had to run and get my mom to show her, and of course when I tried it again he was getting stuck in his little dance again, LOL, BUT HE WAS DOING IT… I swear!!
And I felt like SUCH a dork being so excited.
Payton and Georgie pics
Tried to snap a family shot in front of the tree last night…
This was the best we got. =P
Auggie was like “seriously, screw this, I was chewing on my reindeer” and got up and walked back over to his reindeer and lay back down to chew on it again. So we just did some photos of the puppies instead.
Actually in some ways it was easier to just do the two instead of making poor Auggie sit there like “*sigh*” the whole time hahaha.
They really don’t look all that related… but they are… Auggie and Georgie look very much alike but I don’t see much similarity between Payton and Georgie. Maybe when she matures some.
Taking pictures with just Georgie is sooooooo boring.
Couple o pics!
Who’s the little monster dog that’s a barking machine to all the kids?
AUGGIE
You’re daaaaaamn right!
Who’s the pup that would risk his neck for his brother dog?
PAYTON
Can you dig it?
About two seconds before I snapped this photo Payton’s tongue was hanging out of the side of his mouth. I’m so bummed I missed that shot.
I’ve decided the best time to take posed photos of my boys is when they are tired hahaha.
Auggie turns six.
And so we celebrated Auggie’s sixth birthday with a photo of Payton.
Just kidding. Auggie was off eating grass like normal so I took a few pics of Payton first.
Then I took some Auggie photos too.
OH MAH GAH THIS LEAF IS AS BIG AS MAH HEAD
Payton has been quite delighted with all of the enourmous leaves that are falling off the tree in the back of our yard.
And I don’t mind handing him one as big as his head because he looks about like how children look when they come downstairs on Christmas and see a bike in their living room…
Back to Auggie.
Snork. Slopping around some remaining grass bits in his mouth.
That’s my boy.
kinda wonky focus but whatever.
then later…. “it’s MY birthday??”
Payton froze immediately once I put the hat on his head. LOL poor Payton…
Even Georgie wore a hat!
“Why you put things on my head Mommy? I hates it.”
I’m pretty sure Payton did not move his head from the previous photo to this one…
then Georgie had a birthday hat malfunction…
They all got some of Auggie’s birthday cake (no pics because we were juggling dogs and cake) and then Auggie got his presents! I got him this nice squeaky tuggy skull ball and also yet another Kong squeaky tennis ball – I found a “happy birthday” one in the toy box at the most recent trial we were at so I snagged it as our entry prize and saved it for his birthday.
The end!! Happy birthday, my bestest Auggie.
Payton’s Snowsuit
I was going to wait for actual snow to reveal this one but ohhhh it’s just so funny.
hahahahaaaa… I saw it at the store and was like “IT HAS LEGS” and it was like it was meant to be.
This is the large. The medium was too small and the large is just a bit too big… so Auggie is a smedium and Payton is a medarge. It fit Pepper spectacularly though (unfortunately those photos are all blurry because I took them inside) so I’m thinking when Payton gets coat and stops being the skinniest skinny that was ever skinny it will actually fit him.
You put this silly coat on me… but that’s okay… I still have my dignity!
oh.
I see how it is…
my poor puppy LOL. My dad said we should put an STP logo on him and he can be Richard Petty as a sheltie.
Pro Christmas shoot!
MASSIVE photodump below… some of these look very close to each other but I am just dumping in everything.
We started with Georgie because we thought she might get sleepy if we waited.
then we put antlers on her. and she hated it LOL. They all looked pretty much like this.
My mom also got photos with her and the baby, but my mom doesn’t like photos of herself, so I’m not posting any of those. They were very cute though, so hopefully my mom will get over her insecurities and print out a few.
Auggie-doggie was the first of mine up because, as we all said, you can count on Auggie to take good photos.
hahaha <3
Ah-ha! Happy dog!
One of my faves this time around.
though this one is really cute too!
Then time for me to get in the shot with Auggie. And time for Auggie to pretend he hates me.
LMAO.
no mommy
nonono!
no.
nooooo
Seriously, what am I supposed to do with this? LOL.
Next up: Payton!
who got his ears unglued just for the photos. Which means we have to glue them back down shortly LOL.
It’s really a shame he’s in his awkward stage LOL… but oh well. I will be really happy to have these some day.
“Payton, don’t look stupid.” LOL.
I really wanted me with Payton… but they didn’t turn out very well. He wasn’t in much of a mood to be snuggled. He wanted to eat the floor instead.
But these two are okay. I just really wish more had turned out well. =/
PEPPY NEXT.
In case you weren’t all aware of how gorgeous and cute she is, please allow her to demonstrate.
Ahhhhh she is the cutest girl <3
my girl.
LOL I know this isn’t entirely in focus but it was too funny not to include.
Time for all three… LOL. Well, we tried anyway.
Oh my doggies.
We had total “look at the camera” fail in other words. LOL. Oh well!
Holy photo overload Batman!! So many thanks to Kevin Devine Photography for these fabulous photos that they do every year.
Group photos with Pepper!
The winner winner chicken dinner!
This one came close but I liked Payton’s expression in the other better.
My boys. <3 LOL Auggie looks a little pissed. Like "remember when I was an only dog? Yeah? And all the cookies went to ME? Yeah? Remember that? Yeah."
Hahaha this would be cute but Auggie’s SadFaec ruined it. “Now I have to share my cookies… boo hoo…”
LOL boys. Pepper is being good. Payton seems to be seriously considering running off to eat leaves. Auggie is still upset about sharing cookies. And OMG I just could not get them to be close to each other… it was like they all thought the other dog had cooties… I could only get two next to each other at a time and the third was floating off elsewhere.
Derp!
I love how the ONLY dog looking at me in this one is Auggie… because he’s the only one I can say his name to and doesn’t think that means “IMMEDIATELY BREAK YOUR STAY AND COME RUNNING!!” Don’t get me wrong, I love that I can just say “Payton” and he gives me whiplash turns and runs at top speed to me, but the release from stay is “okay…” not the name…
Guess who’s here for a visit?
Hurray!!! The Peppy girl has come for a stay so I can take her along with me to our appointment for a Christmas photo shoot!
hahahahaha <3
Then Payton came over all HAAAAY GUUUUURL and she wanted nothing to do with him.
But as usual Payton thought today’s photos should be all about him… ready for this?
Glamour…
glamour…
gllllamour.
But he’s secretly a hick with leaves in his mouth all the time.
Then Pepper got to be PRETTY. This was Georgie’s costume actually but she is way too small for it right now (part of why it was so funny to buy it for Georgie.) HOWEVER. It fits Pepper!!! Pink fairy wings and a tutu hahaha.
it’s a wonder she loves me LOL.
The sheltie boys do Halloween
I broke out Auggie’s shark costume from last year again. Shark + Pirate? Yes plz.
Payton isn’t totally sold on his pirate hat though…
Ahhhhh the shark is coming to get me!! And the pirate just lets it…
Okay, these next few require some explanation… my idea was to have Auggie lay down and then Payton stand over him. This was fine except before I could scoot back into my position to take a photo, Auggie decided he didn’t really like having Payton stand over him. So… he stood up.
and took Payton with him.
And I mean he literally took Payton with him. And I’m sorry these are blurry but I started laughing so hard I was crying. There was no way I was going to get a clear shot off. But I had to post them even though they’re blurry. My mom had to come in to help because I was literally crumpled on the floor laughing and crying and trying to get a photo and I couldn’t move to go help poor Payton.
And then the pirate vanquished the shark! I actually had Payton stand ON Auggie for this one. For some reason Auggie was fine with being stood on, just not stood over. =P
Better pose but blurry. =<
And that's how we do Halloween here, LOL.
