Main highlights : - Introduction to the elevated balancing beam - Dog exchange
Scallop as usual simply refuses to give in quietly in the initial stages. He refuses to 'Walk On' when told to onto the beam, refuses to walk when on it and refuses to come down at the end. The only way to get him to co-operate finally? Treats! After which, he suddenly became a hero and would try to dash up, over and back down the whole balancing beam set at top speed... *roll eyes*
The dog exchange exercise was a disaster for Scallop. He was the most stubborn and most difficult to handle 4-legger during that exercise. We are pretty sure nobody would want to handle him the next time round.
Scallop refusing to 'Walk On'
Scallop refusing to 'Walk On' again and getting a talking to
Discovered that Scallop's beginning to lose his baby teeth. The first one to go is one of his front top tooth. Incidentally, during his daily night teeth brushing, the most difficult to clean are his top front teeth. He simply dislike having the toothbrush touching those little things. The toothbrush can freely travel through the rest of his mouth though.
1st post CNY lesson sees a number of absentees. Max the GR puppy and teacup poodle were among those who didn't turn up. Instead of the elevated vault which Stanley said would be introduced this week, we were encouraged to get the furkids to go through the same poles instead. We thought that was a good idea as some of them, particularly Scallop were facing problems initially.
Scallop not budging no matter what
In the end, he was reduced to the sidelines to observe the others having their fun
Scallop simply refused to leap over the poles under my lead; to prevent injury to his neck, Stanley converted the standard collar/leash configuration to body harness
No luck... I need to literally pull Scallop over the course, he's really stubborn at times
We tried a different approach, making him sit/stay at the start of the course and calling to him at the other end. Stanley thought Scallop may be fearful of crossing the course with me as we knocked down the poles a couple of times when we were doing it together but he may be willing to do it alone.
Well, at least there's some improvement! He did leaped over the 1st set before cheating and bypassing the rest of the course by running over from the side to me
After some encouragement, Scallop did it! And he's F A S T !
Scallop showing off his sit/stay despite all the distractions from both humans and dogs
Scallop ignoring the offered treat and ran towards me when called, as a reward, he was offered the same treat after that
Scallop's ultimate weakness! Unable to find the correct spot when called from a distance... note his response was the fastest, problem is he had trouble finding me...
Scallop having no problems running through the full course of leaping over the poles and going through the tunnel at the end of the day. His speed is impressive
Feb is my bday month, so visited PLC to take advantage of the 15% discount. Scallop's running low on MC Sheen UM Oil, unfortunately PLC Eastpoint no stocks... His Everyday Isle of Dogs Lush Coating Conditioner also no stocks...
In the end bought yet another 3 packets of Dogswell Treats; Breathies Duck Breast, Happy Hips Duck Breast and Vitality Duck Breast (S$39.75) And Everyday Isle of Dogs Silky Coating Conditioner (S$23.20) instead.
Received 2nd order from Doggyfriend. Bow Wow Treats Mix N Match 3 for S$10 : - Banana Jerky - Skin & Hair Fish Chew - Bone Fish Chew Richard's Organics Flea & Tick Spray : S$29.60 DogIt Elevated Dog Dish - Large, White : S$28.45
Top-most priority for this order is the elevated dish. We noticed Scallop having to perform acrobatic stunts whenever he have his meals (split legs, bent joints, hunch back) due to the fact that he's so tall... Hopefully the new dish will ease his discomfort somewhat so he can enjoy his meals properly.
Though we did not celebrate CNY, we were so darn busy throughout... Brought Scallop to parents and in-laws and uncle's place in his brand-new but slightly torn Gold Furry Kua. Workmanship not so good or maybe we are unlucky but dun think will get anything else from Doggie Wardrobe.
Old man and his whole family went for holiday in Aussie during the CNY holidays and we were charged with making sure Betty, Nana and Yoyo survived the ordeal. Thought it was an excellent chance for Scallop to make some good friends, but....
Sadly, Scallop can't seem to get along with any of them. Betty will bark if Scallop follow her, Nana was totally not interested and will simply turn away when he's trying to sniff her and Yoyo was on guard all the time staring at his every move. Anyway, did not take any videos nor photos.
Since the last post, there were some new buys : Scallop's GlamorTag - Haute Dog gold finally arrived via snail mail
We finally managed to find a pet shop in Woodlands Street 31 which still has one piece of PediPaws (S$38)
We bought a 2nd hand but condition good as new FuzzYard Bonzai Reversible Plush Donut medium sized bed for S$70 (original price from Doggyfriend is S$106.95)
And finally also Flea and Tick Hop A'Way pure essential oils distributed by Smoochie Poochie from Alphapets Sembawang branch together with empty glass spray (S$28 and S$5)
Seems like another rainy day. Afternoon class may be cancelled due to that. :(
Brought Scallop to Old Man's place last night (his so-called make up for missing all the walks due to bad weather) so he can have a chance to socialise with Betty, Nana and Yoyo. Haiz, being a timid doggie, all he does was to keep running away from them all despite being the largest in size. Old Man's 2 poms looked really tiny compared to Scallop...
Anyway, was too engrossed with playing with them to take any pics or videos. So here's one that was taking earlier in the week. Presenting, Scallop and his 2nd encounter with an ice cube:
Placed order with Little Spree after Scallop's 1st full grooming @ Petopia as we observed that he seems cold after losing his baby hair. Moreover the weather was (and still is) terrible. Raining practically everyday. Speaking of which, we had to bypass his walk again today. :( No worries though, will make up to him tonight!
Back to topic, we had to wait a while before we can arrange to meetup for collection as Little Spree do not keep stock. Anyway, finally got them on the 23rd. Pictures were taken that same night but forgot to post them up.
White, Black and Pink Tanktops, for wearing @ home, but they are too small...
Pink iBone Hoodie, for really cold days
Orange Beach Wear
And a Motorcycle Helmet! Which we dun think he can wear...
Scallop showing off his feminine side, the tank tops are small but not tight
Some may ask what the hell we are thinking to be getting clothing for Scallop. Well, cos he likes them! Haha! Everytime we had a piece of his top in our hands, he will chiong right at us and try to put his head thru the collar of the clothing. Wa piang...
Anyway, more pics of Scallop. This time round in his body-hugging baseball singlet. Probably the last time he will be wearing it as we feel it's tight-fit liaoz.
Bought Scallop a 2nd IRIS Pet Toilet Pee Tray from Pet Station. Price this time around was S$52.75 even though the exact model from the exact retail store costs only S$46.90 in early November.
And Scallop is 4 months 4 days old today. Current weight is 5.1kg and height is 14 inches. Please stop growing...
The 2nd lesson sees a few new participants besides those who attended on the 1st day. There were a total of 3 new participants : Queenie, dunno what breed; a Pug whom I thought was a bulldog, dunno what name; and a really tiny tea-cup breed who came late. The class is getting pretty big!
Scallop as usual is timid and refuse to socialise with the others even though Max the cute little GR rushed to greet him the moment he stepped into the training grounds. The setup for the day's main training area was huddles, and unfortunately for Scallop and me, we knocked down one of the poles and he was so badly frightened that he refused to go near them.
Some pictures before the videos: Scallop unwilling to socialise...
Scallop being scared of the new Pug participant
Scallop ignoring the 'Down' order
Scallop after being 'forced' to stay down
Scallop showing off his superior 'Sit-Stay' endurance to new participant Queenie and the rest
Now the videos... Our first attempt at hurdles, which knocked down the pole:
The second and third attempt which I literally have to pull him along, poor Scallop...
And the fourth attempt when he was really distressed :
The fifth attempt in a different location, but unfortunately we knocked down the pole again...
Eventually, we managed to coax him to go through the obstacle successfully a couple of times using..... what else but treats since he's a greedy pup... no videos or pics to show though as both of us are needed to get him to overcome his phobia somewhat.
After that is the usual walk past, dunno why Scallop always get to pair up with Travis the big GR. Only difference is that last week the handler was a mei mei, but this time around, handler was mei mei's dad... :(
Scallop's sit-stay is superior as usual
Unfortunately he shamed us by not being able to come when called... he actually ran to somebody else! The traitor!
Last exercise of the day, distraction, Scallop's performance has improved too as compared to last week
Besides the above, Scallop also managed to learn the 'Down' command successfully. Will be enforcing it the rest of the week so he'll have no problems in the next lesson. Next week will be walking on balancing beam. Being one who's scared of heights, we foresee plenty of difficulty for poor Scallop.
Read about Doggyfriend from SG Pet Channel and discovered that their prices are indeed competitive. Wanted to give Scallop a dog tag and Doggyfriend's range pretty nice so thought of giving them a try. In the end, the final bill goes up to S$107.24.
Bow Wow Treats Mix N Match 3 for S$10 : - Banana Jerky - Ham Jerky - Milk Jerky Bow Wow Salmon Jerky : S$5.50 Bow Wow Mixed Snacks 300g : S$8.05 Car Decal - Schnauzer : S$9 Revolution for Small Dogs (5.1kg-10kg) : S$55.80 GlamorTags - Haute Dog gold colour standard size with engraving : S$18.90 (tag will be mail separately on a different date when it's ready)
Really like their prompt service. Placed order close to midnight on the 19th, received confirmation SMS from Isabelle on the 20th night and delivery was made on the 21st at our preferred timing. Will probably shop with them again as long as I can get S$60 worth of stuffs to enjoy their free delivery service.
The Burp! Twist is one messy treat... Even though Scallop seems to like it, he will tend to chew and break the twist down to tiny pieces and they will stick to his beard and paws making a mess out of himself. Decided to throw it away and try to give/sell the remaining. Tried bringing to my work place to give to the resident mongrel dog 'Girl Girl'. She simply take one sniff and walk away, totally not interested...
Anyway, video of Scallop dropping the Twist beyond his territory and trying to get it back.
Scallop finally got to start his first proper comprehensive obedient class with Stanley and Serene of Dr-Dogs. We were told to arrive 15 mins earlier (4.15pm) so that the students will have time to socialise before the start of the actual class. Scallop was real timid and kept backing away from his classmates. Among the 6 students, Scallop is the only Miniature Schnauzer, unlike the previous class which has 4 of them!
Besides Scallop, the rest of the class are made up of : Max : the 3.5 months old Golden Retriever Travis : also a Golden Retriever, but he's an adult and huge Princess : Shih Tzu Puppy : Silky Terrier? <- to be confirmed next lesson ?? : a really fierce Jack Russell <- will find out name next lesson
Though he's timid, Scallop behaved superbly throughout and made us really proud. His sit-stay was very consistent and has the longest duration. All thanks to his twice daily 10 minutes sit-stay exercise before meals.
Main take-aways from today's class to practise and enforce : - Scallop must sit immediately upon command and not walk here walk there before sitting - Scallop must always walk on the handler's left - Scallop must stop being a vacuum cleaner - Scallop must try to stop turning around to face the handler during a sit-stay exercise when the handler walks behind him
And some useful reminders : - 4-8 months will be a tough period when Scallop changes his baby teeth to adult ones, he may vomit and have diarrhea and lose his appetite and will chew everything in sight - has to rid Scallop of his separation anxiety problem
Looking forward to the next class to learn the proper way to teach him the 'Down' command, which we had tried unsuccessfully so far.
Pictures and videos of the day's events...
During introduction, Scallop's easily distracted by things Behind...
