Journey: Puppy to Adult

Toller_08

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#63
I'm so incredibly in love with your dog. <3 like...seriously.
Thanks! I am, too. Of course haha.

She is so, so pretty. Tri-colors and bi-colors are my favorite markings on Australian Shepherds and Border Collies. You look like you're doing a fantastic job with her, and she seems to be a beautiful, well adjusted puppy.

And your photos are incredible.
I know I say it all the time, but she's seriously the best puppy. She makes my job raising her pretty easy! Her inherent temperament is fantastic and all I do is encourage and reward what already comes naturally to her.

I've gotta say, tri-colour has really grown on me since getting her. I've always like bi colours as well, but I am really, really loving black tris lately. Funny how getting a dog can change your opinion of colour so much haha. I was set on a red Aussie for years. Preferably merle, but I liked red tri as well, and I thought black tri was boring... now I don't know why I thought that. She's so pretty.

And thank you for the compliment as well! I try. I was pretty happy with a good handful of these ones for sure. I need to learn to be more creative though. I was trying hard today to not get all the same kinds of pictures, but it can be hard. Especially with a puppy who doesn't know much yet!

She is such a pretty girl! and Merlin has a red easy walk :D Lol they are so cute!

That turquoise color looks so great on her! She really is growing up too fast..
I saw that! It's kind of ridiculous how happy I get when I see things between Merlin and Journey that sort of match haha. I mean, it's just a harness, but still! Journ's is a little big, though. I was going to get the smaller one (which it looks like Merlins has), but I figured she's outgrow it in 48hrs, so I got the next size up. It fits well except that the front part hangs a bit low I think sometimes. It's good when we're walking though.

Wonderful pictures!!! She is so stinkin' cute!
Thank you!

Wow those eyes are full of mischief! so adorable :) love the Dr. Seuss toys.
They sure are! She's always thinking of fun, mischievous things to do. Or just gets into mischief without trying at all LOL. She thinks everything in the world must be explored, which leads her to some troublesome things, not that she thinks so!
 

Sit Stay

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#65
She is so freaking pretty! And sounds like she's your perfect puppy, I'm so happy for you guys!

Where did you get/what brand is that turquoise collar? I love it! It looks so nice and soft.
 

FG167

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#68
Awwww she is so cute!

I love her staring problem, she has the best eyes.

The rolling in the snow had me LOLing :)
 

Toller_08

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#70
She is so freaking pretty! And sounds like she's your perfect puppy, I'm so happy for you guys!

Where did you get/what brand is that turquoise collar? I love it! It looks so nice and soft.
Thank you!

The collar and leash is 'Mes Amis' brand. They're always sold at dog shows here but I haven't been to a show in a long time, so I ordered this one from Tybrushe Pet Supply here in Alberta, as they're the vendor who sells them at the shows. Apparently you can order directly from the manufacturer now though, but I've heard the turn around time can be a while. Can't say from experience though.

They are really nice and soft. A lot of show dog people have the collars as they're not supposed to leave a collar mark (kind of like those White Pine collars that a lot of people in the states recommend I think). And I like the leashes too because the material is soft and silky and feels comfortable to hold, unlike Nylon (for me). Journey's stuff is teal but they make an actual turquoise (which I also have in a collar) that is really pretty and vibrant.

Wow!! She's looking so grown up already! Seriously love her.
Thank you! And I know! For a three month old puppy I can't believe how grown up she looks sometimes. Still very obviously puppy, but not as puppy-ish as a lot of other puppies somehow.

This is the cutest picture ever. I love how she has her foot on one toy while going after the other. I just think that's so adorable!

Thanks! Haha, yeah, she's pretty easily distracted when it comes to toys. And leaves. And me. She still prefers playing with me over anything else, so I don't actually play with toys with her for very long. Just long enough to make it fun but not long enough that she gets bored and leaves. Working hard on trying to build better toy drive. At least she likes tug, so it's a good motivator for her.
 

Toller_08

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#72
On Tuesday Journey and I started handling classes for beginners. The instructor is rather different, but the dogs loved him and he very obviously loves the dogs too. I think I'll learn a lot and hopefully be much more comfortable and confident showing her than I was with Dance. Also helps that Journey is a much more outgoing puppy than Dance was, so that automatically makes things less stressful. I don't have to show her, but I want to, and figured it's better to learn the right way this time around than kind of winging it and just taking a couple drop-in classes. And there's only me and two Shelties in class, so we get a lot of time to learn and work on stuff and nothing is rushed at all. :)

Then yesterday we met up with MandyPug and Izzie at the park because they were in the city for an appointment. Unfortunately I am the world's most terrible tour guide and wasn't paying attention to the walking paths, so we didn't get to do the route I wanted to haha. But Dance, Journey and I had a good time and Izzie is tiny and adorable! I don't know why, but when I walk with other people, I never feel like taking pictures, so I didn't really get any good pictures yesterday. But hopefully there'll be a next time and I'll try to do better then! It was also the first time I've actually taken Journey out with another dog other than to a class a couple weekends ago, and I enjoyed having both of them out together. I'd do it more often but I don't want Dance's quirkiness, should she be having a weird reacting day, to rub off on Journ while she's young and impressionable still. But Dance was awesome yesterday!

Anyway, here are a few pictures just for proof haha. Featuring Izzie and Dance of course, but Journey says she doesn't mind if they're in her thread!

Poor Izzie. The trails weren't wide enough because of all the snow, and Dance was having a moment of unusual excitement in which Journey decided she should join in. At least Dance made an effort to go around, but I think Journey accidentally bumped Izzie once. Thankfully she was ok and it was only once! I was worried she undid her Chiro adjustment/rehab appt stuff.











Dance thought for a second about wandering down to the creek. It was really pretty there yesterday. I wish I'd tried better for pictures!









A few more!
 
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Toller_08

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#73
I tried to get some nice pictures of my girls together, but I should have done that before the park. They were both too tired to try looking happy haha.











Well, that's all for now! Not too much of an update this week. She's as wonderful and perfect as ever and we didn't do too much exciting stuff. Just hung out and went to the park and relaxed at home, plus the handling class. And now we're back to work and she's snoring under my chair lol.
 
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#75
I hate you and your ridiculously awesome pictures of your ridiculously cute puppy. (read: Come and take pictures of my pups immediately. And photoshop them so they're cuter.)
 

Toller_08

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#76
Oh god she is so gorgeous. Her and Dance look great!
Thank you!

I hate you and your ridiculously awesome pictures of your ridiculously cute puppy. (read: Come and take pictures of my pups immediately. And photoshop them so they're cuter.)
I'm sorry! I'll try telling her to be less cute so you can see the cuteness that is your crew... but no promises that she'll listen. And if you didn't live across the whole continent I totally would! After all, I should owe you something for choosing Journey's registered name when my own creativity failed me.
 
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#79
I'm sorry! I'll try telling her to be less cute so you can see the cuteness that is your crew... but no promises that she'll listen. And if you didn't live across the whole continent I totally would! After all, I should owe you something for choosing Journey's registered name when my own creativity failed me.
Someday, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, I will just drool over your puppy pictures.

And 5,000 cool points if you got that reference.
 

Toller_08

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#80
I have a whole bunch of Journey videos that I've wanted to share, but for some reason my phone and YouTube are not getting along. But here is one of Journey learning to pick up a dumbbell this afternoon with my little camera instead. I've never actually taught a dog to do anything with a dumbbell, so who knows if I'm doing it right, but she picks it up willingly all on her own. It's not very exciting, but it's the only update I have haha. Next we'll work on having her hold it longer since the picking up part is coming along nicely and seems to be easy for her. It's kind of an ancient dumbbell haha. An old neighbour gave it to me before he moved to his retirement home last summer. Actually, he gave me a whole box of them. Metal ones, plastic ones and wooden ones.

We're also working on pivoting on an upside down dog food dish, her down, a kickback stand (which is proving rather difficult - she wants to move forward into a stand instead), and conformation stuff (stacking, moving, baiting).

She's quite a fun puppy to work with! I was a bad puppy owner and got frustrated with shaping a couple of weeks ago and accidentally found myself luring her when I got tired of waiting forever haha. But now I'm trying to behave myself better and let her figure things out on her own, since it tires her out better, and I like watching her think and come up with her own ideas. But she's really eager, learns quickly and is just a lot of fun. :)

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tkLAQ5P6fYA[/YOUTUBE]

^ Hopefully that actually works, since it's nothing but a white box on my computer. Here's the link in case it doesn't: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkLAQ5P6fYA
 

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