Field Trial Dog

If you haven't noticed by some of my previous blog posts, we're a little obsessed with our dog, Molly.  She is just over 1 year old, and is a Labrador Retriever/Golden Retriever mix.  We got her because we wanted a bird hunting dog, as well as a "family" dog.  And she fits the bill perfectly.

I originally wanted to take her to a dog trainer, to teach her the basics: sit, stay, come, heel, how to walk on a leash, etc.  Josh, however, was committed to training her himself.  I have to admit- I was worried he would get bored with it, and wouldn't commit the necessary time to her.  But we decided to give it a go.

The results have been amazing.  Josh STILL spends time with her almost every day, working on training. Molly can do all of the basics:  sit, stay, lay down, heel, walk on a leash.  But her retrieving skills are what really set her apart.  We can sit her down, go 100+ yards away, blow a duck call, fire a shotgun, throw a fake/real bird, say every "m" word possible, and even walk away and leave her, and that dog will not move from her spot.  She won't go after it until we say her name.  Its incredible to watch, really.  She is so darn focused!!  We can even throw two or three bumpers (training dummies) at a time in different directions, and she'll go after one, bring it back to your left side, sit next to you, and hold it in her mouth until you tell her "leave" and take it from her.  Then she'll go get the second one, and repeat.

Josh also taught her not to shake after retrieving from the water, which comes in very handy!  Instead, we'll throw something in the water, and she'll go get it, bring it your left side, etc., and then after you take the object from her, you can back away far enough to avoid getting soaked, and then tell her to shake off.  Its nice to be able to stay dry!

All of this training is geared towards duck hunting, and the skills she has learned are directly translated into hunting situations.  However, duck hunting is only a few short months out of the year.  What is there to do the rest of the year, you ask?

Field trials.

These competitions simulate hunting situations, and test each dog against a set of regulated retrieves/tests.  The problem we have found is most competitions require the dog to be purebred, which Molly is not.  However, we have found one organization that Molly can test in, and she will hopefully be competing this September (if Baby Davis hasn't arrived!).  It will be her first competition, and will more so just be a way to gauge her and our interest, and to see how she compares.

We (meaning mostly Josh) have stepped up her training, and I'm constantly impressed by how she performs.  If all goes as planned, I'll be able to videotape her test, and I'll be sure to post it on here!

I love that this is a hobby we can all do together, and that the kiddo can someday get into (with a pup of his own), if he's interested.  Love family hobbies!

Molly's First Christmas

Seeing as how this is Molly's first Christmas, I've gone all out with buying her things, personalizing her stocking, and taking photos of her in Christmas-related situations.  She doesn't always like it.

Case in point:

This is Molly's "Mom are you done taking silly photos of me wrapped in Christmas lights yet?" face.

Molly's First Snow

Last week's snowfall was a first for Molly. The first time I let her out into it, she stood on the porch and gaveme this look:

... like, "Mom, what IS this stuff?!  It's cold on my little princess paws!!".

She then ventured out into it some more...

... and decided it wasn't all that horrible.

I then took her over to my parents' house, and she played for three days with Callee and Roxee in it, and is now a HUGE fan of the snow!

And the last photo is of Callee, who for some unknown reason, loves to bury her face in the snow.

My Personal Bodyguard

Miss Molly, our wonderful 8 month old Golden Retriever/Labrador Retriever mix, has stepped up to be my own personal bodyguard while Josh is away.

It always amazes me just how perceptive and aware animals are to us humans.  When I'm happy, Molly knows it.  When I'm sad, she can tell.  And when I'm scared, she protects me.

I have a hatred for being home alone at night, and so when Josh is away, I let Molly sleep on our bed instead of in her crate.  It makes me feel safer having her warm little body next to me.  Molly, however, has a hatred for snuggling.  She likes to lay on my feet, or on the floor next to the bed.  But she isn't one to spoon.  That all changes when Josh is gone, though.  She sleeps right up against my side or stomach, depending on which position I'm in.  And she won't leave her place until I get out of bed.  Even after I get up, she's glued to my side.  Like my little furry shadow.  If I go outside, she goes outside.  But instead of running off to play, she walks patiently alongside me to wherever I'm going, and then goes back in when I do.  She doesn't even go to the door to go play outside for very long when I'm inside.  She'll go out to go to the bathroom, and then wants right back in.  It's like she can tell I don't like being alone, and so she wants me to feel safe.

Now, this could all be a major coincidence that she acts this way while Josh is away.  But you know what?  I don't care!  It makes me feel better, and we get some major bonding time.  Plus, see this face?

How could this sleepy, droopy face not make you feel better?

Molly Gets Stuck

After our ER trip the other day, we went to my parents' house for dinner.  When we're there, we let Molly run around outside with their dogs.  In case you didn't know, my parents also have cows.

At our house, we have a shallow watering trough that we keep filled with water in the backyard.  Molly plays in it, and sinks her toys in it, and drinks out of it.  It's only about 2 feet tall.

At my parents', they have the same trough, but its a lot deeper, for t heir cows to drink out of.

Can you see where this story is going?

While sitting around in the kitchen chatting, I decide to peek outside and check on Molly.  I don't see her, so I start calling her name.  She was nowhere in site.  Then, I could faintly hear her crying.  But I had no idea where she could be stuck.  I happened to glance into the cow pasture, and see her little blonde head poking up out of the watering trough.  I ran as fast as I could out there, not knowing just how much water was in there/if she could touch the bottom.  Luckily, there was only about a foot of water in the trough, so her legs were covered and her belly was wet, but she wasn't drowning.  She just didn't know how to get out!  She obviously thought this trough was just like hers.  I had to lift her wet little petite rather heavy body out while she squirmed around.  Behind me, back at the house, I could hear everyone else dying of laughter.

Looking back, it was quite hilarious seeing her in there.  At the time though, it scared me half to death!

This, people, is why I do not have kids!!!!

Whole Food Diet

Back when I adopted my cat, Hallee, the vet I saw mentioned trying some whole, raw foods for her, either as a supplement to her dry cat food, or instead of it.  This was a completely new concept to me.  I tried a few raw things for her, but she had no interest in them.  So that was the end of that.

When we took Molly, our 4 month old Labrador/Golden Retriever mix puppy to her first vet appointment, he really started telling more about the whole food diet.  And it made sense.  Think about it - take Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy kibble.  Its made with chicken, eggs, fish oil, grains, and some vitamins.  And its also processes, and preserved.  And dried.  Why not just feed our puppy fresh chicken, pure fish oil, and a supplement?  Isn't non-processed food without preservatives better for her?  Just like it is for you and me?  Josh and I debated long and hard on whether or not to fully enter into this diet.  After all, its a lifestyle change for all of us.  I talked to some people who have their dogs on a whole food diet, and I heard rave reviews.

So, we are making the switch.  Just last night, I made the first batch of what our vet calls "Crock Pot Dinner".  Here's what I did:

The recipe called for a 2.5 - 3 lb. whole chicken, but I could only find a 5+ lb. chicken.  So I doubled the recipe.  I started by boiling the chicken in a pot of water for about 10 minutes, and then simmering it for about an hour.

I bought some cheap plastic containers that I could dedicate solely to Molly's food, since sometimes we will be feeding her raw food, and I didn't want to have to worry about the plastic being contaminated and then storing cookies or something in it (I'm OCD about that stuff).  I washed and labeled them with her name while the chicken was cooking.

Still cooking...

This is what it looked like after 1 hour.

After cooking the chicken, I removed it from the pot and placed it on a plate to cool. 

I then added 2 lbs. of brown rice to the water in the pot, and allowed it to cook on a low heat for about an hour.  The vegetables in the picture will be used later in the recipe.

I got bored waiting for the rice to cook, so I decided to label the lids to the containers as well, to make them easier to find.

(I'm missing four pictures here, as I accidentally forgot to transfer them onto my flash drive from my laptop, and I'm posting this from work!  I will update this later tonight.)

I removed all of the chicken from the bones, and shredded it into small pieces.  Right before the rice was done cooking (about 15 min.), I added all the chicken back into the pot, along with a bag and a half of the frozen vegetables.  I then let that simmer for the remaining 12 min. or so.

I then scooped 1 cup portions into each container.

I let the containers cool for a few minutes, and then popped the lids on and stuck them in the freezer.  The recipe made a lot more than would fit into the containers I had, so I put the rest of it into a large bowl and into the refrigerator.  We'll feed her portions of that this week and weekend, and then start pulling containers out of the freezer one or two at a time.

I couldn't believe how many meals I got out of the recipe for $10!  And the best part was watching Molly eat it.  She loved it!!  She was licking the bowl afterward, and kept giving me this look like, "Mom, can I have more?!"  We go back to the vet next week for her last set of shots, and we'll talk more with the doctor then about portion sizes for her as she gets older.  It may seem like a lot of work initially, but it really wasn't difficult, and seeing how much more she enjoyed it than her normal dog food sealed the deal for me.

Play Time

Molly's First Camping Trip

While I was on vacation from work, we took Molly on her very first camping trip.  It was a blast!  Here is a photo recap:

The little princess had to be tied onto her orange rope while in the campsite, so she couldn't go exploring.  It was, however, long enough for her to wander around our entire campsite.  And, of course, long enough for her to get tangled in everything every 5 minutes.

Here she is, striking a pose.

You have to be careful around Molly, because is you leave your chair, she steals it!

Josh did some fishing, and Molly and I went to watch. 

Dad caught a stick fish!

 And then a real fish.

 And I of course made Josh take a picture with me.

Molly is starting to venture into the water more, but she is still very cautious.

Her and Dad are the best of friends.

And this is how they sleep.  Notice who is on the pillow and who is off?  Yes, she is spoiled.

Our last day there, we took Molly to the day park to try to coax her into the water.  Josh went in with her, and lured her out with treats.   She finally swam!  (It was only long enough for her to make it back to the shallow part where she could touch.)

And then she was one wet little girl!

 

 So her and Dad decided to nap on a rock in the sun, to dry off a little before the drive home. 

And yes, we do plan on taking this face camping many, many more times.