Caleb's Chronicles

fuzzi · Dec 22, 2025

farmerjan said:
Today is great... he's not a bad dog.. he's a KID.... and a high energy one at that...has his days and moods... think teenager, mercurial moods....
If you can figure out a way for him to be able to run off some of this energy, and not upset the chickens especially, I think he will do good. He obviously adores you.

His foster, the trainer, replies to my "bad dog" texts with "puppy!" That he is, in many ways.

He just needs to control his impulses, and he often shows that he CAN.

Waiting at dentist to have permanent bridge permanently installed, fun, fun.
:hide

fuzzi · Dec 23, 2025

Caleb is at the clinic, I pick him up at 5.

He had several quiet "watch Debbie through the fence" encounters last night. After his bedtime walk he was loose in the house, saw Debbie at the end of the hall, was interested, but didn't run at her.
:fl

fuzzi · Dec 23, 2025

Last night he put himself in for a nap before bedtime.

SageHill · Dec 23, 2025

Got to thinking last night, esp after @farmerjan 's comments. Totally agree - he's all puppy. Heck, Sage is still puppy and she's almost 16 mos.
A lot of the training I'm seeing you doing is control - having him control impulses. That's good. Thinking as I fell asleep last night active do something training really should be part of his regime. Walking on lead is not an active do, it's control impulse. I'm thinking things along the line of fetch, go to a certain point, come, and the most fun of all tricks - beg, play dead, roll over, tug and give, etc. It gives him an outlet for that puppy energy and gets praise and whatever for it. Perhaps you are doing it, but thought I'd just put that out there.

drstratton · Dec 23, 2025

fuzzi said:
Caleb is at the clinic, I pick him up at 5.

He had several quiet "watch Debbie through the fence" encounters last night. After his bedtime walk he was loose in the house, saw Debbie at the end of the hall, was interested, but didn't run at her.

He's going to be a quiet boy tonight and wondering what did they do to me? Lol. Hope he calms down a bit, but, I think he'll be raring to go, rather quickly!

fuzzi · Dec 23, 2025

SageHill said:
Got to thinking last night, esp after @farmerjan 's comments. Totally agree - he's all puppy. Heck, Sage is still puppy and she's almost 16 mos.
A lot of the training I'm seeing you doing is control - having him control impulses. That's good. Thinking as I fell asleep last night active do something training really should be part of his regime. Walking on lead is not an active do, it's control impulse. I'm thinking things along the line of fetch, go to a certain point, come, and the most fun of all tricks - beg, play dead, roll over, tug and give, etc. It gives him an outlet for that puppy energy and gets praise and whatever for it. Perhaps you are doing it, but thought I'd just put that out there.

I have been doing "take", "give" (aka "drop"), "sit", "wait", as well as "heel". I have done some ball tosses, which he catches. I also have started him on "down", and having him take food to his day crate for eating. He still shys with more aggressive play like rope wrestle, and I'm not pushing things that make him startle.

Someone with a deep/loud voice scared him, badly.

fuzzi · Dec 23, 2025

So...I picked up Caleb about 5pm. He seemed subdued but not wobbly. Got him home, had a short walk, installed the cone almost immediately. I also gave him a sedative, to keep him calm so he doesn't injure the surgical area.

I found out from one of the clinic helpers why they named him Ducky in the shelter. The lady who found him as a stray thought he looked cold. When she brought him to the shelter she'd put duck pajamas on him!

They gave the pajamas to me when I picked him up this evening. Too funny!

They also gave Caleb a Christmas present, courtesy of Petsmart, a stuffed penguin. Despite the cone he still managed to rip off one of its wings.

Sleepy boy.