Yesterday Steve and Makenna put in the invisible fence. Radar spent the day getting acquainted with the house and yard while we worked. This is what happens when you forget the water bowl.

Makenna's dog, Justice.

Doggy Treats

Yesterday we made homemade doggy treats--recipe complements of Mary Janes Farm. Made with peanut butter they are very aromatic and get the dogs undivided attention!

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup skim milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine four and baking powder. Add peanut butter and milk and stir to combine.
3. Knead until dough is smooth.
4. Roll out to a 1/4" thickness and cut out shapes with cookie cutters.
5. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Cool o a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

This is over 250 pounds of animals waiting patiently for their turn to receive a treat. No one gets a treat unless they're sitting and quiet. Occasionally, as a pack exercise, we feed them out of bowls in a circle placed just a few feet from each other. Remi and Justice (the two pups) will often share a dog bone--each chewing on his/her own end. They are amazing.

Radar, nearly two years old. Gone are the puppy days. He still plays hard with the pups and enjoys a full out run with Steve on the bike, but he has calmed quite a bit. He now gets the run of the house while we're out and his choice of bedrooms to sleep in at night. This morning he fell asleep while sitting on the couch.

Remi and Radar

Remi weighs 61 pounds and Radar is holding steady at 120.

We love dogs, and there are a great many breeds I've wanted as a part of our lives, but I may be won over for life. This is one of their favorite spots. They're usually side-by-side whether sleeping, eating, manning the back yard, or playing. If one is without the other he/she will pace from you to the location of the other dog until they are reunited. They are gentle with the kids, friendly to well-meaning strangers, yet big and intimidating when need be. They are not prone to senseless barking and don't door dash. Remi has a sleepy face and will lay her head on your shoulder or lap while you pet her. Radar sleeps faithfully at the foot of my bed. They patiently stand, sit or lay at the back door waiting to be let in and I’m wondering how much longer the kids plastic picnic table will hold Remi (it's one of her favorite spots to take a nap).

Temporary Insanity

This is Lola the English Mastiff.

And in case you think we're certifiable, rest assured, we're only temporarily insane: we're dog sitting. But in reality her addition to our pack has been smooth and just plain fun. She's sweet and loving and gentle and the dogs and kids just love having her around.

I'm not sure we'll be able to give her back.


From left to right: Lola the English Mastiff, Remi the American Mastiff, and Radar the German Mastiff (aka Great Dane). And of course in the center is Makenna: Dog Trainer Extraordinaire. She has sorted their dog food (they each eat a different formula) and put a handful in each of her pockets. She's working on "sitz" and "platz" using the food bits as rewards. She has the dog's complete attention.

This is our master bedroom turned kennel. Just like preschool we have naptime, playtime, snack time, etc. Here the dogs are eating in their crates. This is also where they sleep, except Radar. He has earned the privilege of sleeping on the floor. Believe it or not, they sleep so well and are so well adjusted to their crates that I can sleep in the room with them (it probably helps that they’re good and tired at the end of the day—and so am I).

I don't know what it is, but there is just something extraordinary about a pack of balanced, calm dogs. They are amazing.

Our first week with Remi

The 8-hour drive home with two kids and an 8-week pup was long, but uneventful. The kids love her gentle ways and sweet disposition. They take turns feeding, taking her outside, logging her activities in her book, and playing and napping with her. It won't be long before she's too big for them to pick up and hold in their laps.

The two dogs are getting along quite nicely. Radar worries over her a bit, however he's teaching her some really good habits—how to sit before going in or outside, how to sit and wait for the food bowls to be filled—and some not so good habits—how to nonchalantly walk through the kitchen to sniff the counter tops when you think no one is looking. Now I wish he'd teach her how to be happy in a crate. But mostly they play. Radar lies on the floor and Remi takes a running leap and lands on Radar's back. He's incredibly gentle in his playing and takes a lot of abuse from those sharp little puppy teeth. One paw swipe will gently push her away and it starts all over again. I don't trust them alone together, but we can sit and watch them in their battles without too much worry over things getting carried away. Radar seems to be pleased to be able to act like a dog and they are quickly becoming inseparable.

This is Remi at 8 weeks, 18 pounds standing next to Steve's boots. She eats half of what Radar eats (who weighs about 120 pounds), about 3 cups a day.

Remi at 6 weeks.

Remi is on the left at nearly 6 weeks old.

Drum Roll Please . . .

We got to choose between the Purple, Red, and Teal pups. After discussing color, temperament and size with the breeder, Steve and I narrowed the selection to Purple and Red. I like purple because of her apricot striping and Steve favored Red because of her dark coloring and energetic personality. The girls, hands down, liked Red because she photographs so darn well. We couldn’t agree. So we did what every normal family does. We voted by secret ballot.

Marcie?

Sir?

Distribute the secret ballots.

Yes, sir.

(In the end Steve really didn’t care, so he chose to go with the consensus on this one.)

So Red it shall be. But we’re going to call her Remi.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe . . .

After three years of being on a waiting list to receive an American Mastiff pup, we're up! These are the six girls we'll be picking from. At six weeks we get to make our choice, and then we'll drive to Maryland to pick up the puppy at 8 weeks. Are we crazy or what? You can see more pictures here or read about the American Mastiff breed here. These babies are only two weeks old.

Red

Teal

Tan

Purple

Orange

Still reading to Radar

Madison selected a book about two dogs and was sure to stop and show Radar the pictures. Radar showed interest at all the right moments and Maddie loved it! He'll have her reading independently yet. Good dog!

Radar the wonder dog.

Since it was so warm out we tried something new . . . it went better than you'd think.

Afterwards, Radar slept like a baby in front of the TV as we watched The Game. He paid no attention to the TV and slept without moving with his head pointed in the opposite direction. After the game, in an effort to divert our disappointment, we watched the Dog Whisperer. Wouldn't you know it—Radar got up, greeted the virtual pack on TV and then laid down facing the TV with his head propped on a pillow. I kid you not; he actually watched the Dog Whisperer.

The Dog Park

"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." - Edward Hoagland

Radar at the dog park playing with a German Sheppard, a 5-month-old American Bulldog and a Jack Russel/Pit Bull mix.

This was my first experience at a dog park and you know what, dogs don’t play "nice"; they’re animals. They jump on each other (or in Radar’s case OVER each other), they bite, growl, paw and wrestle—behaviors that you try to train out of your children and suppress in a dog in your home, are all acceptable by dogs playing in a pack. I eventually stopped apologizing for Radar's roughhousing (he's not aggressive, he just plays BIG) and enjoyed watching him be a dog first, pet a distant second. Dogs are instant buddies and eager to greet each new arrival, they make no judgments based on external criteria, and (luckily for Radar) they keep no record of wrongs! They are free to be right here, right now, loving life. Amazing. You haven't lived until you've stood in the middle of a pack of dogs!

Maddie, Maya, Makenna and Radar.

Radar now weighs 117 pounds , measures 34" at the shoulder, and eats 10 cups of puppy food a day.

Reading with Radar

I found Makenna one morning reading next to the dog crate after Radar ate his breakfast (Radar spends an hour resting in his crate after eating in a effort to prevent bloat). She went looking for a book and, after rummaging through her options stacked next to the crate, she settled on The Hobbit and snuggled in next to Radar to read aloud.

Seizing Makenna's idea, I scheduled a week of reading aloud with Radar for Madison after Radar eats his lunch. Not one to read for fun at this point, the extra motivation of choosing a story especially for Radar, reading carefully so he understands, and showing him the pictures, has been great for Madison. I hope her extra time reading to such a patient and generous audience will increase her accuracy and build confidence. See R.E.A.D. to learn more about using dogs to promote children's reading practice.

By the way, Makenna, Radar wants to know what happens to Bilbo.

Now there's something you don't see everyday...

Not just a Great Dane, but a Great Dane pulling a sled.

In hopes of draining some energy, Radar gets his walk faithfully—sun, rain or snow—everyday. Sometimes I think we're just building his endurance because he always has plenty of energy. Today, Steve connected the sled to Radar's collar and Radar pulled Makenna during his walk. Although Makenna got a little cold during her ride, Radar slept like a baby all day.

Need more snow!

Makenna and Madison have been working with Radar. They take turns walking him while we're out. It’s quite amazing to see a small child walk such a large dog. Maddie needs to do some additional work as Radar is fond of pushing her off to the side and into the bushes. Steve and Makenna have been working with Radar in the presence of other dogs. Radar is practicing being CALM submissive when he meets another dog. In actuality, it is an exercise in being calm for all involved.

We stopped by the vet today for a weigh in; Radar's up to 110 lbs.