Commands

CARES, Inc. gives us a puppy manual to follow during the time that we have our puppy.  The puppy commands are broken up by weeks.  Most people get their puppy at 8 weeks.  We got Haise at 12 weeks, but he knew so much when we got him.  The following list is what we have to teach Haise:

First things first:
1) Name - He knows his name.
2) No! - He understands "no", but doesn't always listen...
3) Good Dog - He definitely likes this one.

Foundation Commands:
4) Okay - "Okay" is his release word, so after he does his tricks, you say "okay" and he can go back to being relaxed.
5) Come - He has gotten very good at "come".  This is the only command we can use a treat for.
6) Let's Go - Anytime we go on car rides or relaxed walks, we use the "let's go" command.  We say it and I think he's only excited because we say it super excited sounding.  He'll start to understand it later.
7) Take a Break - means go to the bathroom... Haise knew this when I picked him up... thank goodness!
8) Kennel - Haise stays in his kennel at bedtime and while we are at work.  So it's important he knows the command "kennel".
9) Heel - We're working on heel on our walks and at the grocery store.  He walks nicely next to me, but his collar isn't relaxed.  He needs to be able to do it on his own.  I'm sort of forcing him right now.
10) Sit - He's awesome at "sit" :)
11) Down - Still workin' on this one...
12) Stand - When he is done heeling, instead of sitting every time, we use the command "stand".  Haven't started this yet...
13) Wait - When he gets out of the car or goes through a door, we say "wait" so he doesn't get out of control.

Foundation Social Skills Commands:
14) Quiet - No whining in the crate.
15) No Bark - No barking at anything!
16) No Sniff - No sniffing on walks or at restaurants.
17) Leave it! - Tells him to let go of stuff we don't want him to have.
18) Fix it - Untangling his leash.

Basic Obedience Commands:
19) Left & Right - When turning, tell him which direction to turn.
20) Change of Pace - Walk slowly and quickly and tell him when to change his pace.
21) About Turn - Turn around and go in the opposite direction.
22) Easy - Pace from normal to slow.
23) Stay - Don't move
24) Up - Calling your puppy onto your lap or a grooming table.  First step to turn on and off lights.
25) Off - Stay in "up" position until "off" is used.
26) Under - Important for disabled persons.  This command means to get out of the way and go under a table or chair.
27) Recall -
28) Exams - Stay in the position he is in while someone is "examining" him.  When strangers pet him, he needs to be able to stay in the sit, down, or stand position.

Advanced Commands:
29) Get it - Fetch
30) Bring it here - Fetch
31) Give - Same as "let it go"
32) Hold it - Hold and object in his mouth until you say "give" or "let it go"
33) Tug - Good for "tug-of-war" game
34) Take it to... - Point to someone and take something to someone.
35) Pull - If he's not heeling, you say "pull" and praise him.  When you say "heel", he must return to the heel position.

Extra Commands:
36) Shake
37) Get Dressed - Putting on his vest
38) Move - "Move" off your feet
39) Roll Over
40) Speak
41) Kiss
42) Out
43) Lap ("Give me a Hug")

We have lots of work to do in the next 9-10 months!  We are so excited!

First Working Week

Haise has done very well for his first week alone!  I was nervous for Monday morning.  I hate when he even cries a tiny bit.  To my surprise, he didn't peep one bit.  I put a nylabone and a kong (with treats inside), so he was very distracted when I left.  Brian and I take turns coming home for lunch.  We take him on a walk, let him do #1 and #2, and then put him back in his crate.  He seems to be as happy as can be :)

Our outings this week:
Monday: Walgreens to pick up photos of Haise to show off at work.  He sat quietly at the Walgreens photo place.  Very proud.  He did try to eat the candy on the shelf, but I caught him :)  Then we took a quick trip to Kroger to pick up dinner... Rotisserie Chicken... yumm.
Tuesday:  We were bad and didn't take him anywhere.  It was a long day.  He did meet a new friend, Thomas (our neighbor).  Thomas and Haise wore each other out by running around the backyard!

Wednesday: He rode in the car to pick up dinner.

Thursday: He went to the gym with us!  He slept right underneath my bike from 5:15-6 in the morning!  I was so happy.  I won't take him on Monday, Wednesday, Friday yet, because I still have to hold his leash so he doesn't run away!

And tonight we are going to take a trip to Kroger and Walmart.  He needs a bone or something to chew on.  He doesn't really care for the nylabones.

We also learned that he's not afraid of vacuums, but instead he wants to play with them:

Haise Playing:

Day 4

Haise slept for 9 hours last night without having to go out!!!  I am definitely a happy camper.  We were super tired last night from the night before (waking up at midnight, 2, 4, and 6), so we went to bed at 9.  At 6:00 this morning, I woke Haise up :)  I ran him downstairs and outside so he could relieve himself.

We played outside for a while and then took a nap until 8.  We got ready for church and got to church at 9.  We sat in the back, so people did not notice until we left.  He slept all through church.  He was a little confused about the standing up, sitting down, standing up, etc.  But he eventually didn't care and just kept sleeping.  After church, the kids bombarded him and he loved it.  We stayed out there for about a half hour and then left.

Sermon at church put him to sleep...

After church, we headed to Kroger to pick up lunch.  He didn't want to walk, so we ended up carrying him.  We got home, ate lunch, and then he took a long nap.  After napping, the neighbors came over to play with him and wore him out :)  So he slept until 3 when Brian's parents came over.  They played with him for a while and then he was really tired!  We went out to dinner and he slept the whole time.  He loves to sleep.  He's a puppy.

Playing with "grandma"

Haise is eating a lot better today.  We used to put the food out, and he would only eat half of it.  But today he was actually excited when we put the food out.  That's a good sign.  He is biting a lot more.  He loves to bite our hands and legs, so we had him toys constantly, but it's not stopping.  He's teething... :(

Tomorrow is our first day back at work and Haise will have to survive in his crate alone for 5 hours :(  Not excited to hear that crying... I know he can "hold it" for more than 5 hours, so I hope there aren't any accidents when I come home for lunch.  We shall see...

Day 3

Last night, we had our friends Dan and Meri over for steaks and puppy play... Haise didn't realize he was a puppy and decided to sleep the whole time!  We had lots of fun, but Haise definitely didn't have much energy.  He woke up as they were leaving and decided to take a potty break on Brian's oriental rug... oops!  We took him out right afterwards and explained taking a break outside was important.  We gave him a 10 minute time-out in his crate... haha, poor puppy.  That's the first (and only so far) accident he's had in the house!

Haise sleeping while our friends were over for dinner.

The high yesterday was 82 degrees!  So our house was pretty warm (76 or so).  Brian decided to turn the AC on so we could sleep comfortably... Only problem: It didn't come on!  This is a brand new air conditioning unit... not cool.  So we opened windows, but Haise was still panting until midnight.  So I went downstairs with him and let him sleep in his favorite place in front of the fireplace.  Every 2 hours he'd move from the fireplace to the kitchen and back.  And everytime I thought he'd go to the bathroom on the carpet, so I would wake up.  Let's just say I didn't sleep well.  We woke up at 6 and played for 30 minutes.  I managed to calm him down and he slept on me in the screened-in porch for an hour.  It was cute, but I didn't sleep :(

After our nap, we went on a short walk and then took a trip to Target.  He did not want to walk at all!  So I ended up carrying him around the store.  We got home and went on the mile loop around our house.  He survived that loop :)  Then we put him in the bathtub and made him smell good.  He was such a good puppy in the bath, too.  He just sat down and let us do our thing.  Afterwards we wiped him down with towels and put him in the screened-in porch.  He was content there for a few hours.

At noon we went over to Lowes to pick up a crate from a work friend.  He walked well in Lowes and everyone wanted to say hi.  Then we headed over to Subway and he continued to get lots of attention.  He likes it.  Then we came home and slept some more.

At 2:00 we headed downtown to a floral appointment and he gladly slept right underneath my seat for the whole hour.  He's such a good boy!  We drove back to the house and had fun frisbee time with Robert and Katie in the backyard.  Katie took lots of adorable pictures of Haise, so I'll get those soon!  Haise had a great time with them!  I'm surprised he was awake...

After Robert and Katie left, Haise was completely drained and has been sleeping ever since.  We'll force him to wake up around 8 so that we can sleep tonight.  He sure does like to sleep.

It has once again been a really fun day!  I love taking him places!

27 Pounds!

Haise had his first vet appointment this morning.  He's 27 pounds!  Everything looks good and he is current on all of his vaccinations.  We'll go back in 16 weeks for the last round of puppy vaccinations.  We also learned about puppy food, ring worm, and ticks/fleas.  Fun stuff.

Puppy Check Up

He wanted to jump right off of that table.

 After the vet, we went to Petco and bought the largest crate we could find (with a divider so he'll fit now).  Haise was so tired he stopped as much as he could to lay down and try to fall asleep.  We were going to go to Kroger afterwards, but he was just so tired we went home.  He took a nap next to me:

Nap time for Haise.

This afternoon will consist of running around the backyard in the beautiful 80 degree weather and then bath time for Haise!

We're not in Kansas anymore, Haise!

Haise is now in Richmond, Virginia at his new home for 10 months!  I flew to Kansas City, Missouri on Wednesday night and picked him up in Concordia, Kansas on Thursday morning.  We had a good 4 hour drive bonding time back to Kansas City, and then two hour and half plane rides to get to Richmond.  Haise is one calm dog and knows his manners!  He did so well during the driving and the flying.  He even slept through take-off and landing.

EVERYONE loves Haise!  I was stopped by so many people in the terminal.  Kids were flocking around, and he even got announced at my gate to Richmond.  The gate agent said, "We have a special guest traveling to Richmond today.  He's a service dog in training."  All the pilots and flight attendants loved him, too.  I even got special seating so I get a full row to myself.  Haise took advantage of that and sprawled out underneath the seat.

We got Haise home last night around 10:00 and played with him until way past my bedtime.  Brian and I are both very surprised about how much he already knows!   He did not have a single accident on the plane rides or in the Atlanta airport.  Before we went through security, I found a piece of grass and said, "Take a break." He knows to go to the bathroom on command!  He also sits and heels.  And one other big thing... He doesn't jump!  He has not yet jumped on our couches, kitchen counters, or people!  He tried to see if he could get on the couch, and we said, "four on floor".  Then he knows to stay down.  He is a biter.  He loves to bite my legs, but I just hand him a toy and he gets distracted.  He is one well behaved dog!

He's also HUGE.  His paws are incredibly big.  He will be one big dog.  We are taking him to the vet today to see what we need to do.  He eats just fine and seems to be adjusting well.  Last night, we put him the crate after cuddling with him.  He cried for about 5 minutes (felt like forever) and then he went to sleep.  I woke him up this morning at 4 am.  I wanted to give him a walk before my gym training at 5.  He walked very well by my side.

We are having so much fun with him already!  We are planning on taking him lots of places this weekend.  Check back for more pics!

Underneath my seat on the airplane from Kansas City to Atlanta

Asleep in the car, rolling down windows all the time!

Taking a nap before boarding the plane to Atlanta. 

I'll take two seats, please :)  

He likes to hold the leash while walking.

Good Boy!

Hiding underneath seats is his favorite place to sleep.

Home at last - Napping in the kitchen

Name

On Friday night, I talked to Megan from the CARES, Inc.  The names of the two 11 week old puppies they have are Rowe and Haise.  Each litter has a theme. For Lele, my parents' dog, the theme was Regional Airlines.  They chose Mokulele, a Hawaiian regional airline.  Our puppy's litter's theme is "Survivors".  The female of the litter is Gabby, as in Gabby Gifford.  The two males are Rowe and Haise.  Rowe is a survivor of a war (we think the Vietnam War, but she can't remember).  And Haise is a survivor from Apollo 13.  So we're choosing Haise!

  

Fred Haise - Apollo 13 Survivor

"Fred Wallace Haise, Jr. (pronounced /ˈheɪz/ hayz)^[1] (born November 14, 1933) is an engineer and former NASA astronaut. He is one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon." Read the Wikipedia article here. Of course we would choose an engineer :)

On Monday morning, we will talk to Megan again and make plans to have Haise shipped to Richmond.  The sooner we get him, the better!  She also might send us some pictures!

Petsmart

Today, Brian and I took a shopping trip to Petsmart and Target.  We brought our handy dandy list of "puppy must-haves" and bought lots of fun stuff :)

Our puppy's new stuff!

Our list:
1) Big crate with divider - As the puppy grows, the crate grows.
2) Collar and leash - We stuck with red.
3) Baby Gate - Blocks off the stairs so the puppy can only be downstairs.
4) Nature's Miracle - To clean up any nasty stuff...
5) Puppy Milkbones - He'll be a good boy :)
6) Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo - He'll be clean and smell good :)
7) Stainless Steel Dog Bowls with a bucket to store the food
8) Eukanuba Puppy Food - We didn't know what to buy, so we got a small bag.  We'll buy more later.

The essentials...

9) And last, but not least, dog toys!  The Petsmart people suggested these toys.  We also have lots of tennis balls, so we think we're good with not going overboard on toys.

The Toys!

Now all we need is him!

The Beginning

My parents adopted Lele (the little puppy above) in September of 2010.  She is a foster puppy from CARES, Inc. (Canine Assistance Rehabilitation Education & Services) from Kansas.  Basically, CARES gives away puppies to foster parents to feed, train, and love for their first year of life.  After a year, you give the puppy back and they train it professionally to be a guide dog.  Pretty cool, huh?

Brian and I started talking about being foster parents to a foster puppy in February, somewhat randomly.  We talked about how fun it would be to take it everywhere (that's a main job:  take it everywhere!).  We talked about the financial aspect and how hard it would be to give it back after a year.  It would be a lot of work, but so worth it!

So on Tuesday, I called the CARES organization and asked about how to become a puppy raiser.  I told them I would only take a golden retriever.  Megan, the canine assistance director, said, "Well, we have two 11 week old males right now, or we have a potential mom that would have the puppies in 3 weeks and you could take one 8 weeks after that."  The sonogram for the potential mom was Wednesday, and she was not pregnant.  So we are taking a chance, and we are taking one of the 11 week old males.

So now we are waiting for word on how we are going to get him.  He could possibly get to Memphis because a lot of puppy raisers live in Memphis, so they go there all the time to drop-off/pick-up puppies.  If he can get to Memphis, then my parents can hold him until I get there.  Or if the weather is good, they can fly him to Richmond :)  Either way, we are super excited and can't wait for our new addition!  We better go shopping for some dog stuff... haha...

Lele at work at Wal-Mart in October 2010

Lele even goes out to eat with her parents!  Ours would too!

It's going to be an adventure!!!