Puppy Training – A Photo's Worth

Lens-Artists Challenge #238 Alone Time

Ann-Christine and Lens-Artists are looking forward to seeing my, “Alone Time” posts. What are my thoughts, and what do I use my alone time for?

Alone time does bring about challenges for me. So today this blog will be more than a photo blog. I will take this time to do some reflection on my life.

By nature, I believe I am more of an introvert and like my time alone. I have many things to keep me happily occupied. My photography is sometimes used to get me out of my shell, and ready to explore. But I can easily enjoy quietly looking back at my library, reviewing, cataloging, and creating my photo blog.

Sometimes, I enjoy being an observer of people all around me. I am thinking about their solitude.

I like to take walks. My neighborhood has 4 courts, and a private road so there is little traffic and some up-and-down elevations. At first, Moxie, my Golden Retriever, had no trouble being my companion. Once a noisy garbage truck stopped next to us and wanted to meet her. This frightened her, and it has been a bit of a struggle to walk past our court ever since. I have tried to get her used to truck sounds. So, like my last dog, if I want to walk I need to first drive to a park trail. Not as spontaneous. Maybe as Moxie turns 2 she will grow out of these fears. She is also trying to contain her excitement when we walk. She pulls ahead then realizes that I have stopped and comes to a heal position. So our walks are more training than solitude until we take our nap together.

In this recliner Moxie and I take our nap in the afternoon!

As a retired librarian I love to read.

I often find the subject matter ties into my family history. I am a child of two Holocaust survivors, and I am always reading historical fiction, memoirs, and non-fiction. I just started the last book of a trilogy entitled, The Tree of Life by Holocaust survivor Chava Rosenfarb. I am well-read on the subject, but these 3 remarkable books describe life in the Lodz Ghetto, and more than that they make me think about the meaning of life itself. I highly recommend these books to everyone. It is a tough subject, but there is a sweetness and clarity to each written paragraph.

This coincides with another passion – genealogy. Again this is both an alone project, which sometimes surprisingly connects me to my extended family. Next week I will be visiting New York City. Through Ancestry.com, I will be meeting a first cousin once removed who is coming all the way from New Hampshire to meet me for dinner. Last year, I met another first cousin once removed from Israel. Children of my first cousins. It is special to have a family connection. While in NYC I will also visit the Yivo reading room where I will see items from my Great Uncle Lazar Kahan and Great Aunt Rose Shoshana Kahan. I never had any grandparents, and my parents didn’t discuss their past often. I have my parents’ testimonies from the United States Shoah Foundation. My grandparents’ generation had large families (16 children), so it is easy to see how much the Holocaust impacted my family. On only my father’s paternal side, from 15 siblings and families 30-35 were murdered. On my mother’s maternal side, my grandmother had 8 siblings with families of their own, and only one survived. I haven’t counted all the losses. It is hard to take in. Watching the news today weighs heavy on me. I believe that there are no winners in war. Sorry, I got carried away with these heavy thoughts. But that is what happens when I have some alone time.

To lighter thoughts, I have not taken on any knitting or crocheting projects lately. I needed to give my hands a rest. I started to do some quilting, but training my puppy has replaced this for the time being. Looking forward to starting some new projects.

So there are plenty of ways I like to spend my time. As you can tell, all but walking and napping with Moxie, need the use of my eyes. And they are starting to fail me. I have macular degeneration and the ophthalmologist is trying to help save the sight in one eye. So far the injection has not changed anything, and my vision is quite distorted. So far the left eye is better, and the dry macular has no treatment but progresses slower. Luckily I use my left eye for my camera eye-piece, and my camera is set for autofocus. I can type ok, but reading back this post is tiring. The book I mentioned may be the last one I read in a paper version. From now on I will use my iPad.

So what do you do with your alone time? Deep contemplation, restful time floating in a pool, or getting lost in a book?

Moxie Turns One

It is said that puppies grow so fast. This is my girl when I first picked her from Mom Phoebe and Dad Bailey’s litter of 10.

Here she is on New Year’s Eve @ 8 months.

Her birthday starts off at 7:05 a.m. Moxie is my new alarm clock.

She first starts with a subtle whine. This evolves over time. I get up, dress quickly, and out we go to potty. Now we are ready for a game of fetch. Most of the time she is a good retriever. The ball is either dropped by my feet or she wants to give it to me. Sometimes, I think she likes the idea of tug.

Moxie can get distracted. I have a small secluded backyard. My neighbor’s landscaping could be called “natural” foliage mixed with strange stuff. I was surprised to see an airplane parked in the yard behind my house when I looked up a satellite map. Looking through the fence I also see an abandoned Edsel, and another vehicle I can’t identify. I have lived here for over 4 years and I have only heard interesting sounds from there. The latest was heavy equipment jackhammering for 10 minutes at 10 p.m. I hear the usual mowing of the field. Last summer welding went on and on as a shed was built from scrap pieces of metal. It sure would be interesting to get a camera drone and see the field.

But I digress. All kinds of stuff fall into my yard from this neighbor’s yard. I am learning the life cycle of pine trees. In Spring, pine flowers fell on my patio an inch thick, after a big wind. Then the occasional pine cone, often eaten by squirrels. Then come the pine needles. Again, not good for dogs to consume. Now, a wild berry tree is dropping blackberries into my yard. Moxie enjoys searching, and eating these berries. She even lets me think she wants to play ball, and off she trots with her ball to the berry patch. So far, there are no digestive issues. On the other end of the yard, they have a very large, very old, brittle oak tree. In the winter/spring branches fall. Today, a large branch that has been dangling over my yard finally fell down. No one was injured. but we were standing a couple of feet away. In the fall I go out and pick up acorns before Moxie grabs them. Acorns are not good at all. Learning what is good and what is toxic for animals is the number one question I ask at a nursery.

Moxie settles down for her breakfast. I imagine that she thinks if she eats it up fast I will forget that I even gave her anything. I grab some coffee and sit in my recliner with my Golden in my lap. Read a couple of emails, check out FaceBook, and plan the day. Today, a photo session is on the agenda

We try and groom Moxie every night. I have all the equipment I used on Charlie, and so I started early with Moxie. She even looks forward to having her teeth brushed. At first, she liked the taste – peanut butter! Now we do a full brush!

Moxie just finished her first heat cycle with no issues. The vet is now changing the dialog once again. Spay before six months, wait for at least the first cycle or 18 months to never spay a Golden Retriever. Something to think about.

Around 8 months of age Moxie developed a couple of fears. Her biggest is large trucks. This has interfered with our peaceful walks, and car rides. I have not settled on a crash-tested car harness because Moxie settles herself on the floorboards behind the passenger seat. With the harness, she was getting so tangled up. We both were stressing out. Each day I try and take her somewhere. During her heat cycle, we just drove around and made a stop at Starbucks. Now, we have started walking around Oak Park or Phoenix Field. I use a Gentle Leader on her, and it helps to get her to focus on walking with me instead of leading the way and pulling me. Also, we are back to going to Basic class with Carley, and we practice all the commands throughout the day. Some days are better than others, but today I feel that progress is being made.

Just like when I had kids, I arrange dog playdates. Moxie loves to play with other dogs. Right now we were sticking to girl dogs. But soon our next-door neighbor’s puppy Seven will come to play. Moxie’s Mom Phoebe lives across the street and sometimes comes to play.

So between feedings, playing, grooming, napping, training, and walking Moxie keeps me plenty busy. Having a puppy is a full-time responsibility, and I am glad I am up for it! Well, most of the time.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #185 Changes

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #185 Changes coincidently match my just posted subject about Moxie. John wants us to see what change means to me.

Moxie’s dramatic change from little pup to “almost” full grown.

I started this post over 4 months ago, and life got in the way. In August I expected my grandson to stay with us as he planned to relocate from Tennessee. He stayed with us two days, and he headed back to Knoxville, Tennessee. Refusal of CoVid vaccine, relationship issues, and youth.

Isaac enjoys a homemade waffle, meets Moxie, and leaves for Tennessee, again.

My daughter and family returned to Sacramento after a second try at living in Knoxville. They found an apartment, and as soon as their second house sold in Knoxville the hunt was on for house number three in Tennessee. Sometime in January they will head east. This time they left all their belongings in Tennessee. So that expense is eliminated. I’m not sure what draws them to the “Volunteer State”. Tomorrow I will again say goodbye.

Deja Vu. Or Groundhog Day. This photo was taken in June 2021. Moving to their new home in Tennessee.

So what has kept me so busy that I haven’t posted in a while. Well, I look to my puppy Moxie. Time has a way of disappearing and moving at a snail’s pace. The other day I was making an appointment for a vet visit for Moxie and I kept saying she was almost nine months old. Wrong. She is now eight months old. I work with her daily, and sometimes I see the progress, and sometimes I feel defeat. I am told she is going through the teenage years. Training is ongoing. We go to training once every other week. Manners are being worked on. I am focusing on jumping up on people, and playing rough with me.

For a Golden Retriever, Moxie is a petite pup. She weighs in at 34 lbs. at 8 months. She is about 20 pounds lighter than one of her sisters. I have been dealing with her sensitive stomach, and it seems we have a couple of good weeks, and then I am back to square one. I enrolled in a puppy care club, and when I last tried to make an appointment for her acute tummy issue, the first available time was over three weeks away. As with all things CoVid, I found out that the hours and staff have been reduced due to staffing shortage in veterinarians. This is not adequate care so I will be looking for a new vet. Luckily, I have Golden Retriever friends, and I sought their advice. The “great resignation” attributed to CoVid is shaping our life.

Most puppy owners are shocked by the sharp shark teeth their puppies have. Until Moxie lost her baby teeth (around 5-6 months) I only wore clothes with holes around my pup. These denims kind of look like ones people purchase at fashionable stores. I now do not have to change before I play with my puppy.

At 5 months Moxie has lost her shark teeth.

CoVid caused many supply glitches. I have a small backyard, and two fences were down. Lumber prices rose dramatically. By the beginning of November my yard was fully enclosed. Lucky thing because my next door neighbor just got an adorable black lab. Perhaps a future playmate for Moxie.

Fully fenced, but not entirely safe for my puppy to romp around without harm.

Moxie is always on the lookout for something to eat.

This fall my neighbor’s oak tree hand an abundance of acorns that are toxic for puppies to chew. This along with a pine tree that continues to shower my lawn with needles makes for an unsafe environment for a curious puppy. So each morning a pick up acorns and a variety of mushrooms that appear out of nowhere each morning. So I am always on the lookout. Unfortunately, on Thanksgiving Moxie was too fast and ate a mushroom.

Mushrooms come in such a variety, and none should be consumed by my puppy Moxie.

On the way to the emergency room most of the contents of her stomach ended up on my backseat. Thank goodness my seats were covered.

Moxie is safely harnessed in the back seat. Most of the time she is not interested in the surroundings. Go figure.

There was only one vet at the emergency hospital and the parking lot was filling up. Puppy is ok. And I did make it to Thanksgiving dinner hosted by my friend Anne.

Well at least Moxie ate her mushroom early, and we arrived at 9:00 am. We were able to avoid the crowd.

After her ordeal, all she wanted to do is sleep in my lap. We often get some quiet time and a nap on the Lazy Boy recliner.

CoVid has taken the spontaneity out of life. No quick decision to go to the zoo. Now you must go online to make a reservation. I am waiting at Kaiser because to visit the optical department an appointment is needed. I need new glasses because Moxie chewed up my glasses. To be CoVid safe I make an appointment and wait my turn.

Next week my girl will be 10 months old. When I see her mother Phoebe they look so much alike. Moxie is at her adult size, almost. Puppies grow so very fast. I am glad I took all these photos along the way.

My husband and I quickly made the choice of Moxie for my puppy’s name. Many have asked the origin of the name. My in-laws had an advertisement for this drink in their kitchen. Recently, my husband brought home a bottle of Moxie.

This is the second time around with puppy raising in the past two years, and I still am amazed at how quickly the tiny puppy grows to adult size. Glad I took all these photos. Change happens fast, and I am glad I grabbed some of these shots using my iPhone 8 instead of relying on my Fuji xt4. I plan to upgrade my iPhone since much has improved in the last couple of years. I’m looking at the iPhone 13 pro. I just need to make an appointment. The display on my Nixplay frame brings me a lot of joy. If you are thinking of getting one and have questions I’m happy to help.

This is my New Year’s Eve photograph. She has changed so much in these first 8 months.

I think things may calm down in 2022, or at least I hope so. Stay tuned for my continuing adventures with Moxie.

Moxie is on the move!

My puppy Moxie got her final parvo/distemper shots and can now leave our house. I am working on her potty training and her manners. The former is going pretty well. The latter needs work. When I am near Moxie I wear Moxie appropriate clothing. Clothes that have holes in them. I’m running out of clothes, and I really do not like to spend time shopping for new ones. I have purchased plenty of puppy toys: chews that are soft, hard, and able to freeze. But those tiny, super sharp shark teeth and sharp nails are problematic. We have been working on zoom classes, and we started in person puppy classes.

I decided to see how much Moxie responds to her training with outside distractions. So I head to Green Acres. Everyone was so welcoming, and Moxie enjoyed the attention. Her puppy soft fur, her wagging tail, and cute looks attracted employees and customers. She playfully bowed to a Great Pyrenees.The automatic doors opening didn’t phase her one bit. She did look twice at the garden art rooster sitting at her eye level. I wonder how she will react to the Fair Oaks roosters. That will wait for another day. For a first outing Moxie did great!

Next, I head to Orangevale Park in Orangevale, Ca. I used to take Charlie here to help him with his socialization. Walking with Moxie is a very different experience. Pre-schoolers on bicycles pass, people stop to greet her, and two Rhodesian Ridgebacks are taking advantage of the cooler morning temperatures. I did ask their owner to leash his dogs since I didn’t know how Moxie would do. So play bowing and quickly we continue our walk.

Notice that the leash is not pulled tight. This is loose leash walking!

I finally met the vet that treated my Charlie. Masks are now part of the protocol, but at least I get to go inside. Working with someone over the telephone when a pet is sick is difficult. Interestingly, Moxie needed another booster of parvo/distemper so I really shouldn’t have been taking her out yet. Oh well. Waited another 5 days, and we are now introducing Moxie to neighbors around the block.

Honestly, I don’t know where my September went. Puppy schedule keeps me very busy. Remember that when you see that cute puppy face coming towards you. I am in charge, but my Moxie has other ideas. Today, I was all ready to go out for some puppy socialization. Water bottle filled, check. Treats in pouch, check. Harness on Moxie, check. Ready to take the last potty break, oops. Moxie is asleep and won’t budge. Change of plans. It’s warm out, and I can now catch up on my blog.

Good news. The last of those sharp canine teeth fell out! Current choppers don’t slash clothes as fast. Training is making progress. She listens to sit, down, and down-stay, leave it, drop it, touch, let’s go, and side. This week in training we will be working on recall. Today when she was out, I called her, and she came running! That called for a “party”. Lot’s of treats!