And on the seventh day, we learned about TOYS!

Today started per usual with Q&A. We had some questions about walking three across. The world just does not seem built for this! Jeremy said we can deal with this by sending Si and Abbot ahead through narrow walkways. This will take some practice. We are also experiencing some balking by Abbot when prompting him to hop in the back seat of our car. Jeremy said to first have him jump to the floorboards, then up to the seat. That way it is not such a big leap. We will also add treats to the mix for now.

When we arrived at 4 Paws today, we were excited to learn that the pregnant golden retriever we had been watching all week had her pups around 4 this morning! This lady was VERY pregnant, and now I know why: she had 12 puppies!! 10 of them made it and we were privileged to get a close look at one of the little boys.

Mama is doing well and looks much more comfortable!

I did not realize how much I had to learn about choosing appropriate toys for Abbot. But this is great info for all dog owners, so get ready!

• Stay away from all animal parts! Chewing on these brings out undomesticated instincts, as opposed to the refined ones we want to cultivate.
• Stay away from rawhide. First, it is often cleaned with formaldehyde and insecticides while in production. Second, if ingested, it can cause a bowel obstruction. And third, it is leather, so they will then start to think that other leather items are also allowed for chewing, such as shoes, gloves, leashes, etc.
• Real bones are also a no-no. They can shatter and obstruct or stab through the intestines. All bones can do this, but chicken and turkey bones are notorious for this.
• Nix the rope toys, too. The strings come off and when ingested, can get wrapped in the intestines.
• If you are okay with the occasional backyard bunny massacre, then squeaky stuffed small animal toys are ok. But Jeremy said that these train dogs to hunt and hurt small animals. The squeaker sounds like an injured bunny, then the dog goes after it and "kills" it and brings it back to you to start all over.
• An important differentiation to make is between the PLAY toy and the CHEW toy. Play toys are just for interactive supervised play. A tennis ball is a good example. You don't want the dog to have that in his crate and chew it and ingest the rubber and fuzz. A chew toy is one the dog can have whether supervised or not, such as a Nylabone or Kong. Jeremy said not to buy a whole library of toys-- this can overwhelm and confuse the dog about what is allowed and what is off limits. Just one favorite Nylabone is plenty and keeps it simple for the dog.
• Nylabones are safe because they break down in tiny bits that can't harm the dog. That being said, once the dog has chewed it down to the point where he could accidentally swallow it, we need to get rid of it and replace it.  A Nylabone should last 4 to 6 months, unless you have a power-chewer (a dog who might chew six hours a day) in which case you would need to replace it sooner.
• Kongs are a great mental pacifier for dogs. You can't really play catch with them because they are dense rubber that could hurt the dog's teeth, but you can throw it and let them fetch it. You can tuck a treat or some peanut butter in them. Don't FILL it with PB or you will end up with a nasty peanut butter coating in that room. One family even ended up with a hole chewed in their carpet, where the PB had leaked out! Yuck.
• Outside toys: It's good to have an outside ONLY toy for your dog. Two suggestions were the "Jolly Ball" and the "Buster Cube". The Buster Cube looked pretty fun and I think I will look into that for Abbot.
• Tug toys: Big NO. These toys are used for a battle of wills/ establishing dominance. The dog believes that whoever walks away with the tug toy is top dog. This really is counter to what we are establishing with obedience training.
• Same with wrestling-- dogs see it as competitive and to establish dominance.

We also worked on some behavior disruption techniques today. We had done the "lap" command previously. One important point is that it won't be as easy in real life, with a crying/mad Si. So we will practice with Mike and I, and hopefully get Si on board to practice when he is happy. The sequence for that will be: Tell Abbot "lap" and walk him over to Si. Then tell him "down" next to Si, then treat him. The more we practice, the better we'll get.

Today we learned the "Nuzzle" command. Apparently all my life I thought nuzzling was something different. A true nuzzle is when the dog comes to you, puts its nose under your arm and bumps it. It's not kisses or sniffing your face. This command can work to help a child who is having a melt-down or just a regular tantrum or crying. To practice, we will mimic the sounds and behaviors of our child (This will be done when Si is not around.) when we want Abbot to nuzzle. We will have the high value treat in our hands, sit on the floor and do the negative behavior while commanding "nuzzle". Any time Abbot bumps my arm with his nose, I will treat him. This is harder than it sounds. First, it is rather humbling to sit on the floor and make ridiculous whining sounds at your dog! More importantly, I felt at times like he was just trying to get the treat from my hand. But Jeremy said just hold tight to the treat and don't reward unless it is a bona fide nuzzle. One point he has made throughout the last week is that, whatever you reward is what you will get. So make sure the dog is doing it exactly how you want it before treating them.

Last today, we started preparing for tethering training. I am REALLY looking forward to this. Si has improved some, but he still wants to run off in stores and in parking lots at times, which is unacceptable.  We will get Si a "belt" (giant dog collar that will fit around his waist) with a D ring on it to wear and then there is a tether cord that will hook to Abbot's harness. Si will also have his own leash to hold, so he can feel like he is walking Abbot, too. I am really hopeful that this will help in stores. Si is almost 50 pounds, and we usually have to lift him into the cart so he does not run off. It's getting impossible for me to do alone. This way, he can walk like he wants to and I can be sure that he doesn't slip away while I am paying, etc.

Si continues to develop a bond with Abbot. He loves to feed Abbot every morning and night. He dumps the scoops of food in the dish and lowers it to the ground, then squeals, "Eat, Abbot!!" Today, Si and dad came back to the hotel to swim while Abbot and I attended the afternoon session. After swimming, Si kept going to the door of the hotel room and crying "Abbot!! Abbot!!" Abbot has definitely embraced Si and Si loves being able to really snuggle with him.