Snoody DuPont

DuPont is... cold sensitive, we'll call it.  It's not his fault, he's just got no natural defense to this bitter cold we experience here in Minnesota.  Sorry you got hauled up to the frozen tundra from your home state of Georgia, buddy.  I heard it's been hoovering between 50-65 degrees in GA lately.  Bet that feels nice...

The snood I ordered from a rescue friend finally arrived last night, so we've been harassing DuPont by taking a gazillion pictures of him in his snood.

Doesn't he look like an academic? He's just missing the horn rim glasses and a pile of books!

He doesn't look so scholarly here, my girlfriend Blanchard said he looked like an old lady.






























I heart you, DuPont.

Shaping: Touch the Ball of Yarn

Last night I tried some shape training with DuPont.  He was first introduced to the clicker during his previous stay here so he's already got a good understanding that 'click' = I did it right, I get food.

One of my favorite games is shape training because you don't necessarily have to go into it with a set goal, you just hang out with your dog, clicker and treats and see what happens.  The first thing I ever did with DuPont that involved the clicker was the Eye Contact Game.  Unfortunately, he now plays the game so well that he will sit in front of me and quietly stare into my eyes every chance he gets, even if we aren't working.  This made our start to shaping a little more difficult because I needed him to move around in order to capture something!

Eventually he got bored with staring at me and started sniffing around, which sparked the idea for the ball of yarn in the carafe. 

My original video was 6+ minutes long, however my phone and YouTube are fighting today so I had to cut it down to less than a minute for a quick upload.  But you can get a general idea of what we are doing here.


It was a lot of fun once he got into it. I could actually see him thinking about what was happening. "So you're telling me that if I touch this ball with my nose, you're going to give me food for it? Alright, then!"

What has been most interesting to me (and quite a relief) is that while he can get really high up on the energy, crazy scale, he calms down very nicely and when it comes to actually working, he's been eager to learn. He takes treats very nicely, a far cry from the shark he is when a toy is running away from him. In the video I'm tossing treats out, but this is only because to ensure his understanding I need to move him away from the target so he has the opportunity to go back and demonstrate that understanding.

I've done a few sessions with him since he's been back and I haven't seen any of that discomfort I'd talked about, but we haven't worked on the down yet and that seemed to always set it off. It might end up being something that needs to be shaped instead. He's such a fun guy to work with though! I hope that whomever ends up adopting him enjoys this sort of thing. It's great for DuPont to have this calm brain time and it's actually a lot of fun.

That's all for now. Once I think of a better way to shoot longer videos, I'll have more to share!

Weird

And kind of a dufus.

Training Differences

I've been posting a lot of fun stuff about DuPont, but the purpose of this blog originally was to show potential adopters the bare naked truth about DuPont.  He is who he is and when that right family comes along, they will be getting one fun, bad ass. beautiful, entertaining companion. 
But they will have to understand him first, and that is why this blog exists. 

Like the first time I brought him home, we gave DuPont a couple of days to settle before attempting any sort of real training.  Now that he's no longer sleeping constantly, it's probably safe to assume that he's ready to work. 

I've had several obstacles to overcome in regards to training DuPont. 

1) Finding a suitable reward. 
I love clicker training.  Shape/Lure training is my favorite because it's positive and it's fun and it requires the dog to use his underutilized brain.  Nine times out of ten, I can use food rewards and get great results because let's face it, how many dogs do you know that don't want food?  My own dogs will work for their everyday dog food kibble.  If we're working on something particularly difficult, I will step it up a notch and add chopped up Natural Balance rolls. 
DuPont doesn't go crazy for food though and that's been a little discouraging for me. 

2) Reading DuPont.
DuPont, who is exuberant by nature in everything he does, goes very calm and quiet when we work with food and I still haven't figured out if it's because he's just using his brain and needs to be quiet to do so, or if it's because he's remembering some past trauma that is causing him to shut down a little bit.  I recall one time when we were working on a 'down' (lay down) when I would gesture with my hand, he would get incredibly uncomfortable.  My gesture was simply a flat hand, thumb tucked under my palm holding the clicker, and then motioning towards the floor.  This gesture would cause DuPont to move around me and his body language suggested that he was not comfortable with what I was doing.  But on the flip side, when I changed it so that I gestured with a fist full of treats, he would remain in front of me and work.  Is the clicker bothering him?  I don't think so because he's fine with the sound and it's presence when I hold it in the other hand.  Why does a flat hand bother him but a closed fist doesn't?

Even before noticing his training discomforts, hubby and I both came to the conclusion that he's been mishandled at some point in his life.  DuPont has been known to shut down if there is any yelling or arguing going on.  (Check out my post 'Mister Sensitivity')  He doesn't seem to have any aversions to men vs women.  My husband is nearly six and a half feet tall and built like a freight train with a very deep voice and DuPont never flinched.  In fact when I brought him back home Saturday, Josh was sitting in his recliner and DuPont jumped on him and tried bathing his face. 
I can understand why angry yelling would trigger that anxiety, but a flat hand pointed at the floor is a new one for me.  I'll try to capture that on video for you. I don't want to purposely push his buttons to make him shut down, but at the same time I feel it's important to figure out what's bothering him because as we progress in training, I cant avoid the trigger if I don't know what it is and I don't want him to begin associating what should be fun and educational as something that is going to make him uncomfortable. 

3) Toys
Parallel with #1, DuPont is crazy for toys, and I believe toys could make for a great reward. He especially loves toys that he can play tug with.  His absolute favorite game in the whole wide world is tug.  Tug with me, tug with my hubby, tug with the other dogs.  He doesn't give a rip who is at the other end, as long as they are tugging. 
The only issue with this is that DuPont is one grabby mo-fo.  If you manage to get his toy from him, you better be lightning quick or you will get chomped on, because he reacts so quickly that his only single goal is to get his mouth back on his toy.  If your hand is in the way, well, you should have moved faster.  This can't continue.  We had a pretty good start before, but in the month that he's been away, nobody did anything with him apparently so he's back to being an obnoxious, mouthy puppy.  Um, a 60lb mouthy puppy.

This is a major turn off for most people.  Nobody wants to get bit and even though his intention is not to cause you harm, it hurts the same and could eventually get DuPont into some serious trouble. 

Using toys to reward Pont is where I would like to be.  But this won't happen unless I can convince DuPont to stop being so impulsive.  When there are toys present, he doesn't use his brain.  My Aussie girl is the same way.  She loses all sense of body awareness when there is a toy in my hand.  But DuPont takes it a step further and launches his hulking body, teeth first, towards it to try and get it. 

So, I guess that's where we'll start!  As always, I'll attempt to get it at least photographed, if not videotaped. I can yap all I want but I'm sure some of you would prefer to see it in action. 

Stay tuned!

SnowPont

Over the weekend, we finally began getting some accumulating snow around here.  Delightful for me, I love the snow!  Maybe not as delightful for DuPont, as he really doesn't have any fur, at least nothing that's going to keep him warm. 

I ordered a fleece 'Snood' for him (more on that some other time) and inquired with my hairless dog friends where I could get a decent coat for him.  I had a passing though about something for his feet, but assumed that he was manly enough to handle some snow on his tootsies. 

My assumption was incorrect. 

Yesterday I bundled him up in an old sweatshirt that was too small for me and tied it around his waist with a leash, and tried going for a short walk.  Cold or not, buddy, you have to go outside.

After appx 14.8 seconds in the snow, DuPont began walking around like Chihuahua Ice Queen.  His feet won't tolerate the snow after all.  So much for my manly man. 

Booties it is!

I promise, I will do my best to get video of his first bootie experience.  But if he reacts the way I think he will, I'll need one hand on his leash and one hand on my treats and one hand on my clicker.  I'll have to try and grow another hand to shoot some video.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with this shot of mooshy adorableness. 

DuPont Dreams

I wonder what he's chasing...

*Snore*

What Are You About?

Seriously, dude...

DLST

Daylight Savings Time?  I hate it.  It serves no purpose other than to eff up my schedule and mess with my routine.

Part of my routine was to run with DuPont most evenings after work.  Well, now it's pitch black outside by the time I get home, get the dogs pottied, and get myself and The Pont geared up to go out.  (You don't mind listening while I wallow in my own self pity, do you?)

I'm hardly a morning person, so getting up an hour early so I can get a run in is just not going to happen. I am blessed in the fact that DuPont and my dogs can play with each other and burn some of that excess energy, but that isn't going to work for much longer.  I will think of something...

I haven't got much new material here for the blog this past week.  I've been participating in 2013's 'NaBloPoMo' and that's keeping me busy!  DuPont has been helping me sort through my yarn stash.  Last night he watched the CMA's with us and cocked his head at some unfortunate high notes.  Heehee.  What a character he is.

I was so wishing I'd had a video camera handy the other night.  The hubby had already gone to bed so I was watching TV and folding clothes by myself.  I started randomly talking to DuPont because he was sitting right at my feet.  I spoke softly and his reaction was just so... sincere.  His ears perked up and his forehead wrinkled and he would very subtly tilt his head like he was truly trying to understand every word I was saying.  He's so expressive.  I wish that everybody else could see these awesome moments that can be experienced with this red dog. 

Ugh.  I love my red dog. 

Crowding The Pont

Recently, I got a wild hair and removed everything from my bedroom closet and threw it in the living room.  (That made for a happy husband. Not)  Every sitting spot in the room was piled in mountains of clothes that I needed to go through. 

This didn't sit well with The Pont.  He requires a place to sit, after all.  Many attempts were made on his part to squeeze himself into a spot.

He was happy to take my spot the second I vacated it. But I think he felt guilty so he tried leaving a space for me.

Yeah, I'm not going to fit there, DuPont. You're going to have to move.

So he'd take my hubby's spot...

Only to be booted two minutes later.

Life is tough for a foster dog. Especially one that has no place to sit!

Happy Howl-o-ween!

DuPont would like to wish everybody a safe and happy Howl-o-ween!!!

The Pont and I had not run in a couple of days so by last night, it was time to go pound some pavement together.  Unfortunately, it was dark and misty and cloudy all day and it didn't really look all that appealing, but if I was going to get any snuggle time on the couch with DuPont then we would have to brave it.

So in the spirit of Halloween, and for the function of running in the rain, I present to you...




What an adorable monster he can be.

Be safe if you are hitting the streets tonight!  And remember to keep your pets out of harm's way!

The Nose Knows

And this nose knows there is bacon...

Helpin Me Out

When I picked DuPont up after returning from my honeymoon a couple of weeks ago, the rescue peeps pointed out a bump behind his ear that had developed recently.  I was asked to keep an eye on it.  Over the next week and a half, it got subtly larger and he was scratching at it more and making it bleed. 

A vet appt was made for the 26th and the bump was diagnosed as a histiocytoma, also known as a skin tumor.  It's a benign thing, and we were instructed to treat it for a month and either it would go away on it's own, or it would need to eventually be removed.

So, keep your paws crossed that it will go away by itself, as I'd rather not have the guy put under for surgery if we don't need to!

DuPont returned yesterday, hyper as ever, which is normal after he returns from the rescue.  I took him for a brief walk to get his yaya's out, then we settled down to work on the blog.

He's a good supervisor when it comes to computer work.

Makin' sure I cross my t's and dot my i's!

Squinty Cooking Partner

One of the basic household manners/obedience things I've been working on with DuPont is threshold awareness.  I, like many other dog owners, do not appreciate dogs coming into certain areas of the house when I don't want them there, like the kitchen or my bedroom.  Other times it might apply to putting them behind a threshold briefly so that I can vacuum or adjust a rug or something like that. 

Gates or barriers are not always available to me.  When I put my dogs behind a threshold, invisible or not, I expect them to stay there until I release them.  It's an important basic outside world behavior to have.  A great example?  I'm out for a walk with the dog on the sidewalk and my shoe lace has come undone.  I need to tie it.  There are other walkers, maybe bikes and rollerblades going by.  The safest place for my dog to sit is in the grass, off the sidewalk.  Where the grass meets the concrete is my threshold. 

You understanding what I'm saying?

With DuPont this is easier said than done.  He's not used to making the decision, he's more accustomed to physical barriers such as gates or crates that make the decision for him.  Asking him to sit behind a threshold and it's 'invisible gate' is difficult for him.  He will acknowledge what has been asked of him, but doesn't see why he can't put a paw or two over that line just to inch a little closer.  He's a very curious dog and as mentioned before, he always has to be all up in my biz.  What better way to do so than to get closer?

The other night I was cooking dinner.  When I am in the kitchen, furry beings should not be in the kitchen.  It was a great opportunity to also work on threshold awareness with DuPont.  We went through the usual paces, putting him back behind it when he crossed it, telling him 'out', etc.

I'd turned to work at the sink for a few minutes.  When I looked back to check DuPont's progress, he'd inched over the line and was standing there just watching me.  He really is a great cooking partner.  He would rather sit and watch me cook than play with the other dogs most days. 

As I was about to snap my fingers, point and tell him to get out, he plopped down and gave a big sigh and continued to watch me.

*shoulder slump* 
I can't scold a dog when they puppy-eye me. I can't do it. So grabbed my camera off the counter and snapped a quick pic instead.   How am I supposed to be the trainer if he keeps squinting at me?

This isn't really fair.  Not fair at all. 

The Odd Barker

I love the holidays.  October/November/December are some of my favorite months.  I love the smells and the weather and the leaves turning and the snow, and I love the decorating.  So naturally, like any decorator person, I have this scarecrow thing that I put out front. It's been up for several weeks now.

I've talked about DuPont's bark before.  It's odd.  He's not much of a window watcher, so I guess that would explain why he hadn't noticed it before now.  But it was windy yesterday and boy did that blowing scarecrow give The Pont a complex!

Legs

I've been sick much of the week.  A fun cold/sinus type of thing that makes it difficult to sleep or breathe or function, really.  Just booting up the laptop to do today's blog post is making my head ache.  I'll make it quick.

DuPont is the kind of dog who you would think would just be a real PIA for a person who is under the weather.  Like I told some folks yesterday: Just brushing my teeth exhausts me!  I'm home from work today so as not to continue passing my disease unto others.  I was only mildly dreading a day at home with the wild child that is DuPont.  But when I sat down with my coffee and my blankie and the boring morning news to try and rest, DuPont jumped up next to me and has remained there since.  I haven't gotten up and neither has he!

This has been my view.

He's so pretty.

Anyways, DuPont shifts his sleeping position every twenty minutes or so.  He's been sleeping in some interesting positions, and ever the photographer, my trusty camera is always on hand to capture them.

Some are adorable, some make my back hurt. Some are just down right odd.

Like this one.

His legs are, like, woven.  Like a basket.

He's such a good dog.  Maybe he can sense how I am feeling or something.  He's being very sweet today and just hanging out nearby.  That's fine, because I need another nap.  Ugh.  Sick sucks.

But if this is going to be my view all day, I think I'll get through it.

My Bud is Back

It's good to have my bud back.

Frankie is happy to have her boyfriend back.

The older two of my pack like to go to higher ground when they have had enough of DuPont. Which took appx ten minutes. But then again, these two spend most of their time exactly like this whether DuPont is here or not.

As I was uploading that last photo, little Maggie chased DuPont up onto the couch next to me and now she is sitting right in front of the couch staring at him so he can't move. DuPont may be strong enough to bully his way around, but Maggie is still the ruler of the pack, and Red knows it!

Kirby's response to DuPont's return was 'Oh. Good.' In those exact words. (yes, my Aussie talks)
The cat's was to puke on my rug.

 Ahh. My world is once again as it should be.

 Welcome back, DuPont.

Couch Play

Just playing on the couch with The Pont. 

Patience

Patience is a Virtue

DuPont sits and waits patiently for me to get my butt into gear so we can put some miles on.

What a good man he can be.

Be Right Back!

I have been on my honeymoon for the past week so DuPont has been hanging with the rescue while I am gone.  Dynamic DuPont will resume posts within 48 hours, so be sure to check back for more red dog adventures!!!

Emily & DuPont

Blow

DuPont was irritating me the other night.  I wasn't really in a training mood, and I didn't take him for his run because I'm lazy.

He's really turned into a great snuggling buddy on the couch.  He leans his hulking body against my leg and just hangs out while I watch TV, read my book or work on the laptop.  But he's like one of those children who can sit still for a while and be all angelic, then suddenly he's had enough of behaving and begins nibbling on your bracelet or pant leg.  Then when you nudge him away, he goes into full on 'I'm Booooooored!' tantrum mode and starts the mouthing game. 

I've tried a number of tactics to put a halt to his mouthing. 
1) Putting my hand over his snout and pushing his droopy lips over his teeth so he bites himself instead.
2) Holding his muzzle closed and telling him 'No Bite'.
3) Yelling
4) Standing up abruptly and crossing my arms
5) Slapping at his nose

All of these methods have only egged him on to chew on me harder.  That shit hurts, and I want it to stop.  So I did what any mature adult would do.  I scowled and I pouted and I started blowing on his face.

OH!  It worked!  Not only does he stop chewing on my hands, he vacates the couch entirely. 

So if you end up adopting The Pont and he's pissing you off, just do what I do.  Blow.

Stop It

On a completely separate note:  Did any of you ever see 'Never Ending Story'? 

Doesn't he kind of remind you of Falkor?

Mister Sensitivity

He made it loud and clear last night.  He's a sensitive creature, is our DuPont.

DuPont enjoys rough horseplay with other dogs.  This includes, but is not limited to, grabbing the nearest dog's scruff in his mouth and playing tug with it.  Some dogs enjoy it, some do not. 

Since DuPont's arrival, I've been less than attentive to my own dogs, so for the past few days I've been putting some extra time into one on one play with them, games of Frisbee, tug, ball, etc.  Once the sun sets though, it's difficult to continue outdoors, so we have to bring it into the living room.  Well, I threw the Frisbee and when DuPont saw my Aussie move, he dove and grabbed her by the scruff in his usual fashion.  I hollared my usual 'DuPont! No!' to no avail. My mood was less than stellar last night, (capped by arriving home from work with two arms full of groceries and discovering that I had to beat the hubby's new sprinkler in flip flops that turn wet concrete into an ice skating rink), so I freaked out a bit watching my poor little Aussie get DuPont induced whip lash... Again.

I stood up, stomped my foot, balled my fists, clenched my teeth and YELLED at DuPont.  (Think of the Acme cartoon characters when somebody gets their sandwich stolen for the eighth time...steam starts rolling out from their ears, faces turn bright red, glowing eyes burning into their opponent)

Normally when I yell, nobody listens to me. Especially DuPont.   Oh, I yell a lot by the way... I'm a yeller. I am always raising my voice at my dogs. I swear they don't hear me otherwise.
I think the lack of reaction maybe comes from the fact that even though I'm yelling, they can tell I'm barely half serious because I continue doing whatever it is I'm doing. But this time, my body language must have sent a more serious message than my voice did, because everybody froze, and DuPont hit the deck. 

I shook my head and huffed out a breath, and walked to the kitchen to calm myself.  As I moved by him, DuPont averted his eyes and stayed on the floor.

Shit.  I broke DuPont.

So now on top of everything else, the guilt begins to swarm through me.  I get on the floor and start baby talking at DuPont.  His tail wags a little and he gets up to come say hi.  I walked back to the couch and invited him up with me, and for the next hour, DuPont is a mooshy body of wrinkles who refuses to allow me to stop petting him.

DuPont does not like people being mad at him. He'll blow off the half assed stuff, but is incredibly sensitive to real, true scolding.

The moral of the story? Don't yell at DuPont. Unless you have time to spend the next hour apologizing to him for it. He milked that for all it was worth.





























I knew he was better when he decided to go face to face with our house-dragon.

Ready for a Hammer Race

DuPont came into my life at kind of a perfect time.  I'm training for this mud run/race type of deal and it's on Saturday.  Like, this coming Saturday.  Yuck.

It's five miles long and there are twenty obstacles that I need to conquer throughout, including two river crossings, and all the while I will be toting 'Rhino', my 9lb sledge hammer.  Hence the name of the race: Hammer Race.

Having DuPont around has forced me to go out and run almost daily.  It's safe to say that I feel like a bit of a bad ass hoofin it down a country road while the sun is setting, Rhino in one hand and DuPont's leash in the other!

My training partner

For as asinine as this guy can be on a leash, he really is a damn good running/walking buddy.

Oh, and since I'm supposed to be informing you, let me take a moment to explain his head gear.
DuPont is wearing a head collar. Specifically, a Halti.  There are a few different styles/brands of head collars (ie: Gentle Leader, etc)  I prefer the Halti myself because I feel like it offers better control should the dog get the gear off.

With a puller like DuPont, I pair the Halti with a 26" chain collar (choke chain).  The chain collar never actually tightens around his neck though. 

The way a head collar works is by clipping it to the dog's regular collar where you clip the leash.  Then you clip the leash as normal and when the dog pulls, some of their power is taken away because the Halti will pull their nose around towards you.  With most dogs this is enough.  But, DuPont is not most dogs.  There is still pressure that he can put into his collar and he hardly acknowledges the head collar, so it's moot.

That's why I add a long chain collar to it so that all of DuPont's pulling momentum is put into the Halti, preventing him from getting any pulling power. It just pulls his head around.  This makes for a much more pleasant road experience with The Pont.

Happy Trails!

Chillin'

I have an itty bitty confession to make. 

I let DuPont up on the couch with me.  And no, that's not the confession.  The confession is, the reason that I originally began allowing it is because if he was up on the couch with me, that meant he wasn't somewhere else wreaking havoc. 

The first few days that DuPont was here, he was a tornado.  He tore around the house, pecked at every being within the house (furry or human) until they would interact with him.  I ran him every single day those first four days and it only vaguely wore him down. 

The only problem with him being on the couch with me is that he would start packing at me!  Trying to grab at my hands, trying to crawl into my lap (he's way too heavy to be a lap dog, it just hurts), licking at my face and my arms and my hands, chewing on the survival bracelet I always wear, etc.  It was annoying.  Really, really annoying.  Oh, and when he was really hyped up, he would drool a little.  So I had to spread that awesome purple blanket over the couch that you see in some photos.

Over the weekend I cleaned house and folded the purple blanket.  DuPont wasn't having to come sit next to me as frequently so I put the blanket up. 

Last night, the next season of 'The Voice' premiered and it's admittedly one of my favorite shows.  And I like it quiet and calm when I watch it because a person just can't get all the way into a show if there is a red tornado flying around the house.  I had taken DuPont out for our daily run right after I'd gotten home from work and within about 10 minutes of returning home, he wasn't even panting anymore.  (I was still panting, he could at least have stuck his tongue out just to humor me) 

So imagine my surprise when I settle onto the couch to watch my show and DuPont politely climbs up next to me, circles and plops down with his shoulder leaning against me.  He's not chewing on me, he's not licking me, he's not trying to steal the remote... He's just... chillin'. 

Chillin' like a villain

The Blue Dog Tells A Story

Frankie is one of my rescued Australian Shepherds. She's beautiful. She's the boss wench, queen bee, ruler of all beings who live within our home.  We are of one mind.  She's my soul mate dog.

Frankie is a quick study and quicker judge of character, so when I bring a new foster dog into the house, I often look to Frankie to help me out with breaking down what that dog needs.  For the first five days his stay, I had a pretty good idea about DuPont already, and Frankie confirmed it for me with impressive regularity. 

By the end of the fifth day, I had thought that I could sense a change in DuPont, but Frankie did not agree with me yet and I was stumped. Then it happened, the turning of a corner, and I managed to catch it on video.

To the average person, this is just a crappy night time cell phone video of two dogs playing tug.  But to a dog person who is in tune with her dog, it's incredibly telling. This is when Frankie told me that DuPont was going to be okay here. 



In the less than 48 hours since this occurred, DuPont has made some tremendous strides. It's like I've suddenly got a different dog. Oh, the old DuPont pokes his head out now and again, but for the most part, things have gotten so much simpler!

I Don't Know, You Tell Me

Being that DuPont thrives on activity, we have had (and taken) several socialization opportunities since he came home with me.  When we're on the road we often pass by a human or two, and sometimes they even have a dog with them.  These are great opportunities to teach DuPont that strange dogs and people don't mean that he needs to bark or pull me towards them.  It also makes him more accepting of stranger beings approaching him. 

I simply ask them if they would be willing to meet DuPont by asking him to sit and when he does, to let him sniff and then pet him on the head if his reaction is comfortable.  It's a good exercise for him.

DuPont's first night w/ us

But anyways, this isn't the topic of today's post.  While I am out with him, I have been asked several times what he is.  Well, I don't really know.  His paperwork has him as a Lab mix.  I only really see Lab in his head and face, and only when I'm really looking for it.  My own theory was Vizsla mix.  A gentleman during last night's outing mentioned Rhodesian Ridgeback mix.  Huh. 

I Google'd them when I got home and I guess there is a bit of a resemblance, if you discount the darkened muzzle of the Rhoddies.  And he does have a ridge line running along his spine.  Interesting. 

His tail curls up over his back when it's not wagging and banging on things.  Sometimes it looks like a Vizsla's natural tail.  It's definitely not a Labrador's tail.  Neither is his body type.  The first time I met DuPont, I briefly thought Lab/Pitbull mix, but he lacks just about any quality that might suggest that.  When I do let him roam freely (not in a heel position) on walks, his nose never leaves the ground, and if a bird or squirrel rustles the brush in the ditch, his reaction is to freeze, which would indicate some sort of pointing instincts possibly. 

DuPont is not a purebred anything, of that I am certain.  But what he is mixed up with is beyond me.  So what is he?  I don't know, you tell me.

**feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section**

Your Daily Dose of Dufus

Snooping around the yard after his daily run

Training Begins

DuPont's party ended last night.  Meaning, the time for all fun and no work is over.  Done.  Time to be a dog, DuPont.
There are a number of things that need work, but we began with basics. 

Impulse Control
DuPont is in a hurry.  All.  The.  Time. Everything he wants to do, he's got to do it right now.  I can't tolerate door rushing, mowing over dogs and humans, stepping on my feet and breaking things to get where you want to go quicker. Not only is it annoying, but it's dangerous.  So after our run last night, before heading back inside, we worked on some impulse control.  The object of the game is to make DuPont realize that sitting patiently makes the door open, thus allowing him to go where he wants to go. 

We stood in front of the door and I put my hand on the knob. Immediately DuPont shoved his nose where the door would open.  I took my hand off the knob and asked for a sit, which he did.  I put my hand back on the knob and DuPont broke his sit and attempted to push the door open.  Repeat appx 15x.
Eventually, we were able to get the door to actually open.  When it did, he broke the sit and tried to go through, but the door was shut in his face.  Start over.  Repeat.

I'm not the most patient person in the world.  But thanks to being surrounded by calm positive dog trainers for the last few years, I've learned that success with these types of exercises only comes if you put aside any plans and dedicate yourself completely to accomplishing the goal, and in this case it was to get the door opened while DuPont maintained a sit.

Fifteen minutes later, I opened the door and even took a step through it while DuPont kept his butt planted on the ground!  It's a big deal, so he got big praise.

The Eye Contact Game
This is actually a favorite of mine.  It's so basic and so simple, and the benefits long term are great.  Plus, you can do it anywhere.  Sitting on the couch, outside on a walk to distract, in the pet store when you need calm, etc. 

I grabbed my bait bag full of treats and stood in the middle of the living room.  DuPont, who always needs to be all up in my biz, predictably came over to investigate.  I gave him a couple of treats so he knew I had stuff that he wanted.  I put treats in each hand and hold them out on each side of my body.  A dog's natural response is to look at either hand, because it's holding what he wants to get.  Sometimes they will jump or stand and lick/chew on your hand to get what they are after.  What I wanted from him was eye contact.  It's a huge feat for many dogs because they are having to make the decision to take their attention away from the source of the food and give it to you.  The dog has to make the decision, and when they do,  it's 'YES!' and he's given a treat.  DuPont figured out the game within about 3 tries, so I moved around the room, sat down on the couch, etc to make it more difficult.  He's a smarty pants.

DuPont playing the Eye Contact Game

This game, over time, will have great effects on a dog like DuPont.  He's always moving around and it's not always easy to get his attention verbally.  He loves to play and wrestle with my dogs, but he usually wants to keep playing long after my own dogs are exhausted.  Often I will need to intervene and try to redirect him elsewhere.  The first two evenings here, I could be hollering, stomping or clapping my hands and he barely gave me a passing glance.  He wanted to keep playing!  After five minutes of the eye contact game, it was already noticeably easier to gain his attention off another dog. He wanted to make eye contact with me and see if there was an opportunity to work for more food. There wasn't always food to be had, but I kept my bait bag close and paid him at random to keep him guessing, and to keep him wanting to come back.

Paying Good Behavior
As mentioned earlier, DuPont is always on the move.  It's an incredible wave of relief that I feel every time I witness him laying down and doing nothing. (Which is happening more and more the longer he's here, thank God)  Any time DuPont sits calmly next to me, or lays down under the coffee table to relax, we pay him for it.  We do not get excited or loud about it.  Josh or I just calmly take a treat from the bag, reach forward with a soft 'Yes' and give him something good.  Becoming excited or moving quickly will only break DuPont's calm and that's not what we are after.  We want him to remain calm and continue laying down quietly, that's why we are paying him for it.  Eventually, he'll say 'Man, when I lay right here and keep my mouth shut, yummy stuff randomly falls from the sky!' 

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Overall, I was actually very impressed with how quickly DuPont responded to everything I set in front of him.  He's really very smart and he really tries to do what I ask him to do. 

It's important to note that I did not attempt to do any real training with DuPont until after I had taken him out for a run first.  His mind would have been way too distracted to try this stuff this soon out of the gate.  The run is a training session in itself because there are things to work on there as well, but it, combined with the mental challenges he faced while training, made for a pretty well worn out dog by the time we called it a night. 

There is hope for you yet, boy-o.

DuPont's Story

DuPont was already with TRC when I began volunteering with them.  The first time I met him was on my first trip over to photograph the rescue's current dogs.

Based on what I've been told and the paperwork I have in my hand, Dupont was picked up as a stray dog by Animal Control sometime in March.  He was in the shelter for a period of at least a month and eventually, that's how TRC found him.  He made the long journey from Georgia to Minnesota in late April thanks to a volunteer rescue transport.

Upon meeting him for the first time in June, my first and only thought was that this dog needs to run.  My second was that he was beautiful, so I aimed my camera and shot.  Of 100 or so photos, two were of use to the rescue.  Why?  Because DuPont never stopped running.  Back and forth and around and around.  Wrestling with the dogs, grabbing toys and tossing them up in the air, and running. 

This was the best photo I got of DuPont that day.

My second encounter with DuPont was again for photographic purposes. This time I was better prepared and with the help of other volunteers, we got some nice shots!

It was during an August adoption event that I saw DuPont the next time. He was more agitated than I'd remembered and seemed stressed out. The rescue had taken on a couple of newer dogs who were taking up a lot more time so DuPont was not getting out to run as much as he needed to. 

Fast forward. I picked up DuPont two days ago to foster in my home with my hubby and my own pack of yahoos. Which after less than 48 hours with him, I quickly realized I would need this journal not only for your sake, but for mine.

The first couple of evenings, we let DuPont get to know his new roomies and acclimate to things. Tonight, he begins real training. I ask that you please cross your paws and say a prayer for me, because this is not going to be simple. But lucky you, you have a front row seat to this entertaining disaster!

Why a Blog for a Dog?

Let me first explain my reasoning behind creating a blog just for the likes of DuPont.

DuPont is a lot of things.  He's a dog who is going to give somebody a ton of fun and joy for the duration of his lifetime.  He's incredibly charming and he's a show stopper in the looks department. 
At appx 55lbs, give or take a few, he is not a real large dog physically.  DuPont is housebroken, he's magnificent in his crate and doesn't mind hanging out there overmuch.  He's great with other dogs, and while he chases my cat, he displays behavior that can only be translated into 'Oh shit!' when the cat turns around and takes a swipe at him. He's also great with kids, though he doesn't understand personal space so really small children probably aren't a good idea just because DuPont will step on them. Like, literally step on them.

If I am ticked off at DuPont and not allowing him on the couch with me, he will sit down on my foot and lean against my leg, effectively melting my heart into a puddle. Then he will turn his head and look at me like he's never met a woman as beautiful as myself, which of course makes me want to smooch on him, so I allow him back onto the couch for a snuggle. 

He sounds like just the perfect, ready-made dog right?  Wrong.  Very, very wrong.  DuPont is incredibly awesome, let me make that clear.  However, he is going to walk all over anybody who comes in here thinking that they won't have to put much effort into owning DuPont.

So.  In a very real effort to ensure that DuPont finds his soul mate in the person or family who adopts him, I have created this blog, and I'm sincerely hoping that anybody who is seriously considering DuPont as an adoption candidate will read it in full.  The plan is to post photos and videos of DuPont, as well as all of the good and the bad.  There is definitely way more good than there is bad, I promise.

If you have thought about submitting an adoption application for DuPont and this blog deters you from adopting him, then good.  It means that it probably wasn't meant to be.  But if you read this and you begin to fall in love with this obnoxious redhead, then he may just be the dog for you.

So let me begin with...  Have you ever seen the movie "Marley & Me"?   :o)