AKC Canine Good Citizen

Pita had a busy summer. Not only did she go to Maine, have her first birthday, and play in fountains, but she also passed two very important tests - her Good Manners class and her AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) class!

The CGC test is the next step for Pita becoming a therapy dog and includes the following 10 mini-tests that her and I (Jenn) do together:

1. Accepting a friendly stranger - In this item, she has to sit still while a stranger says hello to me and passes. (This was difficult for Pita at first.)

2. Sitting politely for petting - Also difficult for Pita because she wanted to stand up.

3. Appearance and grooming - The evaluator touched various parts of Pita to show that she is okay with being moved and touched by a stranger.

4. Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead) - This was almost a fail for Pita because there were new people in the room and I could not use treats, so she was much more interested in all of the distractions, but we did pass!
5. Walking through a crowd - This one we had to do twice because she liked one of the people in the crowd and tried to go say hi. We did it again and she was fine.

6. Sit and down on command and Staying in place - PASS!

7. Coming when called - PASS!

8. Reaction to another dog - PASS!
9. Reaction to distraction - We had to work on this during the training, but she is much better with loud noises now.

10. Supervised separation - Both Alan and I left the room for 3 minutes while Pita was given on a leash to the evaluator. Pita had to be calm while we were gone and not show signs of separation anxiety. PASS!

This was very exciting when she passed and the following Sunday, we went to Spaulding Rehab Hospital where I work for the dog therapy team to evaluate Pita. They loved her playfulness as Pita made a mess in the room with the water bowl. So, one more test (Dog B.O.N.E.S. therapy dog test) to pass and she can go to the hospital with me.

Bad news as of today (November 28) is that the next classes and test aren't until late January or February 2011...we're training in the meantime and Pita is enjoying the cool weather!

Summer 2010

Hello everyone! Here's what you missed in the life of Pita:

Summer - Pita had a great time going to the fountain in Copley Square with us to cool off and play with the kids. Now that it's cold out, they drained the fountain and she doesn't understand why there's no more water...

Pita had her first birthday (July 23) so we threw her a party! Unfortunately, she fell off of the grooming table when she went to the groomers (for the first time), so she had a bruised back and barely moved the entire party. We invited her friends Oscar (Dachsund) and Lizzy (Irish Setter - her best friend!). Lizzy made herself right at home on Pita's bed and chewing her bone and Oscar climbed under everything Pita can't fit under to find leftover food. All of the food was dog and people friendly so the dogs got lots of treats!

The big trip of the summer was to Acadia National Park and Cape Elizabeth in Maine when we got engaged. Pita had a fantastic trip hiking, playing in the ocean, riding in the car, getting to go with us everywhere, sailing on a big boat with other Newfs, and then, of course, pooping in the middle of our proposal...

Newf Water Fun Day

Yesterday, we got out of the city and went to a lake about an hour west of Boston. The Newfoundland Club of New England rented a beach area at the YMCA camp out there and taught us all about water trials and then helped each Newf learn how to swim and simple water trial exercises.
Pita had a blast once she got in the water (they talked for an hour before we got to go in...). We also confirmed that she is definitely a Newf by seeing the habits and physical look of all the other 30 Newfs there.We ended up getting out of the water when Pita was so exhausted that she couldn't keep her butt up and started doggie paddling instead of doing the breast stroke. She whimpered and that's when we knew she was done. She was absolutely exhausted!!!

Family Photo (thanks Mom!)

Bubbles!

Pita's Best Day EVER!

Last weekend was the Zeta Psi reunion weekend and the morning of the formal, they all play softball and then have a BBQ. So, Alan and I walked Pita over to MIT from Boston to go to these events thinking that she would be tired when we got there. Well, a nine-month-old Newf can stay active for a long time apparently because she fetched the homerun ball at the game, then enjoyed rejected ice cubes and (one) hot dog at the BBQ. We also let her off leash to play frisbee "Pita in the middle". I kept dumping water on her because it was so hot that day and she was being so active.

As if hanging out and playing with close to 50 or so 20-somethings wasn't good enough, on our walk home, we let her take a dip in the Charles River to cool off. She loved wading through the shallow water and then we found a place where she could go deeper. Well, she didn't realize there was a step and then a drop into the water and she accidentally swam for the first time. At first she flailed her body and squealed a bit, then she realized that she was floating and paddled herself back out.
So as to help this experience not be a bad one, we took her to another part of the river to see if she would go in still, but it was the same step-and-drop type of situation, so she enjoyed herself on the step until we decided to go home.
Once we got home, she plopped down almost immediately and had herself a good, well-deserved rest while we went to the formal. What a great day!

Why newfs have jowls

When Pita got home from the dog park, she was panting a lot and laid down on the cool tile for a break. I looked over at her and she was breathing like this:




I thought it was funny - therefore the video - and this is how Newfs breathe when they are carrying something in their mouths, especially in water.