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.

Pita's Favorite TV Show

This morning, we turned on the TV and Animal Rescue was on. Pita started watching the Husky rescue clip and didn't stop! Then, there was an info-mercial with a squeaky dog toy and she liked that too. She whined and looked at us as if to say, "Can I have one?" (Crazy Critters)

Then, another info-merical came on ten minutes later that was an ultrasonic device that deters dog barking. So, inevitably, there were dogs barking, then they turned on the device and the dogs stopped barking...except for Pita. She was still barking at the dogs who were barking previously. (Bark Off)

Anyways, Pita watched the entire 30 minute Animal Rescue show and maybe got a few new toys and devices out of it. ;-)

Bath time!

Pita got her first really good, cleaning deep down bath since...well, ever!



We took her to Bark Place, a store for dogs in the South End one weekend when it was really nice out and gave her a bath.



She did not like getting in the tub, but they provided us with Berry Clean shampoo, Blueberry conditioner, smocks, towels, combs, brushes, warm water, a blowdryer, and they cleaned everything up for us!

Here's Pita getting her bath:

Some fun videos

Pita Schadler - AKA The Destroyer

So, Pita has gotten bored with the house and her toys I suppose, so she has resorted to destroying things that we never thought she would (and some that we knew it was just a matter of time):

~ my glasses...i guess she thought i needed a new style
~ the screen door
~ my Christian book collection...(not sure if she was upset or trying to learn)
~ my headphones (earbuds)
~ Alan's casual shoes (both pair)
~ both of her beds (though we are saving Grandma's!)
~ the corner of the new rug for the kitchen
~ a deck of cards from our games pile
~ her brand spankin new training harness...grr! we were really upset about that one
~ our brochures from the Home Show

I'm sure there's more, but that's that!

Pita's Photoshoot for Examiner

I always try to use my own photos for my Examiner.com articles, so Pita ends up becoming the usual pick for a photo to go with each topic.

Here's some of the pictures from that photoshoot:

Spay Day Results

Pita did very well with her surgery and the staff, since they know her, let her walk around the office a bit before and after surgery so that she was with them. :-)

They not only spayed her, but micro-chipped her and cut her nails. I picked her up an hour ago and she is sleeping away. The walk home was the slowest and calmest I've ever seen her and she was swaying a bit, still groggy from the anesthesia.

Pain meds for the next couple days and no cone yet because she hasn't cared that she has stitches and a bandage around her leg from the IV. I have one for when she wakes up some more.

Spay Day

This morning, Alan dropped off Pita at the vet to be spayed...I'm nervous at work, but I know that they will take good care of her. I read in our initial breed research that Newfs tend to have a hard time with anesthesia for some reason, so that's the main reason for my concern. I will be leaving early from work to pick her up. Let's pray for a good surgery and a healthy recovery!

Happy 6 month birthday!

Pita is officially six months old now and, for her half birthday, she got a two hour walk to and from Boston Common where she found a treasure and carried it all the way back to the house on Boylston. Later in the day, she got a 30 minute walk/jog.

She is 59 pounds now and we started working on ROLL OVER today.

Here's a few picture updates:

Pita's Favorite Things To Do

#1

Chew the bone that Uncle Mike gave her for New Years. She is tearing it apart and loving it!

#2

Lying outside in the 5 degree weather watching birds fly by and listening to the city. Crazy girl!

Pita's New Tricks

We could tell that Pita was starting to get bored of the daily routine so in one day (on the third or fourth try) she learned three new tricks to keep her mind a bit more stimulated throughout the day. She learned HIGH FIVE, SHAKE, and BED.




Pita weighed in at 57 pounds this morning at the vet and we will be scheduling her spay appointment soon.

New Years 2010

For New Years, we went to Cape Cod and hung out with a bunch of friends for a few days. Pita, of course, came and had fun with all the people and the great backyard, but occasionally got overwhelmed by the amount of people.


One of the days we were there, some of us went to the beach with Pita and she had a blast! Personally, I've never seen part of the ocean freeze so it was an exciting experience for us all.



One of the best parts of the trip was the drive because Andy let her stick her head out of the window and enjoy the cold air.



Pita weighed 49.5 pounds last Wednesday and you can tell in this picture that her eyes are starting to droop.






When we got back to Boston, the snow was piled high and Pita loves to romp in the yard and eat snow.