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Achive:
Gunny's Journal June - August 2007 "The
Early Days" |
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June 5th started in not
exactly the normal way. "Gunny" was alone. His birth was not
initiated by
the normal hormonal catalyst of a full litter. Mother nature was given a
chance, induced labor was
next and finally it took a C-section to pop him out.........just in time,
too. His color quickly came back,
and he was loud. Finding milk was
pretty easy, too. At one pound four ounces, under the
circumstances
"Gunny" is the biggest and smallest of the litter. 
His AKC handle will be Kwick Draw McGraw with a call name of "Gunny". Gunny
was the nickname
of a grizzled, old Swede who was the stable hand at my
father-in-law's horse farm in the early 60's. He used to work all day
(kind of), and then spend a good portion of the night standing in front of
the barn, looking up at the moon and telling the world off. Of course his
arguments were enhanced by a bit of the brew, but "man" could
he chew people out. I can still hear him rambling on with his finger
pointing to the heavens while staggering around on those old legs. For a
stable worker.....at times he wasn't very stable. What a neat, old character
he was. So Gunny (the "Swede"), if you're up there looking
down, this
pup is for you.
 |
goto: Kwicklabs
(Link)
Too Fast? (Link)
Gunny in the Grass (Link)
The Lesson (Link)
"Gunny's" first few days.
(left click on thumbnails)
two hours after
c-section
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"Just You and Me"
(six hours old)
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"Got Milk?"
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"Between Meals"
(one day old)
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_small.jpg)
"Kwick Nap" |
one week old |
Snoozing
(12 days old) |
Gunny's Bud
(18 days old) |
Remote Sit
(3 weeks old) |
Here Training
(and "soccer Mom") |
"The "Painting"
(3 weeks & 4 days) |
So you want cute?
(6 weeks)
|
Gunny's Journal
June 5 data: pup weight -
12 noon 1 pound 4 ounces
note: biggest pup from other - litter 1 pound 2 ounces
8:00 pm 1 pound 5 ounces
temperature - 1:00 pm 97.0º F
11:15 pm 98.1º F
remains active & nursing at 5 pm, 8 pm (bm at least four times)
Taffey drank good amount of water & aired both ways around 1:00 pm
temperature - 5:00 pm 101.1º F
11:15 pm 100.7º F
not moving around much, attentive to pup (nuzzling, cleaning & keeping close)
aired at 7:00 pm, comfortable and liking being a mom
fed at 9:00 pm, "wolfed" down 2½ cups
Eagle Pack 30/20 with Dinovite
fresh water & aired at 11:15 pm, comfortable
sleep & check every two hours
June 6
easy night, all going quite well, pup very active & Taffey is taking care of him
morning switched floor over to carpet with baby blankets on top, first day way
to
messy (so no carpet, just paper and small sections of baby blankets)
Taffey aired at 7:00 am (back in quickly), 51ºF
outside, whelping room 82ºF &
whelping
box has a suspended heat lamp over one corner
Gunny weight
1:00 pm 1 pound 6 ounces
(+2 oz - one day)
(note: previous litter Dusty pups averaged about +2 oz gain per day)
temperature 1:00 pm 98.4ºF
(didn't like this activity) 
Taffey temperature 1:00 pm
100.8ºF
June 7
Taffey aired at 4:00 am. 7:30 am & Gunny had another good night
Gunny's
weight - 1 pound 10 ounces (+ 6 oz - three days)
started ENS*
= Super "Gunny" Plan
*
Early
Neurological Stimulation - Developing High Achievers - "Super Dog Program" (Link)
June 8 vet appointment at 9:00 am for Gunny - "loose" the dew claws & gain
another bill
good day & Taffey was looking for more attention, took Taffey for a walk
Gunny's weight - 1 pound 13
ounces (+ 9 oz - four days)
temperatures at 8:00 pm = Gunny - 98.4ºF
& Taffey 99.8ºF
June 9
day three of ENS
June 10 Gunny's weight -
2 pounds 7 ounces (+ 19 oz - six days) Whoa, call vet in the morning!
con't ENS
June 11
talked to vet, pretty normal as long as he is eliminating, Dr.'s
comment "What a life!
when he is put on solid food, the weight can be more easily monitored, Gunny is
scooting
around OK, his legs (back and front) are getting up under him and he is sleeping
on his
side. It's just a good thing the floor is level; otherwise he'd just roll into one of
the corners
of the
whelping box.
Gunny's weight - 2 pounds 11 ounces (+ 23 oz - seven days )
Taffey wants more food, but she is looking good = this has all been very easy on
her & she
is in good spirits
June 12
one week old "another day older and growing real fast" (see
picture above), I think Taffey
is starting to get bored (one puppy is too easy)
June 13
Gunny's weight - 3 pounds 4 ounces (+ 32 oz - nine days), during ENS, for
the first time, he
was not squirming during the toe tickle and only made a minor squeal during the
head
down vertical (no big deal today), mostly sleeps on his side, temperatures in
the whelping
room have been easy to regulate & Taffey has remained comfortable.
June 14
Gunny's weight - 3 pounds 9 ounces (10 days old), legs continue to get
stronger
June 15
another good day for the Kwick pup, actually took three-four steps today (up on
all fours),
his paws have turned jet black and Gunny's nose is getting there, too
June 16
Gunny's weight - 4 pounds 2 ounces.....day 10 of ENS
June 17
really hot outside today, took Taffey for a long walk early & cleaned paws off
with baby
wipes, Gunny didn't miss her
June 18
two weeks old, Gunny is up and using all four legs, a bit wobbly.....but walking
with his
tail wagging
June 19
Gunny's weight - 4 pounds 10 ounces.....day 13 of ENS (three more days to
complete)
June 20
eyes open and he can hear, carpet and baby blankets are too slippery
June 21
changed surface of whelping box floor to a deep, shag carpet and added a small,
coarse
textured doormat to get better "footing" for Gunny - much better! He's chasing
fingers &
moving much better
June 22
Gunny has a faux sibling (see pictures), he likes to play and wrestle with her
note: he is walking around now with a little bounce once in awhile
note: last day of ENS
June 23
much more active today and loves the little black "pup"
note: three weeks old Monday (25th)
note: Gunny gets held and talked to several times a day & the black pup "comes
to
life" regularly, Gunny boxes with her, bites ears/paws and follows her motion
June 24
Gunny was outside in the grass for the first time today....two or three minutes
at a time.
He liked it! After a remote sit, he came right to me when I said, "Here".
June 25-29 Gunny is now going outside several times a day,
walking & running in the grass, he
follows me around and will come to me when called (pretty cool how focused he
is),
he can climb over the step off the patio bricks to the brick porch and walk
right into the
house, loves to be held and talked to
note: it just became clear how much a pup changes in a few days at this age, the
pictures four days later are noticeably different
(left click on thumbnails)
"close"
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"lift"
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"almost"
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"made it"
|
3
weeks & 4 days
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June 30 - July 3 Kooly is four weeks
old.....going outside several times a day, he is getting in the
habit of peeing first thing out the door, the low brick porch is no longer an
issue as he has
learned which side is the low end (exits and enters there)
July 4 the
whelping box has been altered by opening it up to the full balcony area with a
tight
fence to keep it safe, this gives him about seven times more room, cleaning
up for one
puppy is a breeze,
Gunny always does his "other thing" on the black grass
mat,
sitting in
this
open area I can "play fight" with him and regulate his biting activity
several times
a
day,
Gunny is hopping around, very playful and seems energized by his enlarged world.
note: he likes the half gallon plastic milk carton "toy"
note: "to self".........Watch out when he's near your toes!
(left click on thumbnails)
new area |
balcony puppy room |
sleeping quarters
|
July 5-8 everything is going fine with Gunny,
outside routines save on inside messes, running
and playing a lot, getting rough with Mom and she is drawing the line with him,
holds
him back or down with a paw and doesn't let him go too far, removed all
carpeting today,
corner of the main one was very shredded this morning (could have been Taffey as
she is
pretty much into destroying any bedding left in a crate, but not taking any
chances)
note: the last four days Gunny has been allowed to stick his head in Taffey's
food,
she is a "scarfer" and yet eating very carefully around Gunny (still kept a
watch
on this)
note: tomorrow Gunny is five weeks old and we start the weaning process = food
three times a day and Taffey kept off him for an increasing number of hours
each day will do this more slowly than if there were a bunch of pups because
I want him to have the companionship (that would be there if he had siblings)
July 9 Gunny had his first dog plate of food today, he's been stealing from
Taffey's bowl for the
last three days, Taffey eats so fast he didn't get much, start to wean at 5
weeks old
(left click on thumbnails)
Gunny's First
"5 weeks old today" |
"Lean Machine" |
July 10-13 - feeding three times a day, Taffey
crated beside him (often & she appreciates it), on
Friday we shot flyers in training so Gunny got his first mallard "flyer" & he is
a strong pup
for not even 6 weeks old yet (5 weeks & 4 days)
note: When the duck hit the ground, Gunny was on it immediately. The scent was
exciting. He pulled breast feathers and shook it like one of his toys.
After
moving it around, he suddenly pounced on it and picked it up for a moment.
Fortunately, I was down on one knee clicking off pictures.
mallard flyer |
"first retrieve" |
July 14 Taffey is no longer nursing Gunny, but she
continues to be crated right beside him a night
each day she is with him less and we do a lot of walking the yard, he's been all
over the
house and climbing up the stairs to the living room where he checks out Kooly
and Daisy,
when we walk outside each time we get in three "heres" and he does well on that|
note: the "heres" are timed so that he is far away and wanting to come back
July 15
today he was up and down the carpeted stairs & outside, I've started the "leg
shuffle walk"
which gently sweeps him away from being underfoot = now he stays out front, off
to the
side and occasionally trails me (but stays away from the moving shoes)
July
16-21 Taffey is now in her own crate at night near Gunny, not nursing and just
keeping him
company, he is sleeping in her crate when she is up in the living room and seems
pretty
well adjusted to becoming just another puppy beginning a bonding period, he
walks up
and down the stairs and spends time in the house exploring, so far no accidents
in the
house, next Wednesday he goes in for the beginning of puppy shots, Saturday
night
starts the "no water after 6:00 pm" routine and feeding is at three times a day
note: at almost seven weeks he closely resembles Daisy
July 22
Gunny took his first "Walk" around the Square Pond DTA - slept really good this
afternoon
(left click on thumbnails)
July 23 another walk around the Square Pond
and went for a short swim with Taffey, he is
spending a lot of time with me in the house and less with Taffey, but the time
with
Taffey is extremely important for his "dog" socialization skills
"The Lesson" (Link to Mom's work)
July 24 Gunny went to the vet's for his first shots and Wellness Exam, fecal
revealed a few
round worms and a possible Giardia screen (sent out for further checks) Gunny
weighed in at 12.5 pounds and is not on the fat side, first day of Pancur wormer, using
that because Kooly had whipworms and
these are
extremely difficult to get out of the
yard area, all the dogs are on Interceptor
which
takes care of whipworms (no issues
with any of the dogs since Kooly's
episode three
years ago) walked around the pond
(staying out of) until test for Giardia comes
in
July 25 second day of Panacur & walked around pond (avoided water)
July 26 last day of Panacur &
the test for Giardia proved to be negative, went on
"The Walk"
again and he is really starting to push out away from me and explore, rides in
one the
"big dog" aluminum Ainley boxes (hops right in and out like it is no big deal) -
he is
beginning to show some character & his biting is under control,
This is a cool seven week old pup!
July 27 today's trip for "The Walk" was the
6th day, and he is seven weeks old. It was in the upper
70's, with some cloud cover and a nice breeze. The humidity was high. Roy was
riding a
larger mower and stopped to talk about the pond. Gunny climbed right up toward
him like
a little monkey and I had to "pick him" off the mower.
We had been walking a circular route and saving the pond for the end of the
walk. He
likes to come back to the pond near the end to get wet and cool off. However,
the mower
was going to pass too closely so we took a little detour and turned up a mowed
erosion strip.
It was about 20-25 yards across with a strip of knee high cover on the edges of the
corn field.
I walked straight up the middle. All of a sudden Gunny comes running across in
front of me
at an angle, jumps into the cover strip and enters a few rows deep into the corn
field. Then
he turns and on mission heads for the other side.
My first reaction was "that was pretty cool....he busted the higher cover and
punched through
into the corn". What happened after that was even better. He kept it up. I never
said a word
and continued walking the middle.
Gunny seemed to be on autopilot and doing a systematic quartering routine that
could only
have been triggered by instincts. He was beginning to pant a little harder so I
simply said.
"Gunny", and the trance-like behavior ended. He sat down. Looking at me it was
as if he
were wondering, "What's been going on?
Gunny was moving in a precise pattern driven by a need to continually check out
each side
of the erosion strip. I'm sure he didn't even know why. Instincts are cool.
note: This afternoon Gunny is sleeping in his crate. Monday crate training
starts 24/7.
He'll be eight weeks old.
July 28 Gunny will not get out for "The Walk" since the older dogs will be at a
hunt test & he has
a "puppy sitter"
July 29 long walk at the Square Pond at dusk, put an Avery ATB teal on a line
(fishing pole),
Gunny waded out and brought it in, several short "outings" in the house, playing
with him
and
working on the puppy biting issues (which are not bad)
July 30 eight weeks old tomorrow, long walk at the Square Pond tonight, played
in the water &
spending the whole day without Taffey, not yapping much any more about being
alone,
sleeping in his crate and doing quiet well, biting becoming less of an issue and
the walking
clear of my feet really well, sitting in the living room tethered to me for a
couple of times
each day
July 31 spent the evening (very hot day) at the Square Pond on another walk,
several sessions in
the house, he has adjusted quite well to being tethered to me and this has aided
in getting
his mouth (biting) under control, kind of understands - kennel up, will
flash sit for him food
and knows "here" is fun
Aug 1 took a trip to the Rock River and Gunny took a brief swim while finding every
piece of rotten
fish
there was, found out goose poop tastes good and learned he can keep cool "stuff"
in his
mouth longer by running faster than me (not good), spending more time in the
crate and
getting outside to do his thing (this is going well with very little vocal
complaining)
The Rock River
|
This is cool!
|
Wait for me.
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"swimming"
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"shell hunter"
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"scent of interest"
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"looking good"
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"the wood pile"
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|
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"up and over" |
"no bark"
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|
Aug 2 quick trip to the Square Pond for a long walk - it was hot, but it didn't
seem to get to him,
"gradual" crate training is going well - never did it this way, but it just
seems to be the
right way to go with a singleton, his personality, attitude and temperament are
wonderful
Aug 3 Gunny went for his regular long Square Pond walk and spends way too much
time finding
"stuff" to put in his mouth and/or carry, likes the van ride in the "big dog"
box and is close
to waiting to go outside, never messes in the crate and will spend tonight alone
for the first
time, doing well in the main house and the crate we have there for him next to
the other
dogs, but he sleeps in the "quiet room" at night (can't hear him when he's
there)
Aug 4 did "The Walk" at the Square Pond - just beat the rain
Aug 5 Square Pond in the evening - hot, Gunny is doing is crate training super
well, spending time
in the pool room at night and in the living room during the day, tethered
sessions are keeping
his mouth under control & he is so easy to play with - neat pup!
Aug 6 another great day at the pond area, ton of rain in the late night
Aug 7 the Square pond is now three feet deeper with a totally different bank and
a knee deep
flow of water into the pond from the normally dry stream bed that feeds it,
Gunny was doing
a lot of swimming tonight & liking it
Aug 8 went to the Square Pond wearing hip boots and Gunny was in swimming today,
the rotting
worms and bugs have him digging and tasting everything, likes to roll in rotten
"stuff" just
like Taffey, his wooly coat gets slick on his body when he is wet and makes him
look smaller
Aug 9 drove to the vet's to get the Home Again microchip, stopped first at the
field trial grounds to
train Daisy and Kooly, Gunny was out of the van several times to "help" me get
the training
set-up prepared, his crate was positioned so that he could see some of what was
going on,
primer pistol shots were not a problem and at time he was just laying in the
crate watching
or sleeping, he was laid back and cool at the vet's, Gunny put out a little
whimper when the
12 gauge needle inserted the micro-chip
note: today was a first.....Gunny lifted a hind leg to "pee"
note: 9 weeks and 2 days old weight is 16.6 pounds
Aug 10-12 more walks at the Square Pond and almost to the full crate training
stage (needs closer
supervision 24/7 - got into some Chlorox and paper towels (had a lot of fun.
made a big mess
and could have eaten a bunch of paper towels)
note: started tossing a paint roller in the hallway - three short retrieves
(twice a day)
Aug 13 at today's walk at the Square Pond gunny was swimming out into the pond
on his own (just
because he wanted to
)
note: full crate training started today and no issues (barking or messes)
note: paint roller retrieves going well (pounces, picks up in the middle and
brings it back)
Aug 14 walk at the Square Pond & tossed out an Avery ATB teal
note: the daily "tethered in the living room" sessions have Gunny leash broke
and he
is now getting a "short dose" of pig ears to satisfy his chewing mania, biting
is no
longer much of an issue, he understands what "no" means, will flash "sit" before
eating or a door is opened and will "heel" (kind of in the vicinity) on a leash
quite pleasantly = Gunny is a happy puppy
note: ten weeks old today - "here" has become a great thing for Gunny
The Seamless "Here" Puppy
Aug 15 trained at BT's with Brian (pro) and Gunny went along for the first time,
with eight people
getting ready to set-up Gunny came out to say "Hello", with little hesitation he
ran around
and greeted everyone, pleasant, not shy and very engaging would describe him the
best,
a duck was thrown on the ground, he went right over to it and started to mouth
it, someone
wanted to pick it up again an toss it, I told them just watch, then he just
picked it up and
ran off with it........big hit and a good "growing day" for Gunny plus he wasn't
as "yappy"
in his crate as I thought he would be, lots of gunshots from training and he is
doing great,
in the evening a short walk at the Square Pond had him startled by a flock
of "flushed"
geese off the grass and then he watched them fly away
Aug 16 played on the living room today (often and on a lead), chewing on a pig
ear, it was easy
to learn that he is possessive........growling when I try to take it
away.....that ends quickly
and the message is clear, his biting is under control now and jumping up is
being "replaced"
with corrections (gentle knee down), the leg and cuff biting is being dealt with
by using
a "swinging leg" to roughly brush him off (this is getting much better, but he
is persistent),
another dusk walk at the Square Pond had Gunny charging into the water to bring
back
a 2" white knobby bumper (the bumper on a string trick works great) and he
swimming
out into deeper water to get it
Aug 17 trained the older dogs at Bong Rec. Area in Wisconsin, Gunny got out to
air in the Gravel
Pond before everyone arrived and afterwards was able to get in a little water
retrieving
(2" white bumper and dragged in a mallard a couple of times)
Aug 18 moved another crate into the living room for him to be with the older
dogs part of the day,
lot of chances to work on the "quiet" command
, still sleeping in the pool room crate at
night, rained at the wrong times today so no time to go for a walk
Aug 19 raining again this morning - not much difference in the forecast for this
afternoon, the lawn
is ready to cut, rake and bale
Aug
20 the Square Pond is out of its banks with water gushing through all five
overflow pipes, using
hip boots Gunny and I crossed the temporary water flow which enters the pond,
since it is
thigh high Gunny is swimming and bumpers thrown on the other side are being
retrieved
back and forty by him, he loves to swim and is driven to retrieve (his mental
make-up seems
to be one of "I gotta' go get that even if I have to swim.") and he is blasting
into the water
note: he intends to taste and carry anything he comes to and wow could he get
into a
keep away mode easily, still conning and avoiding the habit, but it is becoming
a
challenge
tethering him in the house has done wonders
for his biting issues &
he is comfortable on the end of a leash, however, on "The Walks" he is free and
stays in contact (it is a very safe area) - what a pleasant, mischievous and
charming character he is turning out to be
Aug
21 Gunny is 11 weeks old - another walk to the Square Pond and more swimming,
needed
the hip boots to get him to follow
Aug 22 hot and humid (even at dusk) = Gunny is swimming with ease and retrieved
across the inlet
of the Square Pond
"on target" |
Not the stick? |
Is this better? |
Swimming! |
"close-up" |
Aug 23 appointment for his second series of puppy shots & worming (Thursday at
2:00 pm)
note: day off from "The Walk" - Gunny has discovered "Keep Away" way too early
and he is way too fast to do anything about it - so I plan things out very
carefully,
like in coming out of the water or doing more in the hallway at home, he is too
possessive to "buy in" to a trade (bumper for bumper) and just too young to be
hindered by dragging around a check cord.......no rush......lots of other things
to
do.......the Johnny House should be up and ready to release quail in a couple
of weeks
note: the mosquitoes are just unreal in the wooded areas
note: Gunny weighs 20.6 pounds
note: started the second series of the three day treatment of Panacur (wormer)
note: Gunny got his first Interceptor pill today
Aug 24 (morning) long walk at the Square Pond & he spent the night in a
crate in the van = would
not stop barking
Aug 25 went along with the other three dogs to the Island View Retriever
Club AKC hunt test
note: he was very good all day (long trip = 173 miles one way), but he spent
the nigh
sleeping in the van again unrelenting barking
Aug 26 (early morning) long walk at the Square Pond, got back home and then
road along with
older dogs on a morning training session near Kenosha, WI
note: very good on the whole trip - very little "yapping", got in a few
puppy bumpers
note: this evening he slept well in his crate with no barking (either too
tired or finally
figuring out that barking gets him nothing he wants
)
Aug 27 (early morning) long walk at the Square Pond, three short hand thrown
marks with a
2" Avery white bumper, collar and Flexi-lead on (rest of the time running
free), then we
road in the van to run some errands, checked with Brian about the next 2
training days
Aug 28 hot and humid day, went along with the other three on a short
training trip, got to drag
a pheasant around for a short while (first encounter with rooster), rest of
the day off
Aug 29 too many errands to run - dog's day off = Gunny is spending more time
with the older
dogs & right now is growling and mauling his red Kong
note: still pretty "yappy" but showing signs of getting the hints
(especially the one
where spends the night in the van)
note: keep away is still an issue which requires some tricky finesse, he is
one
smart little pup
Aug 30 (morning) Gunny stayed home with Taffey while Daisy & Kooly went
training
(early evening) long walk at the Square Pond
note: Gunny made four retrieves of a 2" Avery white bumper thrown into the
main
pond for the first time (charged in & the longest was about 6-7 yards which
was all swimming water)
note: the bumper had a long black fishing line in case he didn't get it &
Gunny was
wearing a collar with a 6' poly rope (this eliminates the "keep away" issue)
note: he is very possessive with his "prizes" (does not loose interest
in keeping it)
note: when traveling, Gunny goes in and out of his dog box like a "big dog"
Aug 31 (noon) road along with the older dogs for a training session at BT's,
met Katie - she is a
pup that is a month older, Gunny had zero siblings so it was all new to him,
after getting
rolled about five times, he came up snarling and snapping, then it was time
to train
(evening) did a long "Walk" at the Square Pond and the mosquitoes were out
in force,
note: Gunny did 4 water retrieves and charged right in after the bumper
"sitting for mark" |
"puppy power" |
Here I come! |
.jpg)
