by Denise Fenzi | Nov 9, 2013 | Lyra
Today I took Lyra for her first run through in many months. It is rare that I do a “run-through”. To me, that means I have pre-decided which exercises I will do, and mostly I ignore errors. I’m checking to see what needs work. I use no classic...
by Denise Fenzi | Jun 22, 2012 | Musings
Lyra has taken up a new sport. It’s called “Swimming In the Toilet”. It works like this. (Keep in mind there is some conjecture here, since I’ve never actually witnessed this). Lyra takes a bone and sits down for a chew. Then she waits until I’m distracted, at...
by Denise Fenzi | Feb 4, 2012 | Lyra
Playing with a mouthy puppy is different than playing with an adult, and takes a fair amount of trial and error to figure out what works best. I don’t get upset with Lyra for biting when we play; I simply stop moving and wait for her to let go. At this point,...
by Denise Fenzi | Dec 29, 2011 | Lyra
Lyra is the wierdest puppy I’ve ever raised. Certainly she is helping me understand what is meant by a “fear period,” because her ups and downs are much more pronounced than what I’ve seen in my other dogs. In a two week span, she’s gone...
by Denise Fenzi | Nov 12, 2011 | Lyra, Most Viewed Posts, Training Videos - not my dogs
She’s a doggy genius! It took Lyra about a week to grasp the basics of scent discrimination. This video shows the steps I took her through: Take the food out of the tins as soon as possible – two days in Lyra’s case. The reason for the food is to...
by Denise Fenzi | Oct 22, 2011 | Lyra
Today’s post was supposed to include a video of my brilliant puppy. It didn’t turn out quite as planned. For starters, I forgot to do something with the kids. So, predictably, they showed up within a few minutes. Since this is not unusual and I usually...
by Denise Fenzi | Oct 21, 2011 | Lyra
Lyra has reached some important milestones in her training. About three days ago she figured out that she could “work” me. She started climbing on her platform with the intent of getting me to start play. Until then, it appeared she was simply happy...
by Denise Fenzi | Oct 17, 2011 | Lyra
Today I took Lyra for a training session away from home. Surprisingly, she was a bit spooked by the environment, so we ended up spending about ten minutes just walking around and adapting to the soccer field. I had an overwhelming desire to try feeding her; I had to...
by Denise Fenzi | Oct 16, 2011 | Lyra, Most Viewed Posts, Musings
Yesterday I spent the day in San Diego teaching. Lyra was left in the care of my husband for twenty-four hours. I wasn’t worried; he’s really taken to Lyra, and goes out of his way to take her places and to spend time with her. That did not take away from...
by Denise Fenzi | Oct 14, 2011 | Lyra
If you take a conservative approach to raising puppies, you may not wish to read this post. You have been warned. Today Lyra was introduced to the top step of the swimming pool. I placed her on the step and helped her out. She can’t quite climb out on her own...
by Denise Fenzi | Oct 13, 2011 | Uncategorized
Sleep is improving by the hour! I still have to get up every few hours to let her potty, but the screaming is minimal now. Today she visited my son’s school. We went early in the morning, so there were very few kids around. After 10 minutes I took her home....
by Denise Fenzi | Oct 9, 2011 | Lyra
Her registered name will be Sprite-Fanfare’s Lyra. My husband named her. Lyra likes to be held; she licks my face and is cuddly cute. She has a lovely expression. When you call to her she smiles right up at your eyes. She handled the Portland airport as if it were...
by Denise Fenzi | Oct 2, 2011 | Lyra, Musings
Bet I got your attention with that title. Everyone wants the silver bullet; the magic formula for picking “the right one”. First some random thoughts: Figure out what you NEED in a puppy, rather than what you think you want. It’s fine that you want...
