Wordless Wednesday

 

Watch fall morph into winter on an animal path

As an arctic storm is hitting us, it's fun to look back at this fall during the phase when the world was going to sleep at the end of fall. The scene was an animal trail that includes trees that bears scent mark. A variety of wildlife passed the spot - including a bear or two! The bears are most certainly asleep now. In contrast, the snowshoe hare who appeared partially white on 10/2 is probably still active in that very same spot. What an amazing small animal!

Check out the video. It's short, and it reminds me that winter will soon start to give away to spring because the seasons change fast!

The Hachi Chronicle

 Hachi has continued on his generally good trajectory. Our work with his trainer has been going super well. We start out each session with a short walk on our driveway. She walks ahead with Hachi on a leash behind her. She drops treats for Hachi as she walks. Last week, she began letting him take treats from her hand as he walked behind her. That was a big step!

After a short walk outside, we move inside our house to our living room where the trainer can toss treats to Hachi in what's called a "treat-retreat" pattern. She tosses a few treats either to him or between her and him. Then, she tosses one behind him to let him de-stress by going further away from her.

Partway through, the Runner and I do a vet exam on Hachi using the "bucket game". After a few weeks of this, Hachi is able to completely focus on the game rather than keeping an eye on the trainer. We've gradually moved the game closer to the trainer. Last week, we were only about 6' from her while we played it. Our goal is that the trainer will eventually participate in the game, either as the treat-giver or, ideally, as the person doing the exam. That will simulate a vet eventually giving Hachi an exam.

His work at the vet's office is going well. He is getting more and more relaxed while walking all around the outside of the clinic. He can let it go quickly after a person with a dog goes by him. He does all of our "vet training" with a muzzle on to prepare him for wearing one for an exam. The act of putting on the muzzle, either in the car at the clinic or in our living room with our trainer present, is getting to be very easy. He no longer seems to worry about putting it on in stressful situations.

The exam room where we would like to train with Hachi has been very busy but we have a few reservations coming up so we can work on his comfort in that room.

So, the Hachi report is good. He did have a couple of "off days" during which he could not relax. We've learned to let him decompress on days like those rather than trying to push forward with training. Fortunately, they passed. Our greatest fear is that someday he won't return to his new normal but that did not happen (and hopefully never will).

These are good days for our family. Hachi has a wonderful big sister for playing with him. That makes us all smile!

Sunrise Sunday

We have had a winter of incredible sunrises. This was a recent one.

Just as it started to get light, the sky lit up. You can see the sky reflected in the greenhouse (where there are actually plants growing, even in the depths of winter!).

The forest silhouetted against the sky was gorgeous.

Even if I cannot ride my bike to fun places for sunrise, I can certainly enjoy views like this one from my house!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for the full moon! This was from last month. It is snowing too hard to see the moon right now.

My wrists are healing so I hope to be back consistently soon.

Sunrise Sunday

This view made me smile at sunrise the other morning. I am so grateful that we can see the sunrise sky from our house.

 

Almost Wordless Wednesday

 An explosion of snow as Shyla started to run.

I am starting another break. When this post comes out, I will have just had surgery on my right wrist. I'll see you when my wrist is strong again.

Inside an elk herd

I love the elk rut. The animals are so full of energy. It's fun to watch them. Usually, we humans can only watch with our own eyes from a long distance away using binoculars or spotting scopes. 

A trail camera lets us feel what it's like to be inside the herd. Check out this video from this past October when the elk were hyped during the rut!

The Hachi Chronicle

Hachi had another excellent week. I remember when "an excellent week" meant that he hadn't acted scarily toward one of our other dogs or had a meltdown when he needed to go outside his comfort zone. Now, it means that he made forward progress in his training! What a nice change.

When Hachi is happy,  he leaps rather than runs when called.

 

Hachi's breakthrough this week was with our trainer who is helping train Hachi to be more comfortable with strangers. For now, the trainer is the stranger.

We've been working with the trainer for a couple of months. In the past few weeks, Hachi has begun to do a "happy bark" when she arrives at our house. A happy bark is high pitched, and is extremely different from his warning bark.

Up until now, happy barks were reserved for Hachi's family and a few close friends who met Hachi when he was a tiny puppy.

 

Up until this week, all of our sessions with the trainer have been outdoors. The trainer tosses him treats in a specific pattern (called "treat-retreat") that first brings him closer to her and moves him away from her with a treat tossed behind him. This week, we took that game INDOORS! The trainer was in our living room, tossing Hachi treats in exactly the same way as she's done outdoors for weeks. Hachi did GREAT!

He woofed a few warning barks when she first came into the house. We immediately launched into the treat-retreat game. Soon, Hachi was within 6' of the trainer, and he was following her cues to sit or down while he waited for a treat. At the end of the session, the Runner and I played the bucket game (for a vet exam) while the trainer watched. It went great.

Happy Hachi

 

In the long-term, we hope that Hachi will let the trainer join the bucket game, substituting for the Runner or me. But that will happen at Hachi's pace. We are not in a rush. Hachi needs a slow and consistent approach.

We are overjoyed to see the pieces of our training starting to come together! Maybe, just maybe, Hachi will someday be able to accept strangers near him and be able to go the vet for an unsedated exam. Those are our dreams. In the meantime, we'll keep enjoying the process of rehabbing him.

A sweet memory

 A sweet memory that appeared on our electronic picture frame.

I just had to share the joy in this trio.

Shyla Saturday

Shyla makes me smile every day. We are out in the inky darkness before sunrise to catch the beautiful colors as the sun peeks over the eastern horizon. It's been very cold recently at dawn but Shyla enthusiastically poses for me.

My left wrist is feeling better every day so we can ride to our favorite spot. That will continue until Tuesday, when I get surgery on my right wrist. Then, I'll start the healing process again.

 

I still cannot do snow activities that might hurt my wrist so Shyla has been romping with the Runner and Hachi a lot. She is an amazing dog. She started out so timid but now she is the instigator when wrestling with her brother. Over time, I've learned more about the situation that Shyla was born into, and it was very unstable and scary. I'm glad that she was resilient enough to leave it behind and now live her best life.

Tomorrow is Sunday, which is traditionally Black Dog Sunday. I am so sorry to say that, since my father's death, I have not found that my heart can handle writing Black Dog Sunday posts. For now, I'm going to pause those posts, even though the memories of him that flit through my mind during an average day do make me smile. They always will.

The tail end of autumn on a bear path

Thanks for all of the good thoughts! Hachi is back to being his normal very energetic self. Part of why we worry so much when he's not feeling well is that taking him to the vet is such a hard thing. He'd have to be knocked out for an exam (although, if we keep working at it, we hope that someday that won't be needed).  We are so relieved that he didn't need the trauma of a vet visit to get better.

I'm sharing an autumn wildlife video. Late autumn was a phase when I was not keeping up with my cams besides making quick visits to put in batteries for the winter. When I finally was ready to check out the memory cards from the cams, I was happy to find more bear antics! This video was from the tail end of autumn. It's up high in the mountains, well above our home elevation, and I'm guessing that there are no animals in that area now. So, this was the last of the elk, bobcats, and bear for the season. The bears were looking fat and ready to sleep away the winter. 

Knowing that these animals are part of our world makes me feel peaceful and happy. Check out the video if you have time!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for Shyla every day. I know the fleeting nature of life, and I am so grateful to have this sweet girl by my side. I also am grateful that she can have so much fun running around in our meadows. She loves playing in the snow here at Lab Valley.

 

I am also grateful for Hachi but I'm feeling a tiny bit worried about him today. He didn't want to go for runs in Lab Valley today. He's subdued, and I am hoping that it's nothing serious. It's really out of character for him. He normally loves to run more than anything.

I hope that these two pups are running and playing again tomorrow.

Wordless Wednesday - One of the most beautiful winter mornings