Merry Christmas!

Cruze and some of his Leader Dog friends + 1 Service Dog wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cruze thinks that is a great week to spend time with family and friends.  Have a good Thanksgiving everyone!

Back from Vacation

We are back from a wonderful week in Seattle getting acquainted with our new granddaughter Paige Michiko Chenoweth.  Special thanks to Keitha and Jeff for watching Cruze for us.  Thanks to their generosity he had a vacation too.  But....now it is back to work for all of us.

Bandit and the Flowers

Life is short. Summer is shorter. Play with your dog.

River Cruising with Cruze...

Today I played hooky from housework and studio work and went river "cruising" with Cruze and Cooper.
We visited the Grand Ledge Island festival and enjoyed a river boat ride, gorgeous color, and a beautiful day.  Every so often you should run away from responsibilities for a while.  It is good for the soul.

A New Career Path?

 This week Cruze is sharing his blog with Pilot.  We went to Chicago and did a "shoot"  with Pilot and 2 of his friends ( more pics to come later).  We had a great time and would certainly love to make a living photographing pets.

Downtime

We spend a lot of time the first year teaching and practicing "downs." Its a good command to help manage energetic puppies and teach self-control. And just like people, the older the dog the easier it is to "down". Plus doing a down and staying down are two totally different things. How are you spending your "downtime" this weekend?

The beginning of fall...

Where we live in Michigan the earliest signs of fall are the falling of the leaves and walnuts from our walnut trees and the burning bushes turning red. What happens first in your backyard? Lets hope for a warm and colorful fall season.

It Must be Monday!

Cruze has the right idea for how to spend a Monday after a busy, work & fun-filled weekend in Chicago. Wouldn't it be nice to be so fully relaxed on a Monday morning?

How are you spending your last warm weekends of the summer?

Quarterly Stats

When you raise a leader dog puppy you have to send a report to Leader Dog every 3 mo. for the year you have the pup. For those who have been following Cruze News these are his "12 week stats.":

Weight 28.9 lbs.

Obedience Commands He Should Know:

Sit - Check

Down - Check

Stand - Shaky

Recall (c0me) - Only when he wants to

Housebreaking - 90%

Conclusion: Still a work in progress

Acceptance

When we get a new puppy, Shiloh is very "stand-offish". At first he ignores them, then he will occasionally let them touch him, and as they get a little older he will begin to play with them. When he decides they are really here to stay, he will let them lay next to him. But sleeping on the same bed is a sure sign that he has accepted them as a member of his family even if they can still be pretty irritating when awake.

(Do you think we need to buy a second bed?)

Cruze and Emily

This weekend we went to a great-niece's baptism and Cruze had lots of opportunity to work on good greets with small children. He got pretty excited a few times and this is something that definitely needs work and practice. But he did seem to have fun with all the new people he met

Lessons from Luther

Luther, (Pastor Edrye's dog) came to stay for a couple of days this week and it went well. He would put up with Cruze's "in your face" style of play for just so long then he would give a growl, raise a paw, and hold Cruze down on his back until he settled down. Cruze needs a little more of this to learn his place, I think; but it never stopped him from going back for more.

Nap Anyone?

Why is it that on Mondays, when my after work "to do" list is the longest, all I really want to do is curl up and take a nap? Often dogs really have the right idea...

Party Time!

Some special family events rate a posting on this blog. Last night Cruze helped celebrate the safe return of a cousin from a year in Kuwait. Welcome Home Nolan!!

Town & Country

This weekend involved exposure to an in-town event. The Taste of Jackson involved crowd work with frequent practise of a well-mannered "greet" and also how to greet children. We then drove to Portage State Park to scout possible photo sites. We were directed to the Discovery Center but unfortunately between an army of mosquitoes and the impending storm we only had a quick walk around one of the trails. At a stop on the way home we found the 3 Sandhill Cranes not at a park or country location but parading around the Meijer parking lot!

Fun Fact: Waterloo Recreation Area is the largest State Rec. Area in the lower peninsula.

Talents

Sometimes it is just as important to know what talents you don't have as well as those you do. Rob is very talented in building and fixing and tearing apart. Where we have very little talent either together or separate is with landscaping. So this week we had the front of our house landscaped by a professional about 4 years after putting the new front porch on. Cruze is sharing the blog with Shiloh because Shiloh understands the command of "stay" and Cuze doesn't yet have a clue...

Cruzin thru the Weekend

This weekend was a busy one for Cruze. On Friday evening he had his first city bus ride in East Lansing and a walk through the Folk Festival. Sunday was church and the making of a new "best friend", followed by a long nap under his bed. Life is good...

How did you spend your weekend?

Curiosity

You have to admire the curiosity of puppies, cats, and children. It is too bad that we tend to lose this trait as we become adults. I think the demands of every day life too often prevent us from letting ourselves promote our natural sense of curiosity. Being curious about something new everyday would certainly help us grow. But... out of 15 puppies, Cruze is the first to actually climb in the dryer.

Friends

Life would not be nearly as sweet without friends to be there with you. And much of the time, your dog will be the best friend of all.

The Artist at Work

Cruze the Artist

Did you know puppies can paint? This is always one of my favorite activities at Puppy Day and I get a piece of art made by each special puppy. This can be done by your dogs without too much effort. You will need a piece of cardboard large enough to tape your white paper to. (White sketchbook paper works pretty good. You will need 2-3 colors of poster paint that you put on the edge of the cardboard. Have your pup walk through the paint onto the white paper. Have him do this several times. (A treat for him to follow works quite well.) He is done when you or he think there is enough paint on the picture. Be sure to have clean up water available. Set your painting aside to dry then frame and hang. Be sure to sign it with your dog's name and date.

Leader Dog Puppy Day

Last Saturday was Puppy Day at Leader Dog. Now called Leader Dog University. It is like a big summer picnic for raisers, their families, and their puppies. There are classes to attend, talks to listen to, and the opportunity to meet your pup's parents and siblings. It is a very fun day.

Juvenile Delinquent?

Today I got home and Rob said our sweet little puppy turned into a juvenile delinquent today. He and Spencer were apparently wild enough to include knocking over a kitchen chair while playing. So... we took them all on a brisk walk to the lake and back and had play time in the pen.

My mantra with a new puppy is always: A tired puppy is a good puppy!

Keeping Cool Tips from Cruze: 1. Find a cool place & nap a lot. 2. Sit in front of a fan. 3. Find some friends and enjoy the lake!

"Cruze-in" through a Year

7.24

As many people know, Rob & I have a part-time photography business that we are always working to improve and promote. In reading photog articles and literature, an online presence appears to be a "must." Many professional photographers are using a blog to help present their products, brand, and style, to their customers. As I have made a few feeble attempts before to "blog" without much success, I did not want to start with one for the business. So... welcome to Cruze News! We have many friends and family who are always very interested in the growth and training of our Leader Dog puppies. I thought a blog would be a good place to keep everyone who is interested updated on Cuze's (this year's pup) progress and help me to develop the discipline of regular posting. Wish me luck with both the blog and the puppy and feel free to check back often for updates. Comments are welcome.
Bethany

Cruze - Leader Dog Pup #15