Who's That Dog?

Look very closely. Who could this be, training so hard?

"What's This?" Wednesday

Hello everyone, :)

Here is this week's "What's This?" Wednesday photo.

What do you think?

"What's This?" Wednesday: We're Back

So, it's been quite a while since we've had a "What's This Wednesday" photo. Are you guys ready for one? :)
Just for any of you that may be new readers, or as a reminder for everyone else since it has been a while, I put up a photo and you guess what it may be. Since I can't see, I have no idea what the picture is and I'll use your guesses/descriptions to figure it out. I usually post the answer the next day in the "comments" section. I've also been known to have prizes now and again. :)
Happy guessing/describing.

And The Winner Is...!!!

VIP Products
Before I announce the winner of "What's This Wednesday" give away for the month of March, I would like to thank everyone for their participation on Wednesdays. Without your guesses and descriptions, this wouldn't be nearly as fun. :)
And the moment you've all be waiting for!
The winner of the VIP tug ring, complete with three squeakers is...
Oh, wait I forgot something...just kidding. :)
L^2
Glacier picked your name out of the bowl. It was quite comical. Have you ever seen a gigantic labrador with his head in a bowl snuffing about? The papers were flying everywhere and one eventually stuck to his nose. So, we went with that one.
Congratulations! Send me an email with your address and I'll try to have that mailed off to you before we head off to my parents' on Saturday.
purple.tidalwave@gmail.com

Again, thanks to everyone who played and stay tuned for April's exciting give away.

A special thanks goes out to VIP for donating such a great toy!!!!!!!!

"What's This Wednesday?"

Happy Wednesday everyone! It is the last Wednesday of March and that means we will be giving away VIP's Tug Ring. If you would like to be considered for the give away, please let me know in your comments. Glacier will be our picker this week: I will put everyone's names in a hat and hopefully he picks just one. :)
Happy Wednesday and remember to visit VIP if you get a chance.

"What's This?" Wednesday

Another Wednesday is here and with it comes "What's This" Wednesday. I have selected one photo this week for you to view and then guess what it may be. Based on your guesses, I will hopefully be able to tell you tomorrow in the "comments" section what it actually is. :)
Also, don't forget that

"What's This Wednesday?" Second Photo

"What's This Wednesday?" And Happy Birthday Glacier!

It's that time again. The time where I post photos and you try to guess what's happening in them. I have two photos for you today, so have fun. :) (Except, the second one is not showing up now, so I may have accidentally deleted it LOL).

The prize for March's give away has also arrived from

VIP Products. It is a Tug Ring from their Toughies line and it is fantastic; complete with three squeakers. VIP Products can be found here

VIP Products

And the thing that we all have been waiting for!...The photos, or maybe just photo. :)

 

Happy Wednesday and a very happy birthday to Glacier.

Getting To Know Glacier: Mr. Jaws of Steel

Most of you will know by now that Glacier seems to be able to chew his way through anything. It's hard to keep toys in working condition around here. I'm not entirely sure what his fascination with destroying toys is, but I have a few theories.
At Leader Dogs for the Blind, and several other guide dog programs, the guide dogs are only allowed to play with the traditional Kongs and nylabones. I think this is to prevent dogs from getting injured through ingestion of a squeaker and other such things. Monitoring your dog may be difficult for some blind people and so I think they have made it an all encompassing rule. With that in mind, it is no reason Glacier doesn't know how to play nicely with other toys. If he is given Air Kong products, he will sit down to de-fuzz the toy first and then crack it in two with his gigantic jaws. I attempted giving him a stuffing free skunk that he promptly started ripping to shreds until I intervened. He just has never been taught, from a young age, to be gentle with toys.
I also think Glacier has inherited the oral fixation that a lot of labradors come with. He has improved with age, but just six months ago he ate seven Brillo pads. I was freaking out. I didn't even know the house we were in had them where he could reach them and was not aware he had ingested them until it was too late. I searched grocery stores frantically for pumpkin, but it was not in season yet. When dogs eat things they shouldn't, pumpkin, if eaten, will form a smooth casing around the foreign object and help them pass it. I monitored him closely for weeks, but was not rewarded for my efforts until three weeks later when he threw up an impacted ball of Brillo pad. Someone was watching out for both Glacier and I because the eating of Brillo pads could have been fatal.
So, as you can see, Glacier just likes to eat things. He's even powered down velcro. Yes, velcro. I don't even know how that feels good going down, never mind taste. The frustrating thing is that everything that Glacier has managed to munch that he shouldn't, haven't even been my things. So as proven by the Velcro and the steel wool, Glacier is an eater and his toys suffer for it.
The moment that I was allowed to give Glacier toys I knew that i had a chewer on my hands. Brooke and her husband Huib from Ruled By Paws came to visit me when I was in training at Leader Dogs for the Blind. They asked me if I wanted a toy for Glacier and I said he could use a Kong since the school provided us with a Nylabone. Upon arriving at my room we gave Glacier the King black Kong to see what he would do. Destroy was what he did. Within fifteen minutes or so of having the black Kong, he had the top ripped off. I took the pieces in for a refund and the clerk said,
"well, what kind of dog did you give this to?"
"That one." I replied pointing down at Glacier lying calmly at my feet.
"Oh." Was the response and I was given my money back.
I think another reason Glacier is a toy murderer is because of the size of his jaw/head ratio. Dogs usually have a strong jaw because of the width of the back jaw. Glacier's is particularly large. If I place my hand under his jaw, my hand is about three quarters of Glacier's jaw width. He's got some chewing power back there. His nicknames range from "block head" (lovingly given to him by my Grandpa), "fat head" (my doing), "bobble head" (given to him by one of my friends), and some other variation of "huge head dog." I've seen dogs with bigger heads than Glacier's, but it's the width of the back of his jaw that impresses me. When I first met him, I said he looked like a chipmunk because his cheeks stuck out so far due to his jaw structure.
With all of that power it's no wonder he can crunch through a hockey puck in less than seven minutes; crack beef femur bones in half with one chomp; reduce elk an antler that is supposed to last three weeks to splinters in 25 minutes; and many other toys/objects that he shouldn't have been able to ruin. I am always when we go to visit other people's houses that have dogs because I don't want to have a fifty dollar toy bill just because he managed to munch up most of their dogs' things. I've just learned that I have to monitor him closely and take toys away that I know he will shred.
VIP Products, which is the sponsor for this month's "What's This Wednesday" give away has a toy tester program that I have joined simply because I want to see what toys will withstand Glacier's pearly whites. Depending on how many toys you get a year to test, the price of the toys are significantly reduced. We usually have to replace a toy once a month anyway, so I thought that I would sign up for the monthly program. This month's toy was the Toughies Square ball that seems to be alive thus far. Glacier has managed to put a little tear in one of the seams and the toy has sort of lost its shape because he and Roscoe were playing tug of war last night, other than that it is holding up well. That said, once Glacier is done chasing/rolling/tugging with the toy I put it up because it is when he is done playing this way that he lies down and goes into destructo mode. So, if there is ever a toy that you want to know whether or not it is durable, send me an email. If we've tried it out I'll let you know how it held up to "Fat Head's" Jaws of Steel.
Even though he might prove hazardous if you are a toy, Glacier is a great dog who probably wouldn't hurt a fly. I retract that statement: he loves chasing bugs. I always told Mr. K that I am glad Glacier's energy has been channeled into a positive thing because if it wasn't he could cause some real damage. Anyone read Marley and Me? :)

"What's This Wednesday?" Part Two

All right. Here is picture number two. And don't forget to check out VIP Products as they are our sponsor this month for the "What's This Wednesday" give away. :)



Picture Number Two!

Happy Wednesday!...again. :)

"What's This Wednesday?"

Welcome to "What's This Wednesday?"! Today I will be putting up one picture for you wonderful people to view. Originally, I was going to post two, but the internet is not cooperating. I may be able to get another one up in a separate post. So, keep your eyes peeled for picture number two.
Once you've looked at them, go to the comments section and tell me what you think they may be because quite honestly, I have no idea what they are. I like to take my own pictures and as a totally blind photographer, you never know what you are getting; a floor, the wall, someone's foot? LOL Regardless I hope you enjoy.
Also, just a reminder that VIP Products has generously donated a prize for this month's "What's This Wednesday" give away. I don't know what it is, as my order has not arrived yet, but I will let you know as soon as it gets here. Please go to their website and browse the fantastic selection of dog toys and beds. I really like their toys because they have a toughness rating for each toy and a Junior line that is for puppies or small dogs.



And now for the photo:

Happy Wednesday!!!! :)

Rally Obedience: Class One

Since Wednesday is usually "What's This Wednesday" around here, and I was all sorts of frustrated yesterday, I missed posting about Glacier's first Rally Obedience class. The class takes place every Wednesday night for the next six weeks.There are eight students in the class and one instructor and one assistant. Glacier is the only yellow lab, but there is a chocolate lab, a golden retriever, two shelties, a Bernese Mountain Dog, another dog I can't remember and I'm not sure what the last dog is because he/she was not there.
The class was started off by everyone introducing themselves and their dogs. I went first and somehow I introduced myself standing backwards to the circle. LOL How I got facing the wrong direction I have no idea, but I realised it after the first person introduced herself and her voice was coming from behind me. Woops. Nothing like a first impression.
After some debriefing about collar types-anything goes except shock and prong collars, which is just fine with me-class rules-no talking when the instructor is talking-and a few other things, the class began. Our instructor, I will call her Miss B, showed the class a few different Rally signs and explained what they meant. Because I had skipped right into the Rally Novice class, we aren't really learning any new cues, but rather polishing the handler and dog's performances and the ability of the handler to interpret the different instructional signs. Miss B was quite good at describing what the signs looked like to me. I won't actually need to know this if I choose to show my dogs because I will have someone interpreting the signs for me at competitions, but I still like to know what the signs look like for my own interest. After explaining two or three signs the class would split into two groups and practice.
I was pretty impressed with Glacier. He was a little unfocused since there were so many dogs around and he technically wasn't doing any guide work, but the more signs we did the better he got. Glacier wasn't the only one with focusing issues. There was one dog, and I don't know who, that was bouncing all over the place. I was glad when Miss B said that the dogs are not to socialize with each other while in class because this was a working atmosphere for the dogs and handlers. If the dogs are allowed to be all crazy when they are in class, then it has set the tone for competitions. The dogs would think it was okay to meet and greet every other four legged furry creature that went by and that would not allow either of the dogs to focus and perform well. This suited me just fine because it means that Glacier can work on his "dog distractions." Dog distractions are exactly what they sound like; Glacier being distracted by other dogs. In harness it is very important that guide dogs do not interact or try to play with dogs that they may encounter. If the guide dog is distracted by another animal, or human being for that matter, that could prove to be dangerous for the handler. So when Miss B said no puppy play, only on our own time, I was very happy.
The cues that we practised were quite easy and Glacier did very well. We had to do "sit" and then a "down." We also had to practice a few different turns, including a 360 circle. I was so excited when I was able to turn in a circle and end up back at the spot where we started. Glacier has to walk with a loose leash and so I have to rely on my own sense of direction to tell him, and myself, where to go. We also had to make 90 degree turns to the left and right. Glacier and I are very good at the right hand turn, but need to practice the left. He walks way out in front of me when turning and I accidentally bump him with my knee or trip over him. So, in the next couple of days, it is my goal to be able to make that turn smoothly and without Glacier and I tripping over one another. All of the turns and "sits" we did all have fancy names, but I figure that is just confusing.
We also need to practice his "sit" and "down" positioning. He likes to cross over in front of me instead of lying parallel to my side.
When we were at Leader Dogs for the Blind, his "sit" and "down" position were perfect. He would just slide into a "sit" or "down" right where he was if I asked him to. Now he wiggles his bum or takes a few steps so that he ends up lying in the wrong spot. So, I suppose that is another goal of ours.
I have also received a document from the AKC outlining the accommodations that have to be made for a blind handler. I am very excited that there are actually rules in place to ensure equal opportunity to compete. I haven't looked at the document yet, so here's to hoping that the rules are actually useful. :)
I think it was a good class and in the long run I believe that it will be good for Glacier. It makes him focus on me regardless of the distractions around us. Miss B is very good about not interacting with the dogs as well, which I think is also good for Glacier. Rally Obedience class is time that he and I get to spend together having fun and learning at the same time.

"What's This Wednesday?"

Wednesday has arrived again and so that means another picture or two will be dragged from my archives for you lovely people to view. For those of you who may be new, I post a picture every Wednesday and you guess what it may be. "Why on Earth are we doing this," you may ask.
Well, because I am blind and I have no idea what the pictures are either. Sure, I took most of them, but after up loading them to my computer, I have no clue what they are. :) Sounds like fun right? Well, let me tell you, things are about to get funn-er...ahem, more fun.
A prize for this month's "What's This Wednesday" contest has been donated by a very generous


I can't tell you what the prize will be, and not because it is a surprise, but because I really don't know what it is. It is supposed to arrive in the mail tomorrow with the other product that I have ordered for Glacier, which I will tell you all about once it arrives. VIP Products makes incredibly durable toys and I am very excited that they have agreed to be this month's sponsor. Please feel free to go and check out their site. There are toys for big and small, short and tall. All right now I'm sounding like a Nursery Rhyme. :) So with no further fanfare, I give you today's photos. :)

Hopefully there is a dog in there somewhere since the prize donated by VIP Products is technically for dogs. LOL
Happy Wednesday

Drum Roll Please...!!!!!

The winner of my first "What's This Wednesday" contest has been announced.
Check out the comments from today's earlier post for all of the guessing fun and the announcement of the winner. It was sooooo close! I thought we were going to have a tie breaker. :) Thanks to everyone who participated.

What's This Wednesday? A Surprise

Here is your photo for today's guessing game, but there is a twist. We have prizes today! Well, I think it's a prize. :) I am going to bake and send out dog cookies to one of you fantastic people. Here's how it works:
Just post a comment here telling me what you see in the picture and what you think it is. Once you have done that, if you would like to participate in my cookie give away, leave a number on your post between 1 and 40. Mr. K has a number in his head and I have no idea what it is. Check back tonight or whenever you have time, and I will have announced the winning number. Think of it as my way of saying "thanks for reading." :)
If you don't want to participate, no worries. You can still leave me a comment, minus the number. Happy viewing. :)

"What's This?" Wednesday: Photo Number Two

All right. I guessed that one. The pink shirt and two people reading a card told me that one of our friend's parents reading a Christmas card. The funny thing is I'm trying not to get people in the pictures, but it's inevitable. LOL So here's another one for you brave souls out there.

"What's This?" Wednesday

Today is Wednesday, as most of you probably already know, and that means it's the day for my mystery picture. I put up a photo for all of you lovely people to view and then you try to guess what it is. Since I can't see, I have no idea what the picture is, even though I probably took it. LOL Based on your guesses and the details you give me, I will try to tell you what it is at the end of the day. Thanks for playing and happy Wednesday. :)

"What's This?" Wednesday

So I've devised my own Wordless Wednesday, but since I don't know what any of my pictures are, I'm going to post one every Wednesday and let you lovely people guess. Thus, "What's This" Wednesday. Now hopefully I can get the photo to download. :)
Happy guessing