Wordless Wednesday

52 Weeks/ 1 year after FHO Sx.

That's right! Today marks Seppel's year anniversary after FHO sx!

What a long year it has been. I never thought, at the time last year, that Sepp would be back to 100%. Choosing this surgery was a huge decision and I was  not sure at the time I was making the right one. I had faith in my dog, but you just never know. I kept my expectations low - as long as he was pain free I would be happy. He has gone above and beyond my expectations!

I have compiled a video showing a bit of the process, the end has IPO bite work from this past Monday. It's crazy to see how non-weight baring he was initially to now. He's like a totally different dog.

Thanks for those who followed us along the way. I hope this video helps other people on their decision of whether or not to pursue this type of surgery. When I was on our journey I couldn't find video past 10mos. I think it has been in the last 4mos or so that he made the most improvement. I hardly notice a difference these days.

B&W Sunday

Slat Mill & Retrieve Progress

Well, we've upgraded from our e-mill to a slat mill!

Since I've had Seppel I really wanted a carpet mill but never had the cash to buy one. With prompting from friends I finally got the dogs to run on the e-mill [electric treadmill]. I was satisfied with the e-mill and never really gave it a 2nd thought, until a couple of weeks ago when a Slat Mill nearby [2.5hrs away] was put up for sale.

Normally slat mills run about $1500 brand new. I got this one for a super steal. It is well used and older - but it won't be hard to upgrade the slats and everything else is in great working condition.

A slat mill is used primarily for building wind/stamina/endurance. It is free spinning and doesn't have any resistance. I have read online you can find slat mills with brakes to add some resistance but this one does not have that.

Just to share more info, a carpet mill comparatively is used to build muscle. It has a lot more drag and takes more effort for the dog to spin it.

The HSUS and other animal type agencies have tried to vilify mills and claim them as dog fighting paraphernalia. The truth is that putting ANY dog on a mill is GREAT exercise for them. I've particularly found it awesome in the winter months when we are getting buckets and buckets of rain and it is too wet to go outside. It is a great option for anyone with a high energy dog looking to keep them fit and sane.

Here is Seppel using the slat mill:




Also here is updated video of Seppel doing the retrieve. We have a sit! I don't have the jump up to the standard height, he's been dodging the jump on the return, so I took the pole off to make it lower and he did fine. This week sometime my dad is going to add another board to make the jump taller. If he hits it, it won't fall, and will hopefully encourage him to jump higher/think about it more. I'm just so excited that the retrieve is coming together, next we will be focusing on the sendaway.

The Retrieve

It's been forever since I have written anything really of substance, don't get too excited - this post is about something, but I'm not sure how substance filled it will be :) I've been trying to teach Seppel to retrieve a dumbbell. We've been working on this for quite some time now. I had a very hard time wrapping my brain around how to teach it to him. The issue was not getting his interest in it, he will grab it no problem. The issue for me was how to teach him to carry it, hold it without dropping it, and eventually sit with it in his mouth. This is a proper retrieve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JFnMZFDvrk I started trying to just get Seppel to hold the dumbbell for longer than he normally would. Many, many times he would bring it back and drop it. I had to repeatedly ask him to pick it up. Eventually something clicked and he started to understand he needed to hold it until I grabbed it. We are still working on duration because he won't hold it forever, and he still can't sit with it in his mouth. I'm hoping he will catch on sooner or later, we'll just keep working on asking him to hold it. Here is a video from March: Here is a video of the jump: Trying it with the dumbbell: And finally, here we are today: This has been the primary focus at home, besides training regular OB. I am talking to the people I train with about joining their IPO club, if we can join we will be trying for the BH in october which is kind of exciting if it all works out. Next month will have been 1 year since Seppel's FHO surgery. I'm working on compiling a video but I feel like he's come a long, long way. His leg seems more stable than ever and I hardly even notice a difference these days. I'm excited to share the after sx to now photos and video :)

My Senior Dog

My dog LiLo will be 9 years old in July. Although she is an old lady with terrible hips - she doesn't let that slow her down. As of late I've been teaching her to target my hand with her nose and we have also been working on pivoting on a box. I use a clicker and in a few short sessions she has been learning to move her hind end while standing on the box.

Today I took Seppel and then Seth outside to play ball and play with the flirt pole. LiLo was going nuts in the house - super excited and jazzed up. When I brought her outside to throw the ball she was barking and running around and was super excited. She was even more thrilled when I brought out the flirt pole for her.

Somedays I worry about her slowing down, but then she acts like she did tonight and it just makes me really happy that she takes so much joy in these kinds of things. Age is only a number and I hope she keep her in good physical condition so she can continue to do the things she enjoys.

Biking Revisited

I've posted in the past about riding my bike with the dogs:
Biking with Seppel

I've since tried biking with Seppel again, except I am actually biking with Seppel and Seth at the same time!

A few weeks ago I wanted to tire both of the boys out. We have a 4 mile loop we've been walking and I wanted to see how Seth could handle the distance with my bike. However, I also knew that the distance would be great for Seppel as well, but I was too lazy to take them both one at a time.

So, I took a risk and took both of the boys biking!

I put them in harnesses and used slip leads from work that are only about 4ft long. This length is reasonable and easy to shorten quickly if necessary, when we get to mile 3 the dogs are usually much calmer and I can let the leash loose and they do very well.

We've gone four times now and so far it has been without incident. Seppel seems much more motivated with Seth around and he keeps the pace much better than he ever has in the past.

I'm very proud of how mindful the boys are, we have passed people with dogs and dogs in yards and although they may get excited for a moment they will listen to me and will 'leave it'.

I had my dad take these pictures from this morning. We were just starting out so Seth is looking at me - he gets all weird and excited and vocalizes.

Right now we go the same way and do the same 4 mile loop. I may branch out and increase the distance or change our route, but for now we will stick to the same loop, just because I know what to expect as far as which dogs live where, and I also kind of know the amount of traffic in each area we move through.

I suppose it's no wonder why my left tricep is bigger than my right one ;)