More Jolly Balls for the German Shepherd!

The Jolly Ball was so successful that we decided to try a few more Jolly Pet products! 

First, we got a Jolly Egg.  It is made of tough plastic and its oval shape makes it nearly impossible for the dog to get a grip on. It is designed to slip when dogs bite down, popping out in unpredictable directions for endless fun.  Well, that is what it is supposed to be... Not so successful.  Bodie got bored as soon as he figured out that he couldn't bite down on it no matter how hard he tried.  Maybe if we had purchased the medium size as opposed to the large, Bodie would have been more interested in it.  Or if it was of soft plastic.  He doesn't seem to like anything he can't get a good chew on.

Next we got the Jolly Romp-n-Roll.  Bodie loves it!  Just like the Jolly Ball, it can be bit without being punctured!  Which is great because the puppy insists on biting the ball (just like he bites the Jolly Ball).  But he will also grab this one by the rope.  The he shakes it like crazy, hitting anything in his vicinity.  I actually think he likes this one better than the Jolly Ball!

And finally, we got the Jolly Teaser Ball.  The outside ball is made of hard plastic while inside is a smaller, soft plastic ball.  After we throw it or kick it and the smaller, inside ball will keep moving.  It definitely keeps Bodie's attention.  He keeps trying to get ahold of the small ball inside.  Then he will pick up the big ball by one of the holes and he prances around so proud of himself!

 

So, three out of four successes for Jolly Pets!  Not bad.

Jolly Ball and the German Shepherd!

It has been difficult finding good toys for our German Shepherd puppy.  Bodie is really rough on his toys.  He is a master chewer!  Any label is like a neon sign saying "Start Here!"  He definitely can't have any soft or plush toys.  He tears them apart too easily. We get him chew things like antlers and cow bones and knuckles, but we also want toys he can play with.  Being just a puppy, Bodie also has a short attention span.  Some toys capture his interest for a short period and that is it.

We found a new toy that meets all these criteria - the Jolly Ball!  We got the ten inch ball and I am amazed that he managed to bite the ball.  Thank goodness Jolly Balls are puncture resistant.  The handle makes it easy for us to throw for him.  It makes a good ball to play fetch with because Bodie can't keep an easy hold on it.

Disasters in Dogsitting

Oh, this was a difficult weekend!  We were dogsitting yesterday.  We needed to watch a sheltie and he did not like Bodie!  He started growling right from the start and would occasionally snap at our puppy.  Bodie was okay with it at first and only reacted with curiosity.  But after several hours of a snapping, snarling sheltie, Bodie had enough and snapped back.  Good thing we were between the two dogs!  A sheltie could not win against a german shepherd.

After that, we needed to keep the two dogs separated for the rest of the sheltie's visit.  As the day progressed, Bodie got more and more wound up.  Any activity, from the next door neighbor to people on the trail, made him frantic.  I have never heard Bodie whine so much and carry on.  Thank goodness the visit left after about twelve hours!

We had tried to introduce the dogs properly.  We had plans to take both dogs for a long walk as soon as the sheltie arrived.  But circumstances did not cooperate.  The sheltie arrived without a leash or even a collar. No problem, I dug through Bodie's bag and found his old puppy collar.  But the sheltie had a really fluffy mane (a beautiful sheltie!) and it was difficult to fit him properly.  He kept slipping out of the collar and I had to keep resizing it smaller and smaller.  Next, there were two unleased large pitbulls just roaming around out front and we decided not to risk it.

Oh, well.  We will just have to avoid dogsitting in the future.

In rereading what I wrote, I realize that it seems like I am being negative towards the visiting sheltie.  He is a really sweet dog.  I wonder if some of his issues with Bodie are related to his disability.  The poor puppy is partially blind and deaf.  If I think on it, I can attribute his reaction to fear.

Stubborn German Shepherd Part II

Have I mentioned how stubborn Bodie can be?!?  I started a bad thing with him when we got him last summer.  It turned out that our new puppy had an intestinal infection that made him lethargic, and he did not have much of an appetite.  Medication took care of his infection, but he still had a very poor appetite.  In order to get him to eat better, I started adding a little something to his dog food at every meal - a little milk, a bit of bologna, a few table scraps, or something like that.  Well, instead of stimulating his appetite all it did was make Bodie even more finicky.  I freely admit that I was wrong, but what could we do?

My sweetie put her foot down, and decided on Monday that we would no longer doctor up his food.  Bodie is getting a really high quality (and expensive!) dry dog food.  She decided that if he didn't eat his dinner in a reasonable length of time, the dish would be picked up and he would have to wait for his next mealtime.  I promised not to feed him anything other than his regular food. 

Well, it turns out that Bodie is even more stubborn than my sweetie!  He didn't eat any dinner on Monday.  He didn't eat breakfast on Tuesday, and he refused to eat anything for dinner that night either.  After failing to get him to eat breakfast on Wednesday, we both felt we were stressing too much.  We gave in.  My sweetie got some canned dog food, and we are mixing a little of it with his dry food.  He is inhaling his meals!  Oh, what a stubborn puppy!

Stubborn German Shepherd Part I

Bodie is smart, but with a huge stubborn streak.  He is now ten and a half months old and it is almost impossible to play fetch with him.  He loves chasing a thrown toy and he brings it back at a run.  So what is the problem?  Well, that is it.  Bodie won't give the toy back.  You throw the toy, he chases it and brings it back.  Game of fetch is over.

We have tried several techniques and finally found one that works.  We need to play with two similar toys.  We throw the first one and when Bodie brings it back, we wave the second one until we have his attention.  Suddenly, the second one is much more desirable than the first and he drops that first toy.  Only then do we throw the second.  Finally we can play fetch until Bodie gets tired.

And a tired puppy is a good puppy!

German Shepherd on a Long Line

When I first moved into my place I was pleased that the backyard was up against a greenbelt.  Homes would never be built behind my home!  Well, a couple of years ago the county decided to turn the greenbelt into a full-fledged conservation area with an extensive trail system.  One of the main trails comes within a few feet of the back fence.  Now, everyday and especially on weekends, a whole slew of people pass within feet of the backyard!  Given the protective nature of German Shepherds, patrolling the backyard has become a full-time job for Bodie.

On a nice day like today, the puppy can get really worked up with all the mountain bikers, equestrians, hikers and dogs passing back and forth on the other side of the fence.  The groups of bikers are the worst because they tend to yell to each other a lot.  Bodie barks and whines and runs along the fence line.  It is extremely difficult getting his attention and it is almost impossible to keep him quiet!

On active days on the trails, Bodie doesn't pay any attention to us.  "Come" won't work, treats won't work, toys don't work, and trying to catch him becomes a game of catch.  Well, we tried something new today and it worked!  We got a really cheap long line for him.  It is a lightweight 50' line that does not easily get caught on anything in the backyard.  He pretty much ignores it, can run around the backyard normally, and when we want him to come we can reinforce the command with a firm tug.  But something amazing happened - he was much calmer with it on.  His barking was greatly decreased and he listened to us much more - weekends are going to be better!

The Bodie Blog

I can't believe that it has been so long since I did a Bodie Blog.  Almost every day I think "I need to make a Bodie Blog" and every time I do, I think of a reason not to.  I am avoiding it because I don't want to sound negative.  But it is time to do an update!



Bodie is a challenge, a real challenge.  He is nothing like Willie.  And anything that I wrote would sound like a critisism.  I don't want that.  Bodie is stubborn, and challenging, and oh so intelligent!  He destroys everything - the car, the backyard, and anything else he can get his teeth on.  But he is a good boy, and I am glad that we have him.