Mia goes to Van Vac

Mia is with George and Bonnie this week at a cabin near Ely.  There are lots of nice people in nearby cabins and a few dogs.  Mia is learning about water.  So far she has gone in up to her tummy.  Here she is learning to play with a friend named Blue.

Here is Mia looking like a teenager.  She is working on rolling over, waiting, shake, and lots of retrieving.  It is great to have a whole week with lots of time for her training. 

Tonight was the puppy party...

Here is Mia's new bed from LLBean.  Do you think she will out grow it?  Notice her favorite toy, the Flail a Fowl.  It was purchased at the church auction and we highly recommend it.  (This is not product placement paid for by the maker of the crazy toy.)

Tonight we went to the Helping Paws fundraiser at the home of Tim and Rosie Owens.  It was a lovely evening and the puppies, and several older dogs had a great time.  They are wearing their packs and gentle leaders and look very professional.  It was an elegant party, with perfect weather and a gracious home overlooking a beautiful wetland.  Elegant except the part where the puppies played like crazy in a small pen.  They are more sturdy than we realized.  This week we are working on "drop" which means we have to catch her dropping to the floor and then click and treat.  It works best when she is tired.

Here I am in my new pack!

Here's what is new with Mia...

Mia is getting taller and learning things very quickly.  She is learning to walk with a "loose leash", to watch our face in anticipation and to accept us as "in charge".  She cries less and is sleeping better.  She goes to the sink to ask for water and drags her bowl around when she wants food.  She is practicing retrieving with a variety of household objects to get ready for her job as a service dog.  George is working hard training her three times or more a day, and going to class every Wednesday night.

Tonight we got this official picture of her to share with you. Later this week Mia will go to a puppy party to raise money for Helping Paws.  She is looking forward to playing with her siblings!

   

Mia meets her "grandparents"...

Part of training Mia is to meet as many types of people as possible.  She is already a very social dog, so this has been easy.  Grandma Marge says Mia is just what she wanted us to get, a chocolate lab.  Mia surprised Grandpa George by nipping at his finger.  She responded right away to Grandpa Jack's commands.  At Emerald Crest she found her spot for a nap under Grandma Catherine's chair.  The staff and other residents there are happy to see her, too.

Mia is a social girl......

We have been very busy making sure Mia has a good social life.  She has been to the pet store and to the Hill grandparents' memory care.  The Dow grandparents have been to visit as have Laura and Kyle.  I will post the grandparents pictures the next time.

We have been taking walks around the neighborhood and meeting lots of people.  We went to th

e Chambers' house and met Kay and the guinea pig Callie.  Mia and Callie rubbed noses.  Derrick, our neighbor is volunteering to help with walks and Mia thinks he is great.

The nights are improving as long as George stays close by.  Bonnie, Sarah and Michael are acting as training assistants.

Our first week with Mia...

We are all having fun with the puppy and she seems to be settling into our family.  She is glued to our feet where ever we go.  The first two nights she cried, but now the last two nights she has slept about 7 hours.

Yesterday she tried out the frog sandbox with about an inch of water in the bottom.  Then she helped me plant flowers and played with all the empty plastic cups in which they were grown.  Later she went to get grandma and grandpa Hill to come to our house and sit on the porch.

George is doing the training with really quick results.  He is making sure she knows he is the boss and she seems to get it.

Mia is here, and totally adorable

Wow, have we been busy.  On Friday we met our puppy, a female chocolate lab we have named Mia.  Because we had to leave for our daughter Sarah's graduation from college in Iowa City, we had help from two wonderful volunteer families, Melanie and Janine.  On Sunday we were able to pick Mia up on our way home, and have been busy with her ever since.  She is very social and follows us around.  She likes her collar and leash and is very willing to go into the crate.....except that once we shut the door and especially in the car she is very unhappy and vocal!  Last night was a long night and I am tired and so is George!

Just now she has stopped crying, so I think I will go up to bed and hope for a better night.  Wednesday is the first class with the puppy.  It will be great to see all the trainers with their dogs.