#mud in the thick of it

[whatisshelties]

Mud says "Finally! Some snow!"

[lgbtlunaverse]

Nothing will dispell the "the curtains were just blue" myth faster than writing something yourself, because the amount of pretentious symbolism i am putting in my silly little fanfics is ridiculous. I mean SO much with these words, literally every single one of them. This fic has twenty five typos and zero correct uses of punctuation but if there's curtains you bet your ass I put thought into what colour they were.

[whatisshelties]

I have a recent "smart, but wrong" story.

The other day I did a couple scent work reps with Mud outside. He found the first hide easy, so I thought I should make things a little tougher.

I set the hide on the ground under some damp leaves. I went inside and thought "Wow, I know what to use that empty sour cream container for." Proceeded to fill that with freeze dried chicken treats. Threw it outside.

Mud thought "Wow, cool puzzle toy," and got absorbed in that vs working. Aborted that search.

I decided to hide the container so the odor was there, but not a visual distraction. There as a large, empty, terracotta pot with an empty black plastic pot sitting inside of it. I sit the container on the edge of the black plastic pot, so it's not inside on the wet leaves or whatever was in the bottom.

I let Mud out and he finds the container of chicken treats. Knocks the container into the middle of the pot. He tries to reach for a few seconds, then grabs the plastic pot, pulls it out, and he now has the container of chicken. I can't help but say "How smart are you?", then go pick up the container because clearly that is too much distraction for as difficult as I made the search.

Working on the switch game with Zaku since a new bump in maturity means he went from finding it incredibly easy to Struggling. He is happy to switch from his fluffy roller tug to his sheepskin tug, but not vice versa.

I've been immobilizing the sheepskin tug against my leg to make it boring and impossible to tug on, while waving the fluffy roller tug and slapping the ground enticingly. Once he switches and fully commits to playing with the fluffy tug, I reward him by switching back to the sheepskin.

We did two short (three-ish minute) sessions just now. At one point he let go of the sheepskin tug, looked at the fluffy tug, looked at the sheepskin tug, then backed up and placed his hind feet onto the step leading into the kitchen.

We've been working a lot on keeping his hind feet on the training plank while playing tug to make some really solid 2o2os. Zaku clearly understood that I wanted him to switch to the fluffy tug, but he didn't want to play with the lower value toy, and offered another behavior that usually nets him the sheepskin tug. I thought that was extremely clever of him.

(I laughed and said that's very smart, but no, and he heaved a sigh and switched to the fluffy tug.)

[pantry-rats]

"Happy New Years my little sleep room pill poppers. To another year of improving grades, and throwing bricks at a bunch'a wise guys. Keep ya'radios on, and ya'enemies close." -Miss Lizzy XOXO

Finally put this down because i think i did enough LOL! But kicking off the year with a strong piece im proud of. A festive new years Lizzy, also a lil cameo cut out of lizzy's other wife, Volker. (belongs to @doubleaabat ) ❤️ happy new year my little how highs -bones

[nobodybetterlookatme]

Anyway after thorough research, I can confirm that I am, in fact, not a big fan of the snow ahsjakskla it was really cool for like an hour and I was having a fantastic time, but the novelty wore off quick when it melted into my clothes lmaoooo

[whatisshelties]

Mud picks up new verbals really quickly. He knows lots of non-sport things like people’s names, some locations, events, etc.

A few weeks ago, we were getting in bed. He had laid down by my pillows because Anza had gotten in bed before him and was in “his spot.” I asked him to “move over” so I could get in bed. No response. “Scoot.” No response. Pointing and asking him to move. No response. “Get up and move over.” Gets up and moves over. Finally found the magic words.

Later Anza jumped off the bed so I asked him to “get in his spot.” No response. “Move, buddy.” No response. “Get up and get in your spot.” Gets up and moves to his spot.

He probably responds to “get up” because I will say “I/we need to get up” in the morning. Especially when he is laying on top of me, lol.

Does your dog have any built in programming that is particularly helpful? (Or just really amusing)

[twignotstick]

🎄🎁🕯️It's true wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas 🕯️🎁🎄

@languajix @cadoodledoodleydoo @belleyells @justalittleobsessed

(Sentimental rambling + close-ups under the cut!)

What a year it has been.

This year brought a lot of change for me. I discovered a whole new space that I could be creative in, fell deeper into an interest that makes me happy, but most importantly- I made friends who have changed my outlook on life.

To be honest, I am so happy to still be here. This time last year was one of the lowest points of my life for many reasons, and seeing how different my life is now compared to then makes everything worth it. It never would have happened if it weren't for the people around me. I started getting mental help, I began accepting who I am without trying to erase the bad, and I grew relationships that gave me a whole new perspective on what it means to have friends. Specifically, you four!

I could blab for ages about how grateful I am for you guys, but it would never be enough. I made a last second decision to join the @tmnt-fandom-family-reunion, and I never could have guessed it would result in me meeting some of my best friends. 

Obsess, I'll admit that I've spoken to you the least, but your words of encouragement and genuine joy have always brought a smile to my face. I'm excited to get to know you more.

Jix, you were the one who opened your arms and welcomed me in, even recommending my work to your other friends, and I can't imagine where I would be now if we hadn't been in the same cabin. Being able to relate to you when it comes to gender identity has also been massive for me, and I can't thank you enough for feeling safe enough to speak about it with me.

Belle, seeing that you are reading something of mine always fills me with such glee. You are such fun, and I feel happier even just knowing that you're there. I can't wait to make more fun stories for you to read, and see what else you make.

Cadoo, I have to give a special thank you to you. Before I found this little group, I was always terrified that the creative ideas I had were too out there. I was scared that no one would like the stories I had to tell. Just being able to talk to you and bounce ideas off you has helped me not only feel safer in my ideas, but also helped develop some of the best parts of those ideas. The things we've made together and the things you've helped me develop for my own creations are some of my favorite things that I've ever made, and I can't wait to make more magic with you.

That's all. I really can't say enough just how much all of you mean to me. So here's to another year of awkward teenagers, old rodents, cliffhangers, and found families. I love you guys. ❤️🩵🧡💜💚

[moose747]

Showing off their big muddy boobs

[each-uisge]

I have a genuinely poor memory, like so bad I wonder sometimes if it’s diagnosable short term memory loss if not for the fact long term memories fade just as badly.

It’s normal for me, but sometimes I tell the same story to the same person for the third time, genuinely convinced I’ve never told them before, and I remember oh wow. No one else lives like this. Other people can recall things really well!

I can’t imagine what that’s like.

If I remember important things it’s literally because I repeated it in my head over and over and over so I couldn’t drop it.

Maybe I’m like super early Alzheimer’s or something 😭

[whatisshelties]

Alert/Drive to Source/Commitment stuff for @wyrddogs

Post 4

Things you can do with electrical boxes for proofing and building value for odor.

Mud started with the bowl and colander method to start scent work. I was introduced to e-boxes in an alerts class I took on Fenzi, and our current instructor uses e-boxes. I really like the e-boxes.

Here is a video from one class where I went back to the e-box to proof the distraction of half a tennis ball with minimal interference from me. (I don't want to be managing him on it forever. I actually need to go back and work this some more.) I'm not proofing duration here, so the mark is pretty soon after he sticks his nose in. I'm rewarding the choice of odor. Tennis balls are the biggest distraction for him. This was after several other sessions indoors.

Here's some with Anza working e-boxes. I think this is another that was proofing choice to not interact with distractions. I was bad and let her get the open bowl of food in that video. That one was much harder than those in the first.

I just shot these today because I didn't have examples of them from any class homework posted.

Shell game: This can be played with containers, too. One hot box you move around between cold ones so the dog has to pick the right box.

Handler movement proofing. Just an example of how you can use them to proof handler motion.

I haven't really used toy rewards much. Mud likes working for food just as well as a toy, and a toy likely would have added arousal and conflict I didn't need. He wants to possess the toy from me more than play with it most of the time. But, I have been experimenting every so often just to train with a bit more arousal, since that might be a touch more trial like. I went out and did a training session just now with 3 e-boxes. I got a bit of distraction proofing in and some 'whoops' it's not normal' when I accidentally flipped the hot e-box. I probably wouldn't have waited for an alert with a green dog, but this was proofing for Mud. My toy mechanics are probably ass, so don't judge. The e-boxes are so nice because they make "nose on source" so clear and easy.

Adding it here since it's just one short video: The "It's Yer Choice" game. This was the first thing they taught us in the first class I took. Bring the reward to the hand with source, don't feed away from source. Maybe you have done this before, too, but including it just in case.

[raikkonencore]

today i go to diegem

[anthropwashere]

Woof, Dad's mind has really started to slip. Not only did he tell me about his two children twice in barely a minute, but TIL I probably? Have a cousin Joey out there somewhere because he kept switching between knowing he was talking to me, his only daughter, and being certain he was talking to Joey.

[kabra-malvada]

My life is a cartoon and I am THE comedy relief character the show treats as a punching bag.

[man-im-so-high]

"living where others spend their holidays" 😽

[whatisshelties]

I was supposed to be an artist vendor at the local farmers market this morning, but Mud started vomiting about 2am, basically every hour, so I told them I couldn't make it and we ended up at the e vet around 6:30 after he'd thrown up water and had bloody stools. Cerenia and fluids and we're doing better so far. He's got an appetite again (he's even hangry) and is keeping food down. (Stools are still gross, but I kinda expect nothing but liquid when he's expelled every bit of solid food from his body.)

His GI flare up(?) started I would say Wednesday PM, when he had the worst "reflux" episode I've see from him in awhile (it lasted hours and I finally gave some omeprazole and he settled down for the night). Thursday PM, he started to have the worst diarrhea he has had since 2023. I was already going into the vet on Friday for some cracked teeth I discovered on Thursday, to get an idea of how urgently I need to get those taken care of (didn't sound super pressing, but not something I should blow off for a long time). They were very interested in the diarrhea and offered me Diagel and the special vet Proviable and I'm like yeah, I'll pass for now, since this is something we've got experience with. I don't even think the Diagel helped last time lmao. He's already on probiotics, so I'm like meh. I started him on a bland diet that morning as that's probably the most helpful thing. (Oh, they also recommended Pepcid for the diarrhea which had me confused? I've never heard that before.)

I am not sure what triggered this. There's lots of hmm, maybe, but nothing glaringly obvious. I'm suspicious of our Wednesday afternoon therapy dog class downtown and that he consumed something he shouldn't have, but then I'm thrown off by it seriously kicking in over 24 hrs later? He played in some lake water 12 days prior to any major symptoms. Over the last month I've been slowly transitioning him fully over to a food that he only ate partially for the last year or so. We've been on fully new food for several days before this happened. Someone had soft stools earlier this month. I think even before he played in the water. Just don't know.

I just hope this doesn't escalate to an 8 month long fight with GI distress like 2023. He did SO WELL last year I had hoped we wouldn't be dealing with this again. If it does, we're probably just jumping to biopsies because that's the only diagnostic we haven't really done yet. (Other than maybe like...an elimination diet and idk if those are considered diagnostic?) I pulled him from an agility trial next weekend because I don't want to stress him out and trigger another GI upset, since that seemed to potentially be a factor last time. Fortunately he doesn't have any other shows scheduled. I was hoping to do another NADAC trial at the end of May, but that's not something I'm going to press for.