Monday, July 29, 2013

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Maya!! Can't believe she's already three.

Tachi was here over the weekend for an early celebration. They had a great time zooming, hiking and begging for treats.


We went to Zoom Room tonight and Maya graduated from Agility 2. She'll be starting Agility 3 next week! When we got home, her daddy brought back some New York Steak for dinner. Ah, she swallowed the whole thing without even chewing. I guess that's how she enjoys a good meal.


Maya decided she doesn't need a new toy for birthday and donated to Bella instead. Wish Bella a speedy recovery!

Friday, July 26, 2013

TTouch

A few weeks ago, Maya and I journeyed into the deep mountains of Santa Cruz for a semi-private TTouch class. It was recommended by K, the Jindo owner. I was hoping the class can teach me methods to calm Maya down when she's itchy, as well as help ease her up when meeting dogs on leash.

The drive over wasn't very pleasant, especially after getting lost in the woods by following my GPS. Lucky, my classmate made the same mistake and we both ended up at the same place; even luckier, I still had cell reception in the middle of nowhere. Half an hour later, Google Map led us around a whole mountain to where we should be. I felt like puking upon arrival, but somehow Maya was totally fine.


The class took place outdoors on some wild grasses. We learned a few massage techniques, how to wrap the dog up with bandages, and how to read their body languages.

Maya was never a cuddly girl, so the massage were ok. She would tolerate for a while, but would eventually run away. I was afraid I'd forget the "moves", so asked Maya's daddy to film them once I got home.


I do like the wrapping, because it's kind of like a thrundershirt that helps calm the dog down, but much better suited for the hot weather. Maya, of course hated it. The first few times I put it on, she was panting so heavily, I was worried that it's stressing her out even more. After a few days, she seems to be getting used to it, but still spends a good 5 mins pacing and panting every time it's on. I do notice that once she calms down, she does seem scratch or lick much less. 


Overall it was an interesting class at an interesting location. I went to the class without much knowledge of TTouch or what to expect. Somehow I was hoping for a little more, but not quite sure what was missing. 

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Scent Workshop

Maya and I attended a six-week Scent Workshop at Zoom Room Belmont since early June. It is an introductory class for K9 Nosework.


We started by putting treats in boxes and let the dogs find them and eat from the boxes. Then we added the scents we want to teach them to recognize, anise and birch, in the boxes with treats. After a few rounds of practice, the treats got removed and instead the handlers reward them by putting the treats in the boxes after they sniffed. 

They also learned how to properly alert the handlers when the scent is found. At first, we let them just open up the box and take out the treats on their own. Then we asked them to "sit" as soon as they sniffed the boxes. Eventually, they should sit next to the boxes on their own as soon as they discover the right scent. 


It took Maya a while to understand the idea of sitting since she had some bad habits of pawing at the box from a different scent game I taught her a while ago. I was very proud that she finally got it and really knew to skip the boxes that had nothing in them. 

During the last class, we removed the boxes all together and started to hide cotton swaps with the scents around the classroom. All dogs were a bit confused, but Maya did find the one attached to a key chain and sat nicely next to it. I should probably start applying some scent to my key chain and let her help me find it!


Overall, it's a great introductory class for those interested in Nosework. It's a great activity for dogs of any age or activity level. It would be great if they can offer an advanced class sometime in the future, since we feel like wanting more. 

Monday, July 15, 2013

Monthly Expenses: June 2013

June 2013
  • Food: $77
  • Treats & Chews: $8
  • Supplements: $30
  • Vet & Medical: $13
TOTAL: $128
YTD TOTAL: $1,693



Food

We stocked up on some XKALIBER and TOMB from greentrip.com, as well as some beef bone dust and a huge bag of lamb ribs.


Treats & Chews

Since Maya's on a strict diet, I have been making all her treats. We got a 4 lbs pack of organic ground beef from Costco. Half was added spices and made into beef jerky for the humans, while the other half were made into Maya's treats. We all loved it!


Supplements

Following the suggestions from Maya's allergy test, I got some Stinging Nettle Root, Digestive Enzymes, Dandelion Root, and Calcium supplement. I didn't notice that the Dandelion Root contains rice flour till I got it (wasn't listed on the website), but Amazon was good and fully refunded me.


Vet & Medical

I got a jar of Mal-A-Ket wipes to help keep the infected area between Maya's toes dry. It seems to be helping with her ear infection as well. 


Thursday, July 11, 2013

What Went Wrong?

Sign, I was right. I shouldn't have spoken so soon... Within 24 hours of my last post, claiming Maya is doing much better, she started to itch again.

That day, I took Maya to training class, and while I wasn't paying attention, I believe she picked up a treat left by other dogs. After we went back home, she started scratching in a few hours. 

So far, it's been going on for more than a week. K, the Jindo owner, told me it may take up to two weeks to get the trigger food out of the system. I ready do hope it's because of whatever food she picked up, or I'll be at lost again...

Open wound on the cheek 

New wounds on the nose and around the mouth

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

We Survived June

I'm kind of afraid to say anything and jinx it...

Maya has been doing great in the past two weeks after we changed her diet following the result from Glacier Peak Allergy Test. She still scratches a few times a day, but comparing to the past two years or even this spring, the improvement is significant. 

7/1/2011, a few weeks after her first outbreak

7/2/2012, she was still on Atopica
7/2/2012

Today (7/3//2013)
Today (7/3/2013)

She still has the habit of licking her feet, but the frequency does seem to be decreasing as she's less itchy. The new Mal-a-ket wipe I've been using also helps discourage licking and keep it dry between the toes.


I am really thrilled to see the big improvements, but somehow still worried that it's too good to be true and that everything can fall apart rather quickly. Paws crossed!