people love puppies!!

 my reader numbers are way up...apparently warm fuzzy puppies are way more popular than politics and news in general.  big shocker! i shall give the people what they want.  a report on the trials and joys of puppy raising..in pairs!

 this was the blood fest of over 24 hours ago now.  the puppies are sleeping at this time.  i need to figure out how to get them on a sleep in til 8 am schedule.  no luck so far.  they are early risers.  makes it tough for them when i work though i'm sure.

 after the Ivy meltdown i had to re-evaluate play time.  i have given them way too much control over play time and i believe they need to be reigned back in.  so over the past 24 hours i have been very involved and stopped any excessive bite play.  watching them behave it is clear that sweet Tusker steals whatever toy Ivy takes an interest in and then the wrestle fest begins...so stopping that and re-directing.  re-directing is your best move with puppies.  i have to work on being that calm, assertive leader more.  obviously i blew it in the park a bit that day.  i could have been calmer and more assertive.

 after my efforts the past 24 hours this is what happened last night.  Ivy curled up next to Blossom which was so dang adorable...my heart just melted.  i'm for sure on the right track.  these pups are young enough that i believe all will be well.

 2 days of taking them for their individual walks.  Ivy is by far the more anxious walking on her own.  will have to work to build up her confidence.  she always seemed like she was the more confident puppy but now i'm seeing that may have just been her acting that way. i think once she sees that i am in charge of all play time and she will no longer be ganged up on by Blossom and Tusker she will settle in.

 was quite proud of how great they did yesterday with their back yard adventures.  both are now climbing this board up to the raised bed.  of course, i should be planting in there instead of using it for puppy play but with two puppies this summer i'm not going to kill myself trying to be a master gardener.  sorry...anyone have some veggies later to share, please do.  :-)

 they also both mastered jumping up on the lounge chair. i'm just calling it "table" because if we do agility classes later that would be the command they would most likely use.  so they were running through the tunnel and jumping on table.

 they are both chill dogs at heart so re-directing their play time should help bring them back to their natural personalities. Ivy was freaking out meeting a neighbor yesterday. he did have a pretty loud voice, he wasn't out in front when it was Tuskers turn to walk so i couldn't test out if there was a difference.

 part of puppy training this week was to place objects down for the puppies to see how they responded.  as i was cooking Ivy was close by so i figured i'd set down a bit of a green onion.  she went ape.  it was actually hilarious.  Tusker had a totally different reaction.  i think his calmness eventually calmed her. i gave her major treats for calming down around it.  started to get the same reaction with a piece of celery...i was making stir fry...once i got her calm i made a bounty of treats around the celery.

 did decide on yesterdays individual walk i'm going to need to improve my treat load for those walks.  Ivy especially will need an added incentive.  generally, at home, i just mix some puppy kibble with more spendy treats.  you never know then what level of treat you will receive. for home, that seems to be enough reward and i figure they get more good calories that way.

 not looking forward to work this week.  sleep is still not as long as i would prefer.  in between shifts sleep seems to be very limited.  place had been busy so no chance for on calls.

 my excellent puppy person is available all three nights though so that should help.  was thinking i'd make some cards up for her and leave treats in case she wants to run them through some training.

 Tusker was trying to get in on the puppy love.

 i was trying to sleep but i was just tossing so that is why i got up to write a blog note.  no point wasting time tossing and turning.

 wild fires have begun. they have a horrible one burning in Alberta, Canada currently.  those are so scary. i know some burn is natural and actually good, but they can get so out of control so fast.

 i always feel horrible for the animals.

 have been having more fun getting to the walrus cam and lurking a bit. i try to get a few pictures to share.

 hit the gym last night and while i was doing my elliptical and bike work outs i had the walrus cam up. it's so relaxing to watch them and listen to the sea.

 a few thousand walrus have hauled out on beaches a bit north of Round Island. it's a place they don't usually haul out so there was an article about it.  are they stopping early because the ice pack is further north and they get tired, are they just enjoying a new food source?  not sure.  hopefully, everyone just leaves them alone and there aren't any incidences.

 they have added this beautiful view of round island as a second option this year, which is great.  so many beautiful sunsets so far.

 great to view the crazy bird numbers as well.  so far the murre population seems to be in pretty decent shape despite the big die off.

 so here are just a few views from the cliffs of Round Island.

 will get out for a walk here soon.  probably just a loop out at Campbell Airstrip.  did a loop with a friend yesterday.  she helped with the puppies. they only had one incident of trying to go into play mode.

 happy to read that the star fish are breeding like crazy on the western coasts down south. they had a huge die off as well.  nature is pretty brutal.

 love these beauties!

 after our long walk yesterday i did get some errands run. always a treat.

 still loads on my to do list.  raising puppies is good for weight loss.  i think i've dropped 5 pounds this past month.

 nice low tide

 and a rainbow that someone captured on the web cam.  so pretty.

grateful for:  A.  that dogs forgive and forget B.  the laughter and joy my dogs bring to my life C.  a good solid rain on a summer day.  the earth needed a good soaking...of course that means i'll have to mow soon too.