Prikka (7 months) and spring

Kiila, Jinga and Prikka waiting for that the slow-slow owner would catch them up

During the last month quite a lot has happened in the life of our puppy. Firstly she had her first ever confirmation show, the critics. On the posting of the day there is even a video. Before Easter Prikka had  her second "private" obedience lesson by Oili, my favourite coach. We showed our heel position and started the first steps  for heeling. It was nice to hear that we are on the right track. Then we worked to improve her passion for toys. I have been using treats quite a lot, since they have worked better than toys. We thought that toys should have higher value in her eyes. So lot's of 1-2-3- games and making her to want to win the toy when competing with me. 

For the Easter we went to Puolanka, the continental middle point of Finland to enjoy the snow and winter sports with the family (the pics above). There are lots of photos in the Easter posting and lots of obedience photos finally taken of Prikka (taken on Easter Day on a lake, when doing Oili's homework). We did retrieving, recall, send away, 1-2-3 game.We do only bits of movements, not ready for  whole movements for a long time. Prikka has not been too much in the car, but now the easter holiday made her to feel cosy in the car, she is now always the first one to jump to the car.

Last weekend we had for the first time spring like weather. We enjoyed the beautiful day in the garden which is something Prikka has not experienced earlier. She had a bit difficulties to understand that I did not need her help all the time, digging the earth, tearing the twigs away or raking. She clearly had learned that we are a pair when in the garden. Now, I was not focusing on her. She is not used to the idea of just taking it easy in the garden. Neither she is used to the anthills. She had quite a encounter with one of those, poking her head into it. She also met the first butterfly of her life, it was so tempting to try to catch that flying object. In the forest the puddles and little streams were also odd.

In "our forest" the little stream is this time of the year "Niagara", all the snow smelting upstream.

Last Sunday I made the first track for her. It was a good lesson how not to do it. Since Prikka has been using her nose a lot; finding things I have dropped or following the tracks of some people she knows. So, I made a track and an hour later we did it. But she did not understand the long line following her, she did not have any idea what we were doing. Poor girl! It was really discouraging, but she found four sticks out of five, which I had dropped along the track. So, it went exactly the other way round as I imagined beforehand. Next time we will make fresh tracks, then we will feel like champions.

Since I was greedy we went later in the evening to forest again. This time to make kind of property square. First we went marked our area by walking around it several times. Then all the dogs had turns for searching. Prikka was brilliant, she brought me couple of tugging toys, a tiny stuffed key holder, a plastic water bottle and a comb. Pictures below.

This week has been fantastic! Besides the nosework in the forest, we could train on our football field. It was so great just walk there and do the things (send aways to the square etc.) that require space. What was even more fun that the puppy worked for me and did not even once try to join the boys who were playing close by. All this made me so happy.

Sometimes Prikka is so adult and lay back wise dog, of course she has lots of puppyish moments. Life is lots of fun with her. You never can take anything for granted. We are lucky being healthy and having  healthy dogs with us. During the Easter Prikka fell in the lake through the thin ice. I was jus heading forward looking at the beautiful swans and in the meanwhile Prikka went the other direction. When I noticed she dropped into the lake, there was open water in the current and that is where she headed when the ice broke underneath. I did not have time to do anything before she hauled herself up, strong muscles. What a bad owner! The other thing I am grateful that nothing has happened to Prikka,  even though it seems she has chewed and ate lots of tugging toys. Now, that everything starts to melt in the garden, so also all her winter poos are disappearing, too, showing quite amounts of cloths they contained. Luckily all these have come out the natural way. I could make a quite a impressive art work with all the colours of cloth strings that have visited her stomach. We should be so grateful for all the healthy days!
BTW she is getting heavy, almost 18 kilos and the height is about the same as last month. There is always this +- 2 cm when measuring against the wall. I am not good in this measuring thing.