Peryn: The A H

 Hello. My name is Peryn and I am a major asshole.   

That's how I imagine him introducing himself  to people. It really is a mystery how the sweet little puppy we brought home turned into the little shit that he now.     

Don't get me wrong, he's the sweetest dude when he wants to be. However if he doesn't get his way...

Peryn isn't overtly affectionate not like Volos & Lada are.  Those two thrive on love and affection-demand it even. When they're just lying there relaxing, they love when they get pets and cuddles.  Peryn tends to move away from it.  When we force the issue, he grudgingly accepts it. 

What we mean by that: he has a purr-growl.  He's indicating he's not exactly a fan of the physical part of this attention, but at the same time he likes it. It's like he is fighting his nature.  "I don't like being touched, but it's Mommy giving me loving".

Peryn is OBSESSED with two things. Ball & Volos. He is a MAJOR brat when trying to get his way with either.
First we'll discuss BALL.   Ball is any ball, BUT it also is anything that can be thrown & returned by him. So this extends to his toys.   He is an interactive player.

He is happiest when someone other than him is involved in play.  

I warn people when they first come that if you throw his toy once, you're in for it. This is no exaggeration, he can play for hours.   Trying to ignore him or telling him no is where the AH part comes in.  He will first bark insistently at you to play. This bark, the heeler bark as I call it, is so high pitched and annoying. He does not stop until you give in. Give in you will.

Once that doesn't work, he moves onto his next phase. He climbs up on you or on the  back of the couch (where ever you are sitting) and proceeds to climb on top of you. So he will either be on your head, shoulders, or lap while being overly loving and a major pain in the butt, trying to get you to play with him. 

In the basement is their herding ball. He loves that thing. He is very skilled at controlling it.  I am seriously impressed with him. Sometimes he will play by himself, toy in his mouth, while pushing the ball around with his paws.  Dude has real control over it.  He prefers when he has an audience.

When we take the ball to the park with us, he turns into a monster with his barking because he wants Rich (who usually carries it) to drop it so he can play. I mean his high pitched barking is ridiculous at this point.   

Taunting as usual

As I said, anything ball is his favorite.  Ball is anything that can be fetched. His FAVORITE item is actually a cheeseburger. I have a gallery of photos of him & that cheeseburger. We had to buy so many to put in reserve since he adores that dang thing. 

 In the game of fetch where he is OBVIOUSLY the BIGGEST JERK is the blaster guns I have.   I have two different ones that shoot tennis balls. The one upstairs shoots small tennis balls & the one in the basement shoots regular sized tennis balls.    
LADA lives for this. Her favorite thing is to play fetch with Momma.   Peryn....used to love doing that, but his thing these days involves ruining it for everyone. 

MOST times we play it is Lada chasing after the ball with Peryn running alongside her to make sure she picks it up. He usually will have another ball or toy in his mouth already when doing this.   He will play like this until his toy becomes disgustingly drenched or until he decides he wants the current ball.  

When all 3 are playing (Volos loves to get involved) Volos gets excited too. He goes after the ball.  The difference is these days Volos drops the ball after taking a few "chews" on it.   Lada will pick it up and bring it back.  
Not Peryn. The jerk will drop whatever toy he currently has in his mouth, go after the ball in play & then hold onto it if he gets it first.   This is one of the reasons I usually have to take a minimum of 3 balls when playing with the shooters.    Lada is particular about which balls she plays with, so if the one he just discarded isn't a ball or is not "the one" in some ways, I have to bring out another. 

another day, another taunt

He will do this over and over in a game of blaster fetch.  With the tiny balls, since they are cheap I can buy a lot and use the older ones to shoot directly at him to catch.  He's happy either that instant or for a few more shots.  The bigger ball blaster (say that 3x fast) extra balls aren't as easy to come by.  
SO there have been times he's interrupted a game when he takes a ball & holds onto it.   

He can be sweet when he keeps the one in his mouth & runs along with Lada & stops the ball from going out of bounds or something....but these days it's far & in between.

 Oh and when he WANTS to go after the ball, he starts this OBNOXIOUS barking (see barking mentioned above).   It's worse because we're indoors. He will bark and bark until he gets a ball/toy in his mouth.  Truthfully, Volos gets excited as well and will bark while we play.  It gets VERY noisy.

Big brother....

Before Volos, Peryn would ALWAYS want to play.  He demands an audience or participation most times. He would often go downstairs by himself to play with his herding ball or whatever else he did down there. A lot of the time he wanted us to play with him.

Sometime after we brought Volos home, he began to be obsessed with him. Constantly trying to get him to play. This led to fights..physical altercations between the two. They were bad in the beginning. We're talking blood & fur flying.  Vet visits were needed.  

Now they still get into (all Peryn's fault), but I can't tell if it's their brand of playing or not. They're over quicker & Peryn thrives on these.  I am telling you I raised an asshole.

SO, If you've viewed our YouTube videos, you'll  have seen the Chronicles of Peryn & Volos.  Peryn loves ..is obsessed with...getting Volos to react to him. We think he ultimately wants Volos to chase him, but he takes what he can get. 

The two of them rumble over toys all the time. Volos loves to collect/hoard them.  Peryn knows this and tends to find one to rub in Volos' face. LITERALLY. He straight up walks right up to Volos to taunt him with said toy.  He tries to get him to react & go after him. ALL. THE. TIME.    

Volos can be next to me getting pets, there is Peryn walking up to him as close as he can with a toy. If it makes noise, he'll make sure to shake it or squeak it right in his face.   Peryn is a SERIOUS ASSHOLE here. Over and over until either Volos follows him to the basement or they get into. The times where Volos manages to take it away, cue Peryn's obnoxious bark.   

It can be funny, but when it ends in a tussle it just pisses me off.  

So as you can see he is a jerk when he doesn't get his way & he knows how to manipulate us.

Back to the fetch thing. The past few days he's been like this. He used to do this all the time, but not as much lately.  When he tries to get us to play fetch, he used to drop his ball or toy on the floor in front of us. This is to get our attention when we "hear" the ball. If that didn't work, he'd do it again or twice back to back.  
When that didn't work, he'd drop it against your foot or leg. 

Next he puts it right next to you on the couch/chair.  The more you ignore him then it moves to ON YOU.   He knows if he does it enough you will push it off or toss it off of you. THAT is what he's aiming for and he goes after it to bring it back-to start the process all over. 

When I am serious about not playing and tell him "NO" sternly. He gets this look like you just gravely hurt him.  If it's near the beginning of him trying to play, he climbs up on you to shower you with kisses, trying to butter you up. 

If you've been playing for awhile and are tired, he'll get this hurt look and go lie down.   

The collection of his prized possessions (cheeseburger, balls taken from Volos...) end up in the bed with us. The reason is two-fold. One to keep them safe. Two to keep them away from Volos.  Three to have them ready when he wants you to throw them.  This usually happens on Sunday nights when Rich is doing his big shave & shower for Monday.  He will keep dropping it at Rich's feet to play.  He's even dropped in the shower when he wasn't done.
   
He'll do it in the middle of the night if he's in the mood & you've gotten up to use the restroom.  He will do it while you're using said restroom. Sitting there minding your own business and you'll here the soft sound of plastic hitting the floor along with a faint "rrrrrr' (not a growl, but this sound he makes to let you know he's there, wanting your attention).

I try to stretch in the mornings.  I do this in the closet, on the floor. He'll bring his dang toy & throw it at me.   He's gotten so good at knowing what angle to drop some of his stuff that it comes right to you...like he threw it.   

When he wants to be sweet--to be sweet, he's a doll. He's also extremely sensitive. He HATES being yelled at.  He is petrified of storms.  He gets bent out of shape when the house gets messed up. The one year when we were redoing the first floor at our old house, he refused to be downstairs until everything went back to normal.  

He is a good brother though. He keeps annoying dogs away from Volos at daycare. He watches over Lada at daycare & at parks.  

Besides fetch, he does love tug.  WE had a tether tug at the old house. He & Lada broke it when the tag teamed it.  He loves playing tug with Lada, Volos, & us.   He is a very interactive play dog.   Just wish he wasn't such a jerk about it. 

And YES, I call him an Ass Hole to his face all the time....

Pupdate: June 8 2020

Another pupdate here.   It's been about 2 weeks since we last posted and a bunch of things have happened with our Pack.   SO let's get to it.


Peryn & Volos -  I don't remember if I indicated that the two of the have a somewhat adversarial relationship.   It escalated again last week and the fur was flying.    At this point in time, Volos is the continuing problem.   Peryn has taken to giving him a wide berth when they aren't playing.    Volos growls almost every time Peryn is in his line of site.   We're working on curtailing that.   


Volos-- he's our little klepto.  If he sees it and wants it, it's taken. He loves to take my shoes. In fact, I just today noticed a hole in them.   Mind you this is after I retrieved

both pair from his stash.  He has no shame, if he can reach it --it becomes his.     It's funny and annoying. 
He tends to pull on the laces of our shoes, making them close up real tight.  The hole...not sure if it was him or me.     

He still loves playing with his toys.   He spends his mornings in Rich's office, rolling his  Wobble Wag Giggle Ball (WWGBall from here on out).  He plays with the stuffed toys and barks.  He's such a freaking happy dog.     

He's a regular at play care now and that's a work in progress.   He also regularly runs down the stairs now to go play with the other two. Is favorite thing to do is to collect the smaller balls and hoard them.      Such a silly boy.

Peryn is Peryn. Still loves heading for the basement to play with his herding ball.   He will be down there whether or not he has company.    Ball is life with him.     When Volos comes down and tries to play with the herding ball, Peryn backs off to let him.      

Peryn has taken on some mannerisms that Duchess had.   He didn't do some of the stuff before, but now that she is gone he does.   

And speaking of Duchess..... don't think for one second that we don't think about her. We miss her so much.   That girl was one of a kind.

Lada-- Little girl is just like always.  She's still possessive of Mommy. Still loves to play with tennis balls. Loves playing with her big brother.   Loves lying with Sissy.     She's also proven herself to be such a good girl.   Still a bit psycho at times, but more protective and better behaved.

Athena!   Girl is still going strong.  2.5 years in and she's still got spirit.  That being said, there is a slow decline that we are noticing. The muscles around her lungs are getting weaker. We can hear it in her barks.  Some days they are wheezy and weak and others a lot stronger.    Her front legs are definitely declining.  She only seems to be able to hold herself up when she's running in her cart. If she's stopped, she tends to bow forward. 

She still goes to play care for a few hours once a week. It all depends on the days leading up to and the day of.  

Unfortunately the depression that accompanies the later stages of the disease is also noticeable.   Throughout most of the illness, she's had a pretty happy attitude.  She  never seemed to let it get her down.  As of late i see it.  It's heartbreaking and it mostly happens the days the dogs are at play care.   It's heart breaking.  

But what isn't heart breaking is that she's still here with us. We really didn't think she'd still be here at this time of year.  She took such a drastic turn in January, we thought at that rate she'd be gone in a few months.   She sure showed us.  

We have been wanting to get Invisible Fence for the yard for some time. We're not allowed traditional fences, so we decided we would invest in IF.   The biggest hold up has been the lot next to us. We wanted to wait until that lot was built before we got it installed.  The lot was sold when we moved in 10 months ago, but it wasn't until last month that they began building. 

Now that they're working on the inside, we got the IF installed.  We're on week 2 and this is how it goes on the training:

Athena--no collar.

Lada-- This smart little cookie got it.  She's 98% trained.   Such a good girl.   Discovered it while playing fetch with the chuck it over the weekend.  She knows what the boundaries are and what will happen. She won't chase a ball that rolls over the line.     
The real test would be her reaction to the animals she sees like the deer from a few weeks ago.    We have yet to test it against her prey drive.   Otherwise she's pretty much good to go.

Volos--Yeah he's what they consider a Self trainer.  His history and his reaction to the correction indicates he may have had some correction training in the past.    He gets buzzed once--training is over. He wants inside. Know what else doesn't help--he's not a fan of the heat.   
First dog I have ever had that does NOT want to be outside in the sun.       So trying to train him has been a chore.   
They are going to give him an additional warning beep to alert him so he has time to react before correction.   

We'll keep you posted.

Peryn. Peryn. Peryn.  Have I ever told you he's stubborn? Well his breed is stubborn and hardy.   One thing we learned about the breed and their hardiness was they could be injured and you wouldn't know. They're just built that way..tough. They are meant to work with cattle so they need to have thick skins.

Those of you who have met Peryn have seen his reaction to ball.   He has laser focus and it's all about the ball. Those two factors together have made training a bit tough. 

He's heard the beep. He's heard the correction. Yet he doesn't give a damn.    Today we went to train with distractions (IE BALL).   Dude is so laser focused on the ball, he didn't feel the correction.   The training correction did nothing--he totally ignored it. The up one level, which we did at first, did nothing when he was focused on something like getting to the ball.    The next setting--gets his attention.   SO we've had to start over to get him aware of the boundaries so he can learn to avoid them.     
Small progress, but progress none-the-less.     
Stubborn fool.

Athena & Lada

Volos plotting to take the bone

We're all having fun

Volos & Athena in the bedroom

UPDATE on Peryn

His alligator

First, I feel bad that Athena's post /update wasn't that long.   Thing is, she's a pretty consistent and happy girl. She doesn't get into trouble and she just is.   So with that out of the way, let's get an update on Peryn!

Peryn. Peryn. Peryn.  What can I tell you about him?  First off, I love this guy with all my heart.  He's my little dude. There is just something about him that gets to you.  He's my little bully and my big sweetie.  

He has an OBSESSION with his toys: Anything that can be thrown or tugged.   His desire to play with other dogs comes way down the list of things he likes to do.  Well, that's not entirely true. He's content to chase after other dogs if he's got his ball in his mouth.    If there is a rope or it's long in nature, tug is his game of choice.   

herding ball

A new thing that has come into his and Lada's lives is the "herding ball".  It's just a big ole hard plastic Jolly Ball that they can't get their teeth around due to the size and material.  He and Lada go BEZERK running around the yard with that ball "herding" it.   When he's in the mood, he'll push it towards the neighbor, MC, to allow him to play along.  When he isn't, he's content to just play by himself.  

EVERY time the 2 of them go out, they're running towards their ball.   They're nutts!!

We've discovered recently that he's very "sensitive" to some things. He cannot stand getting yelled at.  He cannot stand disruption.  We have been in remodel mode for the past 2 weeks. It involved moving all the furniture on the first floor around from room to room. First to paint the living room and then to accommodate the flooring guys as we got new flooring throughout. 

Just prior to this, he attended a new day care* without Lada and regular day care without her.  He's lost without her.

BALL!!

So for those days he was hiding upstairs-even when we were downstairs.  Dude was not happy about the disruption.   Good news is that we're all done and he's mostly regained his equilibrium.

*The reason they were trying a new daycare & without Lada is this one is open on the weekends. I need a place to take them occasionally on the weekend and their regular playground is not open on the weekends.  Lada was unable to join them because they do not allow dogs over 6 months that are not spayed.    


Peryn is doing well otherwise.  He's a healthy 42 lbs and is just a great companion with a major obsession with FETCH.

He and Lada are still besties and he cannot stand doing stuff without her.  He's mopey when he has to do things without her.    He's been without her several times over the last 5 months or so.  She's come with me on my road trips to Tenn and unfortunately he's been unable to join us.    He's a great travel companion, but the dog at the other end of the trip isn't very hospitable.  Two males trying to show who's boss? Yeah not a great idea.

He really is a wonderful dog that I love so very much.   I'll admit, he's my favorite. It's hard not to love him with his personality--even when he annoys you.

His tug

Gramma loves him to death.  She is one of the few people who actually love to play fetch with him.   Too bad she can't visit more or that he can't visit her.    

He still has his tether tug outside which he LOVES.  Let's just face it, he loves all his toys.   His tether tug is great when he's in a frustrated mood to just yank and shake around things.  It's great when he's by himself.  If you have a Heeler and want one, get the XL size.  He broke the one for his "size" within 2 mins of getting his teeth on it.   

When we take him to dog parks or dog gatherings, he's all about the ball/toy/fetch.  He's pretty non-reactive to other dogs and that makes his a great companion.  He is the chillest passenger in the car-just happy to be along for the ride.    He's going to get to come with us on our next vacation & I"m excited about that!

He loves his Tether Tug

Peryn really is a joy to have in our lives. He was the best quick decision we ever made and don't regret it one bit.   He really helped put this breed on our radar more (we knew of them prior, just never considered them).   He is a big teddy bear and best bud in one furry package.   
He still gets along great with his other sisters, Duchess & Athena.  They really all interact more as a foursome than they did as a two-some and three-some.  I think the four of them are at where the Old Guard were as a pack.   They're fiercely protective of one another and love to play together.  Not to mention, only they can pick on each other--no other dog can!

Tug. Tug. Tug.

after Playcare----tired.

Whatcha doing?

So Very Handsome!

SO So SO much

Hi!! Peryn here. My first time. Isn't it exciting. I have so much to tell you about. Really it's all awesome. I am so glad you're here. I can't believe I get to tell you all about it and did you know I love my Mommy? She's the bestest.  She is awesome. I hate when she leaves and I can't go with her.  I can't keep her safe if she's not by me.  It sucks. It really does.
I love life. I love my Mommy. I love my sissies.  Athena is awesome. Duchess is cool except when she tries to get on the bed at night. I don't care if she's been sleeping there since day 1. No one can be there except ME!!

I love balls and playing fetch and playing with other doggies and playing in water. I love water. I love to swim and I love to chase other dogs in the water and I love to splash. It's so much fun.  Mommy and Daddy take me and my sisters to the parks where I can do all of this.   It's just awesome!  I love to ride in the car and I just love it.

Mommy says I'm real big now.   I'm still much smaller than Duchess and Athena and most other dogs I play with, but I'm not as small as I was.     r
I met my Grandma & Grandpa . Duchess said they're cool and pawesome, but I don't know yet.   They didn't play with me much.

I just wanted to tell you that I love my life and my toys and my sisters and my Mommy.......
~~~~~~~~~

Sorry it's been awhile to post an update on the dogs.  Been pretty busy the past month or so.
July 23 we drove down to Columbus to attend the Annual Cattle Dog Cookout.   Peryn travels so well. He slept most of the way down. He got to meet his "peeps".  MANY MANY ACD's were there. It was super hot and he loved swimming (big surprise. He loves water).

We try to get the kids to the park once a week (at least). We've been taking trips out to Canine Meadows to let them run, play, splash, swim.  In fact, we did that today. The kids are POOPED.

Peryn's about 45 lbs now.  Heavier, longer than tall. He's a pain in the butt, but he's a loveable guy.
Duchess tolerates him to a point. Athena and Peryn still love to play.  Peryn also loves playing with Athena's friends: MC & Bridger.   Let's be honest, Peryn loves playing with everyone and every dog.

Duchess is definitely a lot more affectionate these days thanks to her jealousy of Peryn.   Very interesting.

Guess who's getting big?

Hello!  Thanks for checking back on the puppies.

We had a quiet weekend. Athena pulled a muscle in her leg, so we kept Peryn off of her until she had a chance to rest and heal.

Peryn's doing quite well. He's holding it longer and longer as each day goes by. He's been given the privilege of sleeping outside the crate on the weekends. He usually curls up in between us at our head/shoulder level.    He's quite the cuddler.

He's making strides in his training. He's mastered sit, lay down, off, up, and FINALLY after weeks and weeks of training, he finally does PAW!    

Some of the other commands that we've worked with, but need more time with: Leave It, Stay, and Come.    

We'll work our way up to the bigger ones a little later.
He LOVES LOVES LOVES to play fetch.   I can't wait to be able to take him to the park where he'll have more room to play.

Duchess and Peryn have a love-hate relationship. She loves playing with him and being near him, but at the same time she is ridiculously jealous of him. ANYTIME he gives and gets affection, she's there to "play".  She starts by pushing him around.        She better pay attention, he's getting bigger.

Duchess has become more affectionate since Peryn's arrival. That's not to say she's all cuddly and all that. No, she's just less likely to go off on her own. She cuddles closer to us in bed.   It's the little things.

Athena must like him. She sometimes gives up playing with Boyfriend and Bestie to come back and play with Peryn.  He adores her as well.    
They all make a good team.

Another new thing is their walks. The weather has gotten better and Daddy has been taking them for walks in shifts.  The girls first and then Peryn. Peryn gets a longer walk because he has more energy to burn.
Mommy will join them as soon as the weather turns a bit warmer.   It's very difficult to move at times.   The knee is pretty bad and has NOT stopped hurting since the winter.  
We shall see.

Duchess

Athena

Peryn!