Teddy visits Grandma

[pkcrossley]

Teddy paid his first visit to to his Grandma this week. We drove all the way to Pennsylvania. Teddy detests long drives in his crate, and has no hesitation about making this known, loud and long.

In the pictures, Teddy shows Grandma how much progress he has made at walking nicely on a leash. Going forward and relatively straight is difficult for all puppies, there are so many distractions. For Teddy is it especially hard, since he has a habit of rapid circling when trying to get his bearings, and of course he doesn't know what is in front of him. He has to trust his person and be confident that is okay to keep going forward on the end of the leash. He is making very rapid progress with this. It will be easier when the leaves are off the ground, since pouncing on, killing, and devouring leaves is a bit of an obsession.

Teddy's grandma strongly suspects that Teddy can see at least a little bit. There is a some of evidence for this. Mostly the fact that he does not run into anything with a substantial surface, even when he is going at a good clip. The possibility that this is not vision but some bat-like ability is made unlikely by the fact that he DOES run into any protrusions that are the same color as the walls. If he had radar, he would not make that mistake. He does seem to be relying on vision. He also got fascinated by a bathroom floor in my mother's house that was composed of large white tiles with smaller, strongly contrasting black tiles. Most of the other bathroom floors he has encountered at my house have solid color tiles, or small tiles of various shades (no strong contrast). He stared very intently at the black/white contrasting tiles and seemed to be studying them very closely.

The great mystery is why Teddy does not see people. Even if he could only see large, contrasting objects, he ought to look at people approaching him, or calling to him from a close distance. He doesn't look at people except for quick glances that could be a coincidence. In general there is no evidence that he sees people at all. So, some very suggestive evidence that he can see, and some very suggestive evidence that he can't. An intriguing mystery.

Teddy is beginning to show real terrier personality. He loves playing outdoors and throws a tantrum when picked up to go in. He is getting very rough with his toys, and his beloved pink blobby --which he takes out most of his frustrations on-- had to be patched up by Grandma after receiving some wounds. When he hears suspicious noises or gets frustrated trying to find something he wants, he gives a low terrier grumble.

Our main projects now are getting more weight on him and getting even better with leash walking. Teddy gained enough weight to get his canine influenza shot, but he still isn't close to 10 pounds, which is the present goal. Then, on to house training, which I think he is ready for.

By the way, the hot dog suggestion for doggie treats was a great idea, but again, Teddy showed no interest. Next on the agenda is to try grilled hamburger. Teddy is very quick at learning what he wants to learn --like where the water bowls and his beds are-- but to learn things he might not already want to learn I still believe we have to find a treat he will work for. The search is still on, and there is always hope that some lights are going to go on that will get him to appreciate normal dog treats.

There were some questions about Teddy's coat: Teddy's coat has extensive silver highlights, particularly on his rump and hind legs. His face, lower legs, and tail point are all very dark, as is his undercoat. He is gorgeous, I will get a nice picture up as soon as he starts to slow down enough for me to get him in focus.

[Sam I Am]

PK he is soooooooooo precious! In regards to treats have tried something like freeze dried pieces of fish? I know in one of our pet stores we can purchase freeze dried whitefish.... Jock goes crazy as they are rather smelly!

Please keep the stories of Teddy coming!

[cairnrescueleague]

So Teddy is still fascinated with the bathroom ! I do remember those terrier grumbles, when he'd run into something or hear something like a motorcycle go by outside. I was always glad he had a feisty reaction rather than a fearful one. Also, he did better uncrated in the car, I think being in a crate upsets his equilibrium, but I know he's safer in a crate.

[shergry]

Great pics, thanks for the update. Am keeping you both in prayers for success in weight gain and treats to be worth eating. :0)

[oscar's mom]

Looks like Teddy is having a good time with Grandmom.

I remember cairn rescue league, talking about the bathroom facination.

Keep the stories coming, we love spunky Cairns.

By the way how is he getting along with his brother?

[josie&holly]

Teddy sounds as if he is doing well apart from the weight! As someone has said - dried fish skins are a good treat as they smell quite a bit! Holly loves them [mind you she just likes food/treats!].

Holly grumbles under her breath quite often - usually if a cat is outside the house [she must smell it through walls!] or if next door revs up his motor scooter. It is good that he is aware of things that annoy him!

[pkcrossley]

Thanks, will try the fishy things.

Redmon and Teddy are getting along fine. Teddy so far is not showing terrific interest in anybody else who is in the house. He is most interested in me, and clearly recognizes Redmon by both sound and smell. Teddy at the moment is quite engrossed in exploring his world, and he is getting good at memorizing even small details. Sometimes he shows a distinct interest in Redmon's fetch toys, and Redmon has no problem with that. I think that as Teddy gets more casual about finding his way around, he will be able to spare some interest in the creatures he shares the house with.

Yes, Teddy does have a fascination with bathrooms (and laundry rooms). When I am home he has free run of the house, and tends to seek out and spend most of his time in either bathrooms or the laundry room. I would think other parts of the house would have more interesting smells and textures, but he likes bathrooms. It is possible he likes them because they are relatively uncluttered, with clean lines uninterrupted by furniture or architectural features. It is also possible that he finds the sound dynamics of a bathroom more interesting than the more muted sounds of other rooms. I have no idea. But since he likes those areas I have put a couple of his beds in them, and he tends to end up there for his long naps.

[DawnandTuk-tuk]

Its so good to hear about Teddy! I think it's so strange he's not that interested in people (able to see them). But then again, not much about his case is 'normal' so maybe it's not that strange after all. I love the pics and wish I had some treat suggestions but I don't like things that smell to much so we avoid them ourselves. Tuk-tuk does a crazy happy dance over Smokehouse Duck and Sweet Potato dog treats...they don't smell very strong but he seems to think they are awesome. They are too big to use as a trainging treat, but since you are trying to broaden his food horizons they may be beneficial and if not I'm sure Redmon will like them.

[BetsyNoodle]

I am on vacation in Philadelphia and will be going on to New York tomorrow, but I wanted to say hello. The way Teddy carefully studied the black and white tiles in grandma's bathroom made me think of something. When infants are under six months of age, child development professionals often recommend getting toys and mobiles that are "high contrast" (black/white or black/red/white patterns). Although infants can see, their visual acuity and discrimination are still developing. These high contrast objects apparently are thought to help stimulate their brains' visual processing centers. Would be nice if some company made dog toys with these high contrast patterns....

By the way, thank you so much for all the wonderful "Teddy Updates". He is a precious doll and you are the BEST!