Nelson + Kenny + Corona=Friends Forever...One day maybe :)

Since school has officially begun, I guess its time for me to get my first official cold. Not so fun. I got a pretty bad cold that I am still fighting on Friday. I wondered how I would do with Nelson, and if he would understand I didn't feel good and sleep a little later. Well he woke up saturday at 5am, we went on a short walk, and I put him in my bed and he slept with me until I woke up! It was fantastic. So now I know, if I want to sleep later, Nelson can come cuddle with me after our first walk :)

We went home to Lawrence Saturday for the day (since I was sick we didn't stay the night) and Nelson was a riot to watch! What a difference a few weeks makes. He was chasing after the big dogs, trying to copy their every move (as you can see in the picture), sitting near them even though they consistently would move away from him right after he sat by them, and basically he just had a great day. He didn't nap all day from the excitement and was one sleepy puppy by the end of the day. Aside from me being sick, it was a great weekend and I can't wait to go back to Lawrence this weekend NOT sick and watch Nelson play.

Hope everyone starts their week off right!

With love, Nelson & Ellen

Problem: Biting; Solution: Pig Ears & Beef Sticks

Well I discovered the answer to (most of) my problems with Nelson's biting: the pig ear and the beef stick. Yesterday we went to the Barkery and picked up a pig ear, beef stick and some gross fish stick thing. When we came home I gave him the pig ear and for the first time I was able to sit on the ground near him and clean out some papers, setting them on the ground not two feet away from him, and he didn't even try to eat them! And he loves paper!

Of course, after about an hour or two he wanted to bite me a little, but I didn't allow it and he found something else to do! Hopefully this will keep going and I will be stocking up on pig ears and beef sticks from now on!

We wish everyone a good week!

With love, Nelson & Ellen

Coming into his own

Nelson is beginning to understand his powers. When I say powers I mean he is understanding that a bark gets attention, that a bite gets attention and that a scream gets attention. With all of that understanding creates a new set of problems and a new set of issues for me to deal with. All of which I am more than happy to do to create a dog that has a happy life and that understands his boundaries.

His biting has become quite an issue, and anyone that has seen my arms or God forbid the awful massacre on my legs, knows what I mean. Nelson is not doing this to be mean or "vicious", he is doing this to try to bully me into playing. This has become quite an issue, but I feel much more confident in how to stop this before it happens and if that can't be done, what to do when it does happen. When we were at Debra's for our internship Nelson realized that once he started nipping on us or bothering us it was time to be crated because we had work to do. He got very used to this and began to never even whimper when he was in there. At home is a different story because he simply isn't used to being crated when I am there. 

Today starts the day where little things that used to slide are no longer acceptable. Bites of any kind on humans are not OK, and when they happen he must play alone. I am also crating him as I write this in the kitchen and I am at the kitchen table so he understands that at some times I need to work and until he can entertain himself, he must be crated. He cried for 7 minutes (Yes I timed it because it felt like 7 hours) LOUD, but now he is sleeping. No more Mrs. Nice Mommy. I feel confident in myself now to say "not acceptable" to Nelson. 

I am looking forward to attending Obedience school at "Gentle Dog Training", thanks for the recommendation Stacy!, Sept 4th, and after looking through their website feel like we are going to see some real progress.

I love watching Nelson grow every single day, and laugh all the time at how awkward his little (big) body is; his legs are really long, his head is really small, he really looks like a gangly teenage boy minus the acne. 

Wish us luck on getting him accustomed to his new life now that I am back in school, and everyone have a safe and fun weekend.

With Love, Nelson & Ellen woof woof

Splish Splash Nelson took his first bath

Yesterday was our summer day of our internship with Debra (we will hopefully be returning in the fall, in just a few weeks) and I know Nelson is going to be sad. He adores being at Debra's, and has gotten very used to sitting in his crate while we do work. Well yesterday we decided Nelson could meet one of her dogs, Tucker. Boy was Tucker sweet to BBN. He was herding Nelson like he was a sheep... constantly on him, licking him ALL over, following him everywhere, and not once did Tucker let out a growl or look anything but happy. It was fantastic. While Nelson seemed a little uneasy about a big dog being all over him, he did really well. After getting slobbered on that day, I thought it was a great time for Nelson to take his first bath. I've always thought Nelson loved water because when we go by sprinklers he literally jumps in them and plays, so I had high hopes for his bath. He did not let me down. While he did try to get out when I would get water in his ears, he did not mind the bath at all. He sat in there like a good boy, and now he smells fantastic, and his coat is so soft.  My goal is to take Nelson to the Shawnee Mission Dog Park when he gets all his shots so he can swim in the pond. 

We hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

With Love, Ellen & Nelson

Happy Birthday Mom!

The first most important thing to say in this morning's blog is.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! 

In other news. We have had some difficulties with Nelson's bite. He is incredibly strong, and though he doesn't mean to bite me hard, he does and looks at me as a toy. I am in a Berner group on facebook and some very nice people have sent me messages giving me advice. This morning I began to work with Nelson on some of the suggestions, and as of now, it does seem to be stopping him even if only slightly.. if nothing more, it gives me hope that other people who owned Berners had the same biting problem as us :)

Nelson got a little bug yesterday and was vomiting and all the other good (gross) stuff that goes with it. Once he felt better we went to The Barkery, an organic and Natural animal food store, and upon the suggestion of Stacy (thanks!) and Lori (thanks!) we picked up Nelson some new food and new treats. We got Canidae food and treats. Let me tell you, he is in LOVE. He adores this new food, and I adore that he loves something so good for him!

Hopefully everyone has a great weekend, and we'll write more as events occur. 

With love, Ellen & Nelson

Sorry for the numerous posts in your email everyone who is on the email list... I am still getting used to this blogging business!! 

Meet Mr. August

Yes, Big Boy Nelson has hit the big time. He is officially the cover model for the August issue of "Paw Prints"! I am so happy about the picture, I love it, and I think he looks just handsome. My favorite part is his dog ID tag, showing the "N" lettering. 

Thanks to Stacy and Dale at Paw Prints for choosing Nelson to be on their cover!! Everyone go to their website, http://www.pawprintskc.com, and check out where to get a copy, useful links, and more information about the magazine and the content inside. 

Nelson and I are wish everyone a great weekend!!

Love, Nelson & Ellen