I'm reminded of that song
Girls Just Wanna have Fun
Sounds like that might be her theme song
Same here - games that don't involve humans are no fun! There's a really good book on dog tricks that I highly recommend; it's clear and really fun:
Here's a few of Anubis's tricks 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8JUurUXcwI
Oakley like sit, stay,lay down,roll over, paw (left hand), paw (other I call it)…and I play hide and seek with him...kinda nose work stuff- I take a piece of cheese or a hot dog and I let him see I have it then hide it..then I take him around the room and point where I want him to sniff until he finds it then click..he likes the game, hates waiting for me to hide it!! Perhaps u can get the daycare to take her out of play the last twenty minutes before u get her so they can start a calming routine with her so she's less stimulated when u pick her up?
the other thing to remember is that once she gets proficient with some behaviors, taking them on the road, can also be more tiring than doing them at home. (sort of a combination of what posters have suggested here.)
How about nosework/scentwork? Once she gets the hang of it, you can use it as a way to occupy her time around the house by hiding treats or eventually scented items.
Oops, just noticed Chealsie508 said that. :p
The advice offered here sounds all fine.
A question: are you yourself a calm person or do you have high energy also? (Your schedule with and without Ava sounds pretty intense…)
When Lela as a pup (and still occasionally) would go crazy, it would be because she was basically overly tired. One time, when corrections didn't work, I intuitively picked her up, and held her firmly, like a baby. She would settle down immediately and fall asleep in a minute.
On walks off leash I practice being active (stimulating their activities), and then settle down in a quiet place until Lela and Binti settle around me.
LOL– yes, that's her theme song-- Girls just wanna have FUN!
Here is an updated photo of the little funster looking innocent. She has turned into an excellent retriever (cause that's fun, fun, FUN!)
She is getting so big!!! How quickly time flies…one day they're little pups,the next big girls and boys!! Hopefully she will follow Oakleys path and one day just decided to be moderately naughty instead of extremely unbearably naughty...lol
I'm so glad she's retrieving for you! Zest loves it too! She really likes the egg babies. I found i can just get the replacement eggs adn that's much better. (here's what Z has: http://www.kingwholesale.com/Shopping/ProductInfo.cfm?Item=27733 but those "eggs" are dirt colored, so I got replacement eggs that are brightly colored. found out we really just like the "eggs" anyway.)
If it helps, Zest!'s agility theme song is "Train in Vain"
Unfortunately, Ava's not all that into scentwork– she gets easily frustrated and her frustration quickly turns to destruction when she can't find the treat right away, It's the same with those IQ toys-- if she can't figure it out pronto, she'll smash the toy... and damage floors, walls, furniture, anything nearby. It's like toddler tantrums. The behaviorist called it frustration intolerance.
And to answer kjdonkers' question, I'm neither super calm nor high energy-- I'm somewhere in the middle. I'm reasonably active and cool under pressure. But Ava can try my patience, and she knows exactly what will get my attention. Getting excited only revs her up, so I have worked at mastering calm. It's not easy-- and what's fun for Miss Ava isn't always fun for me. If I could just get her to do yoga with me...
BTW, Anubis' videos are amazing. They really are. All of you guys are doing incredible things with your Bs.
Yes, she's so big– I can't believe it, either! She is absolutely a teenager-- no more puppy!
Here are a few more photos. I had to resize them to upload.
Yes, I'm so glad she's retrieving, too, agilebasenji! Maybe she'll do agility like Zest– or even try skateboarding when she's a bit older. After we tried your leash trick, she caught on quickly. At first, she was reluctant to give up her prize, but she soon decided the treat was well worth it! Now she doesn't even expect treats. She just loves to chase it, and bringing it back means more chasing. Tennis balls don't really fit her mouth, but she loves the flying squirrel. It's her fave! Those egg babies look cute. Are they retrieving toys with the eggs or just play toys? I'll have to check those out.
And, Chealsie, I think you nailed it! I think Ava will be just like Oakley -- one day, she'll just decide to grow up and be the good girl and chief snuggle bug that she really is. I'm starting to see inklings of it already!
I only use the eggs from the egg baby to retrieve. they're a little smaller than a tennis ball, but soft, fuzzy and sqeak. They fit easily in a pocket or pouch and roll nicely. i'll throw more than one at a time and say "good, now go get the other one". you can get just the replacements, which is what i'll do from here on out. some dogs, however, enjoy ripping the velcro open to get the eggs out of the "momma" animal.
and yes, they catch on quickly especially when they realize if they give it up, you'll toss it and they can have it again.
BTW, Anubis' videos are amazing. They really are. All of you guys are doing incredible things with your Bs.
Thank you!!
She really is so beautiful, such a deep,rich color…being beautiful helps with feeling less angry at them- many times the only thing that saved Oakley was his looks!!
She is a beautiful girl, growing up fast. Wonder if she should have been a working hunting dog, maybe if she was in Africa she would be a prized hunting dog.
Jolanda and Kaiser
Thank you! People ooh and aah over her, and she just laps it up. And, yes, Chealsie, she's like Oakley– their looks get them far! You just can't stay mad at those cute little wrinkled faces and curly tails.
Ava would be a good working dog, though I'm not sure about the hunting-- she doesn't seem to go after the bunnies and squirrels in the yard. She needs a job, though-- something to use up some of that energy and keep her occupied. I wish I could train her to clean the house... or dig up weeds.
I wish I could train her to clean the house… or dig up weeds.
let me know if you get the housework thing figured out!!!! Of course i know some dogs who dig up weeds . . . and the flowers.
Tucker really loves the Egg Babies. I found one in the shape of a house and it has little animals inside like squirrels and birds etc. It didn't take him long to figure out that there were other toys inside the big toy that he could take out. I used that to tire him out a lot as an adolescent it's a good thinking/mind game. He got so fast at it though it would take him less than 30 seconds to take all the animals out, then he would walk away until someone put the animals back in the house. But then again…he likes to unroll rolled socks.....
Ava goes at warp speed all day long. I take her to daycare, where she plays non-stop, tiring out all the other dogs until they need time away from her. She goes crazy in the car all the way home. She's still revved up, so I take her for a long walk, feed her, clicker train, then she's still going strong, so we play fetch and other games. I feed her in a kibble ball to keep even mealtime active and can get maybe a half-hour of downtime out of a bully stick. Around 10, she gets the zoomies and races around the house before finally settling down. She gets me up at 6, and we do it all over again. She won't nap.
Of course, there are many labels for this behavior. She's only six months old, so I'm hoping she will grow out of most of it. Has anybody had a dog like this? Any suggestions for ways to release energy or better cope with this non-stop activity? Maybe a different food? Some miracle toy that will occupy her? Herbal magic potion? (DAP and Rescue Remedy have no affect at all.) I don't have nearly as much energy as she does… and I'm afraid she's starting to wear out her welcome at daycare.
My goodness, you do have a spitfire on your hands!!!! Did the daycare employees say that they don't like her there??? Because, Ava is doing a lot of there job by playing out the others'! Believe me, the owners love that their dogs are tired when they come home! By the by, what do you feed her? It is wild crazy that she goes all day like that! but when you said she is restless in her sleep, it raised a flag. Might not be the food, but she and my grandson are similar. He did not get good sleep at night, did not take naps (young dogs and children need the sleep too!) Had night tremors, bad dreams, and low attention spans etc and then started having frontal lobe seizures. Unknown why at this time, but the pattern of not sleeping and being hyper is similar. I know two different species, but similar non the less. AND- not saying that Ava is on the way to seizure activity, but maybe it is something related in the nervous system???? What did your Vet say? The bee story was too much! PS: Uzie gets his breakfast via a food ball that keeps him busy for a longer period of time than just from a bowl.
