A Rough Day

I hate it when I'm trying to have fun and mommy won't let me.

Can't Fence Me In

Well, mommy was at it again yesterday. She re-arranged the alcove off the bedroom where she'd put the fencing up to keep me out. Only this time she was taking almost everything out of the alcove. She left only a chair and two empty bookcases in there (that were holding up the fencing). She put the tv on the outside of the fencing and just made room for everything else in the bedroom itself. I wasn't quite sure why she was doing this. Did she forget that I can jump over the fencing?

But this morning she put the dining room chairs on the bedroom side of it with the backs of the chairs against the fencing. Suddenly I got it: Instead of keeping me out of it, she wanted to keep me IN it. The chairs made the fencing higher so I wouldn't be able to jump out. She underestimated me again.

First, she had the recliner holding up the fencing on the left side. I jumped on it first, and then over the dining room chairs. No-brainer, mom.

Then, she switched the recliner and the second bookcase. I jumped on the recliner first and then ontop the bookcase. Duh.

Finally, she moved the recliner to the middle of the wall under the window. Mommy was so sure she finally found a way to keep me in, she put me in there with some toys and left(later I found out she spied on me from the window). This one took some work, but I was still out in five minutes. I jumped up so my front paws were atop the fencing, then pulled my hiney up while nudging one of the chairs forward with my nose, and scrambled over. I bet mommy wishes she'd brought the camera outside with her to capture that!

Mommy just laughed and said that whenever she had to leave, I'd just be stuck in the crate. So THAT's why she wanted to keep me in the alcove!

Hard at Work

While mommy cleaned the dining room floor, I decided to sit down and create a post.


People hunt and peck with their fingers. Dogs do it with their noses (our paws are too broad).

All done!

Giddy-Up, it's a Round-Up!

On Sunday, mommy took me to a new park where I met two new friends, Vito and Specs. On Monday, mommy took me to Vito and Specs' house. Then she disappeared! I was so sad for a while, but then I got to playing with Vito and was okay. Today mommy came back home. I was so happy to see her! She brought me some new things from Aunt Donna.

It all LOOKS cute...the card is hilarious and that cow ... I can't wait to get my teeth on that! I'm not so sure about that blue thing ...

Oh, no. this won't do at all.

I'm sure mommy thinks this is just adorable.

THIS is more like it!

It's a Blob, It's a Square, It's a ...

Buster Cube!

Mommy and I did something really different today and went to Petsmart. It was my first time there. I was immediately spooked by two big dogs in front. Then I was confuzzled by the doorway. They had these big glass panes that moved! And the smells inside that place! It was enough to put my nose in overdrive. Mommy was proud of me. I barked a bit, but didn't get out of control with it until we were in the checkout line. And I didn't eat a single toy the whole time we were there, AND I didn't pee or poop in there either! More than I can say about that big dog we saw coming out of the store!

Oh, in case you're wondering what a buster cube is? It's a plastic cube-shaped thingie with a hole in it. Mommy put some of my food in there and it was my job to figure out how to get the food out by turning the thing over and over. It was a LOT of fun! Here are some more pictures of me playing with it.

Framed

Mommy was digging around on one side of the closet this morning looking for something. Little did she know that I was digging around on the other side of the closet this morning looking for anything.

Too bad the apartment is so small. Otherwise I might have gotten away with it.

Who Couldn't Love This Face?

Mommy managed to snap this shot as I was falling asleep under the computer desk. She's always asking what's not to love about this face. So click on the picture for a close-up and tell me, What's Not To Love About This Face?

Taking It Back

Mommy took back her dining room today. She had pushed the table against the wall, scattered the chairs about to leave room for me underneath and for her if she had to chase me down (she hasn't had to since my second or third day!). She was using the top of the table for all my stuff ... the leash, the harness, cleaners, poopie bags, even her shoes which I'll eat in a second if she leaves them on the floor!

I'm surprised she put it back the "right" way after this morning. I've been extra hyper all morning, and thought maybe she wouldn't think I was ready to handle things not especially set up for me. But it sure looks better, and it does give me more room to lie down behind it!

Monday, Monday, So Good To Me

Mommy and I had a great morning in the park today.

Here I am after getting in the car on the way to the park.

Getting ready to "make the rounds" of the fields.

Me and Buffy,one of the Shih Tzus

Me, Buffy, and Brutus, the other Shih Tzu.

Me and Buffy waiting on Brutus.

After Brutus and Buffy left with their parents, mommy took me into one of the fields and made me practice some skills, such as "Sit", "Look", "Stop" and "Stay". "Stay" is the hardest one! But after every successful attempt at each skill, mommy tossed a ball for me to get. She left the leash on me, but let go after she threw the ball so I could go a little further. Maybe someday she'll throw it further so I can *really* chase it! We had a great day at the park today.

FREEDOM!

It's only 5:47 a.m. but I'm so excited I have to post this now!

Mommy didn't crate me last night! Mommy smeared a little of my can dog food into the Kong ball and put it on the bed. By the time I finished licking it all out I was tired and went to sleep.

No accidents, either.

Freedom is a good thing! The Kong is shown below, in case you've never seen one.

Mommy Should Be Proud of Me

I went to the door to let her know I wanted to go outside.

Somehow I think the idea is to let her know I want to go outside BEFORE I, er, go INside.

Couch Potato

It's a lazy evening and I'm enjoying being a couch potato. Mommy was going to start the dog training tonight but she decided to wait until she was able to observe a class or two from different groups first. Just as well. She's not feeling too well anyway.

You'll notice the sheets on the couch and the wet/dry vac tucked behind it and the lack of the coffee table in front of the couch. Mommy says she feels like she adopted a toddler! But I have more room to play in the living room now, and I know she loves it when I play (because I sleep well when I do, and when I sleep well, she sleeps well!).

I Wanna Play

Mommy was telling me about a game of tag that bloggers sometimes play and I wanna play, too! She said the last game that she played in the Tag Topic was to name 5 quirky habits. Well, I'm going to challenge the bloggers to name 3 quirky things about their pet(s).

I'll even start.

The number 3 quirky thing about me is that I go off barking at other dogs I see, and go downright beserk when I see bigger dogs. There's no stopping me!

The number 2 quirky thing about me is that sometimes, when I go to jump on the bed or couch, I miss and end up splat against the side of the bed or couch. Yesterday I put my front paws on the seat of the couch near mommy and stretched, and my front paws kept sliding down the couch until I ended up laying down on the floor.

The number 1 quirky thing about me is that I bark at myself when I see my reflection in a window, mirror, or even ....


The oven door!

Since Auntie Donna's the only other Blogger I know right now, I'll tag her!

Look What They've Done to my Hair, Ma

Even though I had a major accident in the house to end all major accidents in the house, Mommy still made me feel better by getting my hair cut. I think I like it. Mommy was a nervous wreck when she saw my hair start coming off. I think the groomer would have preferred her staying inside instead of watching! But I think she likes it, too. All I know is, it's much cooler. (remember to click on the pictures to get a closer look). Notice how my tongue sticks out in the second picture? That's a result of some dental problems I'd had when I was younger. Mommy says it gives me character.



When we got home she gave me the Kong to play with. Ever hear of a Kong? It's a rubber toy with a hole in the bottom and the top. You can put a treat in the hole, such as a peanut butter dog cookie or even a doggie "whip cream" type of spray foam. Then the dog gets to dig out the treat inside the hole. It's supposed to work wonders for dogs who have a hard time when their parents first leave: They spend half hour or whatever trying to get the treat and forget that their parents left! Anyway, I can't have any treats; just the new food they prescribed for me. But mommy either puts kibbles in there or smashes a kibble or two, wets it, then smears it inside the Kong. I have fun with the toy even without anything inside, and mommy likes it because (1) it doesn't squeak, and (2) I didn't destroy it in 5 minutes.

You should get your parents to let you try one. Just make sure they get one that is for your size!

Look what Auntie Donna Did for Me

Auntie Donna created the header you see on the top of my blog, and she put it on the blog, too, since mommy wasn't quite that adept at formatting. Isn't it great? Thank you Aunt Donna!

Today we went to the park as usual. I didn't think we'd go today since yesterday I ate grass and then threw it all up in the car on the way home. I told you how smart mommy is, though, as she had a towel on the seat and I managed to "hit" it instead of the seat! But to the park we went. We headed to the far end of the park and through the school district portable offices to the fields on the other side. Mommy made me practice "Sit" and "Down". I got "Sit" real easy; Down is going to take a bit more persuading.

Yesterday mommy rearranged the bedroom just a little.

You can see she found a new use for the fencing. I think she's trying to prepare the room for an attempt at leaving me uncrated at night soon. (she's worried that I'll jump over the fencing, though.)

But she hasn't uncrated me yet.

In an attempt to keep me from jumping from the bed over the fencing, she even moved the bed over, leaving the pictures uncentered. I know this is driving her NUTS. 10 to 1 she moves the pictures over real soon!

Good News!

What a busy day. We went to the park again today even though we had rain and a thunderstorm in the early morning hours. And guess what I did? I let the Irish Wolfhounds approach me! It was not easy, and I barked a lot, but I did it. Mommy talked to one of their owners about the training they went through. I think mommy is thinking about taking me there. She's just a little hesitant because she'd have to use a choke collar on me. The man showed us what the collar looks like, and he explained that they teach people how to use it so it's not a choke collar in that it doesn't choke us. It apparently just gives us a little "twang" when used right. I was glad to hear mommy say she'd never let anyone use an electric collar on me. That doesn't sound good.

Then we went to my least favorite place: The vet. But the vet said my lungs sound much better than the last time, and my teeth were looking better, too. But mommy and the doc talked about that colitis thing the old vet mentioned, and started me on an expensive new, hypoallergenic diet. And mommy also got another round of the meds, but she's not allowed to give me anything other than the new food so she has to put the pill deep in my mouth and get me to swallow it. It didn't work too well today :(.

We slept a good portion of the afternoon. It was a great day for a long nap as it poured rain this afternoon. After dinner we went back to the park. We ended up fetching softballs that were hit over the backstop during some girls' batting practice.

It'll be bedtime in a few hours. I don't know who's looking forward to it more, me or mommy!

One Step Ahead

Every morning after our romp in the park, I come home and chase my toy cow around and run all over the dining room and living room. I think this flabbergasts mommy, since today she brought one of my other toys to the park with us today, ran around with me, and really tried to tire me out. It didn't work, though. I still ran all around the rooms afterwards.

Today she did something really weird. She took the coffee table and moved it up against the wall across from the couch. It's pretty much useless there! But she said that since the table top raises up, there are hinges underneath the table. She was worried about me getting hurt as I ran under the table. She loves me so much she's disrupted her entire home to accomodate me! She put the sheets back up to keep me from under it. But I just tore them down (after I climbed up on the table!

And The Walls Came Crumbling Down

Notice anything different? The fence is gone! I didn't have an accident in the house yesterday OR yet today (and it's after 9:00 p.m. so it's looking good!), so mommy took the fencing contraption down. I think she also decided that since I can jump over it anyway, what was the purpose?

We did our usual stint at the park this morning and pretty much negated yesterday's bath. It'd rained quite a bit last night and the ground was soaked. I'm glad mommy didn't cancel the walk though.

Mommy is also impressed that I'm not afraid of thunder, the vacuum, or the blow dryer. I think she wished I was bothered by the vacuum cleaner, though, so she'd have an excuse not to use it!

Independence Day

We had a play-filled day for our Independence Day. As is becoming quite the habit, mommy took me to the park. We walked a mile and a half today, and found some new practice sporting fields that mommy said would be perfect for when we started training. I did really good practicing my "quiet" command, and when we met up with the friends I'd made late last week (the bichon, the shih tzus, and a terrier) I didn't bark OR run from them! Mommy was so proud. But then we met up with the Irish Wolfhounds. I don't know if I'll ever stop being afraid of them. They're said to be gentle giants, but I don't know...they're awfully big!

When we got home mommy put me in the crate and cleaned the dining room floor (that's my favorite place, in case you've forgotten). Then she changed the bedroom around and moved my crate to a different area that she says should be cooler than by the window. While I was crated mommy went to Petsmart again and tried one more time to find a pad for my kennel that I won't chew or move off the bottom. It didn't work, naturally. She even tried velcro-ing the pad to the crate but I still dug it up and moved it! Will she ever learn?

I made her laugh really hard, though, when I tried to jump on the bed and only made it half way. I found myself splat against the side of the bed with my front paws ontop of the mattress and my body dangling from there. Mommy was literally Rolling on the Floor Laughing. It's okay. It must have looked funny! I did make it to the top of the bed though. Just need a little running start.

After an afternoon potty break mommy gave me another bath. I still don't like them, but she says she has to give me a bath twice a week until the medicated shampoo is gone (I have terribly itchy skin). I hope it starts working soon!.

Then we played in the living room. I surprised her by jumping over the fencing she uses to divide the dining room from the living room. Twice. Then I jumped clear over a tv tray she uses as an end table and onto the couch. Mommy said she wants to look into agility training for me!

Here are some pictures of me playing in the living room.

May It Be?

Could mommy possibly have found the perfect "bed" for me right in her own home?

Remember in an earlier post I told you how mommy had spent so much money trying to find the right padding to use for my bed? Today she did laundry, and washed the sheets she had tied around the dining room table. She then tucked the sheets, the ruffle, one pillowcase, and the pillow shams into the other pillowcase and put it on the floor. I LOVE it. Perhaps I'll sleep on it in my kennel tonight. We'll see. She bought me a new toy today, too: A rubbery newspaper that SQUEAKS! Auntie Mel is laughing because mommy once swore she'd never buy any dog of hers a squeaky toy!
We've gone to the park three mornings in a row now. At first it was fun until other dogs approached (except for the bichon, shih tzus, and bedlington -- I liked them). Especially bigger dogs. I'd bark and bark and cower and hide. Today mommy taught me a new word: Quiet. We saw a lot of big dogs at the park today; several them not leashed, since they were playing on some type of course mommy said was an obstacle course. When we first got there it was tough for her to get me to go past them (and we had to go past to get into the park). As we walked I saw other big, leashed dogs and barked. Mommy used that "Quiet" word again, and gave me a treat when I stopped barking! I noticed, too that the big dogs just kept walking and didn't bother me at all. I might have to keep trying this Quiet thing.
Here are some pictures she took of me yesterday at the park. (The one on my profile is one too!).