Closing Out

Well it's the 30th: the last day of the month, the last day of NaBloPoMo. Did you have fun reading my blog everyday? I hope so! Since I have trouble finishing things (and remembering things), I'm so proud of myself for never missing a day! Thanks so much to everyone who NaBloPoMoed with me! It was so much fun reading everyone's blogs. I hope we all do it again next year.

Ok, so back to Theo talk. The family is all gone and it's just us again. We spent the day dealing with lots of problems with Theo. First off, he's become unhousetrained all of a sudden. The last 3 days we left him at home alone for a period of time, and each time he peed in the house. He won't go outside because it's wet, and I'm not sure what to do about it. I guess I just have to take him for more walks? Anyway, it caused some frustration to say the least. After getting whatever he wanted all weekend because my family is a bunch of suckers, he was acting like a bit of a brat. Thankfully it was nothing a little obedience work couldn't fix. Have I mentioned I can't stress obedience training enough? Hehe.

I'll end my NaBloPoMo posting on a good note and talk about Theo's first Thanksgiving a little more. It really was a great time. He started off with some chewing by himself while we were all cooking.


He took breaks periodically to smell the delicious smells coming from the kitchen.


Little did we know we had out own little turkey closeby.


He had his own play squad assigned to him for the night. I don't think Theo has ever played so much fetch, much to his delight, I'm sure.

Oh by the way, his newest thing is catching the toy, rather than fetching it.

My mom had the furry socks to prove the fur was flying!


At the end of dinner Theo was treated with the platter full of turkey drippings. Yum!

And don't worry, it went straight into the dishwasher after this little "pre-rinse".

After all the exercise and delicious food, there was only one thing left to do...

Totally collapse into a coma.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! I think Theo's was a success.

PS: More pictures of the herding to come tomorrow. Right now the WiiFit calls...

Theo The Chicken Herder

And I don't mean he herded chickens. We took Theo to get his herding instinct tested today, and it was a very odd experience. First off, it wasn't nearly as official as I've heard other people describe it (at different locations of course). The place I went was very informal. In a nutshell it was go in the pen, see what the dog does, give advice, give money, and leave. I'll go more into it, but you can see how it wasn't exactly a "test", and Theo didn't exactly "pass".

When Theo got in the pen he went straight to the opposite side of the pen from where the sheep were. That's where it all went downhill... The lady said I should run around and herd the sheep myself to show Theo how it is done. Sufficed to say neither Theo nor I were very interested in herding those sheep, nor were we very good at it. It took a couple of minutes looking like a complete idiot before Theo seemed to notice the sheep. He seemed to get into it. I praised and praised and praised...and then he stopped herding. About 30 seconds was all I got out of him.

After 30 seconds Theo stopped dead in his tracks and wouldn't do anything besides eat sheep poop. The lady said to let Theo watch another dog try it to so he could see how it was done. Theo wouldn't get anywhere near the sheep the second time in. He only had eyes for poop. He actually started acting very badly and kept running away from me anytime I got close to him. I was not pleased, to say the least.

At the end the lady said that she thought Theo was afraid of the sheep because they were so big. She suggested we start with ducks, and after he gets comfortable with them ,we could move to sheep. Of course, we couldn't try ducks today because she hadn't caught them (I guess they're more free to wander?). And that's how we left it. She didn't really give much of a second thought to Theo before she wandered off to do something else. We paid her, then left. It wasn't a very pleasant experience for me, and I don't think it was a pleasant experience for Theo. I'm disappointed that it wasn't something fun for us, but at least there are plenty of other fun things we can do together. Maybe other herding places are better? At least Sidney had a good time.

Pictures to come!

Like A Kid On Christmas Morning

When I let Theo out of his crate this morning he ran straight to our guest room, saw it was empty, then ran straight downstairs to find Husband's parents. He was like a kid of Christmas morning, running to the tree to find his presents. He really loves his grandfurparents, and especially loves house guests.

I know the posts these last couple of days haven't been the most riveting. It's hard to sit down and write a good post when your whole house is aflutter with guests. It's definitely something I'm not used to. At least tomorrow we'll be doing Theo's herding instinct test. I'm really excited about it! Hopefully I'll be posting lots of stories all about it tomorrow.

I've noticed some discussion on mycorgi.com about the calendar contest. Some people are complaining that there are multiple pictures of dogs in the finals, which isn't fair because the rules stated we were only supposed to send one picture. The admin has responded saying that it's totally fair because only one picture of those dogs will actually make it into the calendar. I'm with the users on this one. The rules clearly stated to only submit one picture, and people who followed the rules spent the time to whittle their pictures down to just one. You all know I agonized over that decision...so much so that you all helped me pick it! What if the picture I submitted of Theo doesn't make it into the calendar, but the one of Theo being a goofball would have? I'm surprised they don't understand how people would view that as unfair, but since Theo did make it into the final vote, I think I'll just stay out of it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, this post is going to be short, sweet, and not a little bit lame.  It was my first Thanksgiving, and a house full of parental units.  I'm happy to say everything turned out well, delicious even!  And Theo was happy to have so much attention, and such a delicious dinner!  I won't be able to post a picture until later, but Husband's dad gave Theo the tray full of turkey juices after dinner to lick up.  Hehe.  Theo was very confused with what to do with such a gigantic food bowl.

This was Theo's first Thanksgiving, and I think it was a good one!  How was yours?

Here We Go

Well the family is all here (minus my sister and her husband who are coming tomorrow), and Theo is in heaven. He absolutely loves his grandfurparents. I'm like the new mother who loves it when people come over to hold her baby so she gets a break. I'm loving having people over so they can play fetch with him and give me a break. Hehe.

Theo got to experience something new today: intruders! My parents left for a few hours to go check into their hotel and we left the door open for them, since they don't have a key. I realized later this was a bad idea because Theo has never had someone just walk into the house without Husband or I letting them in first. I didn't think about that. Theo always loves it when people come over. He acts like they're his personal play dates. Well Theo was sleeping when my parents walked through the door. He instantly popped up and screamed out a bark like I have never heard before. It was a bark that said there were intruders in the house and he wanted them gone. As soon as he saw it was my parents he calmed down, but for that instant he was my protector. It startled the heck out of me! Hehe. But it was nice to know that Theo does not view people randomly walking into our house the same as guests who we let in.

Merry cooking to everyone tomorrow! Remember, not too many fatty foods for the pups.

THEO IS A FINALIST!!!! (again)

Wow, I was really trying not to get my hopes up because there are so many great Corgis and great photographers out there. But somehow Theo's adorable mug managed to make it as a finalist on the mycorgi.com 2009 calendar! To say I am excited is a huge understatement.

You can go here to vote for 15 pictures you would like in the final calendar. Theo is on the third row from the bottom, second to the right (really, by the time I had got way down there and seen all the great pictures, I had given up hope that Theo had made it...don't toy with me admins!). It's the picture that looks like this:

I see that Ivy's wonderful picture of Bryson and Picasso made it as well. Hooray! If anyone else had a picture that made the finals, please leave a comment and let me know so I can vote for it. I'm saving up my vote just so I make sure to get everyone in. If we all vote for each other, we have a better shot, right? And who wouldn't want to stare at an adorable Corgi they know for a whole month?

Linky Loo

1. I got an email today recommending this website. It's all about dog food! I think it's just starting out because I noticed a somewhat limited list. The food I feed Theo isn't on there (the Wellness complete nutrition brand that is fairly new), but the more popular Wellness Core is. I like that it has a website rating as well as a section for users to rate it as well.
2. I also got an email from someone asking me to post about a dog food drive. Banfield veterinary practice is teaming up with Meals on Wheels to deliver pet food to senior citizens who can't move around well enough to get out and buy pet food. It's good to remember that pets need food in these hard times too. You can check here for your nearest Banfield to donate.
3. This is flipping cute! If it were Theo he would be eating all the packing peanuts...which is why I am neurotic about making sure I pick up ever peanut off the floor when Husband's dad sends us something (he's very packing peanut happy with his packages).
4. To all my fellow NaBloPoMo-ers: we're in the home stretch! I can't believe I made it this far! We're on our last week, so make sure you remember to post admist the holiday cheer. I will kick myself hard if I mess this up on the third to last day or something. Hehe.
5. Don't forget to watch the national dog show on Thanksgiving! I was all set to tune in to Animal Planet, but this one is actually on NBC. I will definitely be tuning in while I'm cooking up a storm.
   

Quirks

Does your dog do this?  

I've said in the past that Theo will only go into his crate at night when I "put him to bed".  Usually he sleeps on a blanket on the floor of the office right behind my chair while I'm messing around on the laptop or knitting.  As soon as he hears the laptop close, he pops up enthusiastically, knowing that it's time for bed.  Well if I ever stay up too late, he lets me know it.  Last night I was chatting on the mycorgi.com live chat (who knew they had that?) when I heard some soft and very pathetic cries.  I looked down to see Theo looking up at me with pleading eyes.  He wanted very much to go to bed, but he wouldn't go to bed until he knews I was also going to bed.  He does that.  So I informed the people chatting that my puppy was telling me it was time for bed and I had to log off.   He certainly is a dog stuck in his ways.

Video Of The Week 26: Dougy's Mental Muscles

Kelly got to posting this before me, but I did want to talk about this new AKC S.T.A.R puppy program. Have you heard about it? It's like Canine Good Citizenship for puppies! It starts off with a pledge by the owners that they will be good puppy parents by keeping the puppy healthy, safe, and well mannered. Then there is a 20 part "test", part of which consists of making sure the puppy have been properly raised thus far, such as having the proper vaccinations, diet, and exercise. You can view the the full details of the test here. I love that you get the adorable medal...and yes, I know I'm a total consumer whore.

I think it's a really great idea. It gets people off on the right foot. For new owners it's a good checklist for learning the ins and outs of raising a puppy, and for experienced owners it can be a stepping stone to getting their CGC. I sure wish this was around when Theo was in puppy class. Heh, technically since Theo isn't yet a year old he could take it now. It would of course be totally ridiculous since he already passed his CGC test...but funny too. ;) I plan on emailing my trainer and asking if she's planning on incorporating this into her classes. What do you think? Would you take the S.T.A.R. test if you had a young puppy?


Thank you James for sharing this adorable video of Dougy:



He is so well trained! It's funny to see how some of Theo's movement are obviously "Corgi moves". They lay down the same way, they roll over the same way, etc. Hehe. Congrats on teaching him bang! Theo hasn't gotten this one down. He always goes straight into a roll when I try it with him.

A Missed Opportunity

Philip's owner posted on our local Corgi meetup group's message board this week, saying that she would be going out of town over Thanksgiving weekend and was wondering if there were any Corgi owners out there who would be willing to Philip-sit. First off, props to her! That's a great idea! Rather than boarding a dog up in a kennel, I'm sure Philip would much rather be in a home, and even better, a Corgi home!

Second, yes please! I would have jumped at the idea of having a second dog for the weekend. I mean, I would get to see what it would be like having two dogs without, you know, having two dogs. Plus, Theo would have a playmate for a few days. Not to mention Philip is the most adorable puppy ever. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed with Husband's immediate refusal. Boo! He said "no way, Jose" faster than Theo could wolf down a piece of cheese. Boo! I guess I understand his point of view. We'll be having houseguests and enough going on without a houseguest of the canine persuasion. But I still wish we could do it.

Fortunately, there were already 3 or 4 other people who were also willing to take Philip in for the weekend. I think it's so great that my local Corgi community is so friendly and welcoming! It's also nice to know that I can suggest the same thing next time we need to go out of town and leave Theo behind (no plans for that in the forseeable future, but you never know). Hopefully the next time she goes out of town Husband will be more amenable to the idea. *fingers crossed*

Playing A Little Too Hard

Husband and I have noticed that sometimes Theo can escalate play a little too much. On his walk tonight Theo stopped to say hello to a big yellow lab around his same age, Max. Max plays a bit rough (because he's big and awkward and that's what Labs do), and Husband said he saw Theo trying to nip at him a couple of times. And his usual "I'm so tough" play growl was turning a bit hostile as well. But of course, his nub was still wagging and Max was still playing and having fun, so it was really hard to read the situation. Husband thinks he just needs some negative reinforcement when Theo escalates like that. What do you think? I don't want Theo nipping at other dogs, so I'd like to nip this in the bud as soon as possible. I'll definitely be emailing my trainer about this.

On a lighter note, I can't wait to see who the finalists are for the Corgi calendar this year! I hope to see lots of familiar faces!m Especially the one that's all too familiar. ;)

His Nemesis

1. Theo is so unhappy about the Wii Fit that last night when I was playing he jumped up on the couch, snuggled up next to Husband, and put his head in his lap.  He completely neglected his own 2 feet distance at all times rule!  He must have wanted some serious comfort.  
2. When I gave Husband a go on the game I figured I could take his place in the snuggle department.  Of course, that was naive of me.  Once I sat down Theo jumped down and went and got a toy for me to throw.
3. We had a great time in agility class last night.  We did lots more jumps, and practiced going up and down the really tall A-frame.  Theo had a blast on the A-frame.  Whenever I would walk him in the vicinity, he would go and run over it (and that sucker is tall!).  I only wish it were a smaller class.  With equipment like the A-frame we go one dog at a time, and naturally, some dogs just aren't into it at first, and it can take awhile for it to be your turn again.  Theo and I would both get a bit antsy.  But if I were ever in doubt of Theo liking agility, this class did away with it.  He loves the obstacles.  I can already tell the hardest part is going to be getting him to listen to me when I try and tell him where to go.  But that won't be for a very long while.
4. Husband takes Theo to doggy daycare in the mornings.  On a rare day we're both ready at the same time and end up leaving together.  That happened this morning.  Theo got really excited, thinking we were going somewhere all together.  I let him in the garage, let him in the car, then closed the door, got into my car and left.  Husband was with him the whole time, but I've never seen a more pathetic look from Theo.  How can such a usually unaffectionate dog be so clingy?  Heh.
5. I made the mistake of googling agility equipment and found this website.  Looks like if we really get into this we can purchase some pretty easy to set up equipment for the backyard.  Too bad it all adds up to be a bit of a bank breaker! We'll leave it at a nice big "if" for now.

But Can He Herd?

1. Theo and I will be going with Sidney and his mom to do their herding instinct test next Saturday (the 29th)!  I'm so excited!
2. That will be Thanksgiving weekend, so I have a feeling Theo will have quite the posse with him.
3. It turns out the place that we're taking them is less than 10 miles from my house.  Who knew?  So if we decide to pursue this, at least it won't involve a lot of driving.
4. Don't worry, there will be lots of picture taking.  LOTS!
5. 
   
6. I have a few more new pictures up on flickr.  Theo was very photogenic last weekend.
7. See that super furry bit under Theo's chin?  I like to nuzzle my head there and give him kisses.  Usually he's not a fan, but when he's in a playful mood he'll jump on my head and play growl.
8. Theo doesn't like people petting the top of his head, but he doesn't ever seem to mind a chest rub.   ....  How do I say that so it doesn't sound wrong?
9. I was casually invited by the woman who runs the doggy daycare facility we take Theo to a flyball tournament last Saturday.  I couldn't make it (see pictures of walk with Sidney), but didn't think I'd be missed.  Turns out this woman and her whole team were hoping I would come.  Doh!  I hope she invites me again!  I still want to check out their practices!
10. This same woman asked if I was going to the Rally Obedience class that started last night.  I said no, we were doing the agility class instead.  That's when I found out she teaches the Rally class.  Doh!  She thought I should have done her class.   I told her I planned to take it after I was done with agility, but she didn't seem interested in my excuses.
11. I hope she doesn't hate me.  I know she loves Theo.
12. This is a long list day!
13. I can't wait to find out if Theo is a finalist in the mycorgi.com 2009 calendar.  
14. So looking at the list of people who follow my blog, it looks like there's a lot of Corgi/dog blogs out there I don't have linked.  If you have a dog blog and are interested in a link swap between us, shoot me an email (imperfectcomplainer@gmail.com). 

A Trip To The...Lake?

We met up with Sidney and his gang last weekend. We decided to start with the walking trails by my house, which goes along a lake.


The lake used to be dried up, but now there is water in it again. We decided to go off trail and walk beside the water.


Theo, after cooling his paws in the nice murky water, decided that there was something disgusting amidst the clam shells that he simply had to roll in. Speaking of clam shells, I didn't know there was such a thing as freshwater clams until I saw these and went home and googled them. Hehe.


Sidney's mom is just so great at training him. She could even get him to balance a treat on his nose! I could never get Theo to do that. He always just backs away from it. She was nice enough to give me some pointers that I haven't tried out yet.


Sidney and Theo stopped to play a few times. At the time it was so obvious that they were playing, but it was interesting to come home and see how crazy dog play looks frame by frame. They were looking pretty vicious in some! Look at those teeth!


Aftward we headed over to the nearby dog park to let them play a little bit more, just to make sure they got it all out of their system.

I tell you, only in Southern California can you get a sunburn at 11am in the middle of November. Oiy, it was hot!



On a blog related note, I decided to try out the new feature they added recently. If you look at the bottom of this post you can rate the post. You can choose the rating options in the layout, but I just stuck with the default. They work for now.

Don't Let Winter Depression Get You Down

I thought this was an interesting post on seasonal depression for pets.  I know it sure bums Theo out when he won't go outside to pee because it's wet.  I know it sure bums me out when he tries to get into the garage to go instead.  Hehe.  I know that a nice healthy play session makes us both feel better.  According to these tips, Theo should be doing pretty good.

Now that our family room is back in order (and in use thanks to the new Wii Fit!), and now that the WOW expansion is out, Theo is definitely getting his stair workout running between our office upstairs and the family room downstairs.  Hehe.  I always rotate his diet a little bit based on what I have on hand (potatoes/rice/barley, pear/banana/apple, carrots/celery/green beans, etc.).  I'm still doing obedience with Theo, though admittedly not as much.  I need to keep it up if I don't want Mr. Troublemaker getting away with murder.  But sorry Theo, no indoor pool for you.

Have you noticed winter depression in your furkids?

Front Yard Etiquette

Growing up I never had a dog and I never had a front yard.  No one on my street had a front yard.  It's hard to have one when the side of your house is built into a hill.  So I never learned the proper etiquette regarding a neighbors front lawn when it comes to one's dog and one's dog's needs.  Namely, is it ok for your dog to pee in your neighbors yard?  I always wonder about that.  I usually encourage Theo to go in the shrubberies around the common areas , but sometimes he just likes a particular push in a neighbors yard and before I know it his leg is lifted.  

Personally, I don't care if dogs pee in my yard.  A Maltese peed there just a couple of days ago and I was a-ok with it.  But as the recent passing of Prop. 8 shows, other people who live around me obviously think very differently from me.  So help me out here.  What is good front yard etiquette mean to you?  Are dogs peeing in your yard a big no no?

Pouting

1. I got a Wii Fit this week (yay!), so this morning I decided to try out some of the exercises, rather than, you know, going running with Theo. So he was pretty much just pouting at me all morning.
   
2. In my defense Theo slept in until 9:30 this morning (OMG, it was soooo nice to sleep in for once), so it was too hot outside to run by then.
   
3. Also, I played fetch with him pretty much all morning. So wasn't exactly getting no exercise.
4. Theo and I met up with Sidney the tailed Corgi and his gang yesterday. Pictures to come later.
   
5. You know how dogs are supposed to get used to having their nails trimmed the more you do it? I'm having the opposite problem. Theo was fine with the dremmel at first, but now every time we use it, he gets more agitated. We didn't even get to his front paws today because he was struggling so much with the back ones.
6. Apparently I do get a gift card for the winning costume from mycorgi.com. Yay! I get a choice between Walmart, Target, and Petsmart. I think I'll go with Petsmart. I avoid Walmart whenever I can, and with Target I would be too tempted to get something non-pet related. So while the nearest Petsmart isn't exactly close, it's not too far to go and buy a couple of new things for Theo...and one thing to give away! Stay tuned.
   

WE WON!!!

It's not the easiest picture to see, I know. But click on the picture to check out the posting if you want to see for yourself that Theo was named the winner of the costume contest! Yay! I assume this means I don't "get" anything (sorry, looks like no giveaway, boo!), which is fine by me because I just wanted to be able to say this:

YAY!!! Theo won the costume contest!!!

Hehe. Thanks so much everyone for voting for him. There were some pretty darn cute costumes he was up against (Lucy the sushi!). As far as Halloweens go, we're off to a good start.

I'm off to meet with other Corgis!

Sweet Boy

1. I've had a tough week, nothing terrible, just a bit emotional. Theo was so great at cuddling with me when I was upset about something. He never cuddles with me. That dog just warms my heart
2. We finally bought some rugs for the living room and dining room (since we switched to hardwood), and some small rugs for places like in front of the front door. Theo immediately decided they were all beds for him. He was laying on the mat by the front door all afternoon.
   
3. If I do with a gift card for the Halloween costume contest, I'll buy something to give away to one of you guys on the blog. That would be really fun I think. :D
4. Before I started that whole "pick a picture of Theo" thing, I should have looked at each photo blown up first. When I went to submit the one you all picked, I realized that when it's all big, it's actually not in focus at all, which is crazy because all small it looks perfect! Thankfully I had one that was similar that was more in focus:

I think this one works too though. Man, how to people get clear pictures? I must shake like an old woman or something.

Drama!

Ok, I just had a heart attack. I just checked out the poll on mycorgi.com and Theo was behind by 2%!!! OMG! I just checked it this morning and he was still in the lead by 3%! What happened? It was that darn Chef Bernie again. Ugh. I managed to pull in a couple of extra votes, so now Theo is in the lead again. Yay! But it's not by much, so hopefully it holds... I don't know how I get my heart so set on things, but I do. I was so distraught when I thought I had lost. I want Theo to win!

I have to say, I'm a little unclear on the timing of this poll. They said that voting ends the 14th and they would announce the winners on the 15th. But then Sam left a comment saying it closed tonight at midnight. Well that would be the 13th, not the 14th. And is it really fair to say it closes the 14th if it's only open like a minute of that day? Or does it really close tomorrow night, and I just freaked out about it for nothing? Sam also said it closed midnight EST, which is 9:00pm my time. I was still voting no problem at 9:15... So either these guys have the day wrong, or...something.

Anyway, if you haven't voted, please do! Vote for Theo!!!!




I have to say, I have a pretty darn awesome sister. When something is important to me, she takes it seriously, no matter how silly it really is. She lives on the East Coast, and I wasn't sure if she was still awake, so I sent her a text saying that Theo was behind and would she please make sure to vote on both computers. Her response? "I'm on it" Love you Sheshe!




Update: The polls are closed with the final tally of Theo in first place at 26% and Chef Bernie in second place at 24%!!! Woohoo!!! I assume this means Theo won...but I'll wait until I get official word from the admins before I celebrate too much. (Woohoo!!!!)

Theo The Jumper

Theo had his first agility class last night, and it was a blast!  Well, ok, we didn't actually do much agility on the first night, but the little we did was very fun.  

We started off with jumps.  Theo was apparently hungry because when we walked up to the jump he wouldn't sit and wait for me to tell him to jump!  He wanted over and right at the treat on the other side. I guess that's better than a dog who wouldn't jump over at all, heh.

I'm rather surprised that one or two of the dogs are even in the class.  They obviously have no interest in agility and look more content to just sit in their owner's lap.  But it was only the first day, maybe it was just an off day for them.

I'm really excited to get to try the other equipment the next few weeks.  It's too bad it's on Wednesday nights.  This 6 week class looks like it'll end up spreading over the course of several months thanks to the holiday season.

Running Again

For some reason I neglected to mention that I sprained my ankle a few weeks ago.  Everything was going great with jogging with Theo every morning.  I was getting great exercise, Theo was getting great exercise, and I was feeling fantastic...then I sprained my ankle (miraculously actually, I have no idea how it happened), and I couldn't even walk with him for 2 weeks (I was seriously hobbling around, it was pretty pathetic).  Husband had to walk him, and no one had much fun with that.  I got kind of depressed, probably because I wasn't getting my endorphins from exercising or whatever.  But then it got better enough to walk with him again last week.  I wanted to hold off on trying to run on it because I didn't want to hold up the healing process.  So Monday morning I ran with Theo for the first time in like 3 weeks.  It was wonderful!  Theo seemed to enjoy it too.  Here's hoping I can get back to where I was without spraining it (miraculously) again.

Not Without My Treats!

1. Yesterday when I tried take Theo on his walk in the morning he refused and instead nudged his nose at the front door.  When he acts out of the ordinary I figure he's trying to tell me something (What is it Lassie?  Timmy is stuck in the well?), so I opened the door to let him back inside.  He went and sat by the stairs, gazing intently at the treat bag I had accidentally left behind.  "Not without my treats, Mommy!"
   
2. Sometimes when we play fetch Theo gets so excited as he's turning to run after the toy that he whacks his head into the wall...sometimes pretty hard. Ouch.
3. Theo was very cute yesterday morning as I headed off to work.  Husband was heading out to take him to doggy daycare at the same time, so Theo was in the car.  He was obviously still a bit stressed that I had been gone all last weekend because he was giving me the biggest "Don't leave me again, Mommy!" look I have ever seen.  He even smooshed his face against the back windshield when I walked behind the car!  What a cutie pie.
4. Yes, I'm liking the lists.  Please tell me if it bugs you.
5. The votes are in and the *knock on wood* picture of Theo that will hopefully be gracing the 2009 mycorgi.com calendar is...

*drumroll please*

Theo smiling at me!  By 14 votes to 7, quite a big majority.  Maybe I'll ask if I can submit two because I do love the goofball one too.  Anyway, I'll be sending it in to the appropriate admins tonight!  My heart may get broken just a little if he doesn't make it.  Have you noticed I tend to get my heart set on things?

Lots Of Things

I'm just going to do this in list form because there's a lot of things I want to share.

1. Theo is in first place in the mycorgi.com Halloween costume contest!  Thanks so much everyone for voting!  And if you haven't yet, vote here!  He was in second place last night, so it looks like there were lots of votes this morning.  Exciting!  The voting ends on Friday and they'll annouce the winner on Saturday.  I hope that Theo can keep his lead this week!  I'll let you know.
2. Theo is starting his next training class this week, and (*gasp*) it's not obedience for once!  He'll be starting beginning agility and I am so excited!  I think this class will be a really great way for him to expend some of that puppy energy.  Hopefully it will mean less fetch one night a week, but I'm not holding out hope. 
3. Theo has already been spoiled by our temperate Southern California weather.  It was raining all day yesterday and Theo wouldn't go outside!  Even when I managed to get him out, he refused to pee, even though he had to.  He kept trying to get into the garage and Husband thinks it's because he wanted to pee in there.  He's probably right, which is why I didn't open the door to the garage for anything!  Hehe.  It was funny watching Theo get sprinkled on.  He kept lowering his head, as if lowering it enough would somehow mean the water wouldn't get to his head.
4. It's turning "cold", and Theo doesn't seem to be enjoying the weather.  Does anyone know of a good light coat (just something waterproof and slightly lined is fine, nothing too warm) that fits a Corgi well?  I don't want to leave his tushy out in the cold!
5. I finally uploaded my pictures of the beach to my flickr account, check them out!
6. Even though all the commenters were rooting for Theo the Goofball, so far Theo Smiling at Me is in the lead.  You have until noon tomorrow to help decide!  Personally, I love both pictures, but I think that one of Theo smiling at me is probably a better calendar picture.
7. Why am I listing out so many topics I can use as posts later on?  If I hit a block later this month, we'll know why. 

The question I leave you with is this: Are you planning to buy a mycorgi.com 2009 calendar?  Or are you going to wait to hear if Theo makes it into one of the precious few slots?  I mean come on, who wouldn't want to look at this face everyday for a month?

Exaggerated Play

Apparently Theo is as glad to have me home as I am to be home. I can't say I blame him. I came home at 11:30am to find my husband still in bed and Theo still in his crate! I've never seen him so happy to be let outside to pee. Poor thing. I was a bit peeved at Husband, but he insisted that Theo never cried to be let out. I called BS on that one. That man can sleep through anything when he wants to.

Anyway, Theo has actually been playing with me! When Theo's obsession with playing fetch sprung up, there was no time for our regular play anymore. He would just stand there and look intently at his toys until I threw one of them. Well not this weekend (don't get me wrong, as I type this I'm throwing a toy for him)! Yesterday I got him to actually play chase with me in the backyard (usually he just sits next to where we keep a tennis ball and stares at it until I get the hint). I love playing chase with Theo because of the way he exaggerates when he runs. He doesn't run like he does when I jog with him. He doesn't run like when another dog is chasing him. He runs like he's playing a game with his mommy and it is so freaking cute. It's hard to describe! He kind of kicks his front legs out extra far like he's really digging in to run. And he kicks out his back legs too. It makes his whole body look so...exaggerated as he runs. Does anyone else's dog do this? Maybe I'll see if I can get a video of him doing it (oh yeah, because that worked so well with the stretching thing :p).

Theo was playful with me again this morning! It started with a bit of indoor chase, which is totally different than outdoor chase. Indoor chase is basically where he lays in one spot as I move towards him, and as I get close he springs up and runs past me and drops to the floor again. Like if I were the bull in bull fighting. lol! When he's trying to fake me out he'll pop up for half a second like he's going to run left, and then he'll plop back to the floor. If I go left, he'll pop up again and go right. It's really cute because he ends up doing the front leg kick out again. When a get down to his level and bob my head a bit he goes wild and does the leg kicking thing more. It's so cute! And after a bit of chase we did some general play. You know, where you grab their feet and scratch their butt and they just go crazy? That's Theo. I'm so happy I trained him to have a soft mouth because now we can play this way. When I grab his feet and scratch his butt he responds by grabbing my hand with his mouth, but since he has a soft mouth, it's just playful, no painful! It's so cute watching him "gnaw" on my hand, where basically he's kind of chewing my hand, but not really because it doesn't hurt at all.

How do your dogs play with you? Do you only use toys, or do you get down and play with them too? Does playing with your dog make his/her day? Theo was smiles all morning, so I think it made his.

Update: Just as I finished typing this Theo did the cutest thing. Usually when I'm at the computer I'll play a bit of fetch with Theo because, you know, he always has to be the center of attention. Well I threw the toy out of the room and Theo went chasing after it and didn't come immediately back for me to throw it again like he normally does. Instead I heard the small cry of the little troublemaker. I went out to the hallway to see what the commotion was about and he was laying next to his bed with the toy right smack in the middle of his bed. Theo looked at the toy, looked at me, and looked at the bed. He did that about three times until I got the hint. He didn't want me sitting at the computer and throwing the toy. He wanted a serious fetch session. He wanted me to sit on his bed and throw the toy down the hallway for him. He is being seriously cute today!


PS: I just checked the mycorgi.com Halloween costume contest poll and Theo has pulled into second place! Woohoo!!! And the gap is closing. It was 23% to 28% , so all I need is 6% to pull ahead! I think I can! I think I can!

The Final Round!

We've finally reached the last round of the voting. Phew! That was quite a stretch. I didn't expect so many people to participate and I really appreciate you all helping me whittle it down. I was far too indecisive to do it without help. Plus, I think the two that are left are probably my two favorite pictures of Theo. Go figure! You guys have good taste!

The final vote is between...

...Theo the Goofball...


...and Theo Smiling at Me


This is going to be a tough one I think!


I'm finally home with my wonderful husband and puppy. Yay! Normal posting hopefully to resume tomorrow.

THEO IS A FINALIST!!!

Oh happy of happy days! I just found out that Theo is a finalist in the mycorgi.com Halloween costume contest! No way! I am so excited!

Everyone please please please pop over here and vote for Officer Theo! Right now he's in third place behind a chef (ok, it's cute, but mine is better!) and some crazy Bo Peep outfit.

I would be so honored if Theo won. And if you don't vote for Theo, then at least vote for Lucy in her sushi outfit!

Smart Guy

Husband just called to tell me that our puppy is one darn smart dog. Apparently before he took Theo out for their walk he accidentally put on his work shoes rather than his athletic shoes. Theo responded to this buy going to sit by the garage door rather than the front door. Husband takes him to work every morning, so Theo is used to the work shoes meaning a trip to doggy daycare. When Husband called him to go outside he said Theo looked really confused.

Another time a couple of weeks ago I was opening the door to take Theo for a walk when he suddenly ran back to the stairs (where we're keeping his leash temporarily). I kept calling him outside, but he wouldn't go. I finally walked back in to see what he was doing and when I got close enough Theo started nudging his leash. I had forgotten it!!! (Something I do way too often.) I guess he got tired of me constantly walking in and out of the house before we actually get to walk. Hehe. Good boy!

I can't believe how smart he is! Dogs definitely learn things you don't mean to teach them.


PS: Ugh, I have one more looooong day of work before I get to go home. Hopefully better posts to come soon!

A Trip To The Beach

Ugh, I wish I wasn't on travel during this NaBloPoMo! I don't feel like I'm doing these posts justice. I may need to run back through these posts after I get back on Saturday to clean them up a bit. Hehe.

Anyway, so I'm finally ready to talk about our trip to the beach last weekend. It was so much fun! It turns out Philip the Corgi's owner recognized Theo at a meetup last month and we got to talking and decided to do our own little meetup at the beach!

Theo had so much fun (and so did I)! It really surprises me, but Theo just loves the beach! This time there was no hesitation with the waves. He ran right in. He was wet and sandy from head to toe within minutes. He actually seems to enjoy it more than the dog park.

Of course, he also had lots of fun playing with Philip!

Philip was so fun to watch! He loves everyone and those big floppy ears are cuter than Dumbo's. I love them! Philip was loving everyone so much he kept following one dog and then another and then another, and before we knew it he was halfway down the beach! His owner kept having to go retrieve him back to us. Hehe. There's an issue I thankfully never had with Theo, but it's a small price to pay for such a great personality!

I hope we can meet up again soon because this was a blast!

Round 4!

Unfortunately, this post is going to bit of a dud because I was on a plane all day and the internet in my hotel keeps making my laptop throw up all over itself. However, I will give you the results of the round 3 polls and put up the next round! Just two left guys!

Round 3 winners:
Theo the Ball of Sleep
Theo on a Bench
Theo Smiling at Me

Even though voting season is officially over, I hope you'll still participate in mine! ;)

WE PASSED!!!

Good boy Theo!

Theo is officially a good citizen of the canine world! Like most things exciting that happen in my life, this event comes with some elements of strife. The trainer realized halfway through class that they had never reset the timer on the lights in the training yard for daylight savings. She was nervous about the lights going off in the middle of the test so she decided to give everyone the test at lightning speed...all at the same time. It was definitely unconventional. All in all I think Theo did really well on the test, surprisingly. He did everything the first time and required very little coaxing from me. His only issue, as I mentioned before, was his barking. He was definitely better than normal, and he would always quiet down when I asked him to (for a time), but I don't know what would have usually counted as a fail.

After the test (and everyone who took it passed), the trainer made a comment a bit under her breath that while everyone passed, probably not everyone would have during a usual test. I thought that was a bit harsh (why pass people if you don't think they should?), and detracted a bit from the excitement of passing. Did he really pass? I didn't take the CGC test just because I could. I took it because to me it genuinely stands for something.

I think that maybe I'm just being paranoid. After all, he did really well in the test! I was actually surprised he did so well. She was probably talking about one of the other dogs who didn't want to get brushed, or who jumped during greeting. I know it's going to bother me, so I'll probably email her tomorrow and ask if she thought Theo would really pass given the test under normal circumstances, but until then I choose to believe that Theo is a canine good citizen and I am extremely proud of him!!!

I had to laugh. During the supervised separation, Theo was amazing. He sat in one spot and didn't make a peep the whole time I was gone. I told the trainer that it must just be around me that he likes to bark. Go figure. And that's really all it is. He's excited and wants to tell me all about it. He always has a big smile on his face when he barks. I understand, but it's hard to think that such happy communication makes him a bad citizen. Hehe.

PS: I just found out this morning that I'll be traveling for work the rest of the week (boo!). I'm taking my laptop so this shouldn't mean any disruption in my NaBloPoMo daily posting. But it may mean I'm a bit terse. Bare with me.

Wish Us Luck!

Tonight we separate the pups from the dogs.  Theo will be taking his Good Canine Citizenship test!  I've been trying to work with him all week.  Unfortunately, a lot of the test involves the tester interacting with Theo, so there wasn't a whole lot I could do just him and me, but I practiced general obedience a lot, so hopefully he will be very well behaved.  Two things I'm nervous about: the barking and the walking well on a leash with no treats allowed.  Theo is generally not much of a barker, but something about that place, he just can't contain himself, and his excitement comes out in barks.  I'm going to try and tire him out so he'll be too tired to bark! (if only there was such a thing!)  Also, Theo generally walks very well on leash, even without a treat present.  But there are certain areas of the training yard that he just doesn't like and always tries to run past.  I think I'll ask if I can avoid those areas.

You know what I realized?  There are 10 steps to passing the test.  When I first read the steps of the test before I took this class, I only trusted Theo to pass one of them (staying in a down while I walk away for a short period of time).  As of class last week, I think Theo has the potential to pass all of them.  That is just amazing!  He's really matured over the last few weeks.

I'll either be posting a very excited or very disappointed post later this evening.  Hehe.  Stay tuned!

PS: I know I was going to post about the dog beach today, but it looks like I'll be packing instead.  I'm going to be traveling for work all week.  Ack!  But I'm taking my laptop, so I should be able to post every day, and maybe I'll even get some pictures uploaded! 

PPS: Don't leave me with another tie on the polls people!  I need at least one more person to vote on poll 2.  Don't be shy!

Theo's First Halloween

I still can't believe that Theo isn't even a year old yet. I feel like I've had him forever (in a good way). Apparently the neighbors agree because I had one woman say that she remembered Theo from Halloween last year. He just sticks in your mind I guess. I'm so glad that it's finally the holiday season! Experiencing Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas/Chanukah with Theo for the first time is going to make it even more special.

This was the most fun I've had on Halloween for a long time. Theo had a great time. I don't know how well other people's dogs do, but Theo was not the most well behaved dog that night...not that I was surprised, or blame him. I could not keep him in the house! Whenever a pack of trick or treaters (that's right, they travel in packs in my neighborhood) would show up at the door, Theo would go running out and personally greet each child. Thankfully I have some brave children in my neighborhood because there were no tears, only "awwww"s.

He gave me a couple of heart attacks though. We always keep our front gate closed to keep Theo in, but even when it's open he knows he's not supposed to cross it without permission. Well obviously the gate was left open all night because of the comings and goings of the treaters, so a couple of times Theo bolted out of the gate. Thankfully he stayed on the sidewalk because he was only interested in greeting the passing dogs out on their evening walk, but I still was none too happy about it. Something to work on for next year.

Overall I think Theo's first Halloween was a resounding success! Can't wait for it to come again next year!

Tomorrow I'll tell you all about this mornings trip to the dog beach. It was fun, but man am I tired!

To The Polls: Round 3!

Update: Complaint noted.

No, not the voting polls, that's not until Tuesday (don't forget to vote!). I'm talking about my poll for picking your favorite picture of Theo! The voting was super close this time. We must be nearing the end! There was actually a tie between Theo on a Bench and Theo the Goofball. Normally I would say I would be the tie-breaker, but I can't decide between those two either! They're both great for different reasons. Don't worry, I know how to handle it.

So all new polls are up. In the spirit of voting week, the polls for this round close Tuesday, so read up on the candidates and get voting!

The winners of round 2 are as follows:
Theo the Ball of Sleep


Theo Takes a Sick Day


Theo Chews a Tribble


Theo on a Bench/Theo the Goofball (tie)


Theo Smiling at Me


Theo Smiling Nice at the Dog Park

Here We Go! NaBloPoMo!

Today kicks off my participation in the National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo)! For the next 30 days you'll be getting all julo and Theo all the time. Eek! If you can't handle it, just tune back in December when we resume our regularly scheduled when-I-feel-like-it posting.

So I was thinking about what a good first post of the month would be, and I think going back to the beginning is appropriate. So back in July 2007 I made my first post on this blog...OMG, I just found a typo in it! How do I have people reading my blog when I can't even write English good? Anyway, I started this blog before I even had a dog. I just wanted somewhere to talk about all the information I had been reading on websites, in books, and talking to people. The more I blogged the more I liked it! I read blogs like Amanda's and Ivy's and thought it was so great that they got out and did such fun things with their dogs. I probably wouldn't be as active with Theo as I am now if I hadn't been inspired by them.

Of course, after I got Theo the blog turned into Theo central, but that was kind of my end goal anyway. It's great because you can share with the world someone who is very special to you, but who wouldn't mind being all over the interwebs. Like I won't be able to do this with my hypothetical kids because they would grow up and hate me for doing it. Can you imagine if our parents had had blogs about us growing up and our baby pictures and embarrassing moments were plastered all over blogger? NO THANK YOU!

Well if this post is indicative of the rest of the month, you are all in for some rambling. I hope you'll stay tuned! Tomorrow I'll be talking about Theo's first Halloween!