Out Of Sight, Out Of Obedience

Theo's latest "Theo-ism" is when either Husband or I go upstairs. He gets this look of total agony and indecision when one of us goes upstairs while the other is downstairs. Usually he ends up deciding based on who is where. If I stay downstairs, he'll stay with me, if I go upstairs, he'll run up after me. Husband whines that it's because Theo loves me more, but it's really just because I give him attention and Husband doesn't.

It's actually kind of a problem because the only reason I go upstairs usually is to go into the bedroom (it's too hot to do any actual hanging out up there right now). Theo isn't allowed in the bedroom, so I have to close the door on him. Sometimes he cries, sometimes he just sits at the top of the stairs and waits for me. And sometimes he poops. That's right. He poops.

See, Theo doesn't spend a lot of time upstairs (because Husband and I don't spend any time upstairs). He spends every night in his crate, but I don't think that counts to him. And since he doesn't spend any time upstairs, he doesn't consider the area as a "living space". And since he doesn't consider it a living space, it is, by default, a pooping place. That's how the doggie world works, right? I know all I have to do to make it stop is play with him up there a bit, but I just haven't gotten around to it. So instead we try to make sure he stays downstairs.

Yesterday I needed to go upstairs to grab something from the bedroom. It wasn't a big deal if he followed me, but I didn't want to encourage the habit. I made him lay down and told him to stay at the bottom of the stairs. As soon as I got to the landing and rounded the corner, he ran up the stairs. The half second after I was out of site, he would no longer stay. He did it three or four times. Finally I started periodically peering my head over the railings so he could see me even when my body was out of site. Then he stayed. Finally. It's super cute that he wants to keep tabs on me, but at the same time, it's a total chore to make sure that when one of us goes upstairs, the other is there to distract him. I'm sure we'll get it in time.

I'm A Big Forgetful Idiot

8am this morning I was supposed to take Theo in to get neutered. At 6:30am this morning I decided to do my usual thing of feeding Theo breakfast. At 7:40am I was about to head out for the vet when I realized what a big dumb idiot I am. When I made the vet appointment last Friday they told me "no food after 8pm the night before and limited water in the morning". Oops. Theo's testicles are safe for one more day. Let's see if I can get it right tomorrow...

The Ferocious Beast

I'm finally back home with my beloved husband and puppy. I'm a happy girl. :)

It's been crazy around here with the remodeling. Having no kitchen for 1-2 months is crazy enough without a dog. We've discovered that the BBQ place nearby will sell us a 1/4 pound of cooked chicken (without sauce) for just a couple of bucks. We've discovered the difficult logistics of using one's bathroom sink as one's kitchen sink. And I've discovered that Theo is the worst guard dog of all time. Not that Corgis are meant to be guard dogs, they're not. But I'm used to dogs being territorial and not liking strangers in their house. Not Theo. He acts like everyone coming over is a play date just for him.

With the remodel we've got lots of new people coming by the house every day. Theo loves it. He runs up and gives love to anyone and everyone. That's my ferocious beast for you.

Video Of The Week 18: Baroo Cute!

My new mission in life is to teach Theo to do this:



It's too cute! Got this gem from cute overload.

Goopy

Theo, I've noticed, likes to get sick right before I go out of town. I'm pretty sure the explosive diarrhea incident happened the day before I went on travel last time. Well I'm heading out of town (to St. Louis for work, blegh) tomorrow morning and when I work up this morning I found Theo with about a gallon of eye goop under his right eye. It was seriously nasty. I wiped it away, but the goop just kept coming. When Husband saw it he said it was allergies. What's he allergic to?! I'm thinking it might be the bit of mold that's grown under our sink (leaky faucet we're fixing next week). I caught Theo inside the moldy cabinet under the sink this morning (we had left it open after we cleaned it out). Hopefully that's all it is and he'll be right and rain tomorrow. Husband is going to take him to vet just to be sure. His eyes are really red right now and he's obviously pretty miserable. Did I mention he likes to get sick on weekends too? Ugh.

Cross your fingers I don't get washed away in a flood!

A Beginner

Theo had his last puppy elementary class last night. It totally snuck up on me! I was really hoping I would have made enough progress with Theo that he could skip the beginners class (which is next after the puppy classes) and go straight to intermediate. I saw a couple of other dogs do it (Goldens...teachers pets!), so I set it as a goal. Unfortunately, at the end of class today she recommended Theo for the beginners class. Doh! But that's ok. She also said that the last couple of classes he had made amazing progress and that she was really impressed. Yay! She even used him as her demo dog like three times during class, which she never does because he's short and she has bad knees.

He wasn't being so great socially last night. I'm wondering if that's what did him in. I had to break up two fights with him and the other puppies. Two! He's usually so playful and friendly. I don't understand what was setting him off but something did. Maybe she thought he could use more socialization, and she's probably right. All in all, I'm fine with more classes because Theo loves them so much. He practically jumps out of his skin when he sees us pulling up to the training facility every week. It's too cute.

Part of the reason I love my trainer so much is that she obviously does it because she loves dogs and not because she's trying to make a bunch of money. The beginners class doesn't start until the second week in July, so she said to go ahead and keep coming to the puppy classes until they start, that way we wouldn't have to go a couple of weeks with no training classes. That would have been terrible! Hehe.

Make Mommy Look Good

Last week's puppy class went so freaking great. Theo did his "puppy push-ups" like a pro (sit, down, stand, sit, etc.), he responded to my commands (like "paws up" and "off") without a total food lure, and he even did well on the activities he's normally terrible with (walking on the leash). He played well with the other puppies. Even the puppies that weren't playing nice with the other puppies (there was a Bichon that kept snapping at them, and a Doberman that was shy) liked playing with Theo. He was acting so well last week that the trainer even used him for a demo (she never uses him for demos because he's short and she has to bend down). I left class feeling proud and triumphant. I hope I leave with that feeling again today!

They Grow Up So Fast!

There, there, Theo. Don't be blue. It won't be so bad.

Theo is officially six months old. Can you believe it!? Can you believe we've had Theo in our lives for four months now? It feels like a long time and not a long time all at the same time. It feels like we've had him forever, but that he's growing up too fast. I'm sure other puppy parents can relate.

Well six months is when all the books say your puppy has reached sexual maturity. That's right, it's almost time to do a little snip, snip. My vet says we don't need to do it until he's around 8 months old, but I still think that my puppy has become a dog! Too bad he'll be reduced back to an it in just a couple short months. Mwhaha!

PS: I just talked to my trainer last night and she said her rule of thumb for neutering males is when their balls drop, it's time for them to come off. The question is, how can you tell when they've dropped? He's definitely got little tiny testicles, but I don't think that's their full glory. I asked Husband if he thought Theo's balls had dropped and he said that if I had to ask, then they hadn't dropped yet. I guess we'll have to wait a little longer!

PPS: What the hell kind of a blog am I writing!? I never envisioned talking about testicles and diarrhea when I started this thing, that's for sure.

Ten Things I Love

Dear Theo,

I love it when you jump up on my hands when I lean down to greet you after I've been away for a few hours.

I love the noises and stretching motions you make after you've just woken up.

I love seeing your nubbin wiggle at Husband when he comes home from work.

I love how you now associate getting into the car with going somewhere fun.

I love the way you rest your head on my knee and look at me when I'm eating food you want.

I love your "ears-back happy trot".

I love the way you nudge your toy towards me when you want me to throw it.

I love how excited you get when it's time to go into your crate and go to bed each night.

I love how you jump up on the couch to snuggle with me every morning and how you rest your head on my legs to go back to sleep.

I love the way you rest your cheek on mine when we're playing.

These are just ten things about you that warm my heart and make me glad that we brought you into our lives. I never would have thought a pet could bring so much happiness, but you have.

What are ten things your dog does to make you happy?

PS: Theo is officially 6 months old today! That's a major puppy milestone! Congrats Theo!

Collaring The Issue

I'd like to talk to you about collars. As I've said before, I've tried a few different kinds of collars with Theo, and I really believe the various collars we've used have made all the difference with Theo's leash training.

We started with a normal buckle collar (pictured, left). It worked well for keeping him tethered near us, and as a vehicle for holding his many tags, but not for much else. When we first got Theo I had delusions of grandeur, thinking that a regular collar, paired with my excellent training abilities, would be enough for successful leash training. Oh how wrong I was! He would pull and pull and pull, as if he didn't even feel the collar. Anything that caught his fancy (which was pretty much everything..."oooh, a sidewalk!") would sending him running. That's when we switched to the choke chain (I hate that name, but it's descriptive...). I got the kind with nylon threaded through it to reduce any pulling of fur that tends to happen with that kind of collar (pictured, right) . Jenna Z expressed an interest in how it looks, so here it is!

When I first put the collar on Theo, it was like night and day. He took a step forward, the leash tightened around his neck, and finally he felt it and stopped! With the buckle collar it felt like a work horse trying to pull me along. With the choke chain we finally made steps towards a good heel. Then he got used to it. He was still good for the most part, but every time he saw a person or another dog he would lunge forward, not caring how tight the collar got around his neck. I didn't really like this, so I was on the lookout for a better option.

In the training classes I go to, the trainer will often suggest different collars for dogs when she sees they are not walking well on leash. Week after week Theo would pull and pull and she never suggested another kind. Then one day I heard her recommending a martingale collar to another owner. I had heard Jenna Z. mention this kind of collar as an alternative to the choke chain, so I immediately stuck my nose in their conversation and asked if I could try one on Theo. She was recommending them to the other guy because his dog was slipping out of his collar. I explained that I wanted it for training to help Theo realize when he's pulling on the leash, and she hooked me up with one for $5 (pictured, middle). Yay for training!

Just like with the choke chain, it was like night and day. He responds very well to it, and now he's finally able to understand my verbal commands when we walk together. When he's pulling on the leash (which he still does often, I think because he's testing his boundaries), I'll give him the command to heel. If he doesn't listen, I'll give the leash a slight tug, so he feels I want him to slow down, and he does! It's working out really great. He still dashes ahead when he sees a person or another dog, but I feel better knowing the collar isn't as bad for his neck when he does that.

The martingale is kind of a pain to take on and off because there's no buckle (though apparently there are kinds that have buckles). I would recommend either sticking with a buckle collar if your dog is good enough to handle it (luckies!), or find a martingale that has a buckle. But really, all "a pain to get on" means is that I have to give Theo more treats when I put it on him so he doesn't associate negative feelings with his collar. Now whenever he hears the jingle of the tags on his collar he comes running with a big smile because he knows he's going to get treats and a walk!

PS: New pictures uploaded in flickr.
PPS: I am soooooo happy I'm finally getting rid of that ugly ceramic tile in the picture with the collars above. If you're going to make tile with a wood grain (bad idea in the first place), why make it gray!? Yuck.

Dog Food A Little More Demystified

I have a hard time with the notion that everything a dog needs nutritionally can be packed into a handy dandy hard piece of kibble. If such a thing is possible, where's my people kibble? I wouldn't mind having all my nutritional needs met by little crunchy balls I could pop in my mouth all day (and they would clean my teeth!). So I supplement Theo's diet with "whole foods", which just means regular food (not processed fat America food, just real food). I've said this before, but since I'm going through the trouble of doing a partially whole food diet, I want to make sure I'm feeding him a quality kibble as well, otherwise what's the point?

Well the other day I found this website, and I'm loving it! It basically has a rating system for most dog foods (it had all the ones I could think of), on a scale from 1 to 6 stars. It also breaks down the ingredients for you, based on the quality as well as the quantity, which is nice. For instance, the reviewer doesn't just note that there is quality meats in the product, s/he also points out where in the ingredient list the meat is because it makes a difference. The 6 star foods I saw all had at least the first two ingredients as meat.

I was happy to see that the kibbles I've been feeding Theo have all been rated with 5 or 6 stars (I've tried out a few different kinds over the last few months just to see if he reacted differently or looked differently eating any of them). I just switched Theo to this one, and so far we're both loving it. I think it's a keeper!

Scrapbook

As part of my birthday present this year, my ever-thoughtful mother gave me a really cool doggie scrapbook kit! It's got everything you need to make a fun book of memories except the pictures. Now that I've had Theo for a while, and we've built up some fun memories, I think I'd like to start making it. The only problem is that I have too many pictures and a indecisive mind. If you've got some free time on your hands, browse through my photos and let me know which ones think would go well in my scrapbook (you can either comment here or on flickr).

PS: Mom, I find it extremely funny that all those months ago you asked me if I was going to be one of those people who buys everything with a Corgi on it, when the only Corgi stuff I own is a pair of socks and this scrapbook, both of which you gave me. :p Not that I don't like them, I do. I just like to point out the irony.

Book Review: Puppy Kisses Are Good For The Soul

I know it's been a while since I did a book review, it probably seems like I haven't cracked a book in months. Truth is I've actually read, in some capacity, almost all the books I have on my reading list. I just got so busy once I brought Theo home that I never had time to properly review them, and since I got most of them from the library, it's hard to go back and remember details without the book in front of you. But I think the blog is ready for another review, so let's talk about Howard Weinstein's Puppy Kisses are Good for the Soul.
This book I actually bought because it came so highly recommended to me by the entire Corgi community, and I have to say I don't think they steered me wrong. This book is half memoir half training guide, which is a weird combination that just seems to work. The memoir is an anecdotal telling of Mail Order Annie, Weinstein's PWC. He sweetly recalls the major events in this period of his life and how Annie was always a part of it. Reading this book before I brought home Theo made me so anxious to have a Corgi. I was left feeling like I knew what I was getting into, and all the more excited for it.

Annie is portrayed as fun, mischievous, and completely sweet. Weinstein covers Annie's entire lifetime, from bringing her home with her partner in crime, Hawkeye, a Collie, to her last days. Oops, hope I didn't give away the ending for you. ;) He doesn't blather on about the minute details of owning a dog like feeding schedule and poop habits (like I do!). Instead, he picks out the fondest memories he has of Annie, shares why those instances stick out in his mind, and tells us what he learned from her. For example, in her early years we learned that Annie went through a period of being an escape artist (just like Theo!). When he would put her behind a gate in the kitchen at night, he would always wake up to her outside the kitchen in the morning. What did that teach us? According to Weinstein Annie was trying to tell him that she was old enough to be trusted in his apartment by herself and without being blocked behind a gate. (Theo, on the other hand, was I think just teaching me that he's stubborn!) This anecdote taught me that Corgis are smart (too smart!) and won't be ignored or forgotten.

By far my favorite anecdote in the book is Weinstein's telling of visiting his mother's house. At first his mother, a clean freak, saw Annie as a dirty intruder, but once Annie showed her she could lick up any microscopic crumbs that his mother may have missed, she came to view her as an ally. Cute right? I had a similar experience when I brought Theo to stay with my parents. My mom isn't a neat freak, but I knew she wasn't thrilled about the idea of having a fur-shedding, accident-prone beast in her nice, new house. That all changed after our Passover dinner. After we had cleaned up the dishes and folded up the extra tables and chairs, we could see the dinning room floor was littered in matzo crumbs. I saw my mom look at the mess and sigh. Then Theo came along and started in on it, licking up as much matzo as he could get his tongue on. At that moment I could see my mom's view of Theo change from intruder to ally, just like with Weinstein's mother. (aside: that's not to say my mom didn't like Theo visiting, she did.)

Weinstein also gives you a sense of how fun owning a dog can be. He's a writer (obviously!) of Star Trek books, so he regularly attends conventions. Apparently Annie was able to accompany him to these events and she ended up becoming quite a star. How fun! It wasn't until I read this book that I realized a dog doesn't have to be an animal that always has to be at home. Dogs can travel too! And Weinstein obviously had a lot of fun traveling with Annie.

When Annie comes to the end of her life, Weinstein remembers her with such tenderness and affection, it's really very emotional. It's sad to hear his telling of her passing on, but it brings a natural close to the story of her life. And when he moves on to talk about the PWCs he has now, we're left feeling upbeat and optimistic. It's apparent in this book that Weinstein loved Annie very much. He even gave her an author credit on the book! His emotional attachment to her jumps off the page, leaving us excited to go get our own PWC to experience our own joys.

The second part of the book is about training. If you're interested read it, but I could take it or leave it. There is some good information, but nothing earth shattering, and nothing I hadn't already read in the many other books I picked up before this one. He doesn't really touch on any details, he just breezes by some general rules.

Another thing in this book's favor is the fact that my husband not only read it (the only book on dogs that he's read, actually), but loved it! Oftentimes he would read a chapter in the morning, then gush about it to me later at work about what cute thing Annie had done in that chapter. In the weeks that he was reading it (he reads fast, but in very short sittings), whenever we would talk about Theo, he would always mention something he had read in the book and how he thought it applied to our discussion. If you don't care for my endorsement, consider his. Husband is a very harsh critic!

Overall, this book gives a great sense of what owning a PWC is like. I would highly recommend this book to prospective PWC owners before they bring home their little trouble maker. Websites like dog breed info can give you a few adjectives on the personality of a Corgi, but this book really paints you a picture of what those personality traits will mean in your day to day life. Just keep in mind that Weinstein is obviously focusing on the good times with Annie. It's not all roses and ice cream. I would also recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a heartwarming tale of man and his best friend (even non dog owners!).

Freshening Up

The astute observer may notice I've replaced the picture in the blog header. As much as I love that previous picture of Theo, I figured it was time to actually show a little booty, since it's in the name of the blog and all. I hope you like it.

In my quest to spruce up my header (I finally figured out the magical interwebs must have something better than MS Visio to add text to my photos...I am s-m-r-t), I found this neat website. It's the app that flickr uses to edit photos, and, as you can see, it works great! What a fun way to spruce up a photo!

PS: Does anyone else pronounce the word astute in their head "ass-toot"? Hehe. I'm mature, I know.

Less Tired, But Still Tired

Yesterday I got more aggressive with trying to get a full night's sleep. It just so happened that in Theo's puppy class last night we were one of only two dogs that decided to attend class this week, so we got lots of one on one time with the trainer. When she asked what Theo was up to this week I told her about the sudden change in his sleeping habits. She said we need to immediately nip this behavior in the bud and loaned me a citronella collar, so that hopefully wearing it when he's in his crate at night will discourage the middle of the night barking that is waking me up. It seemed a bit extreme, but lack of sleep made me ready for an extreme measure, so last night I tried it.

I half expected him to sleep the whole night without a peep just to spite me, but sure enough, I was awoken in the middle of the night with barking yet again. This time it was much earlier, though. At 1am I faintly heard some barking and a very delayed puff of the collar. I can't be sure because I was still half asleep. Husband actually got up and took care of him (about time!), so I was able to fall right back to sleep without too much interruption to my brain waves or whatever. When Husband came back to bed he said that Theo "barely even went" and that he had left him in the pen downstairs. If he barked more after that, and if the collar properly discouraged him, I can't say because the door was closed and I was sleeping like a proper dead person again. But this morning I noticed that he was awfully quiet, so I have high hopes.

I'm considering if maybe he just doesn't like sleeping in the crate and he prefers his pen downstairs, but I don't think that's it. When I grab his bedtime treats and start heading upstairs, Theo excitedly goes bounding past me with a big smile on his face. There's never any hesitation to going into his crate, he actually seems to enjoy it. When I close the door and walk into the bedroom, he rarely protests and usually falls right to sleep. So if he likes it in there so much, why does he bark and whine to get out every night now? The trainer says he's just getting older, but why does Theo getting older make him less able to lay quietly in his crate for a few hours?

I'll keep you posted on how the collar works out. I'm wondering if the barking this morning was because the collar was uncomfortable for him. It must be awkward to sleep with a big plastic box right at your throat (though he is definitely accustomed to sleeping on his back). I'll try the collar again tonight, and maybe the next night without it and see how he does. Wish me luck!

Tired

Yesterday morning Theo woke up at 4:45am. For me this is a totally ungodly hour in which my brain functions are barely up to snuff enough for me to walk without falling down (seriously, I had to hold onto a wall at one point). When Theo wakes up, I now wake up too. Why? Because, as I started earlier, he somehow learned that barking is a much more effective way of waking me up than crying. Damn. So yesterday morning at the aforementioned ungodly hour I stumbled downstairs with Theo to let him out to make him business. When we got back inside Theo ran, jumped up on the couch, and looked at me expectantly and adorably. Sound familiar? I was too tired to think much about anything, so I plopped down on the sofa and fell back asleep until about 40 minutes later than I should have gotten up.

When I told Husband about it later that morning he scolded me for rewarding Theo for waking me up early by sleeping on the couch with him. I hadn't thought of it that way. I hadn't thought of it at all. It was too early for that kind of brain power. I disagreed with him (usually a sure sign that I'm wrong) and said that it wasn't a reward and it was just a one time thing.

This morning Theo woke up at almost the exact same time and started in with the barking. I tried to ignore him, but after 5 minutes it was either do something to make him stop barking or suffocate myself with my pillow. I somehow convinced my body to get up and do the former. It's worth noting that before we got Theo I slept like a dead person and my husband was a very light sleeper. He claims that neither the barking this morning nor the barking yesterday woke him up, which is why, of course, he couldn't get up to deal with Theo himself. I think he's a big faker. Anyway, after he was done outside he bolted through the door, into the family room, and onto his favorite couch, yet again. This time it was accompanied by a "come and snuggle me" look like you wouldn't believe! It was almost too cute to resist, but I managed. I picked him up, put him down in his pen, and went back to bed, making sure to close the door to help with the barking that was sure to follow. And oh by the way, I ended up oversleeping by an hour and a half this time.

I'm hoping this morning reinforced that waking mommy up too early does not mean any kind of reward for Theo. And please, please, please, let him have gotten the message! I can't stand losing any more sleep this week than I already have, and I if I'm any later to work tomorrow, I'm going to end up working all weekend to make up my hours. I've been so completely agitated at work this week I haven't been able to actually get any work done.

Theotivators

I've been having loads of fun messing around with this site today. It allows you to manipulate your flickr photos in fun ways, and it's totally free. That's right, this "Theotivator" is a julo original! I'm not saying it's genius, but there's a bit of wit to it, right? If only I had gotten a picture of Theo doing this when there was peanut butter still visible on the spoon.

Didn't Quite Make It

Last weekend I was so excited to finally get us all to the walking trails by my house. Unfortunately, the experience didn't quite live up to the hype. It started off well. Theo (pictured, right, with his ghetto booty) was excited, as usual, to get out of the house and go somewhere new. I was excited to try out my new camera and get some good nature-y exercise.

This is a view of the trails. Can you tell I live in the desert? It's not much to look at, but it's better than sidewalks with well manicured lawns. I regret not taking a picture of it at the time, but after the fires that whole hill (mountain?) was completely green and awesome looking. I saw first hand how fire brings renewal. Too bad the summer heat killed all the greenery.

About ten minutes into the walk Theo started struggling with the heat. There's not a lot of shade on the trails, so Theo started to cool off wherever he could. When he started sitting in my shadow to cool off, I knew it was too hot for him to walk a couple miles. We barely got 50 feet before he plopped down and wouldn't move. We ended up turning back about 10 minutes in (after I had carried him for a few minutes). I was so disappointed!

We didn't even walk far enough to get to the cacti I wanted to photograph. Oh well. At least there were still other interesting sites to see on our limited walk. Next time I'll make sure we get to the cacti. It might be awhile before I attempt it again. We get hot summers where I live and the heat is just getting warmed up (pun intended :p). I won't attempt an evening walk because we get coyotes (I've seen them on the trails before), and I doubt I could get Husband up and at 'em early enough for an early morning walk. I guess the trails will just have to wait...so dog beach here we come!

PS: New pictures on flickr, if you couldn't tell. :p

Morning Snuggle Time

It's funny how you can accidentally train your dog in the strangest ways. Theo's latest learned behavior is jumping on the couch to snuggle with me first thing in the morning. On weekends Theo wakes up at his usual time of ~6:30am. Since I rarely have anything to do first thing in the morning on the weekends I take him outside to make his business, then I go lay down on my super-comfy couch (pictured) and go back to sleep for a few hours, until Theo wakes me up to feed him. In the last few weeks Theo has started jumping up on the couch and napping with me, usually at my feet (he likes his space). Last weekend he did this both Saturday and Sunday, and on Sunday we ended up sleeping until 9am! Man, it was nice to sleep so long. Sunday he even slept with his head nuzzled on my legs.

Come Monday morning he woke up at his usual time and after he was done doing his morning business he immediately ran into the family room, jumped on the couch, nuzzled into the blanket laying on it, and gave me an adorable "come and snuggle with me" look. Do you know how hard it is to start your day when there's a comfortable couch and a snuggly dog staring you in the face, tempting you into morning lateness!? It's frakking hard. I gave in and sat on the couch with him for a few minutes (read: half an hour) while I woke up and fought off the temptation to fall back asleep (there's no alarm clock in my family room, maybe I should get one). This morning he did the exact same thing.

I know Corgis aren't lap dogs. I never intended to get a lap dog. But I am absolutely loving Theo sitting still, being mellow, and letting me pet him for extended periods of time. Usually petting isn't allowed because he's more interested in playing. I'm guessing this is part of the transition from puppy to adult dog (they grow up so fast!). It's like one day you wake up and your puppy isn't a puppy anymore!

The Nose Biter

There was an incident with Theo yesterday. I was taking him out for his morning walk when we saw a neighbor and her dog, Bear, walking by. This neighbor is a big dog lady, she has like 5 rescues, and Theo has met them all. They're not the most friendly, but they've never been mean to Theo. Bear and Theo have even "played" before. I say "played" because Theo was still in his terrified of other dogs phase and Bear is very dominant. Basically in the past Bear just kind of stood over Theo and Theo just kind of sat there under him. But he never snapped at him or growled or acted unfriendly or threatened.

So, naturally, I walked Theo across the street to say hello to them both. Theo, in all his butt wiggling excitement, ran up to Bear and instantly went into a "let's play" position. Bear in one swift motion leaned over and took Theo's entire muzzle inside his mouth, gave him a small bite, and then let him go (kinda like this picture to the right). It happened so fast I almost missed it. I couldn't possibly miss what came next, though. Theo ran away squealing like a piglet! He ran straight to me and started jumping up on my legs as if to say "Help me Mommy! The bully is gonna get me!!!" I quickly scooped him up in case Bear decided to run after him for more (and PS: I was so pleased that he ran to me rather than in some random direction). He didn't. All he wanted was Theo away from him. A few seconds later Theo seemed to have forgotten the whole thing. He acted indignant that I would dare try to hold him when there were objects of play right below him. Instead of crying to be picked up, he was crying to be put down. Ah, puppies.

The incident itself wasn't really a big deal. I was more affected by it than Theo was. It was the aftermath that really gets me. Somehow while biting his nose, Bear managed to rip a small patch of fur off of Theo's muzzle. It's very small and hardly noticeable, but that dog ripped out my dog's fur!!! I don't think I can ever think very well of Bear again. Even though I think this outburst can be explained by the fact that he had a severe sinus infection (I found out later that day). For those not of a faint heart, here's a picture of the "injury"
See that tiny red patch right between his eyes? It looks kinda wet because I put some Neosporin on it. I know it's nothing, but I still couldn't help feeling terrible for him. I hope it grows back soon!

Consequences

PS: When you tucker out your dog to the point where he's too tired to even eat, there are consequences. Namely, if you let your dog sleep all day, then he's most likely not going to sleep through the whole night too.

Theo used to let out a few quiet cries when he wanted to be let of his crate in the morning. Lately, he's discovered that a loud bark carries his point across much more efficiently. Somehow he learned that while quiet cries are easily ignored, and mommy can easily fall back asleep for 10-15 minutes before actually letting him out, a loud bark gets her out of bed in a quarter of the time. Damn, I've been trained by my dog!

The circumstances described in the two paragraphs above combined to an incident this morning in which Theo started barking to be let out of his crate at 4:00 this morning. Ack!

The Mind Is Willing, But the Body Is Squishy And Mortal

Yesterday I took Theo to the dog park by my house again, and it was one of those magical days where everything was just wonderful. I decided to let him in the "all dog" pen, so he could play with the bigger dogs. He's not really a small dog kind of Corgi, which the usual Corgi way, as I understand it. At first he acted like his usual self, he seemed to enjoy the scene while sticking close to me and not really playing with any of the other dogs. That all changed when a Golden Lab from his puppy class came in. It was a dog he knew! He immediately went and jumped on her head, the typical Theo greeting (see the picture for an example).

From then on he was open to playing with all the other dogs. I really lucked out because all the dogs at the park yesterday were friendly, playful, and sweet. I couldn't have asked for a better group of dogs there. Theo took a real liking to an Australian Shepherd (pictured), and they played together for at least 30 minutes. They had rounds of play. When they would get tired of one round they would separate, rest for a few minutes, and then resume for the next round. It was so fun to watch. Most of it took place at my feet.

Theo was so pooped that he kept plopping down on the ground to rest. All the other dogs would see this blatant display of weakness and come running to make fun of him. If you check out the picture to the left he's actually under that group of dogs, looking embarrassed and heartily ashamed of himself.

An hour and a half at the dog park left him sleeping the rest of the day. He was so pooped that when I set down his food bowl with his lunch, he looked like he was seriously contemplating whether he would rather eat or sleep. The eating won in the end, of course, but he actually had to think about it! I was amazed at how long he played at the park. His body was obviously tired, but he was so excited to play that he managed to find the energy somewhere.

I've finally updated my Flickr pics. Check 'em out to see the last few weeks of fun. You'll notice a huge increase in volume due to playing with the new camera. Enjoy!

Theo The Hiker

One of the things I love about having a dog is that Theo inspires me to get out of the house and do all the things that I've thought about doing the last few years but never got off my butt to do. Lately I've been actually meeting some of my neighbors now that I'm walking around the neighborhood twice a day. I've lived in my house for four years now, and I'm just now meeting the neighbors. What can I say? I'm shy and previously was never home. :p

Our latest enjoyment is the park right by our house. There are some gorgeous walking trails that go up in the hills and along the lake. The lake was actually dried up the first year we lived here, but one rainy winter cleared that right up. Now the lake is beautiful and since the fires last year took out all the brush in the area, the trails are actually walkable (they were a bit overgrown before). I walked the trails a couple times when I first moved into my house, but I hadn't been there in years, which is pathetic because they're only about a mile from my house. A few weeks ago we decided to take Theo there and all three of us had a blast! And blast me for not remembering my camera that day! I'm going to try and take him again next weekend, with the new camera in tow. The trail we took was about a mile and half (at least that's what Husband claims, it felt more like two miles to me!), and Theo almost walked the whole thing on a scorching hot day. In the middle he plopped down under a bush and wouldn't move for the world. He was more than happy when I carried him part of the way, though. Hehe. One thing I hope I can get a picture of are the half-burned cacti along the trails. They are half melted into these grotesque shapes, and to me they are as interesting to look at as art pieces in a museum.

I think one of our next endeavors will be one of the dog beaches in my area. Theo doesn't like baths or rain or wet ground, but I still wouldn't be surprised if he ends up liking swimming! I encourage anyone stuck in a rut to get out and do something fun with their dog(s) this summer! I've noticed that since I've been active with Theo, I've been more active with myself too. I've been getting out and doing more fun things, seeing more friends. Life is just better with a dog!

Puppy Love For The Sick Girl's Soul

As I mentioned in my non-dog blog, I was sick at home all last week and it was the first time I've been sick since we got Theo. I have to say, having a dog when you're in pain and feeling miserable at home is awesome. He was just what I needed. I was afraid he would be constantly barking and begging me to play with him while I was trying to sleep, and while he did that some times, most of the time he was so mellow. Mostly he just hopped up on the couch with me and we napped the day away together. He gave me my space, but also gave me comfort. It was so wonderful.

It's hard to believe Theo has only been with me a few months. Already I can't imagine my life without him. Dogs are just the best!

The Nightmare

Sorry for the lack of posting (see my non-dog blog for lame excuses). This story is a couple weeks late, but it's good so I'll tell it anyway.

There I was, one night two weeks ago, heading home from work. I had left Theo out of the pen, but still confined in the family room/kitchen area, as we had been doing the last week or so. What I came home to that day was the stuff of nightmares. He had gotten sick...again...everywhere. There was diahrea...everywhere. He had thrown up. He had peed. It was disgusting. But the real nightmare was the poop. I almost wish I had taken a picture so I could show you all, but I'm sure you're glad I didn't. Hehe.

The poop...there were piles of it all over (only the carpeted area, of course). Some of it was bloody and mucusy...it looked like jam. Eww! There was some on the couch (thankfully leather!), smeared. I can only imagine him standing on the top of the couch pooping and then riding the poop down the couch cushion like some kind of sport. lol.

My husband and I spent the better part of the evening cleaning it up. It was by far the most disgusting thing I've ever done. Thankfully I still had some of his anti-diahretic medicine from the last time he was sick, so I gave him some of that and fasted him for the rest of the night. With a careful diet the next few days he was fine. Now that I've experienced it once, I don't think I need to spend $1000 each time. Hehe. I'm all over it now. But man, anyone getting a dog, know what you're getting into!

The Biting Thing

The biting thing was a big issue we had with Theo. Notice I say had, thank goodness! Thus far, his biting was the most frustrating habit to break him of, but thankfully, I think we've done it. When I play with him, he'll open his mouth, and touch my hand, without actually getting my hand in his mouth or biting down. When we're playing and my face is near him, he'll rest is open mouth beside my face, rather than biting my nose. It's like mock puppy play, and it's so cute! As long as he's allowed to pretend bite, he's fine with not actually doing it. How did we train him? It was tough, I'll tell you that much.

First off, you have to understand that the puppy is just playing with you. If you get bit, it hurts, sure, but it's just your puppy's way of saying s/he's having fun. Puppy teeth are sharp, but they don't last forever. Of course, the way to train your puppy out of biting is to teach them that it's not acceptable behavior, even if they think it's fun. I ended up using a couple different methods depending on the situation.

I started off with what I heard worked: saying "ouch!" really loudly and ignoring Theo for a few seconds. He only ever got more excited by my reactions to him, which is the opposite of the desired affect. I even tried what my trainer suggested which was, during training sessions, putting my finger in his mouth and saying "ouch!" when he bit down at all. Naturally, this didn't work either. It just confused him, since I was the one putting my finger in his mouth. Of course he's going to bite down! My trainer also suggested just shoving a toy in his mouth when he got nippy. That didn't do much either.

Here's the combination of things that did work for me: The first thing we did was teach him "no bite". Now that we've taught it to him, if he starts to get nippy, I say "uh-uh, Theo, no bite", and he stops! Believe me, it was a slow process. Hehe. Next, I started to gently hold his muzzle closed while scolding him for biting. It stopped the behavior right away and immediately got his attention. And the third technique I used was what I call "the reverse timeout". If he was being especially nippy (in the beginning, all nipping was especially nippy), I would leave the room, but stand somewhere he could see me and not get to me, and not give him any attention (including eye contact!). The gate between the family room and living room worked perfectly for this in my house. I would sit on the couch in the living room and watch tv for 2 minutes, where Theo could see me the whole time. This drove him crazy! He would cry the entire two minutes. When I came back in, I would gently let him play with me again. If he got nippy, I would leave again. It was a tiresome process, but it worked! Make sure you don't stay away too long or too short a time. Too long and the dog will loose interest, too short and it's not punishment enough. Next, don't forget to praise the good behavior! I also taught Theo "gentle", though I don't use it much now since he's always gentle. When he would play nicely, I would praise him heavily and say "good gentle, Theo! good no bite!"

When we got further along with the training, I didn't need to do the reverse timeout. I could just give him a verbal scolding, and he would stop (and then praise!). As of today, he rarely bites us, and when he does, he knows he wasn't supposed to, and looks all apologetic. It's so cute. It was such an imperative thing to teach him because now I can actually play with him (see previous post) without getting my nose bit or my hands all cut up. I can't say this is a tried and true method for everyone, but it sure worked for me!

Crazy Play

I've got a question for the general reading population. How do you play with your dog? Is there always a toy or object involved? Or you use your hands and tickle them all over? I get right down there on the floor and play with Theo...with my whole darn body! When Theo wants to initiate play, he gets down on the floor, looks right into my eyes, and kinda darts his head forward playfully. So I started doing it back to him...and he loves it! If I look him in the eye, he looks at me expectantly back, waiting for the play signal. When I do, what I like to call the "pigeon head motion", he lunges forward and the play begins.

It starts with him jumping up in my head. He does this with all people (when he can get to their head), and dogs too (sometimes he jumps on their backs rather than their head). He pants happily, sometimes chewing my hair, sometimes trying to get the hair tie in my hair out (he's successful more than I'd like). When I pick my head up, he rests his front paws on my shoulders while haunched up on his hind legs. It's so cute!

If I nuzzle my nose on his neck and make a noise, he'll make a noise back. He's very vocal during playtime (well, and ever other time for that matter). If I roll him onto his back and kiss or scratch him tummy, he'll playfully "push" on me with his paws with a big smile on his face. If I put my hand on either side of his muzzle, he'll shake his head side to side, playfully trying to get at my hands. Sometimes he'll run a few feet away and bark at me, but if I stick my butt in the air and put my head low to the ground, he comes bounding back. It's really a lot of fun (though my hair rarely makes it through).

Am I a crazy dog woman, or is that kind of what other people do as well? I'm curious.

The Aftermath

So it's been a week and a half since the ER incident, and Theo is 90% back to normal. Unfortunately, there's some characteristics he's displayed since we brought him back home from the vet that haven't quite gone away. Those two days we were separated were apparently a little traumatic for him. A word of advice: quickly grab a t-shirt from your drawer if you're running off to the vet for an emergency. That way if s/he has to stay overnight, they'll have something to remind them of home. I think Theo would have been much better off if we had thought of something like that.

So the first characteristic is something I've mentioned before: the separation anxiety/clingyness. If we let Theo have free-run of the house, he would probably just sit by the door all day, waiting for us to come home. He doesn't like us to be out of his sight (or direct control), and when we are, he freaks. The other day I was sitting about 2 feet from him, but the gate was between us, so he started crying and barking. Even though he could see me, he didn't want to be separated from me. Now if I go upstairs and leave him behind the gate, he paces, he cries, and eventually he barks. I'm hoping that time and a schedule will get him used to us coming and going again.

Another example is on Sunday night I was in one room playing the Wii while Husband was in the next room playing the XBox 360. Theo was in a chill mood, so he just laid down at my feet. Twenty minutes later he got up and sat down at Husband's feet. About twenty minutes after that, he came back to me. He divided his time between us like that for about 2 hours, until we went to bed. It was adorable, but definitely not something he did before.

Next is his eating. He's always been a food monger, but ever since the vet, he eats like he's never going to eat again. Before he wasn't a big fan of kibble, and would usually leave it behind in his food dish. Now he gobbles it up with the rest of his food. He hasn't left a single morsel in his bowl ever since he was on that i/d diet, when were only allowed to feed him 1-2TB of food at a time. I mean, he licks his bowl clean every single meal. It's crazy.

Surprisingly, the week that we weren't able to take him for walks completely destroyed a lot of what we had accomplished with him. We've slowly been getting it back though. The first few walks he would just dart forward and wouldn't walk by my side for the world. Now he's much more mellow, though the stretch of street our house is on, he still doesn't do so well. Last night's walk was actually really good, as good as before. It felt really good to know that we hadn't ruined him somehow. Hehe.

I have to say, even though some will disapprove, that we got him a "choke collar" a few weeks ago (before the ER incident). First off, it's the nice kind with nylon weaved through so it doesn't catch on his fur. And second, it's been like magic ever since we got it. We had just reached a brick wall in his walking training with his buckle collar (and I won't even mention the harness debacle!). He would just pull and pull and never listened, never learned. I mean, we're talking weeks and weeks where I tried a bunch of different things. I tried refusing to walk if he didn't heel. I tried the constantly changing directions so he had to keep up with me. None of it worked. It was like he didn't even feel the pressure on his neck. In the first 5 minutes of walking him with the choke collar, he was a dream. He walked right by my side and when I stopped or turned, he responded accordingly. Now that he's gotten used to the new collar more (I only use that collar for walks, nothing else), he's not as responsive, but it still works wonders.

The only thing I have to be careful about is stimulation. When Theo sees a person, or a car, or especially another dog, he jets forward. I've finally trained him to stay by me when a car drives by, but I haven't been able to make a dent with people or animals. He tries to jump at them as they go by, or if they're ahead of us, he pulls me like a Husky pulls a dog sled, and since he's tethered to the leash, it usually involves the collar tightening very hard around his neck. I try and just hold him back so the collar with loosen, but that doesn't seem very conducive to the training. Any tips on how to deal with a dog who won't sit nicely to greet people? Hehe.

Other than that he's back to the old trouble-maker Theo.

The Escape Artist

Don't look at me that way you trouble-maker!

The little trouble-maker lived up to his name this weekend. Hehe. I decided that Theo is getting to be too big for his pen, so I told Husband that I wanted to either buy the the expansion pieces for the pen to make it bigger, or ditch the pen and let him in the kitchen/family room area with the rest of the house blocked off with a gate. He agreed to use the gate instead of the pen. So on Sunday we tested out the new arrangement. We left the house for about 3 hours and left Theo behind the gate. When we returned home, there he was to greet us at the door! WHAT? How did he get out!? My husband and I pondered for some time. The gate was still closed, so he hadn't busted through it. The only other way out, that I could see, was over the gate. Husband thought there was no way our hobbit dog had jumped over a gate that high, but I didn't see another way.

We passed it off as a possible fluke and tried it again later that day. When we came home, there was Theo to greet us at the door...again. How is he doing that?! There was still no sign that he had disturbed the gate at all, so we were at a loss. We put him behind the gate again, and then went upstairs to cut Husband's hair. 2 minutes later, there he was again in the bathroom.

I had finally had enough and just had to know how he was getting over/through the gate. I put him behind the gate again and then called him to me. It's mean, I know, but I had to see it for myself. I ran upstairs and called him some more. He freaked, he barked, and eventually, he got out in a way I never expected. I could see from upstairs that he jumped up on the chair against the wall in the family room, jumped through the hole in the wall (architectural archway thingy?) between the family room and the living room, hopped down onto the couch in the living room on the other side of the wall, down to the floor, and then ran up the stairs to greet me.

I felt so stupid, I didn't even consider that opening in the wall as an escape route! All this time we were pondering the gate and how he got over/through it. The gate did its job and kept him in, it was the chair that was the problem! Tricky bastard! I'm glad we experimented on Sunday because yesterday I knew how to head him off. I put his pen on the chair! It looks like arse, but at least it keeps him in. Of course, that didn't stop the little trouble-maker from living up to his name anyway. When I got home from work, he had managed to get the ball of yarn attached to the blanket (afghan? I'm not sure what's the difference) I'm crocheting, and had unraveled it all over the place into a knotty mess. I spent the better part of the evening untangling it and trying to redo the work he had undone on my blanket (afghan?). Ugh! But I do have to say that otherwise he did fantastic! No damage done, no accidents. He's a good boy! *knock on wood!*

Also, yesterday was the first time I saw Theo do the poo dance! I got home and he apparently had to go really bad. The new cry I heard, there was no mistaking the meaning: "I have to go now!" Hehe. He did it again this morning. Dogs are so cute.

Walking The Dog

*ahem* In the literal sense, I mean. ;)

It's interesting how many different ways people walk their dog. Mouth has a big chow/retriever mix, and he just holds the leash firmly at his side a few inches above the leash, so she has no choice but to walk by his side. I've seen people let their dogs walk them. And I've seen people let their dogs walk in front of them, but while in control of their actions at the same time. My method of walking Theo is next to me in a "heel". I don't hold the leash tight and make him walk next to me, because to me this defeats part of the purpose of a walk. Walking Theo isn't just about exercise, it's also about teaching him proper manners when we're out of the house. Theo's job while we're walking is to walk next to me, but to also let the leash fall completely loose. If he walks ahead of me, the leash pulls tight and I stop walking. I wait until he sits down (which is now immediately after he realizes I've stopped), and then we press on again until the next time he pulls. This was a long, arduous process in the beginning, and I still have to do it often, but the benefits have already shown.

When I was in Reno my mom asked me to take the garbage can back in from the street. I decided to test Theo walking with me off-leash. Look ma, no leash! It's not a busy street, so I was confident I could control the situation enough to feel safe enough to attempt it. And he did great! The whole way walking out (my parents have a looooong driveway by the way) Theo stayed right by my side. He would have on the way back too, except he was scared by the sound of the trash can on the pavement, so he ran on ahead. Hehe. But it made me trust my training with him.

If I made Theo walk next to me by holding his leash tight, I wonder if he would have stayed by my side, or instead have seen it as an opportunity to finally be to run free. Training can seem so daunting and impossible while you're doing it, but when you see it pay off, it makes it all worth it.