Sometimes a puppy just needs to play....
Something to Chew
Something to Chase
Whoa!! Too far, hit the brakes!
I got it! (This is how you play soccer, right?)
Something to Ride
Time to Rest in the Shade
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Payback
Oh WOW, is she punishing me for bragging yesterday! Zuzu has been pure puppy since dinnertime last night.
If there’s something she can dig, chew, jump on, knock over, chase....she’s all over it. Even her normal nap times are more torturous than usual.
If you have ever had a child that hated naps and would fight every second before they fell asleep because they were afraid they might miss something, you will understand how Zuzu is before her naps. I always know when she’s super tired, because the mischief level doubles as she fights the calm rest. Normally it only lasts about ten minutes, and with a good balance of supervision and ignoring (pretending that I’m not watching, but intervening when the bedspread or sofa pillows are about to be destroyed), she will calm down on her own and crash.
I like when she falls asleep on her own, because she loves to sleep totally sprawled out on her back, and she can’t do that in her crate...even her new giant crate in the family room. But then there are days like today, where an hour later I am still ‘secretly supervising’ and there are no signs of improvement. Then, we go to the crate.
I should probably give up sooner, because she crashes almost immediately once she’s there.
Or, perhaps I should just stop all of the bragging!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Puppy Class
I just have to brag. Again. My puppy ROCKS!
We worked on stay and come sit this weekend, which Jim and I have been working on all week. With steak. If you want a dog to stay forever and come when called and sit properly... try using steak. I think Zuzu would do backflips, if that's what it took, to get Jim's grilled steak. Heck, I know I would!
We didn't know that that was the next lesson, so we weren't intentionally cheating. Honest!
Anyway, when it was our turn to "try" it with our dog, and we went last, it really did look like we were showing off.
I stood up, motioned for Zu to sit - plunk - held up my hand and said stay - butt magnet holding firmly - walked to the end of the six foot leash and said 'come' - trot trot trot - made the sit movement with my hand - plunk - made the flat palm down movement from standing, without bending over or anything (hee hee, yup, really just showing off here) and she laid right down. The room was silent. The trainer looked up and actually said, "Now class, with lots and lots of practice, some day, your dogs could all behave as well as Zuzu."
Now if I could only get her to behave that well in the park, with other dogs and kids around, I'd be golden.
We worked on stay and come sit this weekend, which Jim and I have been working on all week. With steak. If you want a dog to stay forever and come when called and sit properly... try using steak. I think Zuzu would do backflips, if that's what it took, to get Jim's grilled steak. Heck, I know I would!
We didn't know that that was the next lesson, so we weren't intentionally cheating. Honest!
Anyway, when it was our turn to "try" it with our dog, and we went last, it really did look like we were showing off.
I stood up, motioned for Zu to sit - plunk - held up my hand and said stay - butt magnet holding firmly - walked to the end of the six foot leash and said 'come' - trot trot trot - made the sit movement with my hand - plunk - made the flat palm down movement from standing, without bending over or anything (hee hee, yup, really just showing off here) and she laid right down. The room was silent. The trainer looked up and actually said, "Now class, with lots and lots of practice, some day, your dogs could all behave as well as Zuzu."
Now if I could only get her to behave that well in the park, with other dogs and kids around, I'd be golden.
Wacky Wednesday
So, have you ever had one of those days where you're too busy too pay attention and things just go awry? Wednesday was that day for me.
I packed a bunch of stuff into one day, and it began okay. I got to my doctor appointment, the kids got to school, Jim got to the dentist and off to work, and Zuzu got a nice walk in the rain and even saw some of her friends in the rain too. We came home and got the house all ready for our dinner guests, my dear friends who were in the area from NY for a few days, got Tressa out the door to lacrosse, and we had time for another walk...or so I thought.
We had a nice walk, with very little pulling unless another dog was near, and we were on our way home, when we ran into Stephen and Rufus. I got to talking, like I'm prone to do, and the dogs were sniffing nicely. I got advice on another local trainer and we talked about other great dogs in the neighborhood, etc. Then, I looked at my watch. It was 4:20, and Darby had ballet at 4:30. Oops!
We ran into the backyard and Zuzu ran to the pool that had filled with rainwater and drank a ton, then she peed and we ran in the house. Darby wasn't ready, so we scurried through that, then got to dance...late...and I came straight home.
Jim was home, preparing dinner, and Zuzu was ringing the bell. 'Knock it off," I told her. "I just walked you and you peed 15 minutes ago!"
Here's the spot where you, my readers, are obviously thinking, "Are you high? Or just plain stupid? Did you not train your dog to ring the bell when she has to go out and did you not JUST tell us that she drank all that water?"
The answer, I'm sorry to say, is I am stupid. Yup. I admitted it. But wait, dear reader, it gets worse.
So, Zuzu does the obvious, into my clean living room to squat on the rug. Jim saw her, hollered (and if anyone has ever heard my husband holler, you know that the sheer volume and authority would make even a human wet the floor), and threw her outside to clean the rug before our company came.
Here's the 'gets worse'. Remember how I ran into the back yard super fast and running late? Well, I didn't latch the gate. So when Jim went to let her back inside five minutes later and hollered that the dog was gone and grabbed the leash and treats and ran for the front door, I truly almost vomited.
It was one of those life moments where you have to grab yourself and function, not panic. I grabbed our phones and tossed Jim's to him, and headed out.
I was just outside the front door, on the sidewalk, when I saw a movement in my neighbors bushes and Zuzu's head popped up. She looked pleasantly surprised to see me and when I cheerfully hollered come, she bounded right over.
Once she was safely in the house and I was breathing normally again, I thanked my lucky stars that our trainer taught us that you should never say come if your dog does something wrong, always go to your dog. I don't know how many times we called Snickers when he was bad and he reluctantly skulked over to us, if he came at all.
The rest of the night went perfectly. Tressa came home from lax, I got Darby from ballet, my friends came over, and Jim grilled the best steaks on the planet, again. And Zuzu laid calmly in the entryway, peacefully waiting for her share of the feast.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Spider Barks
Blame it on the barking spiders.
The saying actually began many moons ago at early morning OBC PT sessions, when the guys would let one slip during warm ups and yell at those darn spiders instead of excusing themselves, and the saying stuck.
Anyway....I digress...
Zuzu heard her first spider bark last night. I sooo wish I had a camera or video to describe the expression on her face!
Jim had his back to her and yup, it happened. A bark.
Zuzu flinched, cocked her head at his bottom, and I swear her eyes crossed!
She had no idea what it was, but she was jumpy for the next ten minutes.
Hey - you just never know when those darn spiders are going to jump out and bark at you!
The saying actually began many moons ago at early morning OBC PT sessions, when the guys would let one slip during warm ups and yell at those darn spiders instead of excusing themselves, and the saying stuck.
Anyway....I digress...
Zuzu heard her first spider bark last night. I sooo wish I had a camera or video to describe the expression on her face!
Jim had his back to her and yup, it happened. A bark.
Zuzu flinched, cocked her head at his bottom, and I swear her eyes crossed!
She had no idea what it was, but she was jumpy for the next ten minutes.
Hey - you just never know when those darn spiders are going to jump out and bark at you!
I want Mommy!
So, the morning routine goes like this -
If Zuzu gets up before 6am, Jim walks her in the backyard until she does her business, then they go back to bed until 6am.
At 6am, I get up, put my sweatshirt on over my PJs, and take her to the kitchen where she and Koshka get fed and I make the girls' lunches for school.
If Zuzu makes it until 6, we go outside first, then to the kitchen.
Weekends are different. I like to stay in bed until 7 or 8, so Jim will feed her whenever he lets her out (normally around 6 or 7) and then we all sleep some more.
Last Saturday, when Zuzu tried to wake me up around 7am, and Jim started to get out if bed, Zuzu wanted no part of it! She would look over at him and whine, and start licking my hands and slapping my face with her giant paws. When I tried to pull my covers up over my head as he was calling her to the door, she reached onto my nightstand, grabbed my sweatshirt, and was trying to give it to me when he finally grabbed her collar to get her outside! I'm pretty sure, if he had let her, she would have drug my legs out of bed and put my shoes on for me too. It was hilarious!
Jim did feed her, so she was fine. Maybe someday she'll understand weekends. Or someday I'll just change the pattern and let my husband sleep in. Nah.
If Zuzu gets up before 6am, Jim walks her in the backyard until she does her business, then they go back to bed until 6am.
At 6am, I get up, put my sweatshirt on over my PJs, and take her to the kitchen where she and Koshka get fed and I make the girls' lunches for school.
If Zuzu makes it until 6, we go outside first, then to the kitchen.
Weekends are different. I like to stay in bed until 7 or 8, so Jim will feed her whenever he lets her out (normally around 6 or 7) and then we all sleep some more.
Last Saturday, when Zuzu tried to wake me up around 7am, and Jim started to get out if bed, Zuzu wanted no part of it! She would look over at him and whine, and start licking my hands and slapping my face with her giant paws. When I tried to pull my covers up over my head as he was calling her to the door, she reached onto my nightstand, grabbed my sweatshirt, and was trying to give it to me when he finally grabbed her collar to get her outside! I'm pretty sure, if he had let her, she would have drug my legs out of bed and put my shoes on for me too. It was hilarious!
Jim did feed her, so she was fine. Maybe someday she'll understand weekends. Or someday I'll just change the pattern and let my husband sleep in. Nah.
Miss Manners
Zuzu was amazing as we hosted our first dinner Saturday night!
She has gotten so good at sitting near us, but not begging during meals, as long as the smells aren't too tempting. I was really hoping she would do the same if we had company.
Of course Jim grilled steak and bacon wrapped asparagus, which normally would have put her completely over the edge!
But, she was a perfect angel and laid down quietly, just outside of the dining room. She waited patiently for her after dinner reward - Jim grilled an extra steak! She got some of it after dinner, and has been getting pieces of it in her lunch ever since.
(Darby and I have stolen some for our own sandwiches too, of course!)
She has gotten so good at sitting near us, but not begging during meals, as long as the smells aren't too tempting. I was really hoping she would do the same if we had company.
Of course Jim grilled steak and bacon wrapped asparagus, which normally would have put her completely over the edge!
But, she was a perfect angel and laid down quietly, just outside of the dining room. She waited patiently for her after dinner reward - Jim grilled an extra steak! She got some of it after dinner, and has been getting pieces of it in her lunch ever since.
(Darby and I have stolen some for our own sandwiches too, of course!)
Friday, March 18, 2011
Cute Puppy
Cute puppies make it impossible to get much work done around the house.
Like when she’s chasing the blue bouncing doggy ball. It’s too hilarious! She bounces like the ball as she’s chasing it, and tries to pounce on it with her paws.
Like when she’s constantly dropping a chewy rope in my lap, asking to play. How can I say no?
Like when she pokes me with her nose. Over and over and over again. Can’t ignore that!
Or when she comes up and curls next to me and snuggles, and when I try to move away she reaches her paws out to pull me back in. Really? Who could leave that?
So what if my house isn’t quite as clean as it used to be? My puppy doesn’t care!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Guard Dog?
Zuzu has just survived her first “Daddy Business Trip”.
One of the reasons that I wanted a bigger, protective dog, is because Jim is starting to spend more and more time away from home. I’m hoping that won’t continue, but after the year deployment last year, his monthly trips around the country this year, and his occasional short deployments planned in his next job, I decided if I was going to get a dog, I might as well get something that will bark at intruders and protect me on a walk, if necessary.
This week was the first week that Jim had to go away since Zuzu arrived and she did really well! The first day she had a little bit of separation anxiety and wanted to follow me everywhere. That was kind of amusing since she is normally quite independent and loves to sit outside in the backyard by herself. Not that day! She even tried to sit in my lap in my computer chair with her new chewy toy. Only her front paws and head fit on top of me, but she was okay with that.
She slept great through the first night and woke me up the normal way in the morning- smacking me in the face with a giant puppy paw. The second day was better. We played a lot and walked a lot, but she didn’t mind if I left her side.
On one of our walks, I decided to take a trail instead of the normal path. She loved that, but there was no one there but us, which was a little creepy for me. Normally the trail is full of other people with dogs. When we were quite a ways out, she turned around and barked. There was a giant, very scary man, walking behind us. I was completely freaked, and she refused to walk, so I pulled her off the trail and just looked straight at him and laughed that he was way more interesting to my dog than the trail was! Much to my dismay, he came up and started to pet Zuzu. I was really nervous and was bracing myself to perform my mad-ninja-skills if he attacked. (I don’t really have any skills, but I was hoping that if he had any ill intent, I would at least be prepared and maybe Zuzu would use her sharp puppy teeth to help.) He didn’t attack, and he told us to have a nice afternoon as he walked away. I am looking forward to her becoming bigger and a little more scary looking!
The only other funny thing that happened while Jim was gone was that I learned to sleep in the middle of the bed so that puppy paws couldn’t reach my nose in the morning. As per usual, Zuzu immediately outsmarted me and learned how to pull all of the covers off me with her teeth, so that I would wake up anyway! Every time I think I’m one up on her, she proves me wrong!
Jim gets home this afternoon. I can’t wait to see her greet him!
Daughters and Bullies
I just realized yesterday that the way my girls deal with animals and bullies is exactly the same, and it completely dictates how they are treated in return.
It started with a text message just before church last night. Darby got a semi-harassing message from a NY number, saying they knew her and had important info for her. When Darby texted back, he or she only replied with sarcasm and would not say who it was. Darby left the phone in the car, and said that if it was actually a friend, they could respond nicely or she didn't have time for them.
After Mass she had five new messages... the first couple continuing with the sarcasm and the rest getting much nicer. It turned out it was a good friend of hers who was just being silly, so she did laugh in the car, but still demanded from him that he be nice if he wanted her to text back in the future.
Zuzu and Koshka get the same from her. She holds all the cards in the relationship. But, when they are kind to her, she never holds back on her kindness and love and affection for them, just as she does for her true human friends as well.
Tressa is very different. She is so much more willing to work for a friendship. It makes it much harder for her and she takes a whole lot more abuse from both people and animals, because she loves everyone.
I am not saying that she's weak - she definitely is not! She won't hesitate to let a friend or animal know that they have done something wrong and have overstepped their bounds, but after the correction comes forgiveness and the willingness to start again. Not all friends or pets understand that as well as the cold shoulder treatment they get from Darby, but in her own way, Tressa is very blessed by her actions. Some friendships don't come easily, but are still very worth the effort. And with pets, someone has to stick around and continue taking abuse, or they'll never get trained!
Zuzu knows that if she wants gentle play and lots of love, Darby is her gal. But when she's full of pip and vinegar and puppy zoomies, Tressa is the friend she always heads for!
And I just sit back and watch. :)
It started with a text message just before church last night. Darby got a semi-harassing message from a NY number, saying they knew her and had important info for her. When Darby texted back, he or she only replied with sarcasm and would not say who it was. Darby left the phone in the car, and said that if it was actually a friend, they could respond nicely or she didn't have time for them.
After Mass she had five new messages... the first couple continuing with the sarcasm and the rest getting much nicer. It turned out it was a good friend of hers who was just being silly, so she did laugh in the car, but still demanded from him that he be nice if he wanted her to text back in the future.
Zuzu and Koshka get the same from her. She holds all the cards in the relationship. But, when they are kind to her, she never holds back on her kindness and love and affection for them, just as she does for her true human friends as well.
Tressa is very different. She is so much more willing to work for a friendship. It makes it much harder for her and she takes a whole lot more abuse from both people and animals, because she loves everyone.
I am not saying that she's weak - she definitely is not! She won't hesitate to let a friend or animal know that they have done something wrong and have overstepped their bounds, but after the correction comes forgiveness and the willingness to start again. Not all friends or pets understand that as well as the cold shoulder treatment they get from Darby, but in her own way, Tressa is very blessed by her actions. Some friendships don't come easily, but are still very worth the effort. And with pets, someone has to stick around and continue taking abuse, or they'll never get trained!
Zuzu knows that if she wants gentle play and lots of love, Darby is her gal. But when she's full of pip and vinegar and puppy zoomies, Tressa is the friend she always heads for!
And I just sit back and watch. :)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Take it, leave it, drop it
Our homework for this week is take it, leave it, and drop it.
All puppies come with the 'take it' app already installed. I don't think it has ever even required updates.
'Take it!' 'Good, take it!'. Works every time.
Leave it. Hmmm- that one has potential and works very well with the 'treat in the hand' upgrade. It does take some effort to install it properly.
Drop it.
WARNING - if your puppy was preloaded with a 'tug-of-war' app, a critical failure could occur if 'drop it' is installed.
This does not always happen, but 'drop it' must be installed very patiently, and the 'alternate toy in hand' upgrade is strongly recommended. Even with the upgrade, the 'drop it' app may have to be reinstalled up to one billion times to be effective.
Good luck with your new iPuppy!
All puppies come with the 'take it' app already installed. I don't think it has ever even required updates.
'Take it!' 'Good, take it!'. Works every time.
Leave it. Hmmm- that one has potential and works very well with the 'treat in the hand' upgrade. It does take some effort to install it properly.
Drop it.
WARNING - if your puppy was preloaded with a 'tug-of-war' app, a critical failure could occur if 'drop it' is installed.
This does not always happen, but 'drop it' must be installed very patiently, and the 'alternate toy in hand' upgrade is strongly recommended. Even with the upgrade, the 'drop it' app may have to be reinstalled up to one billion times to be effective.
Good luck with your new iPuppy!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Meal Time
Tressa and Zuzu
Tressa had a little dog, little dog, little dog.
Tressa had a little dog, whose fur was fluffy so.
And everywhere that Tressa went, Tresssa went, Tressa went,
Everywhere that Tressa went, the dog was sure to go!
Just Add Water
Why wait for the water? We can play now!
Loose Leash Walking
Loose Leash Walking ... loose leash walking ... loosh lease walking
Say that five times fast! Betcha can't. I also bet you'll find getting a puppy to learn how to actually do it is no easier.
Last week was all about loose leash walking. Two or three times a day we would take Zuzu out to practice. By the end of the week, she was doing fairly well, as long as we let her set the pace. (Anything between stopping and jogging is okay.) The only problem with that is she really only has two speeds - meander and trot!
The only really bad day was Wednesday. I'm starting to notice that I never blog when I'm super frustrated. I always wait a few days until I have gotten over it. Next time I vow to write on the bad day itself, so that when I look back in five or ten years, I'll remember there were actual challenges, not just funny times.
Anyway, Wednesday's walk was going perfectly! Well, as perfectly as any walk with a three month old puppy can go. Then we started to head home. There is only one street that I cross that has any real traffic and a light, right next to the big park that I love. We have a great routine. I push the button, ask Zuzu to sit, and I get the walk signal and we cross. Easy peasy.
Only this time, Zuzu wouldn't sit. It was lunchtime and she was 'finished' with the walk and finished with listening. She danced around and managed to get tangled in the leash. As I leaned down to untangle her, she jumped up and grabbed my hair. Now I've had that happen before, so I was ready and got her down, no problem. But, what I didn't realize, was that somehow in this brief mayhem, her leash had actually come uncoupled from her collar. I still have no idea how! As soon as we began to cross, I realized that I had a leash and no dog, with four lanes of traffic stopped around me. Luckily Zuzu had no idea she was free, but when I bent down to reattach her, she started to play again.
At this point I only had 10 more seconds to cross the street. Though I was pretty sure none of the drivers would run us over if we were still in the road, I didn't want to chance it. So, I scooped her up in my arms and carried her across the street, ignoring the little teeth in my hair and ear and neck. When we got to the other side, I put her down, reattaching the leash, and finally got her to sit for a treat and calm down for a second.
That was the last calm moment I had! She spent the rest of the walk trying to eat me, and would not even take a treat! Aargh!
But, patience and consistency, right? Right!
We went out again that evening, and the next morning, etc, and each time got a little better.
She is now recognizing a quick soft tug or 'ah ah' or 'let's go' and she 'gets nowhere without me (or Jim)'. That's only hard when she sees another dog and wants to run and pull towards it to say hi. But, when she pulls, we stop and she gets nowhere. She has missed meeting several dogs as she is still trying to figure that out. It's very hard when the world is so exciting!
One day, every time she saw another dog, she would start to do a little low crawl, like the cat, then she would try to pounce! It never worked and it kind of freaked out a couple other dog owners as they saw the fluffy crouching tiger-dog approach them, so she hasn't done it since that day, but I'll admit that it made me laugh out loud - much to the dismay of the other doggy parents in the park. Really people? My dog isn't touching your dog, and she's not barking or growling, her ears are happy and her tail is wagging, and she's being raised with a cat. I promise, she is not going to eat your dog! I've never seen little old ladies with their Doodles and Cavaliers walk so quickly. Again, I giggle!
So we will continue with the loosh lease walking. Maybe some day I'll even learn to say it!
Say that five times fast! Betcha can't. I also bet you'll find getting a puppy to learn how to actually do it is no easier.
Last week was all about loose leash walking. Two or three times a day we would take Zuzu out to practice. By the end of the week, she was doing fairly well, as long as we let her set the pace. (Anything between stopping and jogging is okay.) The only problem with that is she really only has two speeds - meander and trot!
The only really bad day was Wednesday. I'm starting to notice that I never blog when I'm super frustrated. I always wait a few days until I have gotten over it. Next time I vow to write on the bad day itself, so that when I look back in five or ten years, I'll remember there were actual challenges, not just funny times.
Anyway, Wednesday's walk was going perfectly! Well, as perfectly as any walk with a three month old puppy can go. Then we started to head home. There is only one street that I cross that has any real traffic and a light, right next to the big park that I love. We have a great routine. I push the button, ask Zuzu to sit, and I get the walk signal and we cross. Easy peasy.
Only this time, Zuzu wouldn't sit. It was lunchtime and she was 'finished' with the walk and finished with listening. She danced around and managed to get tangled in the leash. As I leaned down to untangle her, she jumped up and grabbed my hair. Now I've had that happen before, so I was ready and got her down, no problem. But, what I didn't realize, was that somehow in this brief mayhem, her leash had actually come uncoupled from her collar. I still have no idea how! As soon as we began to cross, I realized that I had a leash and no dog, with four lanes of traffic stopped around me. Luckily Zuzu had no idea she was free, but when I bent down to reattach her, she started to play again.
At this point I only had 10 more seconds to cross the street. Though I was pretty sure none of the drivers would run us over if we were still in the road, I didn't want to chance it. So, I scooped her up in my arms and carried her across the street, ignoring the little teeth in my hair and ear and neck. When we got to the other side, I put her down, reattaching the leash, and finally got her to sit for a treat and calm down for a second.
That was the last calm moment I had! She spent the rest of the walk trying to eat me, and would not even take a treat! Aargh!
But, patience and consistency, right? Right!
We went out again that evening, and the next morning, etc, and each time got a little better.
She is now recognizing a quick soft tug or 'ah ah' or 'let's go' and she 'gets nowhere without me (or Jim)'. That's only hard when she sees another dog and wants to run and pull towards it to say hi. But, when she pulls, we stop and she gets nowhere. She has missed meeting several dogs as she is still trying to figure that out. It's very hard when the world is so exciting!
One day, every time she saw another dog, she would start to do a little low crawl, like the cat, then she would try to pounce! It never worked and it kind of freaked out a couple other dog owners as they saw the fluffy crouching tiger-dog approach them, so she hasn't done it since that day, but I'll admit that it made me laugh out loud - much to the dismay of the other doggy parents in the park. Really people? My dog isn't touching your dog, and she's not barking or growling, her ears are happy and her tail is wagging, and she's being raised with a cat. I promise, she is not going to eat your dog! I've never seen little old ladies with their Doodles and Cavaliers walk so quickly. Again, I giggle!
So we will continue with the loosh lease walking. Maybe some day I'll even learn to say it!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
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