The Christmas Dog

I pulled out Guinness's Christmas stuffed animals and jingle bell collar.  Toby seems to like the collar, and he immediately claimed the toys. The reindeer which sings "Rudolph" was the first he picked up.  Then he checked out the others and started chewing/tearing some of them apart -- pulling out the stuffing and the noise makers.  He loves his stuffed animals, but also delights in removing the stuffing, leaving only a rag.  But he still enjoys the rag.  I didn't want him to ruin the reindeer, so I hid it before I left for the evening.  Now, several days later, the reindeer is still intact and his favorite one!  He squeezes it to make the song play and prances around proudly with the reindeer in his mouth. Sometimes he places his toys in one area.  A couple of days ago, he placed all his Christmas toys near the tree and lay down on top of them!  I guess, he thinks he is as cute as his toys (which he is!).  Then yesterday, he had them all in a line, then lay down beside them. 

Toby's Loose Leash Walking Lessons

Toby is doing quite well.  Learning is not as fast as with "cruel" equipment (choke chains and pinch collars), but it is working!  We still have a way to go.  Since I am having difficulty with him charging ahead as soon as he gets his treat, his teacher had me take only one step, mark (which means to say "yes" or use a clicker.  I am NOT a clicker person.  ha!), then treat.  It worked VERY well.  Of course this cannot go on forever, but it is a great step forward in the right direction (pun intended).   

In this lesson, the new skill his teacher taught/tricked him into, was to walk past a closed bag of treats multiple times without him trying to get it.  As a reward for being a good boy each time, he got a handful of the treats out of the bag!  The final exercise was for a handful of treats to be on the sidewalk.  And he walked past them!!!  When I took the leash, he performed perfectly for me as well!  :) 

We did this exercise at home last night inside the house.  But I didn't start with the bag; I started with a handful of treats on the floor.  That was a bit too much to expect.  ha!  Though, the second time we did it, he was successful in completing the exercise!!!  Woo Hoo!!!

His teacher thinks he is both very smart and a handsome boy.  Both are true!!  She also frequently comments on how well bonded he is with me.  Like me wanting to be a princess, he is fitting into princely shoes. 

Backyard Friend

Toby has found a friend in our backyard.  His name is Toad.  I have been trying to keep him away from Toad, but Toby is VERY strong.  He has found him at various places in our backyard garden.  So, every time outside, he goes to those places to see if Toad is there.  This morning, I saw that he was interacting with something at the base of the fence where it winds beside the house.  Of course, it was Toad, but I noted something that surprised me!  Toad was NOT trying to get away from Toby.  Toad was enjoying this association as well.  But Toby does tend to get a little aggressive making me fear for Toad.  When Toby put a paw on him, Toad lept TOWARDS Toby, not away!  Then he went beyond Toby and under the fence.  I think Toad is enjoying this interaction with a monster! 

Toby is the Ultimate Christian

I took Toby to the vet for a pawdicure. As I sat in the waiting room, a couple came in with their cat in a carrier.  She was singing, but the parents said she was crying.  When Toby returned, he was curious to see the kitten. He dragged me to her crate, and the parents were fine with him checking her out as she lives with dogs and was not afraid.  In fact, she stopped crying!  Toby was enamored!!!  We were all shocked he was so gentle.  He helped to calm the cat's fears.  Everyone watching this scenario said I must get a cat for him!! 

Don’t you think Toby fulfilled Colossians 3:12-14  "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony"?

Is Toby Becoming a Bad Boy?

A few days ago, Kevin and I returned home to discover Toby had eaten a food item which had been inadvertently left on the counter.  He had never done anything like that before, but it let me know food is not safe on the counter! 

Yesterday, Kevin informed me he did not want the dried apricots he saw at the grocery story recently.  The reason was, at first, due to his his loose tooth which is now an empty hole.  I left them on the counter to dispose of later.  Before later came, we entered the back door and found a plastic container on the floor with the lid chewed.  It was the apricot container.  They were a nice treat for the boy (yet they were not offered to him). 

Items which cannot be safely washed in the dishwasher, I leave beside the kitchen sink to wash by hand.  We came home today to find he had Tupperware from the counter on the floor and the lid of one piece chewed.  Then this evening we walked into a MESS!!!  He had taken a few pieces of Tupperware from the counter, ruined all of the lids, had opened the door under the sink which has a towel rack.  The rack keeps the door slightly (and I mean slightly) ajar.  Only cleaning supplies are in there, but the other side has the trash bag.  He had pulled out the trash bag out through the towel door, and spread the ripped up trash all over the floor.  No major loss (except the Tupperware lids) or damage, but annoying to have to clean up the mess!  He was scolded he as a "bad boy." 

Before the rest of the story is told, the reader needs to know how much Toby likes ice cream.  Whenever I get ice cream out, he receives a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt in his bowl.  He is required to sit and wait until I tell him he may devour his treat.  It is amazing when he knows I am going to the freezer for ice cream and not for something else!  He comes running from the far corner of the house when he detects I am getting out ice cream.  I have yet to figure out HOW he knows!  But he KNOWS!!!  Now that Kevin is here, Kevin asks for ice cream (3 scoops!) almost every night!

Once the mess was cleaned up tonight, Kevin was ready for ice cream.  Toby was totally expecting to get his share first, as usual.  But I told him he was a bad boy and could not have any.  He seemed to accept the reprimand and lay down on the floor without any further fuss! 

But I am worried about our future. . .   The towel rack is repositioned on a cupboard door with only baking dishes inside. 

Toby's First Naughtiness

My grandson is with me for several weeks, and he has made friends with all the neighbor children.  Sisters, ages 5 and 7, from across the street came to our house to play with him.  The 5 year old had stitches taken out that day.  As a reward for her pain, her mother gave her a cute pedicure.  She wore her adorable jeweled flip-flops and left them at my front door. 

To this point, Toby has done NOTHING naughty.  He pulls the stuffing out of his toys, but that is it.  I found him chewing on Rin's adorable sandal.  Ruined.  :\  He thought they were pretty too.  He has access to our shoes as well, but we have none as adorable as Rin's! 

The Reach of Feminine Influence Through Generations of Males

Our first dog, at least 30 years ago, was a female cockatoo - Blackberry Heather Walsh, because she looked like a blackberry as a puppy.  Before she was one year old, her color changed to silver -- like black hair highlighted with while.  Greg, then 3, said, "We should have named her Silverware!"  He was to write a story about his family at Christmastime.  As a preschooler, he told his teachers what to write.  He had his own way of talking.  The only thing they could make out of how he said our dog's name was "Blackberry Has a."  BTW, Heather would have been Greg's name if he had been a girl.

She lived to age 13.  During that time, we purchased a boxer -- Andrew Rockford Frederick Walsh; Andrew after Grant's company St. Andrew's, Rockford after the boxer Rocky, and Frederick after Grant's Uncle Fred who was a boxer.  Andy could say his name!!!  "Rooo - rooo - rooo."  Blackberry taught Andy many things.  He learned to squat to urinate.  He never lifted his leg.  Andy only lived to age 5, as he developed cancer.

That Christmas, Blackberry was elderly and not doing well, so we decided to add another dog to the family before we lost her.  We found Hershey, a chocolate lab, through a newspaper ad for puppies. We were naive and didn't realize it was a puppy mill!  After Hershey survived a Marley-style puppyhood (or maybe I should say -- WE survived his Marley-style puppyhood!!!), he became a gentleman and a scholar.  Since Blackberry was his teacher, he also equated.  We lost Blackberry after having Hershey for only a month, but he learned his lessons well.

When Hershey was 10, we decided he needed a companion and bought a full bred chocolate lab -- Guinness.  Goofy Guinness.   He kept us laughing.  Hershey was an excellent teacher!  He taught Guinness (or tried to teach him) how to heel.  Guinness never did learn to be a perfect heeler.  Whereas, Hershey could be off leash!  Hershey taught Guinness to squat also.  Guinness did lift his leg a time or two in the park as an adult.  We lost Guinness last September with no dog overlapping his lifespan.  Because we our first dog was a girl, our next three males squared to go potty!!!!

Now I have Toby (Toblerone), another chocolate lab.  He ONLY lifts his leg.    

Coyote IN My Laundry Room!!!!

Of all nights for Toby to not be at home!!!!  He is at his foster mother's for a sleepover. 

I just had a VERY scary thing happen!!! Both of my garage door openers have decided to not work at the same time. It was 12:50am. I stood in my laundry room putting in a new battery in each and trying them out. The garage door worked with the new batteries. I opened the laundry room door to the garage as I was doing this, and a wet, scraggly looking "dog" walked into my laundry room!!!! I screamed, and it backed into my garage. I shut the laundry room door, but then didn't want to close that dog (or was it a coyote??? The hair was short, so maybe not a coyote.) inside my garage. Grabbed a flashlight, turned on the garage light, and went out to make sure the dog was gone. He was no where in sight. Then I thought, if it was a dog, maybe I should have been kinder . . . ???

Oh, my. . . I just looked up photos of coyotes. I did not see his tail, but this certainly looked like him!!!

Vacation

I took Toby to his foster mother's home tonight for a wee vacation.  All of my other dogs had a built in GPS system.  I expected that he would sense where we were headed, especially once we arrived there.  He did not seem to be aware of his surroundings until out of the car.  He quickly fell into the routine with his foster siblings being on a walk in the front with other neighbor dogs.  It was a lovely evening with many neighbors and dogs out.  He wanted to run around and meet everyone, and all were happy to see him.  He was very relaxed. 

The kids next door enjoyed petting him through the fence.  I learned that they had wanted to adopt him, but their little beagle is 13, and the parents felt he deserved to have a quiet end to his life span.  Thank goodness!  :) 

Serious Training

Since Petsmart training did not help me to be able to walk safely without him pulling me down the street, I sought more expert training.  My neighbor and Toby's foster mother recommended Canine Connection.

Her first comment was how handsome he is!  :)   As soon as we entered, she told me Toby is a stressed dog, unsure of his surroundings, and has no focus.  That made me want to cry.  I never would have described him with those attributes.  She noted he was clicking his mouth which she said was stress.  I have never been aware of him doing that before, or I was inattentive to it.  Initially, he was jumping on her, seemingly to say -- leave me alone, or maybe it was -- play with me.  She admitted he was a tough case, but she was persistent and successful!

She used kiss smacking to capture his attention at first.  It took a LONG time for his attention to focus on her, and then it took a LONG time for him to comprehend what she was requiring.  She would hold his leash at her centerpoint and wait for him to look at her.  As soon as he glanced at her, she would say "Good," and immediately treat.   It was probably close to half an hour before he caught onto the game. 

I tried to imitate her methods but was not very successful.  I need more practice.  I was holding the treat in my hand before he had performed the desired behavior -- of looking into the handler's eyes.  Then, if I waited for his look before giving the treat, I would drop the treat or struggle with getting it out of my pouch.  :\

She showed me how standing somewhat diagonally facing a wall with him on the left, forces him to stay on the left side of the handler.

She played the "T" game with him:  she stood holding several treats in each fist and spread her arms open to form a T.  He would jump at her hands, lick them, try to do everything he could think of to make her release the treats for him.  Finally, he looked at her.  Bingo!  "Good."  A handful of treats.  

While attempting to walk with him, as soon as he tugged, she stopped, waited for him to look at her.  "Good."  Treat.  Since he already knew that game while she stood still, he caught on to it in the walk/stop exercise.  

Karen is phenomenal!  By the end of the hour, she had him walking at her side on a loose leash.  I did not know what to expect from this lesson, but now I know:  next time, I need a notepad to write down the tricks she used with him.  What she did in one hour was amazing!  Twice she brought tears to my eyes to see the change in Toby and to see him walking at her side without tugging and paying close attention to her!!!  And without using painful or uncomfortable collars or gentle leaders.  Until he caught on to what was expected of him, she stood firm waiting for him to look at her.  After one hour, my brain was on overload, and Toby was spent too.  He went to the door wanting to leave. 

The Toy Dog

Toby loves his stuffed animals!  He takes one outside with him almost every time he goes out for a potty break.  He usually leaves it in the grass, and I have to say, "Go get your toy!"  And he does!

His foster mother told me he pulls the stuffing and squeaker out of stuffed toys.  At my house, he has not.  Most of his toys were Guinness's.  For some reason, he does not tear them up.  But a giraffe I  bought for him is now a rag.  It had a tennis ball in each foot.  They are now all out and two have had to be thrown away as he broke them open. 

I wonder if he is respecting the smell of Guinness on the other toys.  Toys without the Guinness smell, he tears it apart.  Although, he is still enjoying his giraffe very much even though it is simply a rag with no stuffing, squeaker, or balls.  

Toby Loves his Niece Daisy

My son Greg and his family are moving to Oklahoma.  They have a boxer, Daisy, who is becoming elderly and needed to be babysat while the move was in process.  She spent some days at home in her crate, but she came to Grandma's to play with Toby during the four days of the actual move.  Toby and Daisy had their first meeting at my house on Toby's turf.  It went very smoothly.  A few days later, Toby came to Daisy's house.  Toby was doing the "play bow" repeatedly wanting Daisy to play with him, but she is approaching an elderly state and was not interested in puppy play.  Nevertheless,  they bonded right away.

Daisy is experiencing urine leakage, so she came to Grandma's house with four beds, three of them needing to be laundered.  I intended to keep her in my large master bathroom, but she whined and cried in there without anyone around, so we set up extended baby fencing around the entrances to my kitchen to keep her barricaded there.  That worked much better!  She was happy, and Toby would ask to be let into the kitchen with her.  He preferred to be corralled in the kitchen with Daisy than to be able to roam the whole house without Daisy! 

I texted my vet nephew about Daisy's leaking problem.  He said it was an easy fix if I could get a urine sample.  Actually, it was simple to capture.  $503 later, we have medication (testing, overdue shot, pedicure, and heartworm prevention meds as well for her) which seems to be working already!

I took Daisy and Toby to Oklahoma today, the day their truck unloaded.  They both LOVE Daisy's new yard, but they weren't satisfied with just two acres.  They ventured across the street to the neighbor's yard.  My yelling at them brought the neighbors out.  The neighbors helped to catch the dogs and loaned me a couple of leashes (which I had neglected to bring).  Greg came over too and another neighbor who is "next door" beyond the trees to Greg's lot.  The neighbors are extremely friendly, helpful, and eager to meet Greg and family.  Dogs are great for breaking the ice!!!  :) 

My Spirited Dog!

Toby is coming into his own more and more!  He definitely has spirit and is beginning to do things which make me laugh.  He is doing more jumping up on me, which is not necessarily a good thing especially when his nail rips the skin on my arm, but it does indicate he has more initiative.   And I feel the love.  ;-)   I was sitting on the sofa this past week; he came barreling across the room towards me and leaped onto my lap!!!!  Oh, my!  Really. . .   I tried to explain to him he is not a lap dog, but he ignored my explanation.  He received kisses on the head. 

I can no longer call him laid back or polite, although, he is learning what "Leave it" and "Wait" mean, so he is becoming polite on command!  He is an active member of the household.

The only mischief he has caused is opening cupboards when I am away.  He opened a lower kitchen cabinet which holds trays and vases.  (Probably the door was slightly ajar.)  He took a small alabaster vase which my brother and wife brought to me from Egypt several years ago.  He dropped it on the floor and broke it.  Sad, but not the end of the world.  A couple of days after that he got into the pantry.  I probably left the door open.  :\   He ate THREE bags of treats!!!!  The day that happened, I gave him his dinner before realizing he had already eaten more than a dinner's worth of food!  There were no negative reactions for all of his gorging.  Fortunately! 

Graduation

Toby passed the test for Beginner Class, but he is nothing to brag about. LOL
He has "learned" --

• Look at me
• Sit
• Stay
• Leave it (we are working on it. . .  LOL)
• Wait
• OK (release)
• Let's go (he is the worst at this!  Tug, tug, tug. . .)
• Come -- he needed no training for Come!  He already knew that command!  
• Come and Sit front

Watch Your Teeth If You Have an Energetic Lab!

Today, I wrote to my DIL:  "Toby really is a good dog.  He is so polite and patient!!!!  :-0   He doesn’t ask for anything.  Except to go outside for potty a couple of times when I waited a bit long.  He doesn’t ask for his meals and doesn’t gulp them like Hershey and Guinness did.  He gobbles it right down, but he doesn’t inhale his food.  Ha"

Her reply:  "That is good! You deserve a nice, polite and patient dog that doesn't knock your teeth out :D"

I checked to see what I had blogged about my tooth.  Nothing!  I was too busy.  I was packing to move from Canada to Texas in August of 2012!   Here is the story which MUST be blogged --

We had arrived at Petsmart.  Guinness was over the moon with happiness (as always).  When I opened the back of my SUV, he leaped out before I could grab his leash.  I bent over to pick up the end of his leash off the ground, and he bounced into my face!  OUCH!   It hurt, but I had no way, or time, to look at my mouth.  We completed our shopping, which always was a circus with Guinness.  He would pull me into the store where he would greet the entire store with loud barks of cheer!  He was SURE everyone loved him and wanted to bow at his paws!  We would spend our first minutes traversing the aisles at a quick clip, up and down, up and down, until he was more under control.  Then we would do our shopping and leave.  My teeth looked fine in the car mirror.  I couldn't wait to get home to see what he had done to me.  It appeared to have been pushed back some.  I called the dentist to have it checked.  He informed me the tooth was cracked horizontally in the center.  It would need a crown.  I called Guinness my $18,000 dog at a minimum!
$ 1,500 - purchase
$12,000 - 2 crutiate ligament surgeries @$6000 each with recovery, therapy, special equipment
$ 4,000 - crown
$ 1,200 - end of life tests and care
$18,700 + much more in food, vet bills, kenneling, training, etc.

A Growl

Toby has become more spirited as he is getting to know me, but a stranger can set him back.  My son and grandson came to meet Toby.  Toby was very laid-back and hesitant around the new people.  Such a difference from Guinness who would be jumping all over the child, or, at least, wanting to jump on him.   Then Greg returned the next morning with a different little grandson.  Again, Toby was polite and not demanding attention.  In fact, he hid from attention.  My grandson told me Toby was under my bed!  Sure enough.  There he was.  Why?   My son got down on his knees to look, and Toby growled at him.  His assessment was that Toby, from something that has happened in the past, is not comfortable with strangers.  And having Greg on one side of the bed and grandson on the other made him feel threatened.  Greg asked for some treats to entice him out.  He did come and was just fine, but not enthusiastic to have company. 

School -- Good and Bad

 Toby had his third class last night.  He is doing very well on some things and not so great on others.  He walks pretty well without tugging.  He doesn't hold anything in his mouth long enough to teach him "Drop it," and he is not doing well with "Leave it."  He does "Sit," "Down," and "COME"!!!!  Shocking about come!  He must have learned that before.  He got away from me a couple of days ago while taking things out of the car.  When I finally looked for him, he was gone.  I yelled, "Toby, Come!" and he ran to me immediately from the other side of the car!!!  And in our first "Come" exercises in class, he was perfect! 

Today, he awoke with a hoark.  He was seemingly trying to get something out of his throat, but nothing came.  Each time he awoke from resting, he would hoark.  We went to see the vet in case something could be stuck in his throat.  She thinks he picked up a bug in school at Petsmart.  The animal hospital is next door to our classroom, and he wanted to check out the hospital area during break.  Now he has two meds to take for the next several days. There is this marvelous new product -- "Pill Pockets!"  You place the pills inside the Pill Pocket, and the dog thinks it is a treat! 

Troublesome?

Well, Toby, I think, is causing some trouble.  LOL   Over the last week, my alarm went off 3 times — right after I left the house!  I have an alarm service person coming tomorrow to figure it out.  My neighbors must be tired of hearing my very loud alarm go off!  When I left the house today, he wanted to come too.  I told him, "Wait."  After I shut the door, he started barking.  That is something new.  Within minutes of driving away, the alarm company called.  Less than 30 minutes later, it went off again.  The system is regulated for a 90 pound dog to be in the house.  Toby is 73 pounds.  The alarm company has asked if something could be swinging in my house.  No, but is a dog jumping around??  When I came home, the dog cover on a loveseat was disheveled.  I think maybe he is jumping around and being a bit crazy???  I need a video camera!!! 

All of my neighbors have a dog, and the dogs all want to meet Toby.  The dog on one side of me is so eager, she has started to dig under the fence and can get her nose all the way into our yard.  (She never did that with Guinness.  ??)  I took a picture and texted it to my neighbor.  She thought it was funny and suggested we get the dogs together when she arrived home from work.  They had SOOO much fun!!!!

Home From His First Pet Resort Vacation

This afternoon, I checked Toby out of his resort.  The person at the counter was the counselor who supervised his Playtime from 9 – 3 on Friday.  She said he had a BALL playing with all the other dogs (about 10).   Saturday, she was the person to take him swimming.  He put his front paws in, but would go no further.  He didn’t want anything to do with it.  She says she would go in the water with him the next time or throw him in.  I wish I had a creek or body of water to let him see what it is like!  They said he was a very good boy and had a good time.  When they let him out of his suite once, he escaped and ran down the aisle from them.  Ha!  He has spunk!  It is showing up more and more!  He did not exhibit any anxiety.  The suites have 3 walls and a glass door.  The walls and door do not go to the ceiling.  It is about a 3'X5' room.


He expressed his happiness at seeing me by jumping on me with a bit too much energy and clawed my arm making it bleed in several spots!!! 

As usually happens when my dogs return from the resort, he has been VERY tired since coming home.  Though we did take time for some training exercises.  I can walk him with minimal tugging now!  We haven’t conquered “Leave it” yet, and I can’t do “Drop it,” because he isn't interested in holding something in his mouth long enough to use the “Drop it” command.  He is showing improvement with the "Down" command.  As we walked around the neighborhood tonight, a couple of strangers  commented he is doing much better!  LOL  Perhaps one of them is the one who asked previously, "Who is taking who for a walk?"

His report card says:
Upon arrival I was HAPPY
My activity level during my stay was  HIGH
During my stay I ate  EVERYTHING
I barked SOMETIMES
I was PLAYFUL, SWEET
My favorite Pooch Perk was PLAY TIME, POOL TIME, GROUP PLAY
Comments by my resort supervisor:  "Loves to run & play & jump  :) "

Day Two of Deciphering a Dog

Today, I attended a writing seminar from 9 to 3.  Toby stayed at Petsmart Day Care to avoid any crate anxiety.  When we arrived, I told the staff present about his crate behavior, the reason for him being there.  They had a couple of good suggestions.  Buy him a plastic crate — the enclosed kind which makes the dog feel he is in a cave.  Or put a blanket over the crate thus transforming his wire crate into a tent cave.

I had great expectations he would have a wonderful day.  Well, he may have regarded it as a wonderful day, but I was disappointed.  Since I knew they put the dogs in a kennel for their individual treat time, I should have been wiser.  Since I had already told them about his crate anxiety,  they should have been a bit smarter as well!  The blame is not entirely mine especially since they refer to treat time being in a “private room.”  We all lacked foresight.  At day care, the owner may choose for his pet to have a treat or not.  I chose a Kong filled with treats topped off with peanut butter for his treat today.  He ate the peanut butter, but left the treats in the Kong.  Apparently, they store the dog’s leash and collar next to the crate which is theirs for snack time.  After eating the peanut butter, he reached his collar and tore it to shreds!!  He did not swallow any of the leather collar as they think they have all the pieces.  Thus, if he ever goes there again, he will not have any treats.  If he would eat a leather collar while crated, what would he do to a blanket covering a wire crate?  This is worrisome for leaving him in an enclosed car for very long!  My car has always been my dog’s crate on wheels.  As long as the weather is not too hot, my dog goes everywhere with me.

I need a doggie psychologist!

From Doggie Day Care, we moved to the training room at the front of the store for our second lesson.  The dogs were taught to hold still for examination accomplished by holding a treat at his mouth without letting him have it while you touch his ears and paws.  Toby did so well at sitting still, I used the hand motion for stay and walked around him saying “stay,” and he stayed!  The teacher complimented the Intermediate maneuver.  I think it was a fluke.  The second objective was to stay close to the owner while walking.  The teacher asked if we understood what walking with a loose lead meant.  With only two of us in class today, I,  a smart Alec, threw the leash over my right shoulder with Toby on my left side and walked around the room with him walking perfectly with me.  SHOCK!  We had never done that before!  The norm is for me to be dragged behind him. 

The next part of the lesson was to go to an aisle in the store and practice sitting still while being touched and walking on a loose lead.  Toby, being so interested in the products on the shelves, paid no attention to my pleas for “Look at me” or “Sit” which were last week’s lesson and he performs admirably under less distracting circumstances.  But, in Aisle 11, that learning is down the tubes.  I eventually had him walking fast, almost running, with me down the aisle.  Then I told him, “Easy, easy,” and he slowed down.  It would seem perhaps he has had previous training, but chooses to ignore what he has learned.  Or maybe, after training four dogs, my voice is authoritative and understood?

Deciphering Dog Life

Dogs have problems to figure out too.  (Or is it my problem to figure out!)  It appears my new 3.5 – 4 year old rescue dog has his issues.  He doesn’t like being left in his crate!  My crate, though adequate for a 73 pound dog, is not as large as his foster mother’s crate for him.  Her huge one suffices as a room in itself!  He had no problems being crated in her house.  Of course, three other dogs were crated at the same time, one within a few feet of his crate.

The night I first brought him home, I told his foster mother I would be away for about 5 hours the next day.  Since his crate, food, and water are in my master bathroom, I planned to shut the bathroom door and not crate him.  She said, “I would not do that if I were you.  I did that and he ruined my door.”  So I suggested maybe using a baby gate and not shut the door.  She responded, “That is exactly what I did.”  He ruined the doorway and pushed the gate out.  Oh.  So I crated him.  No problems emerged the first few times I needed to leave the house and crate him.  After having him for a week, I came home to find him chewing on the crate and salivating profusely with a puddle of saliva around the crate.  The next day, he went back to his foster mother’s for a week while I traveled.  It was an exciting homecoming to see her and his foster siblings again.  As I prepared to leave, he came to the door wanting to go home with me!!!  He has bonded!!!

The next week, he heard the car as I parked in the driveway, looked out, saw it was me, and his foster mother reported he went berserk.  He jumped all over me when I entered, even reaching my face for kisses. Once he jumped from the side into my ear and almost sent me tumbling.  He has SPIRIT!!!!  Yay!!!!  I had worried he might be mad at me for leaving him, or he might not be interested in going home with me.  There was no need to question his devotion!  He could not wait to go out the door with me!  I thought the foster mom and I would have a little chat, but no.  We had to hurry on our way home!

The next morning, I had to leave him for 7 hours.  I gave him a Kong full of Kong treats.  When I returned, there was a lake of saliva around his crate, and his fluffy crate mat was balled up at the end of the crate (as usual) and the treats were broken into small pieces all over the mat and bottom tray of the crate.  After he left the crate, he went back in, pulled out the mat full of crumbs and dragged it to the living room where the treat pieces tumbled everywhere.  He couldn’t be bothered eating them in the crate, but he gobbled them up from the floor.  When I picked up the mat, it was sopping wet.  He had not peed on it; it was saliva.

Soon I will be attending an all day seminar and realized I could not crate him again that long.  My local Petsmart here has a doggie day care.  I called to book him in.  I needed to be out a couple of hours today and decided he may as well have a brief stay there this afternoon as well.  His Pawgress Report at the top testifies to his good behavior.

I have known I need to test him for short periods of time alone in the house and gradually extend those freedom periods.  This afternoon I saw my across-the-street neighbor sitting on her porch.  I went over to chat for 15 minutes as our first test.  He passed with flying colors.  I need to begin extending that time with, hopefully, equally good results!

If your pooch has experienced crate anxiety, I would love to hear how you conquered it!

Finding a Name

A chocolate lab needs a chocolate name!  Or at least a brown name.  I liked Bailey, but a relative accused me of sounding like an alcoholic after having Guinness as my last dog.  I could not settle on a name, but I had to have one before I picked him up from his foster home, as I had to come with a collar and ID tag before the Rescue would let me take him home.  As I drove to the pet store to buy a collar and have a tag made, I decided on Willy Wonka -- a fun name for a fun dog! 

Once I had the dog home with me, I could not call him that.  He was not a Willy Wonka.  There was nothing Wonky about him.  For the first few days, I found myself calling him "Sweet Pea," "Buster Brown," and even "Guinny," as he looks like Guinness!  Sweet Pea and Buster Brown will be nicknames for him, for sure, as they were for previous dogs.  I couldn't even force the words Willy Wonka out of my mouth!  I decided it was time for some help, so I recruited my Facebook friends on a project of finding the perfect name.   I wrote:  "Oh, dear. . . I am becoming more and more confused on a name for Yukon. That and "Yukie" don't work for me. Willy Wonka doesn't fit. I usually call him "sweet pea" and "Guinny" accidentally, because he looks so much like Guinness. Of the names in my repertoire, Buster Brown comes out of my mouth sometimes. I have considered Mocha, Jamocha, Malt, Chip, Brownie, and others. I have considered Mocha, Jamocha, Malt, Chip, Brownie, and others. I was telling my lawyer about him today, and I hope, as he settles in, he becomes less laid-back and more spirited. He said to name him Spirit! So. . . I am opening it up to a vote on the above names or a better suggestion. We begin school on Tuesday, so I NEED a name by then! :-0 "

My friends did not disappoint me.  They came up with great names making the decision even more difficult!  They came up with Walkers, Gunter, Levi, Charlie (from Willie Wonka), Toby, Brownie, Mudslide, Murphy's stout.  I replied, "Murphy's Oil Soap or MurphyWalsh.com? LOL NOT!  Bailey doesn't fit any more than Willy. But I did think of Angel today! That is why my lawyer said Spirit."  My BFF suggested, "Toby... For Toblerone?" To which, I wrote, "Aha! A strong possibility!!!!"  "Dutch Chocolate" and "M&M" were more contenders.  Then someone said, "Either Lindor or Toby, short for Toblerone are my two faves!!!"  Then came, "How about CHOCOLATE!!!!  Or CHIPS for short!!!  And "CADBURY.HEINEKIN. BOOGER. Sammy Davis Junior Junior."  LOL  "Cadbury is a cute name ! Cad for short ?"  My DIL suggested, "Barney, Bodie, Kody, Samson (Sam), Copper, Forest, Ruby, Nestle, Hogan, Oscar, Caesar, Duncan, Finnegan (Finn), Brownie. Steve likes Oscar and Duncan the best. Kevin likes Brownie and Duncan the best."  Several were reiterating Toby.  Another new one came up:  Simba - swahili for lion.  Another person mentioned, "Takoba, Arbor and Matteo, " to which I replied, "Those are cool, but not chocolate. ha! Keiko sent me a couple of websites with chocolate names. Toblerone was there, but that is too long. Toby is cute. 
I am TOOOOO picky. . ."  Another friend piped up, "I like Toby! He looks like Toberlone! Yum!"  My realtor suggested liking names ending in "ie" or "y."  She weighed in with, "I guess of the suggestions so far Toby is my favorite. I just think you have to get to know your new baby a little more to know what fits him. Hope to meet him soon."  I agreed: "I like ie or y names + a rhyming second name beginning with W as in Hershey-Wershy; Guinny-Winnie; Toby-Woby, etc."  More names were tossed around:  Ritter, Charlie Brown, Choceur Marzipan Asher, Rolo or Toby, Chocolat, Latte, or Godive if he were a girl.  

A cousin suggested, "I vote for Jamocha, Brownie, Cadbury or what about Bournville where the Cadbury factory is in England (it is also the name of the dark chocolate bar they make)."  And her mother, my aunt, wrote, "If he has been Yukon for while, he may feel attached to that. Quit worrying."  The suggestions continued with, "I've seen a two syllable word ending in a vowel recommended........make sure it doesn't sound dumb if you have to call the animal's name repeatedly........."  All of this had happened in 24 hours!  I then wrote, "OK. I asked him. I said (in baby talk), "Do you want to be Cadbury or Toby or Buster Brown. He rolled over which was to say, 'I don't care what you call me as long as you rub my tummy!' He's just a happy boy. Period."

More ideas rolled in:  Snickers, Cadbury, Almond Joy (my fav), and Hershey, but I have already had a Hershey.  Then I remember my Dad's favorite candy bar -- Clark! We were now on Day Two of suggestions, and I made my decision!  "OK. The jury is IN after final pondering all day. Toby (Toblerone) wins! It has the most votes, and (I think) I like it the best. He is oblivious to it. But he is not responding to Yukon either, although I have barely used it with him. I took him to a neighbor's yard this evening to meet her dog. They both enjoyed having new friend!"

Even after my decision, additional possibilites were raised, "Winston? Theodore (Teddy)...I just got back from DC with Reid's class, so I have presidents on my mind. Met a big black lab in Central Park named "Chunk."  This person later said she once had a Yorkie named Toby!  And my Burlington doggie park friend related she had a female rescue dog (Collie/German Shepherd) named Toby before her current dog.  

Toby definitely had more comments than any other name, and it does suit him.   He seems happy with it, and I am too!  :)  Actually, Toblerone is my son's favorite candy bar, but he never joined in the charade of naming nor has commented on the name.  

Doggie Gotcha Day!

Today, Willy Wonka (my new name for Yukon, his current name) came to his forever home — mine!!!  I was nervous again (refer to http://9awalsh.wordpress.com/2014/03/20/twitterpated/) getting ready to go. Everything was going wrong. First, I could not remember where I had the address of the foster mom. It was not on my calendar; it was not on my phone contacts; finally found it on my computer contacts. Meanwhile, I was feeling more and more queasy inside. Gathered his new nametag, his new collar, and pliers to put it on at the foster home with his rabies tag. Set the alarm, went to the car, and remembered the leash. It was not where I keep the leashes (because I put such things away after Guinny was gone). WHERE would I have put it??? Found it in the box marked “DOG” in the garage. Being in a rush and jittery, it took me longer than normal to prepare my GPS. I now had 10 minutes to make a 30 minute trip. Called the foster mom to apologize for being late. I don’t remember being anxious about picking up our puppies. But this is a rescue dog. It will be a different scenario for the bonding process. A puppy you can mold. A rescue already has an attitude and possible baggage.

I arrived at the door, greeted by four dogs with Yukon carrying a new pink dragon in his mouth. Sooo cute! I didn’t have camera ready as who would have expected such an adorable pose!   We tried to recreate the image, but with little success. The foster mom went through all his instructions. My! She spoils her dogs rotten! LOL He gets ¼ of a can of wet dog food with his Merrick kibble breakfast. At dinner time, either canned pumpkin or plain yogurt is added to his Merrick buffalo meat meal.
He is still being treated for Heartworm, so she reminded me to be vigilant about the regimen. Then we went outside for Gotcha Day photos. The foster mom helped me put the tags on the collar as I am not good at doing such things. Her other three dogs seemed to sense something was up, and they all started barking and being crazy. Yukon was the least crazy, but he was the one she told, “Crate, crate, crate” and he went in. I asked why he had to be crated when he was not the instigator. She said, “He is the easiest one to get in a crate.” LOL. Good to know!

I told her his crate is in my master bathroom along with his food and water bowls. I plan to shut him in the bathroom when I leave the house until I feel I can trust him. She warned me that he needs to be crated or he might scratch my door. Then I suggested using a baby gate in the doorway. She said that is what she did. He scratched the door frame and removed the baby gate!!!! OK! I will leave him in a crate until I can be certain he will be OK left in the house alone by testing with short periods of time and slowly extending it.

It took a couple of attempts, but he finally ran with me and jumped into the back of my car. He was just fine on the way home. She had said he would try to get into the front seat, but he did not. He was very good. Apparently, I was still flustered, because I pulled another boner:  as I opened the door, the radio stayed on as if the car was still on. I pressed the button a couple more times to turn the car off. The radio continued playing. I took my stuff and Yukon inside and shut the garage door. A few minutes later I returned for his food left in the car.   The car lights and radio were still on. I finally figured out . . . I had not put the car in park . . . AGAIN!!!! It is been a few months since I have done that trick, all because my last car was put in park by pressing the button on the top of the gear shift. I still, apparently, automatically tap the top of the gearshift and think I am done. :\   Nerves. . .

At home, he inspected the whole house. I showed him his water bowl and his toys. He was not interested in the water but sniffed through the basket of toys, though did not take one. We inspected the backyard and he found an appropriate bush for relieving himself. Neighboring dogs were also out, so they had a barking party.   I don’t remember Yukon barking at all. Maybe once? Back inside, he settled down a few feet from my desk. Eventually, I heard him wandering and went to look. He was on the loveseat with his paws on the back of it so that he could look out the back window. A couple hours later, I lay down on the TV room sofa, and he climbed up with me just like Guinness used to. He joined me near my desk again, then left. I found him sacked out on the living room loveseat. Since arising, he has been doing his own thing. I noted, at some time, he had checked out my bed. He likes ripping stuffed toys apart. I am worrying a bit about the throw pillows I have around the house. There were none in his former home.

Tonight, I had to leave for choir practice and he had to stay in the crate as I do not know what he would do if left to his own devices. My crate is a bit smaller than his foster mother’s. He cannot stand tall in it. Once our dogs were adults, they only needed the crate for time outs and when the house was on the market. He was VERY happy to see me when I arrived home and eagerly ran to the back door to go outside!

I find that I am calling him “Sweet Pea” and “Guinny” (both nicknames for my last dog, Guinness) more than Yukon or Yukie. I have not started on Willy yet. He is a good boy and not crazy goofy like my others. I wish he had a bit more spirit. Maybe it will come. He has had a checkered life: first owner died on his motorcycle. I am figuring that was less than a year ago; perhaps much less! Then he went to a brother until he was incarcerated. Then to the brother’s daughter who decided she could not keep him. The Rescue saved him just days from being euthanized! He has been in the foster home for only a little more than two months. So he has had much change which could have subdued him.

Twitterpated

I met my new dog tonight.  I think I was nervous.  I certainly encountered daffy bloopers all evening.  I was to be at the rescue home at 6:30.  At 6:05, I backed out of my garage to set my GPS.  I normally type the address and other pertinent information in my calendar with the appointment.  It was not there.  Not even a phone no.  If I had not put it on my calendar, where on earth would it be?  I went back in the house, scratched my head, called the rescue person who did my home study, no answer and left a panicked voicemail, looked through To Do papers on my desk for an address hastily scratched down, used Spotlight on my Mac. . .  Nothing.  Finally thought of looking in my email file called “Pets.”  Aha!  Had to call to make sure I could still come even though I was late.  Grabbed what I thought was a can of Perrier and headed out.  When almost to my destination, I emptied my can of “water,” and noted it was not a Perrier can.  It was a Bud Lime-A-Rita!!!!  Oh, my. . .   Crazy!!!!  I wanted the Perrier to calm a gassy (probably nervous) stomach which it did accomplish.

Her four dogs met me at the door.  The two sibling collie-border collie mixes are large and well-behaved.  She has adopted them.  The two labs were a bit more eager.  The black one jumped on me, and Yukon sniffed me all over as if he could smell dog on me.  ??

I expected someone who was willing to keep rescue dogs would not have a “nice” house.  It would be a dog-house.  Not this one!  The four dogs in this home live in luxury!  Expansive, nicely furnished, very lovely.  My home is just a little bungalow cottage compared to this one.

The dogs’ crates are in her family room.  She showed me how readily Yukon will enter his crate upon command, and receives a treat.  Well, he is no dummy.  He walked out of his crate and back in several times demanding another treat!  LOL

Yukon has had an unfortunate life, though no mistreatment was involved.  The first owner died on his motorcycle.  A relative kept him for a while then handed him over to the shelter.  He is supposed to be AKC registered, though the rescue does not have his papers.  He does have wavy hair down his back which Guinness’s breeder told me was a sign of good breeding.  His eyes are yellow, as were Hershey’s, which means he is a “dud.”  There can be no aspirations of being a show dog with yellow eyes!  He is being treated for heartworms.  He knows how to sit on command and pays attention to his name when called.  He does not know “Come” or “Down,” and tugs when walked.  We will need some additional command training which will be a good bonding experience.

He is definitely calmer than either Guinness or Hershey; that is not a good thing necessarily.  I want a fun dog.  He pulled a trick on his foster mother!  He stole an amaryllis bulb out of a pot on her patio as we sat talking.  That’s my boy!  She says he has never done anything like that before.  He seems to like me, but was not overly excited.  He was not begging me to take him home, nor am I ready to bring him home for a couple of weeks.  Plus I forgot to bring a check book.  He seemed to understand when his foster mom told him he will be going home with a new mom soon and seemed ready to leave.

My last boner of the night was, after driving down the street, I could not find my phone in my purse or on the center console — the normal places.  I assumed I left it in the house, drove back, opened the car door.  The interior light flooded the car revealing the phone on the passenger seat. There was one more boo-boo.  I missed my exit.  No excuse.  Must be nerves/excitement!