Wordless Wednesday

Hearth and home survived!

We had a very full day for Easter and none of it was at our home.  We were out for brunch for almost 3 hours, home for an hour and half, then off to an early supper with family for five hours at their home.  I can't thank my blogfriends enough for the suggestions of filling Kongs with frozen yogurt, peanut butter and small treats which I am sure saved Tucker from hours on end of bordom as well as saving my kitchen cabinets.

I was worried for the long stretch in the late afternoon evening as both poochies would miss the afternoon romp time, their dinner time as well as any potty breaks.  He was such a good boy and didn't pee or poo in the house!!!!  He didn't eat the cabinets which though I would like new kitchen cabinets I am grateful that they are still in one piece.  


Stewie sadly had a pee accident but he kindly peed on the bathroom mat which has a rubber back and did not go through to the carpet underneath.  I'm afraid that Stewie has a very tiny bladder.....however he didn't go poo which surprised me because 4:00 o'clock is his time to do that deed.

Here is Tucker under our bed ( I told you we had high beds) where he enjoys hiding as well as playing "catch me if you can" with my hubby at night before bedtime.  I think Tucker is too use to my husband playing with him and not training with him that he won't do as he is told.  I can tell Tucker "go to your bed" and he walks right in his crate...for my husband...forget it. 


I have to share this sweet hankie that my daughter found.....

I know it's a collie and not a sheltie but that matters not.... I love old hankies.

Stewie time

I thought Stewie needed some blog time....Here he is checking out the birdies outside our bedroom window.  We have a bird feeder  off on a nearby tree and Stewie and I like to watch the birdies together.  I'll ask him "Where's the birdies Stewie?" and he will look and wag his tail, look at me,  then back to hunting with his eyes.

I love my Stewie.....

Call me a wild one!

Puppy Adolescence

Puppyhood.....ah yes, that little bundle of a puppy has almost reached adulthood...sort of.  While Tucker is not close to a year yet he certainly is an adolescent.


I've included the link above from www.dogster.com that I found to be helpful in understanding where Tucker is with his behaviors.


He really has been good on the housebreaking with only one accident in just shy of two months and that was a surprise as to why it happened.  He taps at the door when he wants to go out and that is more than I can get Stewie to do.  (Stewie would you learn like Tucker please? Stewie still goes poop in the house if we have been gone for more than four hours...he seems to have a rigid time of when he goes each day like clockwork and can't / won't hold it)


The challenges with Tucker are the typical puppy stuff.  An abundance of energy that needs to be released or he will be running all over the house like a crazed poochie.  He will harass Stewie to no end in hopes that somehow Stewie will play with him.  He will bother Luna and now with Agador here he goes after him in hopes that he too will play.  Stewie looks up at me with a look that says "RESCUE ME MOM!". 


Everyday when my hubby comes home from work he takes Tucker out to run.  Tucker LOVES this and comes in with the happiest doggone face as well as a wiggley bouncy body.  Sometimes it seems though that it gives him more energy!  


Leaving him when we go out has been hard.  What to do with him?  We keep trying to give him for space by letting him have the run of the kitchen that we make sure to have nothing he can jump and grab off the counters that he shouldn't have.  He hasn't chewed on our dining chairs anymore so they seem safe.  I leave plenty of chew toys around.  So what does he do?  He somehow managed to pull the saran wrap off a chocolate cake that was pushed back (we thought) far enough and somehow didn't pull the cake, which was on a glass pedestal, off!  I couldn't believe it!!!  I assume he enjoyed licking the icing....now we put everything as far to the other side of the counters as is possible.


We use to let him out on the deck via the doggie door but he is chewing on my wicker rockers.  Not on the legs but he seems to want to chew on the inside of the arms.  So he doesn't get to hang out there without us keeping an eye on him.  I don't want to have to move my rockers but I don't want them destroyed either.


The last time we left him with the toy that I can fill with treats that he has to work on to get the treats out.  We came home to find the bottom of the container broken off as well as shattered around the rim.  Totally useless now.  I wonder if he swung it on the tile floor where it banged and that broke it.  He got the treats...which was what he wanted.  I'm going to find an unbreakable plastic one that will keep him entertained.


Training.....at home he does so well when we are practicing in our driveway.  When we go out on the street it is as though he has forgotten it all!   Forget heeling, forget to ignore other dogs and people, forget to ignore passing cars....practice and more practice...patience as well.


So how are you and your adolescent puppy doing?  Any tips you can share for when you leave home?  Where do you place your puppy when you are gone from home?

A guest in our home

This is my perch

We have a guest staying with us for the next two months.  I guess I shouldn't call him that as we jokingly refer to him as my "grandkittyson".  Yes, Agador will be living with us for the next two months while my daughter volunteers / interns on a goat farm. 

Since she is staying here too till she leaves in another week, he is snuggled up with her at night.  I guess I better enjoy my sleep while I can because once she leaves he will be snuggling with us.  Did that sound bad?  I didn't mean it to!  Agador is adorable.

No poochie bed is safe with Agador

He has to be the warmest kitty to sleep with.  With my night sweats post menopause, this can be just a bit too much heat.  Then I have to throw the blankets and sheets off to cool down.  He doesn't move even when I attempt to gently nudge him over.  He wants to be stuck to you.  I should be grateful that he sleeps next to my belly and not up on my neck or chest as he does with my daughter.  How she sleeps like that I will never understand.

"a....Agador....you are on MY bed"

Tucker and he get along quite smashingly!  Much puppy antics go on with Tucker trying to get Agador interested in playtime with him.  Agador looks on with his air of indifference and every so often turns on Tucker with a look of "I dare you".  Believe me, Tucker has great respect for claws.  Poochies have to learn the hard way about claws.

Yes, we will be having some jolly good times for the next two months.  I haven't even told Leela and Luna of this.  Right now they are hanging out in our bedroom and not approaching their cat perch.  When Agador comes it is all his.  Luna becomes a "hissy kitty" and is a perpetual bad mood.  She'll even "hisssss" at us!
I'll try my best to keep the peace while every one works out the relationship issues.

Martingale Collars

Blog friends....do any of you use Martingale collars for your poochies?  Our new dog trainer has suggested this for Tucker versus the traditional choke chain.  I'm not familiar with them and would love some input.  Do you use the Martingale collar with the chain or without?  How have you felt about them for training?

I like our new trainer Nobu as he wanted to get to know each of us and our dogs.  He asked a lot of questions and gave us some great examples too.  He also wasn't in a hurry as we went over our class time by a half hour.  It is a different style than what I have known.  He called it a "Marker Training".  So I am at school too learning a new lesson with Tucker and letting go of some that we have learned from our previous class at doggie school.

In a way we are starting all over.  The other two poochies have not had any doggie school and one person wasn't at class today.  I'll write more about our class and Tucker's classmates.  

Doggie training sure is different since our Annie girl was in school.  

Food, food, glorious food!

How do you store your poochies food?  I found these great containers at The Container Store for Stewie and Tucker's doggie kibble.  They hold 20 pounds of food and have smooth rolling wheels, easy open lid with snap locking to keep poochie's from midnight raids.  

Here's Tucker with his muffin tin for mealtime.  I've since replaced that muffin tin because I didn't like the rust that was on this old one.  It just didn't seem right for him to lick that.  The new one cleans up well too compared to the old one which seemed to have this slimy feel to it.  Yuck....

I have to take movies of Tucker and mealtime.  Sara was teaching Oreo to do what she called the "Flea" and I said that Tucker does it all the time.  So I promise to make that little video to get a chuckle over.  

Tucker has his style that I can't really change.  He is better behaved at mealtime in that he is not food-aggressive driven now.  Stewie and he and can eat within about 5 feet of each other in opposite directions and there has been no growling anymore which I think is because it takes Tucker so long to eat.

Have a happy weekend all!