Admire from Afar!

I know, I know -- I'm adorable.

Oh boy. Here we go.

Ignore her. She's rude. As I was saying, I know I'm adorable. And so are a ton of other doggies! Like some of our DF buddies (DogForum.com... if you've never checked it out, I highly recommend doing so. Lots of dogs. And lots of resources!). We know we're super-cute, and we know we're awesome. We just prefer that you know that we're awesome from a distance!

I know, I know -- "What dog doesn't love being mauled with attention?!" And, for the most part, you're right. Your average taken-everywhere, super-socialized, straight-A-puppy-kindergarten Labrador pooch is going to love everybody; big, small, tall, short, cane, hat, glasses, whatever! But just because a lot of dogs really, really love attention, it doesn't mean that all dogs do.

I'm a cute pooch. I know it, Mom knows it, the screeching children down the street know it. 

Look at me. I'm adorable.

Come on, who wouldn't want to give me scritches and love on me? 

Unfortunately, the honest-to-Dog truth is this: I really don't want everyone to love on me. I love attention, don't get me wrong. Whenever we run into someone I know, you can bet I'll be all over them! (paws first trying to give hugs, too! ... Mom doesn't really appreciate that.) But to random people on the street? Hell no! If I don't know you, I don't want you to touch me. I think that's pretty reasonable.

Honestly, he's got a point here. I'd be a little creeped out if some random stranger tried to hug me. 

It's the same thing for me. Most of you non-furry, upright-walking types would be pretty weirded out if a random person ruffled your hair or ran up to you screaming about how cute you are, right? It's the same thing for me!

A lot of dogs are like this, and a lot, like me, don't look actively disturbed by strangers until you start coming at us with grabby hands. 

On top of all this, I'm actually really scared of people. Once I warm up to someone I'm their best buddy forever (and it happens quicker if you have food... mmm... food...) but it takes a while. For me, looking at me, talking to me, looming over me, and trying to touch me all send off a red-alert danger siren that "OMG! YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL ME!" 

If you really want to say hello, that's okay... but ask Mom first, and be prepared to follow instructions! If you don't wanna follow directions, we understand --and we're fine with it!-- but that means you have to just walk away. Please don't give me any attention without Mom's permission, because she knows me a lot better than you do, and she knows what pushes my buttons.

Make sure to always ask the human holding the leash if you can say hello, and please, please be okay with it if they decline. When Grem and I are out walking, we're working. He's reactive, meaning he barks and puts on a lot of fake bluster to scare people off -- he's gotten much, much better, but every time someone looms or sticks their hands in his face, it's a setback. 

If someone asks you to respect their dog's space, listen! Grem wouldn't bite, but someone else's dog might, and it'd be your fault for not listening to the person who said, "Thanks, but not today."

Be considerate of dogs who need space -- they aren't bad, they just need things to be a little different for them.

Catch Up Part III - Ghost and Grem: Pic Heavy!

No, really, this is the last "catch up" post! Promise! ... Maybe. And then it'll be back to your regularly (well... not really...) scheduled Me posts! We just have a lot of ground to cover in only a few words, so it's taking up a little more space than we thought it would.

The past five weeks have been hell! Hell, I tell you! But the good kind. "Puppy blues" lasted damn near six months with Grem, but this only lasted a couple weeks... though I'd be lying if I told you I don't still get frustrated and want to rip out my hair in rage. 

If you know anything about me, you know that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing when I got Grem. He was my very first dog and I was surrounded by people who still believe in the dominance method combined with the most possible force to get the dog to behave. The amount of times I alpha-rolled, ear-pinched, face-snarled, hit, bit, smacked, spanked, and terrorized Grem is a number I can't count on both hands. The guilt that stems from being so ignorant about him and his behavior is something I wrestle with every day when we take a walk and he lunged toward someone, when he shies away from a hand moving too quickly toward him, or when he nearly backs out of his harness in terror at a foreign stranger approaching. However, I've learned to accept that my mistakes were a product of ignorance and misinformation, and I try to forgive myself despite the lasting damage I inflicted upon this poor creature. 

Aw, Mom. It's okay. You're doing the right thing now and that's what counts!

Thanks, bub.

Now, when I started seriously considering getting another dog, I was already well into PR/R+ training. I've foregone the old ways, cringe when the term "alpha" pops up, and try my damnedest to never force, yank, jerk, pull, yell, scold, or scream at the dogs. (That's not to say I haven't, because I have -- all I'm saying is that I put a great effort into remaining calm and level-headed. We all make mistakes!) One of the driving factors toward getting a pup was that I wanted to start with a "clean slate," so to speak. I wanted to raise a pup on R+, socialize, and do things right. 

I got lucky. Ghost is a blessing. He and Grem mesh together perfectly, from play style to temperament, and balance each other nicely. Ghost is much calmer, even at fourteen weeks, than Grem was at five, six, seven months. Ghost is calmer than Grem is now! He's smart, handler-oriented, friendly, and moderately active. He took to crate training within hours, knows "go crate/crate" and has picked up on sit, down, stay, wait, leave it, heel, shake/paw, high-five, spin, whirl, and sitting for opportunities. He doesn't nip, bite, or shriek. 

He's a very easy puppy, to be honest. Compared to Grem's puppyhood, he's a saint!

If I wasn't already sold on R+, seeing Ghost learn eagerly, without fear, and quickly has completely sealed the deal. I will never, in a thousand years, go back to the forceful methods I used on Grem. I regret what I did, and while I can't go back in time, I can try my hardest never to make those mistakes again. Have I yelled? Yes. Have I gotten frustrated? Of course. Have I done things I shouldn't have? Well, yeah. I'm very lucky to have dogs with such forgiving temperaments that I can lose my cool and not scar them for life, but that does not mean it's okay. 

Each day for me is an exercise in discipline -- not for them, but for me. Discipline in the sense that I must keep my cool, I must not punish, and I must not take my frustrations out on the incredible creatures I share my life with.

We say we train our dogs, but in my case, my dogs train me. 

Throwback Thursday + House Update

Duuuude! It's been crazy around here! OMG. But before I get into that, what day is it? It's Thursday! That means it's time for... THROWBACK.

So um... when I was really young, Mom, me, and Dog-Grandma lived in a trailer. Trailers are really small if you've never seen one before, but this one was wayyy small. It didn't help that there was crap everywhere, and I mean everywhere. But anyway. I did this thing where sometimes I would just chill on the bottom step by the door. I did it when I was really little, and then I started getting bigger, and finally it turned into... well... this.

Yeaahhh. That's Mom's foot, by the way. 

Thanks. So, on to actual updates... we have another dog in the house. Eek. As if I didn't have my hands full already! Between Chip, Moose, Bronson, and Grem, it's a wonder I haven't pulled out my hair yet. Gah.

Meet Daisy.

Daisy is a Maltese-Poodle mix somewhere between five and eight years old. Her ex-owner, Katie, is one of Shelley's best friends. Katie has had Daisy since she was a puppy, and used to take her for walks, etc. Daisy's missing her right eye because it got infected and had to be removed... and yet, after all that, Katie decided she didn't want her.

Katie mentioned that she might be rehoming Daisy about a month ago. Nobody paid it much attention, but then she brought it up again and, somehow, Daisy became one of Shelley's dogs. She's been here since Friday. 

What really gets me is that Katie doesn't seem to miss her at all. This isn't an "I gave the dog up because I had to" thing. This is an "I don't feel like putting in the effort" thing. Katie still comes over, and it's heartbreaking to watch Daisy jump up and whine and cry in excitement to see her while Katie barely pays her any notice. Daisy followed her outside earlier today and in handing her to me, Katie basically threw her into my arms and I nearly dropped the poor girl. 

She has absolutely no training beyond being house trained. She doesn't know a thing -- not even sit.

Wait, seriously? I've known that since I was a puppy.

Yeah, I know. Katie didn't put any effort in. Daisy also isn't food or toy or praise-motivated. Scrambled eggs seem to be the only thing she'll get excited about for now. 

And then, my own personal rant (feel free to tune it out):

There is absolutely no reason for us to take on another dog. As it stands, I'm the one doing 99% of the activities with the dogs, all of them, including the House Dogs who aren't even mine. I'm the one training, I'm the one walking them, I'm the one making sure they don't go batshit insane in the yard. The last thing I need is another dog to worry about!

That, and I know she won't get the care she deserves. She has some kind of skin problem, and will most likely need some sort of single-protein food since I suspect it's a food allergy. She needs to be groomed. Her teeth are atrocious. Her nails have to be cut. Nobody else is going to do anything about it, so guess who'll have to?

She'd be best off in a home with an older person or couple. She's a total cuddle-bug, a lapdog, and loves attention. She's snuggly and relatively low-maintenance, and as long as she's clipped, she has low grooming requirements. She's small, and she doesn't bark too much anymore. I really wish I could rehome her myself.

Success!

Saturday was a big day for me! Mom stayed the night at a friend's house on Friday, but she came back in the afternoon on Saturday to let me out -- and she brought BRITTANY with her!!! I LOVE BRITTANY! I met her three days after Mom got me and she is so so so awesome! She doesn't really seem to appreciate all my energy and greetings, though... but that's okay! 

Mom took me out to play disc in the yard and she got Brittany to take pictures for her, since she can't really juggle the discs and the camera by herself. There are few of me actually catching the disc, sadly, but oh well. Brittany tried.

See? I tried!

Look at my booty. My muscular booty. That's Brittany! 

I caught one! Mom likes to throw them kinda over my shoulder for me to catch and do a sorta-flip. It's not dangerous though!

(Ignore my stupid faces -- I make weird expressions while working with him.)

He was tired after all that, so he showed his happy-dog face.

You said you weren't gonna show those. I look stupid.

But it's a cute stupid.

Well, yeah. Of course. I know I'm cute, even when I'm stupid. 

Anyway. After all that was done, Mom said something about the "vet" and an "appointment" and "shots." Um, what? No thanks! But she brought lots of super yummy treats, so it was okay. The vet place loves me! They always wanna see my pawsome tricks and what Mom's been teaching me, and they give me cookies, and I like showing off. 

I was kinda scared of the vet techs when they came in, but they gave me lots of treats and they were cool so I warmed up to them. And wanted cookies. Always more cookies.

She used this really weird cold metal thing that I got freaked out by, and her face was right next to me so that was kind of scary. Mom was reassuring me the whole time, though, so it was okay, I guess. 

Down-stay in the room. Why she wanted one in here is beyond me. I've gained a couple pounds since my last visit (45 to 47 lbs) but it's all muscle. I'll be a fit pup! 

(The techs actually complimented his weight and appearance which is awesome to hear in a world where obese dogs are the norm.)

I really wanted another cookie after they stuck me with that sharp pointy thing a couple times. Mom says I had to get my "lepto" and "bordatella" shots, and that we can go to the beach again now that I have them. Yay!

He did really well in the vet office, and all he's due for now is a routine heartworm test. He's on preventative, so I'm not too worried about it. I'm so glad the vets noticed his fitness -- always makes me happy to have a dog that's physically fit and lean. :)

He actually loves the vet office, and they love us because we show off tricks for them and I think they just think Grem's a really fun dog. Which he is, but he takes a lot of work. They've also seen firsthand his change in reactivity, and gave me kudos for how much progress he's made. :D

After the vet trip, we went with Brittany to do some thing she had to do (something with shoes? Don't know, don't care!) and we sat out on the sidewalk while Mom shoved treats in my face for looking at her or not barking when scary strangers passed us! There was this big, scruffy-looking dog that I got to play with on the sidewalk! His Mom asked if I was friendly 'cause I barked at first, but that's because I just wanted to play! He growled and it sounded kinda mean but he was just playing and then we had a play bout after I realized that.

The dog was a German Wirehaired Pointer and he was so handsome! First time I've seen one in person, and he was pretty well-trained for his age. His owner actually carried Zuke's Minis on her and handed one to me when we ran into them earlier in the day to give him in exchange for a sit. Responsible dog owner!

She also asked if he could say hi to Grem from a safe distance before coming over. Grem's barking confirmed my suspicions that he has some barrier frustration issues, but that's okay -- we'll work on that. It's just excitement and getting so excited that it translates to what looks like aggression. 

I'm soo proud of him. :)