Yahoo!

Well, I've been pretty busy, so I haven't been doing as much doggie school as I'd like the last few days. Last night I got a chance to work with Buddy a little bit and - ta da! - he has gotten the rudiments of "lie down". It will take a little cementing, I'm sure, but he gave me a lie down when I aksed for it. I made a big deal about it and gave him pets and a bit of peanut butter.

We're also working on "out" - as in "out of the kitchen" "out of the bathroom", and on "go outside - out the doggie door". He has definitely gotten the hang of the doggie door. It's pretty cute - he sometimes goes out paw first, but he's getting much more comfortable with the idea of pushing it open with his nose.

The only thing that keeps him from going directly out is his social nature. When he comes out of the crate he wants to say hi, check things out, etc, but I send him straight out as a matter of principal.

Once again, he's under the dog bed in the office. Maybe the closet is too big for a dog used to being in a crate - maybe it's not enough like a den, but for whatever reason, he looks pretty goofy sacked out with the big bed draped over him.

Definitive proof that there is an under the bed monster!

So I really have no idea what this guy was thinking. For background, Buddy tends to get whiney when left in a crate in a different room. So, since I work from home, it's pretty easy to just move him around with me.

In my home office, instead of putting him in a crate, I put him in the open closet and just block him in with a pet gate. It has a lovely cushy memory foam bed in there, and room to really stretch out.

So I turned around from my computer expecting to see the usual sprawled out pointer, or maybe his favorite "ded dawg" pose - belly up, but no. For some reason he decide to go under the dog bed.

Buddy loves any kind of ball

You name it, racquet ball, tennis ball, even the kibble ball - he loves 'em. He does seem especially fond of tennis balls though. I showed him the basket of dog toys and he snagged the tennis ball and made a beeline for the bed. For other balls, he just hangs out with it where he found it.

I'm guessing he likes to fetch, but we'll have to wait a bit for that.

Is camo really effective?

Well, Buddy seems to think that if he gets onto the bed and then lies down next to the chocolate colored body pillow, that maybe he'll be invisible. Or maybe he thinks I'll consider him a matching accessory. I'd let him hang out on the bed and crash out with me and Teddy but they always start chewing on each other and then Teddy wants to wrestle, then its back in the crate for poor Buddy.

What a guy!

Buddy is a real charmer. Going through heartworm treatment is a real bummer for him, because he loves to snuggle - which is allowed - but he also loves to play - which is NOT allowed.

It wouldn't be so hard except Teddy, who we can charitably call energetic, really wants to have a good old rough and tumble wrestling match.

And Buddy, poor guy, wants to oblige him. So Buddy gets snuggles and belly rubs and then goes back to doggie jail.

other pointer blogs...

Marley is a lean mean fetching machine. He's fast and fun but also loves a good snuggle.
Marley


Steve is a very handsome guy with a truly mellow personality. He gets along well with other dogs and is learning appropriate household behavior.
Steve

Congratulations to Elizabeth and Sergio.

Congrats to Elizabeth and Sergio on the adoption of Daisy. Their meet and greet went well, and now Matilda and Daisy are playmates!