Pictures of me and the dogs! Jake is getting so big!

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Healthy

I’m finally trying to jump back on the bandwagon as far as healthy eating goes.

I’m attempting to be accountable not only to my coworker who’s helping me stay on track this time, but also to myself by blogging about it.

I figure if I can take nifty pictures of what I’m eating, and “journal” it, like so many others do, I’ll be more inclined to stick with it. But only Monday-Saturday. Sunday is gonna be my “freebie” day. 🙂

I should first mention that I’ve been on a ‘limited soda kick’ for about a month now. I’ve already seen drastic improvement; mostly in my middle section, which has been a problem area for me. When I say ‘limited’ I mean maybe one or at most two during the weekend, and none whatsoever during the week. I’ve avoided the caffeine migraines by drinking a combination of lemonade and sweet tea. My kidneys also seem to be much happier now. 🙂

So for starters, I made a banana-strawberry smoothie today, using a recipe from Jamba Juice (I knew my three month stint there would come in handy!). It’s somewhere between 8-12oz of soy milk, two scoops of frozen yogurt (fat free), two scoops of strawberries, and one scoop of bananas. Oh, and ice (note to self: pick up a bag of Sonic ice tonight!). I put more bananas in the smoothie than the recipe calls for, mostly because the strawberries are frozen and will last awhile, but they didn’t have frozen bananas at the store (sounds like yuck, I know), so I didn’t have much choice but to use the fresh ones.

Verdict: It was okay, a little sloshy, but considering that’s the first time I’ve made the Jamba Juice recipe in about four years, that’s pretty darn good for doing it from memory, I think. It just needed more ice (see ‘note to self!’) Drank the whole thing. I might have to invest in some granola and regular plain yogurt to make it a little more filling (besides, granola is yum!), because by noon I was starving.

And next came this creation for lunch:

;

Taken with the oh-so-handy instagram, this colorful concoction is composed of romaine lettuce, mandarin oranges, roma tomatoes, grilled chicken, and off-camera, a small bowl of ranch dressing (I’ve been told that ‘dipping’ as opposed to ‘smothering’ is acceptable).

Sound tasty? I didn’t think so. I was told today that “mandarins and ranch” sounds like a “pickles and ice cream” combination.

But I like it just fine. I developed the mandarin/ranch combo some years ago. For some reason, it just sounded yummy, and I’ve been eating it ever since.

Verdict: Grilled chicken definitely tastes better hot, and not soggy. I should have patted down the washed lettuce with a paper towel to get the excess water off of it, because by the time I was about halfway done, I had about an inch of water in the bottom of the bowl, and my previously “hot” chicken was not so hot anymore. Besides that, it was pretty good. I feel like a rabbit when I eat lettuce lol. Hopefully I’ll start liking it more as this dieting thing goes on.

No ideas what to make for dinner tonight, especially since my kitchen sink is full of dirty dishes…but I might go back to the store and get some frozen veggies (which I meant to do yesterday) and make some combination of a meat and vegetable platter. I can’t decide if I want to throw in any potatoes or mac-and-cheese…I think I should definitely do some Pinterest research and see if I can find some healthy, yet tasty recipes for dinner.

I’ll update later with my decision.

In other news, Jake and Bear are both doing just fine. Jake was neutered a few weeks ago (hallelujah!) and while he’s not ‘mellow’ per se, he’s definitely calmed down some. Bear, surprisingly, has been behaving more poorly than the puppy. I’m worried about what his deal is, and considering that I might have to spend some more one-on-one time with him.

More later…

UDATE:

Well, my dinner meal wasn’t as healthy as it could have been: fajitas on wheat tortillas, but I definitely got my protein for the day! 🙂

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Frustrating

My original post today was going to be about how great Jake has been doing with potty training, and how he’s started to go down the stairs by himself (which is awesome because he’s already ten pounds, and carrying him while handling a 60 pound dog on another leash in the other hand is REALLY hard) and he’s started to jump into the car by himself…

Not anymore.

I bring my dogs to work because I don’t want Jake at home by himself for 8 hours, and naturally Bear gets to come too because I can’t leave HIM by himself while the other dog gets to go with me.

So…today, I was driving to work. I had the windows down and the music up. I kept an eye on the dogs in the rearview mirror. Jake used to sit up front with me so I could keep a better eye on him until he got used to being in the car (which he now is), so now he sits in the back with the other dog. He likes to get down on the floor and try to eat whatever might have fallen down there, which is annoying because I’m constantly having to reach back behind me and try to “swat” him back up onto the seat.

Well today, I noticed that Jake climbed up the back seat into the back window (I have a Honda Civic). I didn’t think too much of it, just figured he was curious about what was up there, and yelled at him to get down, which he immediately did, to sit down by the other dog, who was sitting on the opposite side of the car from where Jake had been.

I didn’t realize why he did that until about ten minutes ago.

I got to work, got the dogs out of the car, and took them into the office (around 8:45).

About ten minutes ago (10:30) I had to go get something out of my car. I opened the car door and was accosted by the WORST smell. It’s 90 degrees at 10am here in Texas, so whatever it was had been baking for about two hours already. I thought maybe I’d left some food in a bag or something and it had gotten hot and started to smell up the car.

Nope.

The reason Jake had crawled up the seat and over to the other side was because he had pooped in the car. On the seat. And he didn’t want to step in it so he climbed up and over the seat to get to the other side.

I couldn’t do anything but stare in exasperation for a few minutes at the four or five Jake-sized droppings that were stinking up my car. I had walked him (and he had pooped) not fifteen minutes before we got in the car.

I can only assume since it technically wasn’t “inside” a building, he came to the puppy-like conclusion that this was not a “no” space to poop in.

Bear has never eliminated in the car. I hate using the bathroom on planes or buses, so why would a dog want to do so in a car that’s going over bumps and constantly stopping at traffic lights?

Jake is definitely developing the characteristic Corgi brattiness.

So now, I have to go to the pet store and buy a harness for him to sit in while he’s in the car, which is going to damage my ear drums because I know he’s going to hate it. And when he hates something, he screams and cries and howls.

Bear was sitting across the car as close to the window as he could get because Jake had pooped in the car. I only wish I could teach Bear that when Jake does something like that, he has my permission to correct him. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Jake has not pooped in the house for probably a week now. If he really needs to go and I’m not seeing the normal signs, he will at least wait until I go out on the patio with the other dog or something and immediately go out there, which I always praise him for (even though technically it’s not grass) because I’d rather he go on the patio than go in the house.

So why did he suddenly decide to go in the car? It’s only a ten minute ride to the office from my place, it’s not like he was in the car for 30-45 minutes.

My only guess (and I know this is a little unreasonable, because most dogs don’t do things out of spite, but I’m beginning to wonder about this one), is that earlier in the morning, when I took the dogs for their walk, I interrupted some of Jake’s “fun.”

When Jake, being a corgi, sees anything on the ground that might even slightly resemble something edible, he snaps it up and tries to chew and swallow it before I see him. Being (most of the time) a fairly attentive mama, I always catch him, grab him by the scruff of his neck, and make him spit it out (sometimes this means sticking my fingers all the way down his throat to retrieve the latest acorn or rock or other miscellaneous object he’s picked up off the ground).

But this morning, Jake seemed to be absolutely determined to eat something he wasn’t supposed to. So on the twenty foot walk to the car, I had to stop and pull something out of his mouth three times. Then, I wouldn’t let him jump up into the front seat (a place he likes because it puts him in front of the other dog–dominance issues, obviously), and let the other dog get in first before I’d let Jake jump into the backseat. I do this intentionally, I’m constantly having to establish the pecking order in our house with Jake, and until he gets it and lays off the constant pushing for dominance, it will remain that way.

So, my conclusion is, that in the ten minute ride from house to office, Jake decided I wasn’t letting him do anything fun that he wanted to do, and decided to poop in the car as “vengeance.”

Is that a little unreasonable? Probably. I’m sure the actual reason is that he didn’t finish going potty the first time, but was distracted by the other dog or wanted to go back upstairs for a toy or something like that, and then realized while being in the car that he still needed to poop.

I think I’m just frustrated because it seems like every time we start to make some progress, Jake does something like this that totally sets us back. I know he’s still a baby (14 weeks today!) so he’s still learning, but I also know how smart he is and sometimes I think he plays dumb just because he knows he can get away with it. 😉

In other news, I’ve started making Jake wait outside the door (patio, front door, office door) until I invite him to come inside. Maybe that’s a little much, but I want to establish very early on that these places are MY places, and he’s only allowed to be there because I say so lol. He’s starting to understand it, and most of the time will sit down until I open the door (especially if it’s only the two of us) but when the big dog and Andy get to go in first, sometimes he throws a puppy fit and cries or tries to throw himself against his leash or wriggle out of his collar because HE wants to go in first! I always hold his leash up and away from the door so he can’t forcefully enter the house, but I’m really hoping he starts to understand this before he gets so big that if he threw his weight against the leash it might hurt my arm. Ah, puppies.

I knew what I was getting into when I got this latest addition to our family, but man I hope this phase passes quickly! Because I definitely think he’s in the puppy version of the “terrible twos.”

UPDATE: I am confirming my suspicion that Jake has reached the terrible twos, because he seems to be determined to test my patience today. He, unfortunately, had his first run-in with “aggressive mama,” not meaning that I beat him into submission (obviously, lol), but that I took a much more firm hand with him than I have been for the past few weeks. He thankfully has learned that every time he gets in trouble he is not, in fact, being murdered so he doesn’t scream like a whiny baby, but I had him in a successfully submissive belly-up position by the time he was done getting in trouble. I will explain a little: I mentioned earlier that I’ve been training him to wait outside the front door until I invite him to come inside, well he was absolutely DETERMINED to get in before I did, and the other dog did.

I was not having it today.

I let the other dog in first, as per usual, and made Jake wait till I got in. He whined, he pulled backwards on his leash, trying to get away from it, he tried to walk backwards into the house, you name it, he tried it.

I threw my purse on the floor inside, got down right in his face (I mean full on eye contact obviously aggressive posture), and said “SIT. WAIT.”

As soon as I was back upright, he was trying to fight his way inside again. I finally grabbed him by the collar, forced him onto his hindquarters and got right in his face until his ears went back and he looked away.

Just so you animal lovers out there don’t think I’m being too harsh, here’s something to think about. When a dog gets into another dog’s territory without permission, that dog will act with the same reaction I did: aggression. Jake cannot under any circumstances think it is okay to just march into my territory without permission, that’s not the canine way. By establishing from the very entrance of the house that he is entering MY territory, and that he is allowed there only because I said so, we might avoid some of the worse aspects of dominance issues, as pertaining to the house, anyway.

Also, I figured out how to rig his leash to the seatbelt in the car so it acts like a harness, but he has to sit in the same spot in the car. He can’t jump off the seat and accidentally hang himself, he has just enough length to sit quietly or lie down in that spot. I was very proud lol.

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Good Dogs, Bad Dog Food

I’ve been pretty quiet this week because there really hasn’t been much to report (or too much, depending on the way you look at it). I definitely lucked out in the puppy draw, because Jake is already almost completely potty trained. The only times he’s had accidents are when it’s Andy’s turn to watch him (go figure). We had a 4 day no-accident streak, but due to the reason I stated earlier, it didn’t go for a full 5 days. Luckily we have all laminate floors (except in the bedroom) so cleanup is pretty easy.

You remember I talked about how I was using the patio to help potty train Jake? It’s not even necessary anymore. It’s like he knows that, yes, it’s acceptable to potty out there, but he’d rather go in the grass. Every time I/we get the dogs’ leashes, Jake knows it’s time to go outside, and he almost immediately goes once we get down there. It’s awesome. He also knows the words for going on command.

He even let me sleep in on Saturday and Sunday. Seriously! I got to sleep in till 9am. It was marvelous.

Work has been hell lately. I was reduced to tears almost every day at the office last week. I’m working a job that is so stressful that it’s keeping me in a constant state of illness (which is SO fun, since I have a new puppy…), and even though I’ve submitted multiple applications (think several dozen) to many places that are hiring, I haven’t gotten a single callback. From the few people I have managed to talk to, I’m either overqualified or underqualified. Fun, right? I wish companies would decide upon a general standard.

Moving on, I recently changed my dogs’ food over from Pedigree to Taste of the Wild. I had heard good things about TotW before, from my family and from people online, but I never realized how much of a difference it would make in my dog’s appetite (Bear, specifically). He was always a light/picky eater (I’d had him on Pedigree for three years), and I just chalked that up to not needing a bunch of food. I also assumed his constant upset stomach was due to being fed something he wasn’t supposed to be fed (sensitive stomach). Man, was I ignorant the first few years of his life!

Turns out that foamy yellow vomit is generally a sign that a dog is hungry, and the acid buildup in its stomach has become too much for the dog’s stomach to handle, so they expel it. I never knew that until just last week.

The reason I found this out was because I just bought a new bag of Pedigree in early-mid July. It wasn’t until last week that I heard about the huge June recall of the Pedigree dog food.

I’d been considering switching his food over for some time, but this really sealed the deal when I did some research on the Pedigree dog food brand.

I have been feeding my dogs CRAP.

Food unfit for human consumption is crammed into those tiny little pellets, along with corn and grain and all sorts of chemicals that dogs technically can’t digest. The food is then sprayed with fat to make it seem edible and more alluring to a dog’s nose.

I read a few reviews after the recall. Some dogs DIED from eating this food. And not old dogs either; young 2-year-old dogs, puppies, middle-aged dogs…look it up! It’s scary!

You know when you switch over a dog’s food that you’re supposed to mix the new food with the old food gradually for about five days? On the second day, Bear was eating around the old stuff (Pedigree) but chowing down on the new stuff (TotW). Smart dog.

The reason his stomach has been upset for the past three years is because he’s been practically starving himself because the Pedigree dog food is so gross. I’m a bad dog owner for not noticing this. He used to do a “dinner dance” where he’d prance around his food, nose at it, take out one or two pieces and eat them across the room, move his dog bowl across the bottom of his crate…

He doesn’t do that anymore. I’ve never seen him so excited at meal times.

Suffice to say, I will no longer be feeding my dogs Pedigree. Jake’s breeder sent a bag of Pedigree over with him, so he’d been eating it too, but he’s since been switched to TotW as well.

Change of subject: In other news, it’s getting harder for me to take Bear anywhere. Naturally, because Jake is only 13 weeks old, he’s cooed over by every female passerby. He’s a baby, what can you expect? The problem is, Bear is usually with me too. I’m doing my best to make sure he doesn’t feel left out or replaced–he gets just as much playtime, and he goes outside every time I take Jake outside. It’s a chore, but I don’t want him to become jealous.

Apparently, this isn’t enough. Every time someone comes near the puppy, Bear starts growling or snapping. This is a new behavior, and obviously undesirable. Protectiveness is one thing, and I usually laugh it off to whoever attempted to pet the puppy as “oh, he’s just protecting the puppy, isn’t it cute?” But at home, or with my family, it becomes something much more serious. The last thing I need is for Bear to turn into an ill-tempered dog. Oftentimes, if the puppy is laying under my feet (which he usually does), Bear will take up residence somewhere else. If Bear is lying next to me and Jake tries to come lay down next to him, he will get up and find somewhere else across the room to lie down. He’s been spending as much time as possible in his crate.

Yesterday, I had both dogs over at my parents’ house. They were both in their separate pens. My mom, being a female, naturally would walk by Jake’s crate and put her fingers through the bars of his crate to let him lick them and fawn over her hand. Bear, seeing this, nearly rocketed through the bars of his pen, snapping and barking. Of course he doesn’t realize that this kind of behavior makes it less likely that a human being (besides me) will want to pay any attention to him.

When I was a kid, we had a golden retriever named Teddy. We’d had him for maybe a year or two (he was an adult when we got him), when my parents got Austin a puppy (that we later figured out was a Corgi mix lol). Teddy took to Hank like a duck to water. I never saw them fight, or growl, I never saw Teddy get vicious when the puppy got attention. It could be because they didn’t really have anybody but each other (they were outside dogs) so they naturally bonded. I’ve done this with Bear and Jake too. We have supervised playtime, where me or Andy will get down in the middle and play with both dogs, or we have supervised playtime where we watch the dogs play together. During these times, Bear always seems thrilled to have a playmate. The rest of the time though…I don’t know if it’s jealousy or just the transitionary period an older dog has to go through when a new dog is introduced to the family mix.

When we’re at the dog park, Bear has started humping other dogs. He NEVER used to do this. I know it’s a dominance thing, but he’s humping literally every dog he can wrap his paws around (male or female, neutered or intact). Humping is one of the few behaviors I don’t use positive reinforcement on. It is absolutely NOT okay for my dogs to hump anything or anybody. If my dog is humping another dog, he gets a sharp smack on the behind. Jake has already learned that it is not acceptable.

So until he gets used to it, what do I do? I can’t risk him actually biting somebody, that would be bad. I can’t leave him at home because that will probably just make it worse. It might get better once we get Jake neutered (at 6 months) or it might not. But the problem is, Bear is developing very negative behaviors (snarling, humping, moping, etc) that I don’t know how to curb.  I tell him ‘NO’ very sharply when we catch him doing it, but two minutes later he’s doing it again. Next thing I know, he’ll be using the bathroom in the house. Is he acting out? Is he jealous? What do I do?

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Puppy Fun: Day 2

We had a successful potty morning!!!!

And mommy got 8 hours of sleep!!! (well, almost :))

This blog is going to save my sanity, because I can go back and reread my posts and see the things I missed, and apply what I learned to the next day.

The Best Friend brought Mommy and The Boyfriend tortilla soup (thank you best friend!) so I didn’t have to cook, though it was really so she could meet Jake.

After eating, we proceeded to work on some crate training, and then tiring out the puppy so he’d sleep through the night (it was probably about 6 when she came over).

We managed to get Jake to go into his crate willingly, for about two seconds, then he’d hop back out again.

Unfortunately, he used it as a potty place when he hopped in there the last time.

Dang it, foiled again.

After we hauled him outside, cleaned up the mess, and bemoaned the fact that he liked peeing in his crate, we instigated the first real puppy play time between the two dogs since Jake arrived.

When Jake first met Bear, he was terrified. I don’t blame the little guy, Bear is easily three or four times his size, and about six times his weight! Bear of course wanted to play immediately. Jake didn’t think that was such a fun idea, and hid behind me.

We didn’t push it.

Now, Bear loves tug-o-war. He has since I got him as a young dog. He has a massive rope toy the size of his head that he and Andy often play with.

Jake has watched several tugging matches between Bear and Andy (and even myself, because I’m being extra careful to not leave Bear out in any way) and at one point, jumped up to grab the massive rope toy. The threads are basically like yarn, they’re so thick, so he really couldn’t get a good mouthful.

Luckily, I had bought a Jake-sized rope toy, so he got his own.

Which Bear noticed, and immediately wanted to play with.

I would play fetch with Jake with the rope toy, and if Bear wasn’t sufficiently occupied elsewhere, he’d jump over the puppy and grab it first.

Bear has torn apart lesser rope toys within minutes so I made sure to get it away from him every time.

But now we had some common ground. Bear would try to play fetch with the little rope toy, Jake wanted to play tug-o-war with the big rope toy. We could work with that.

The results of our efforts went something like this:

You have to understand, this dog is capable of hauling me across the floor if I’m playing tug-o-war with him. Andy is a lot stronger than I am and usually doesn’t stir off the couch when he plays with the rope toy, so he’s not as easily moved. We have laminate floors so Bear can’t get any traction, but if we’re sitting on the floor too, it’s fair game.

So for Bear to be playing so gently with Jake (or just rough enough that Jake didn’t ever quite get the upper hand lol) was so awesome.

Once Jake realized Bear wasn’t going to eat him, the rope toy lost his interest and it became more fun to chase Bear around the couch until they were both dizzy. This was also hilarious but I didn’t get a good video of it.

We made them play together until about 9pm (three hours!). They both slumped to the floor, tongues hanging out, panting. Jake pottied outside again (yes!), and I put him in his crate as the Best Friend started getting ready to leave. He settled down with minimal fussing and went to sleep. We took the sheets out of his crate, hoping maybe this would keep him from using the crate as his toilet again.

We also decided to leave him in the living room for the night so Andy could sleep in the bedroom again. Bear stayed out there to keep him company (something that didn’t make him too happy, as usually he sleeps on the carpeted floor at the foot of the bed), and we hoped it would be enough of a “pack atmosphere” that Jake wouldn’t cry too much.

Oh man was THAT a mistaken idea.

He cried. He screamed. He started howling. I could hear Bear shifting his weight in his crate in frustration (I’m sure Jake’s sharp barking hurts his ears more than mine).

I heard Andy grumble at me “You need to do something about your dog.”

I replied with basic puppy owner knowledge. “If I go in there it will only get worse.”

After about half an hour with no relief, I made an appearance to let Bear out of his kennel. I felt bad that he was being subjected to that noise, but I left him in the living room.

Jake quieted for about five minutes then started howling louder than ever.

An hour and a half passed, with no relief. It was nearing ten-thirty, and I began to worry that Jake’s shrieks would incite the neighbors to come to our door and beg us to please make him stop (I’m still planning on baking a batch of cookies and take some to each neighbor that has to share a wall with us with an apology note lol). I knew that if I brought him into the room, it would quiet him enough to keep the neighbors from hearing, but it would still keep us up.

Somehow, Andy had managed to fall asleep during the cacophony coming from the other room, so I made a decision as the clock hit ten-thirty.

I hauled the puppy, crate and all, into my room, next to the bed. The noise stopped as soon as I came into the living room. Bear followed me gratefully and set up camp on the other side of the bed, next to Andy. I mentally resigned myself to another uncomfortable night with my fingers stuck in Jake’s crate. But, lo and behold! Jake circled once, twice, three times, and settled down in the bottom of his crate with a sigh and went right to sleep. Without my fingers in his cage.

I experimented for a few minutes, waiting for the whine I knew was coming, asking for mommy to please reassure him that she was right there.

Not a peep.

I stuck my hand in his crate (I’m a glutton for punishment, I know).

Nothing.

I couldn’t quite believe it.

My poor baby just wanted to be near us. I’m glad I made the decision to bring him into the room.

Even better? He slept all night. I even got up about fifteen minutes before Andy’s alarm went off to use the bathroom. He didn’t move.

Andy’s alarm went off once, twice, three times (obnoxious, I know).

He lifted his head at the noise (I watched him), but then settled right back down and went to sleep.

It wasn’t until Andy actually got up and he and I started talking softly that Jake stood up in his crate. He didn’t whine or fuss though, he waited until I put on my clothes.

I pulled him out of the cage (no peeing!), took him out, and thank God hallelujah he peed and pooped outside.

Progress has been made.

He still had an accident in the house later in the morning (he loves the carpeted areas, apparently), but the way I see it is crate training might not be the best method for this particular puppy. So the only way I’m going to be able to housebreak him is watch him like a hawk (he came to work with me today) and catch him while he’s doing it. My guess is he’ll soon learn that mom will interrupt him every time he tries in the house, along with my “Ah ah ah!” noise (he’s picked that up pretty quick), and I’ve been told dogs really don’t like being lifted up off the ground when they’re using the facilities. I don’t think they like being scolded either. Oh well, thank goodness for laminate flooring. I have to be three times as careful at the office though, every room is carpeted.

Other good news:

He already knows his name.

He already knows the “sit” command (isn’t that amazing?). He picked it up from the big dog though, which was really funny.

If I make the “ah ah ah!” noise when he’s doing something he’s not supposed to, he leaves off what he was doing. Sometimes he might try again, but he gets the same result. Usually I only have to correct him two or three times for him to understand not to chew on something and he leaves it alone after that.

Yay progress! Now I just have to make sure he and Bear have a similar play session most nights so he’s too pooped to care that he’s in a crate. But I think, for the time being, we’re only going to use the crate at night since he’s already proven he can go all night without having to go out. I think this little bit of crate training (he can’t pee in there anymore without having to sit in it) along with the combination of being pretty much leash-tied to me all day and interrupted whenever he decides to eliminate somewhere he’s not supposed to will have him housebroken in no time.

Cross your fingers for me. 🙂

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It’s official!

I just got the official word that Jake will be ready for me to pick up today at 4pm. Only 6 more hours! Well, 5 and a half really, since I have to leave the office at 3:30 to get there on time. Oh man waiting is such torture!

On to other puppy stuff though, I have been reading up on my corgi literature to alleviate the impatience a little bit. Specifically, corgi blogs. It’s awesome that there are blogs specific to corgis!

It’s not so awesome some of the stuff I read there though.

I’ve seen a few blogs where the corgi is a model of dog society. Easily trained, obedient, deferring to his owner, the “pack leader.” Maybe has an attitude sometimes, but usually backs off after a sharp word from his owner.

Then there are others who have such bad cases of small dog syndrome I want to reach through my computer screen and SHAKE the owners. Corgis, by nature, are incredibly independent, strong-willed dogs. They’re also incredibly smart. So why would you let your dog train you to, oh I don’t know, come back and let him out of his cage when he barks? Or let him nearly pull you over while on a leash?

I’ll admit, I let Bear walk in front of me when we’re on a walk, but he always leaves the leash slack. If he even thinks about pulling it tight, a sharp tug gets his immediate attention and he instantly drops back closer to me, even at my side. He also never charges the door when we get home, he always waits till I walk in first.

Jumping up on the couch without being invited, pulling hard on the leash, barking incessantly, jumping up on you…these are all traits of dominant behavior. Signs that the dog thinks that they own you.

No way. Not my dogs. Jake will be just as firmly trained as Bear was, if not more so, since Corgis are known for their stubborn and dominant traits.

It frustrates me that some of these dog owners claim to do their research (and some of them do!) and then their dog is trained in bad behavior.

Here’s a good example, things that are considered “cute” in a little dog are generally unacceptable in a larger dog. If a big dog jumps up on you, you generally tell him/her to GET DOWN! If a little dog does it, oh it’s so cute, they just want attention!

If a big dog jumps up on the couch without invite, or tries to jump into your lap, “BAD DOG!” and he’s exiled to the floor again. But when a little dog does it, it’s “Oh, he just wants attention, so cute!”

Here’s a good example, the boyfriend’s grandparents own two chihuahuas. Now, I honestly can’t stand chihuahuas, as a general rule. I don’t think they’re cute, they tend to be more mean than not, and MAN are they annoying when they bark. No offense if you own a chihuahua, of course, I know plenty of people who don’t like bigger dogs, like mine. But these two chihuahuas REALLY annoy me. If someone just walks by the front door (usually a family member, since they’re on a large section of private property), they go ballistic. But the really obvious symptom of small dog syndrome is this:

Sadie and Pablo jump up on the couch and like to sit in Andy’s grandparents’ laps. They don’t wait for permission, they just do it. Then, if anyone (and I mean anyone) comes near the grandparent in question, one or both of them will start snarling like rabid animals. And I mean vicious, teeth baring, “don’t-even-think-about-looking-this-way-funny” snarls. Now if a big dog did this, I can’t even begin to imagine the repercussions. Into the kennel, out into the yard, maybe a smack on the nose? Definitely a loud “NO.” But no, when the chihuahuas do it, it’s funny! Or cute! Do you know what them snarling at passing by people means? They’re “defending” their territory. That’s right, the grandparents have just become “territory.” It’s a dominant thing. I’m not joking! If Paw has the chihuahuas in his lap and Maw walks up to him, the dogs go nuts. Even though they’ve been married for forever, and obviously belong to each other, the dogs don’t recognize that because the behavior has not only gone unchecked, it’s been almost encouraged!

Another good example is my mom’s dog. My mom LOVES this dog, a cocker spaniel. He’s the most spoiled animal in existence. That dog gets away with EVERYTHING. If my mom shows even the slightest bit of attention to another dog (like mine), Brulee starts snarling and has even viciously attacked my dog once. Another sign of dominance. My mom belongs to him, not the other way around.

You know what else he did? He peed on me. TWICE. He was marking me as his territory! I’m a little ashamed to say he ended up being “nudged” a few feet away with the tip of my boot. I didn’t exactly ‘kick’ him per se, but I didn’t want him peeing on me either! His puppy years were spent at the house where I grew up, and I was there for the first year or two years. I was the first person to meet him besides my mom when she bought him from her breeder, so he has formed an attachment to me over the years. I try to politely tell my mom ways to curb his bad behavior, but I think she just gets a little miffed that my dog is well-behaved and hers is, well, not. Bruee’s spoiled-rottenness is a running joke in the family, generally followed by a remark from my dad about how well-behaved my dog is. I think my mom is a mixture of embarrassed and miffed when those comments come up lol. Don’t ever tell her I said so. 😉

The point of this long semi-rant is that I’m absolutely convinced that I won’t let Jake become one of these “small dogs.” And I’m absolutely terrified that he eventually might become one. Whether that’s from Andy feeding him table scraps (a big no-no in the corgi world!) to using treats to train him (which might be necessary at some point, but I’ve heard of some Corgis who won’t pee outside because there’s not a treat handy), to maybe letting him jump on the couch “once or twice” which of course turns into “all the time.” I think I’m just going to have a be a gentle but firm corgi mama and hope for the best. I’ve done the training before, Bear was hand-trained by me, it’s just been a few years and I’m nervous about working with a breed that has a completely different temperament.

Gack only 4 1/2 hours to go!! 🙂

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A second corgi update.

I don’t usually post twice in one day (or one week, usually!). I also don’t usually stay up this late (as much as I wish I could). I also hate writing posts on my iPad.

BUT.

I just received amazing news this evening that I had to share…

Jake is going to be here TOMORROW AFTERNOON!!

Wow, that’s a fast drive, and sooner than we expected. We thought it would be at LEAST Wednesday, maybe even Thursday or Friday, but not tomorrow! I’m totally not complaining, I’ve been speed talking corgi puppy facts, training, and behaviors since I walked in the door tonight (the boyfriend was about to smother me lol), and it just means I have less than 24 hours till the new addition is here with me!!!

I don’t want to turn this into a solely puppy blog, but I can’t promise I won’t post pictures tomorrow at some point. Especially meeting Bear. I can’t wait for that. 🙂

I think in the next few days though, I’m going to be posting pictures of my attempts at remodeling (as if a new puppy isn’t a big enough project!).

That’s all, enough updates for tonight, more tomorrow! 🙂

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Jake

Late news…we’re getting a new dog.

A CORGI.

This is him at 10 weeks. 😀

This is one of the pictures that the breeder sent us after we had decided we wanted to get one of her puppies. He’s on his way to being delivered to us today. 🙂

According to the breeder, he’s outgoing and quite possibly a HAM. 😉 He’s always on the run and has lots of energy. Judging by these statements, he’ll be perfect to keep Bear company. They can wear each other out instead of Andy and me. 😉

After flipping through possible names like Winston, Jack, Gatsby, Sir Bigglesworth (kidding) and several not-entirely-serious suggestions by the boyfriend, the best friend and I decided upon Jake.

Andy is tickled by this because one of his best friend’s names is Jake. He’s certain we’re naming the puppy after him. *rolls eyes*

It’s a decision made for several reason.

1) We want a companion for our resident dog, Bear. Bear is the model of dog society. He walks off leash, comes when called, doesn’t fight with other dogs, doesn’t bark unless it’s absolutely necessary, has been in great health (except for last week) and after three years, still has retained his puppy energy. Or maybe it’s just dog energy now, because he’s a retriever-husky mix (BIG dog) who has (almost) always been the model of good indoor behavior. I would have never believed a big dog like him could be such a great indoor dog, but he has been. However, he’s lonely at home. We had a temporary stint with a ferret, hoping maybe at least another warm body would help his loneliness and boredom at home. It relieved it some, but he really needs another warm doggy body to keep him company. He’s been staying with me at work the past few days, just so he’s not cooped up at home.

2) I’m having a particularly bad bout of “baby fever.” I’ve been told I wouldn’t ‘catch’ baby fever because I work and have so many other things going on for me right now, but that simply isn’t the case. It’s been growing steadily worse for a few months now, and since Bear isn’t really a puppy anymore (and Andy tends to play more roughly than mom does) he spends his days with me sleeping on the office floor and then having a rowdy time with Andy. He loves on me occasionally, but only when he feels like it or wants something. Silly doggy.

3) This one’s a double whammy: boredom+trouble kicking the nicotine habit. I started smoking back when I was 18 or 19 (maybe younger) and haven’t really been able to completely quit since. Mostly, this is because of boredom. Since I finished my first book, I’ve been hesitant to finish the second. I’ve all but stopped drawing/sketching/painting, and I haven’t touched an instrument in months, except when begged by friends/family to perform. The boredom/lack of inspiration for the new book/characters/music etc caused me to light up more often than maybe before. I quit for a few months last year, then after a bad week picked it right back up again. The fun thing is, even just in the past few weeks while I’ve been preparing for the new arrival (puppy-proofing the house, buying puppy things, cleaning to make sure he doesn’t eat anything yucky) I have had little to no desire to take a smoke break. I’ve literally started to quit cold turkey. Now, I’m not perfect, I’ve bummed a cigarette or two from the next door neighbor at work, but even now I have no desire to do that. I’m more interested in looking up corgi puppy videos when the nicotine craving hits. 😉

Couple the buying puppy things with the baby fever thing and you have a warped sense of “nesting.” In conjunction with the puppy toys and bowls and treats I’ve been compulsively buying from the store, I’ve just as often been found in the home improvements section looking at paint and home decor. Somebody stop the madness! While taking on a new puppy isn’t new for me (and will be infinitely easier than it was with Bear because I’m allowed to bring him to work with me), taking on a new puppy AND trying to remodel the apartment we just moved into is definitely trying to bite off more than I can chew. Tell that to the baby fever/nesting part of my brain though.

I haven’t been so excited about an animal since I got Bear. When I saw Bear, I just KNEW I had to have him. When I saw Jake…same thing. I’ve been talking incessantly about dog training tips, the possibility of agility classes, and the schedule we’re going to have for a few months to Andy. I think he wants to invest in ear plugs. When I’m not talking about puppies, I’m talking about cleaning (CLEANING of all things! Me! Cleaning? I haven’t seen the flying pigs yet, but I’m expecting their appearance any time now) and painting and all the things I want to do to the apartment. I just about die of excitement every time I see the Corgi cage in the living room with his little food bowl in front of it.

I’ve been missing the bonding experience of puppy training (even though it’s SO hard in the beginning). Bear is and always will be my baby, and he knows it, but he doesn’t really “depend” on me like a puppy does. Though I will be very excited to see how he reacts to the newest member of our family! I have a feeling housetraining is going to go much smoother than the first time around, because Jake will get his cues from Bear, who will be higher in the “pack hierarchy” than he is. I’ve been told they look a lot alike. Not quite true, Bear is golden blonde while Jake is red and white, but I think the similarities will mark them as “siblings” somewhat. 🙂

Like I said, the breeder is supposed to be shipping him today, and the anticipation is KILLING me! I can’t wait to hold him for the first time. 🙂

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