Puppy Kindergarten

Today was the first day of puppy kindergarten. This has been a big week for Brock. Last week his baby teeth started to fall out. He looked a little like Lyon Spinks - since there were gaps with missing teeth. Unfortunately, that only lasted a few days before the big boy teeth came in. Why can't they be all toothless and gummy for a few weeks at least?? Gimme a break!

Saturday, we went to the vet for the last of our puppy shots. He is now fully immunized and ready for play! He is also up to 35 pounds now. I was expecting a couple pounds more, but that's OK. One of the puppies from the other litter was in also and that puppy was up to 38 pounds - what a little piggy! It took them four months, but they finally caught up.

Tonight was puppy kindergarten. Brock was MUCH better than Berdy ever considered being. He wasn't perfect - far from it, but he was pretty well behaved. There were only two other dogs in the class. One was a puggle (sooooo cute) and another "yellow" Lab. (His parents were chocolate and yellow, so he's got a liver nose.) Other than biting the hand that feeds, he did very well paying attention and listening. He did bark when no one was paying attention to him, but not nearly as much as Berdy did during her training class just a few months ago.

He is now tuckered out and sleeping soundly. You gotta love a tired Labby!!

50/50

No, I'm not talking about a 50/50 raffle. I am referring to my little piggy gaining 50% of his body weight in three weeks. Twice. He went to the vet three weeks ago and went from 12 pounds up to 19. Then this past Saturday, he weighed in at 28.5 pounds. I almost fell off the chair when Dr Stratman told me that. I thought, MAYBE 25 pounds, but no way 28.5 pounds. No wonder I let out a small groan when I go to pick up Brock. He's a BIG boy!

This week, other than gaining weight, has been pretty quiet. Still working on the house-training and it's been going very well. He rings the bell, we go outside, he gets a treat. It's all good. This week I'm going to dig-up my old training take-homes and start working with Brock on basic training.

He's been doing pretty well with sit, since I make him sit before he gets food, which happens a lot. He also does pretty well with Come. He's funny to watch running at you, ears flapping and that funny Lab puppy gait. You can't help by smile. I'm hoping to get a head start on puppy kindergarten. If he's anything like Berdy, he'll lose his mind as soon as we walk in the door. I'll just try not to lose mine also.

I've Done It!!!!

I've done it! I've finally outsmarted the Labrador. It's taken me five years and three dogs, but I finally have done it. I feel like Wyle E Coyote if he were to ever outsmart the Road Runner. I thought outsmarting the Labrador, especially about food, was almost as improbable.

Brock has been eating his food so fast, it's scaring me. And I've seen some voracious eaters. He makes this wheezing, gaspy noise, wanders around and then BLUP. I'd rather like to avoid that whole scenario. Susan suggested putting a Kong in his bowl. Well, that slowed down the second half of the meal, but not the first half and still resulted in BLUP. So, I decided to head to the pet store (yes, I go there a lot). This time I found a toy shaped liked a badminton birdie only much larger. It was a little too large for the stainless bowl I had, so I purchased another slightly larger.

It worked great! He had to eat around it and it slowed his eating down considerably. I think we may be onto something. At least that is until he figures out that he can simply pick up the big blue object and set it aside. Hopefully that day will be far enough away that he will slow down a little or at least be big enough that it won't matter as much.

I have to say, I'm feeling pretty smug right now. Until I am reminded that my opponent is currently wapping himself in the head with a huge rubber ball and has likely been brain damaged by the oversized toy. I'm still marking it in the WIN column. Today's score: Labrador 4, Jill 1. Woo hoo, I made it onto the board!!

Happy Birthday, Berdy!

My baby-girl is FIVE years old today. I can't believe it will be five years soon that she's been with me. She has gone from a land-shark (you can't imagine how much she bit me), to a spoiled princess (don't know where she got that from), to a good little sister, to a grieving dog to a good dog and now a good older sister to Brock.

The first 12 months, I swear she never slept unless she was in her crate. She was a busy, busy puppy. She must have used up all her energy in life that first year, because she sure is lazy now! It's like living with Eeyore. Ok... I'll be there in a minute. As she moves so slow, it's almost imperceptible to the human eye. She is no hurry to get anywhere. Oh well, that's what a dogs life should be - no stress.

Berdy's big birthday outing consisted of riding to SuperPetz (where I had 25% off coupon), then sniffing all the great smells while I picked out a few toys I thought she'd like. I also got her a frosting coated dog treat shaped like cupcake for the bargain price of $1.79. An emotional, impulse purchase for certain. The trip back home was mostly uneventful, after a stop at Goodwill. (No, not to donate the puppy.)

Berdy must have had so much fun, she decided she did not want to get out of the car. You would have thought sitting in the car at DLM parking lot for 30 minutes would have been enough time in the car, but she refused to leave it. I'm starting to tire of that game, so I just left her in it for a while. Until it was clear that the war of wills was not going to be won by the person with the opposable thumb.

After all that, Berdy had little interest in the new toys. Brock, however, was MORE than happy to start playing with the rubber Jolly Ball with the rope. He keeps running through the house, banging his head with this huge rubber ball. Hope it doesn't give him brain damage.. what the heck? It keeps him entertained, which is the best birthday present Berdy could get.

Two out of Three Ain't Bad

In the immortal words of Meatloaf "two out of three ain't bad". That's right - yesterday was ANOTHER accident-free day. That makes two out of three days without an accident. Tuesday we had two and today one so far. Brock is doing quite well.

I've been talking a lot about Brock lately, but feel I need to give Berdy her due. Berdy has really surprised me. After a lengthy period of mourning after Amber died, she has been quite accepting of her new housemate. I really am shocked that she has so readily accepted him (except when he was trying to nurse off her) and am constantly amazed at how tolerant she is of him. Apparently, she just lets him do whatever he wants. This includes, but is not limited to, biting the base of her tail and also her legs and arms. That has GOT to hurt. It's kind of funny - while he's biting her arms, she uses her back foot to kick him in the head. This seems to have little to no affect on him, as he just keeps biting her.

I thought she'd put a stop to all this, but I think she loves being the center of his attention. Heck, Berdy loves to be the center of ANYONE's attention. Positive or negative - doesn't matter. The only thing she does that I don't like, is steal his bone or toys. Whatever he is chewing (quietly) on, she takes from him and jumps onto the couch. I then immediately snatch it out of her mouth and give it back to him before he starts whaling. Like any parent, quiet is my number one priority. Fairness is lower on the list - that's just the way it is. One of these days, he will be able to jump onto the couch and take it back. She will be surprised, but that day is not too far away. They grow-up so fast.

Accidents happen...but not on Monday!

Yesterday was an accident-free day. First day so far that we've had zero accidents. I'm VERY proud of Brock. Today wasn't too bad - we had two early in the day. He is currently in the pokey, so no chance of an accident for the next 15 minutes.

I talked to Dr Stratman yesterday. Brock has been driving me nuts ringing the bell sometimes every 10 minutes. By the time I get my coat off and start to get back to what I'm doing...ring,ring. He is now on (what I refer to) as The Vegas Plan. Sometimes he gets a treat for pottying outside, sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes he gets one, sometimes he gets a jackpot. This is supposed to reinforce the idea that it is the potty and the praise that is the important part, not the eating. HA - it's ALWAYS about the eating when you are a Labrador.

The new Vegas Plan has actually had some payoff in just 24 hours. I've noticed that when he gets a treat, he *has* to go out again in 15 minutes. When he doesn't get a treat, he can miraculously hold it a lot longer - 45 minutes to an hour. I think what we've learned in the past week or so is that Brock is smarter than I thought, there's nothing wrong with his bladder and now I am no longer sure that even though my thumb is opposable, I may not be the smartest in the house. But I have hope! I think I may be catching on how to outsmart him. With some help.

The Tank is Always Half-Full...Always

For the past week, Brock has been on the "ring the bell, go outside (key step), potty, get a treat (key step, according to any Labrador) Plan". He has only had a few false alarms - where he rang the bell, went outside, didn't potty, but waited patiently for a treat. Surprisingly, he continues to ring the bell about every 15 to 20 minutes and he pees EVERY time. Not just a drop or two, but a fair amount. Enough to warrant a treat. It constantly amazes me that there is always some left in the tank - it's never empty.

The past two days, he seems to really be picking up on the whole concept. We still have not had an accident-free day, but there has been some improvement, for sure. I have noticed the times when accidents seem to happen is usually when he's been playing with Berdy and doesn't realize until it's happening or he has rung the bell within minutes of coming back in the house and I've ignored it as a false alarm. My bad. Hopefully, we will both catch on soon and I can change the "Days without an accident" to one, instead of always leaving it at the sad number of zero.

On some non-potty related news, Brock is growing quite rapidly. I think we are starting to hit the two pounds per week growth rate. According to the breeder, he's a BIG, BIG boy. To me, he just looks like Brock. He's all in proportion, so unless I saw one of his littermate or another puppy his age and breed, I guess I just don't realize how much of a moose he is. Now with Berdy, that's another story. She looks well-marbled or well-insulated. That dog will definitely not starve to death this winter, even if I stopped feeding her right now. Both dogs eat well and vigorously and much to Berdy's dismay, Brock gets 1 1/2cups 2x a day to her 1cup 2x per day. He's also getting a lot of treats for all the outdoor activity. He's a growing boy!

Next: Brock WILL be going down the stairs from the kitchen to the landing. We tried a few times this week, with little success. However, now that he seems to be able to hold it a little longer, we are going to start this training in earnest. Wish him luck!