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!

More Cow Bell!!

Somewhere along the lines, I have made a mistake with my intentions vs the results. My intention was to get Brock to ring a bell (by the door), go outside, THEN potty. There's been a lot of pottying in the house, which needs to come to an end here soon. I remembered that I hung a bell with Berdy - she would ring it and then go outside. So I hung the bell a week ago. Brock seemed to have little to no interest in actually ringing the bell himself...until Sunday.

After speaking to the vet, he suggested I not only praise him when he potties outside, but also give him a treat right away. So, off to the pet store I go to get some high value treats. I decide to start this late Sunday afternoon. Since he had no interest in ringing the bell for the past week, when I got him to do it Sunday, I gave him a treat. I'm sure anyone reading this can see this was the pivotal moment in the story where the hero makes a HUGE mistake while trying to conquer evil (the house pee-er). He rings the bell, I give him a treat, we go outside and he pees, I give him another treat. I'm VERY proud of both of us at this point. I'm thinking - he is going to LOVE to pee outside. This is so great.

We come back inside. On the way in, he rings the bell. I ignore this as a mistake. A few minutes later, he rings it again. So as not to discourage him, I take him outisde to pee (which he does) and I give him a treat. Notice - no treat for ringing the bell, only pottying outside this time. Not that this matters to a Labrador. I did it once, I might do it again. Good Lord, what a little monster I've created. So now all Sunday night he's ringing that bell - MORE COW BELL = More treats!!!!

Luckily, he has decreased the Pavlovian efforts to ring the bell and get a treat. However, being a little boy dog, he is able conjure up a few tablespoons of pee whenever he likes. So now, when the whim hits him, he will ring the bell, we go outside, he dribbles and he gets a treat. Am I being played??? I think so, but at least I'm getting plenty of exercise going in and out the door and taking my coat off and on. Next week: I'm going to get Brock to go DOWN the stairs from the kitchen to the landing by the side door.

OCD or LAB?

I always find it entertaining watching my Labs eat. They eat with reckless abandon and lust, like I have never seen. I like to eat, I live to eat, but I don't think I come even close to the obsession of the Labrador. Brock's food intake officially increases tomorrow from 1C 2x per day to 1 1/2C 2x per day. I've been increasing his food for the last few days, working our way up. He is INHALING his food to the point that I'm worried about bloat, so I've been taking up his bowl halfway through the meal to let him settle down a little bit. I forgot tonight and he promptly barfed up half his meal and quickly recycled it. (Like Berdy would ever even THINK of eating something icky. Puh-lease!)

The after dinner ritual that is being perfected is a quite a sight to see. I've partially noticed it, but the last few feedings have stood back and observed in amazement. Now, Amber and Berdy used to check the other's bowl as soon as they were done eating, but this is a whole new level of OCD.

For Brock, it goes something like this: OMG OMG OMG - she took that red bowl downstairs. OMG I can't WAIT till she comes back up. Here she comes, I'm SO excited, I get to eat!! Waiting "patiently" while she puts water in our bowls. Dang, sissy always gets her bowl first. OK, now now now - RUN as fast as my little body will carry me into the other room and around the corner. DIVE into my crate - I wish Mommy would move FASTER. I'm going to STARVE to death here. She's finally here -hyper hyper hyper, dang she's going to make me sit again. I sit quietly, SUCCESSS - FOOD! Inhale, inhale, inhale. Barf, recycle.

(OK, this is where it gets amazing.) Did I finish everything? lick, lick, lick OK, I'm done. (takes one step away - about face) Better make sure - lick, lick, lick the bowl. Got it. (takes one step away - about face) Did I get everything? I can't remember. lick, lick, lick the bowl. OK, now I got it. (takes three steps away) I can't remember if I got it ALL. About face - lick, lick, lick. OK, now I know I've gotten every morsel. (gets halfway to the dining room) Better just make SURE that I got every drop and morsel. About face - lick, lick, lick. OK, now I"m good to go. (Goes into kitchen to lick Berdy's bowl) lick, lick, li... hey - did I get everything out of MY bowl? I better go back to make sure...

I haven't counted yet, but I'm guessing there's a ritual developing. I'd guess he returns back to his bowl no less than 6 or 7 times and returns to Berdy's bowl at least twice. The level of obsessive compulsive behavior around licking that bowl clean is wacky, even by Lab standards. Next installment: How Brock is channeling Christopher Walken. More cow bell!

Big and Bigger

It was four weeks ago today that I picked-up Brock. I'm amazed at how much he has grown. In a week or two, I will no longer be able to carry him with one arm (and see his little legs swing around like a rag doll). He will no longer be small enough to fit under the couch, although I'm sure he'll keep trying. His other favorite place is under my bed. I guess since he found a cord under there once, there might be more...returning to the scene of the crime!

We are still outside frequently and I'm still going through Bounty like the economy depends on it. Earlier this week, I didn't have a babysitter for him one afternoon, so he made it 6 hours in his crate without an accident. He doesn't seem to have any issues IN the crate, it's in the living room, dining room, kitchen and office that seem to be challenging to NOT pee.

Food consumption was up this week - he is now up to 1C twice a day. Let the turbo-growing begin! I can already tell he's gotten significantly bigger this week. Hence, I think it may be time that he learn to walk on his own four legs to get from place to place. Maybe even time to start going down the stairs. He's been doing pretty well - he can go from the crate to the kitchen (on a short leash) without peeing. He can go down the outside step with a big LEAP and he can go in the big step and also the inside steps, although the inside steps take some encouragement and a build-up of confidence/courage before he will do it.

I made the mistake of waiting until Berdy was over 40 pounds before I started to have her go down the stairs. Not making that one twice! Now she won't go up them, but that's a different imaginary issue.

The kids are playing together now - wrestling around the living room and chewing each others necks and faces (Ouch!)