Life to Chase

Well, its been a long housebound month. We have started going for walks at night again, but it is still snowy and cold. We looked into classes at another school and decided after the first class that it was not for us. I wigged out when I had to go up a flight of stairs. So we did not go back. Mom got on the list at our old school and we will be going there soon! I can not wait!
Meanwhile, Mom has been working with me on the stairs. I have since gone up and down the garage steps all by myself. We are also working on cutting my nails. For some reason, since I was neutered I can not stand to let her touch my feet. I know there is no correlation. I have just become somewhat of a chicken over this winter.
Today there is more snow. I love playing in the snow, but I want spring now so that I can have fun with my family outside!

Well, after a week of being pent up in the house due to the blizzard, it was nice to get in the car and go for a ride! We went to the vet to get Dozer some more arthritis medication. It really helps him. Mom put me on the scale… wow! I weigh 48 1/2 pounds! Somehow I dont think I am going to be a 50 pound dog like Mom thought!

I am completely healed now. Even my belly button looks good. Nice not to have that lump there anymore. Last weekend my family decided to trust me and took all the baby gates in the house down! I now have the run of the house. I have been trying really hard to be an upstanding memeber of the family, but there were a couple of incidents I could not resist. Those red mittens hanging out of the laundry basket Mom was folding were way too tempting. I grabbed one and before they realized I was not chewing my rawhide I chewed a hole right through it! I got in trouble
Last night my boy and Mom made hay bales for his little stable. They smelled so good and I couldnt believe how crunchy they were when I got ahold of one. I ripped two of those to shreds! I got in trouble again
I really am trying to be good though and over all I think I have done pretty well.
Since my operation and since the gates are down and I am spending all my time with my people I have calmed WAY down. Mom says I am like a new dog! Things have been pretty slow around here lately with the snow and colder weather. My walks have come to a screeching halt. I am going to try to get Mom to take me out this week for a walk. Maybe on the weekend.
I have been using my big boy voice to alert the family to people around our house. I notice I hear things alot sooner than Dozer does. He is so old! He joins in and I am following his lead as to how long I need to bark. So far Mom says I am doing good. When she says “ok thats enough", I stop and settle down. I am getting the hang of the watchdog side of my job. With the gates down, I am also allowed to greet visitors at the door. I have been a gentleman so far. Only slipped once today and jumped up just a little bit onto a visitor. Mom corrected me though and I made sure I listened good while company was here.
My adult coat is now in. No more puppy fuzz and a dramatic reduction in shedding! Mom said before I was like living with 6 cats! Now my fur is coarser, yet still soft. They love to pet me! I like it too!

A cute thing I do… when I am hungry I walk around the house with my dish in my mouth. They all get a big kick out of it AND it gets me food

I got a new den last night. The family went out and came home with one more my size. They put in my comfy blanket and chew toys and bone… Ah, its great to be home!
WOOF!

It has been a LONG 5 days. I have been after my incisions for days. Today the redness subsided and the stitches look good so Mom tried me without the E collar. I did good. It was nice to be able to clean myself up good. The swelling has gone way down and it isnt bothering me as much now. Dad commented today on how much calmer I seem. Mom noticed it too… though benefits of castration arent supposed to be seen so fast. She hopes I am not getting sick or infection. But I feel fine… really.

Tonight my littlest boy fell asleep on the floor. I snuggled up to him and rolled on my back with my head on his bottom. I fell asleep too. Mom wanted to get up to capture the moment on film, but she knew I would wake up and move… which I did when my bigger boy came in the room. Ah domestic bliss!

One bummer about the storms we have been having is that my graduation puppy class kept getting postponed. Wouldnt you know it, it was last night. But Mom wasnt feeling well due to a virus and I was still itchy and annoyed with my e collar so we never made it to class. All that hard work and we missed the big moment! Oh well I guess. I hope Mom gets us into another class. I like going to school!

Well today was my big day. We went for a long ride to the vet. I didn’t know what was up and I am glad they didn’t tell me! They put me up on a table and Dr. Jody gave me a shot. I got a little woozy. Then they gave me an IV in a little while. The next thing I remember I was waking up in a metal cage with lots of other dogs around. Today I was neutered and had my umbilical hernia repaired! Boy and I sore and itchy. I just want to get at those incisions and lick lick chew chew. Mom knew this about me and fitted me with an Elizabethan collar right off the bat. She stayed with me for the surgery and helped out a bit. This used to be her job after all.
She took me home 2 hours later. I was actually able to walk out of the animal hospital. I spent the rest of the day in my bed all cozy. I was also given a Home Again microchip. So now if I ever get lost and turn up in rescue or a shelter they will know who I am and how to find my family! Long day… ooh, ah. Sore belly.

By the way… I gained 10 pounds in exactly 1 month! I weighed 42 pounds today! Wow. I am growing fast!

Yesterday I was out on the back deck all alone. Dozer was inside. When all of a sudden I heard the gate open. I was so scared… I decided to growl and carry on to scare whoever it was away. I went over barking and was surprised to hear a very deep growly voice come out of me! I sounded much bigger than I am. I came around the corner of the house and saw that it was Dad with a big bag of birdseed. I went running over to him. But when he put the bag down and it crinkled it scared me! I ran away wimpering! Ok so Im not quite brave just yet!
Tomorrow night is my graduation from puppy class! Mom says I still dont have enough manners yet so we are going to go to another class next month. I cant wait!

Today I lost my first Canine tooth on the bottom. The other 3 are loose and really bugging me. I wish they would just fall out. I am chewing extra hard on my bone but no luck. Maybe tomorrow.
We went for a ride to the vet yeserday. I weigh 32.5 pounds!
I am lanky now and long in the hind legs. I change a little bit just about every week.

Oh my, I was sooo sick all weekend. My tummy could not take the turkey. It was NOT pretty!

Today was a COLD day here in Massachusetts. I went for a walk with Mom today in the woods, just the two of us. It was fun. We found some skunk tracks… but luckily, no skunk. Then when we got home I got a BATH. For dinner we had Turkey! YUMMY! It was a good day.

It seems distraction is my middle name lately. I think it is the testosterone surges making me lose it. I had class tonight and I could not concentrate at all. It was very hard to sit still and I just kept chewing on my leash. I enjoyed it while we worked, and I had to focus, but in the down time I was ANTSY!

I have also been feeling pretty bossy lately. I try to dominate Dozer all day long and now I am starting to try to tower over and make the boys submit. Mom isnt having any of that though… so I better behave myself. Mom has been talking of getting me neutered sooner than December 30 if this keeps up.

I am also teething big time! I am getting a molar and my mouth HURTS. Mom gave me a new bone to chew today, that helps a little bit.

I am starting to get D. O. again. So it looks like I am going to be on the weekly bathing plan. Good thing we have our new tub!

Tonight for the first time I did it! I jumped up into the van ALL BY MYSELF!!! Yahoo!!! AND I ride without any whining now. In fact, I like the car these days!

Dad is working on an addition to my website. Stay tuned for a new photo gallery all about ME!!!

This weekends field trip was observing flyball. We went this evening and met Grandma’s friend Marie and her dog Suzie a black lab who are old hands at it. It was very very noisy there and we watched some Border Collies, a Lab and Jack Russel go through the paces practicing. It looked very fast paced. Those dogs ran like BULLETS! It looked like fun and I liked the way the tennis ball felt in my mouth. I had fun playing with Suzie and getting out of the house for a bit.
Mom thinks we are going to hold off on Flyball though and concentrate on getting me to be a good citizen!

At least we got to see what it was about and learn something new. Thats what life is right? New experiences.
There is so much out there for an Aussie to do with their people. Life is great!
I have decided that my people are pretty cool. I like living in this house and with this family. The more time I get to spend with them now that I dont pee in the house… the closer we become.
My favorite thing these days is curling up at Moms feet with my chewie while she does her email, or updates my website.

AHHH. Life is good!

Today we tried my new pinch collar. Mom always said she would never use one, but I have been pulling and pulling so hard that walks are just NO fun for either of us. So now with my instructors help I was fitted for it and Mom shown how to use it. Withthis collar I am reminded not to pull. Tonights walk was 90% better than they have been. I dont mind the collar too much. It is just a little pressure on my neck… not prickly like it looks like it would be.

I really like working in class and Mom so far has just used it on me for our walks until I can learn to walk politely.

By the way, Mom weighed me today. She was shocked to see I am 30 pounds now!!!

Tonight at puppy class I was sooo excited! In walked another Aussie. He is a blue merle just like me! His name is Chester and he was born 2 days after I was!!! Oh boy oh boy! We got along well during class. Maybe Mom will set up a playdate for ME! If I had a tail I would wag it really fast!

Today Mom and I got in the car again and went for a long ride to Seekonk, Massachusetts. There the Australian Shepherd Club of New England was holding their Cranberry Classic show. Unfortunately, we missed the obedience trials that were held in the morning. But we got to see some of the conformation. There were so many Aussie’s there I lost count! They were BEAUTIFUL and quite a few looked like my MOMMY! The people there were friendly and we sat and chatted with a few. A few people thought I was a good looking boy and asked where I came from. It was a fun time… but a little challenging for me to be on my best behavior for almost 2 hours! I was a good boy though and got lots of treats and hugs for it. When we got home Mom and Dad put me up on the table and took my 4 month pictures. Both sides and my face just so we can remember how lanky and awkward I look now. Seeing all those Aussies today made Mom anxious to see what my adult coat is going to look like.

When we went inside we found out what that man brought. It was Mommy’s Christmas gift that came early. A new Doggy Bathtub!
So that means that I will be smelling fresh and clean alot more. Mom will also save lots of money not having to spend 60-70 dollars each time she gets Dozer groomed!!! He is a big hairy guy and it seems to cost lots to get him smelling pretty. So she plans on creating her own grooming room in the basement! That will be awesome.
The last time she bathed me upstairs in the tub the bathroom smelled like me for a week. Daddy didn’t like that AT ALL.

Wow!!! I could not believe my eyes when I walked out the deck door this morning! The world turned WHITE over night. It was like someone dumped a bunch of ice cubes out in my yard. It was sooo cold on my toes that I did not want to go out at first… I peed on the deck… I couldn’t help it. I really had to GO but I was afraid to go down the stairs with the white stuff on them. Finally Dozer woke up and came outside with me. He showed me that it was easy and ok and nothing bad was going to happen to my feet. I went down and whew… felt much better after!
My bigger boy came out with me later in the morning and we had a bunch of fun. He was rolling this snowball around… Im not sure why… but I kept jumping on it and crushing it. He got so mad that he would chase me! I ran and ran and he chased and chased until we both fell in the snow. He was laughing and petting me. It was great! I even stole the carrot he was sticking in the snowball! WOOF!
I think I am getting the hang of this sit/stay thing too. It is hard, oh sooo hard and I just get all trembly and woo woo woo but I am able to stay sitting for about 12 seconds now. My teacher wants me to be able to stay for 30 seconds or so… but I don’t know. We will see how I do tomorrow.
The main thing I want these days is to CHEW anything and everything all the time. My teeth are coming in. I have my 4 top incisors and 2 bottom ones. I even chewed the wood in the kitchen when Mom was doing laundry downstairs. She was not happy about that and I got yelled at. But I just can’t help it. Today, Mom got me a rawhide, though she doesn’t like to give those to her dogs because they have caused stomach troubles in the past. I LOVED it and it took me over 2 hours to chew it up. Maybe if I don’t throw up I will get another one tomorrow!
Today the Fed Ex man came and Dozer and I took off. Dozer kept going… but when I heard Mom call me I turned and ran as fast as I could to her and sat right in front of her like I do in class. She was sooo happy!!! She scratched me all over! I love my Mommy.
By the way today I weigh 30 pounds!!! You should have seen Mom trying ot weigh me on her Dr. type scale! What WAS she thinking!

Did I mention that I am pretty much housetrained now? I have not had any type of accident in about 1 month! Mom is starting to trust me a little more in the family room on the rug. Now I just have to learn to keep the kids toys out of my mouth! I love to run around the room with a prize in my mouth and watch as everyone jumps up to get it from me. It is like a game! I’m sure they will figure this out soon enough, but for now…. you’re it!

I have been trying really hard at my homework, but I am still having that problem when my paws touch the open road. I just want to LEAD!!! Mom is really getting annoyed at that and is thinking I might not be able to go for walks anymore until I GET IT. She is also talking to me about that day next month when my life is going to change. Something about a surgery and calming me down! She calls it Testoerone be gone day! Maybe that will help with my walking problem. Maybe not…

One thing that Mom thinks is really good. I come to her EVERY time she calls me. WITHOUT fail. That is a good skill to have she says.

That LONG ride again. I was more used to it this week though. We sat in a different seat this week. I was pretty restless at first but I settled down as the class went on. Tonight we learned to sit and stay and to come when called in a polite way. I did really well with the come and stay. Mom was very happy about that. The sit is easy, but the stay is soooo hard! We are going to have to work on that.
The instructor of the class (Jenny) it turns out is a lady Mom used to know when she worked at Warren Animal Hospital years ago. She told the class that Mom used to work for many years as a Veterinary Technician and could tell them the importance of having a dog under control. This as I was not at my best and wandering around the chair! Mom was a little embarassed at that, but after all, that IS why we are here. Some of the people at my school think I am a cute boy! More homework… oh goodie! More treats!!!

If there is one thing that Aussies are its BUSY! Idle paws are the devils workshop don’t you know? So I try to keep myself occupied when Mom and the boys are too busy to entertain me. I have made up some pretty cool games all by myself. Mom gets a kick out of these.

Swing tag…. this is one of my favorites that I play just about every day. I take the strap that hangs from the toddler swing on the swingset and tug it as far as I can… then I let it go and chase it back and forth as it swings trying the whole time not to get wacked in the head. Dozer my K9 brother just watches me like I’m silly.

Bobbing for Raquet balls! I take my little blue ball and drop it into our BIG bowl of water and then try to get it out with my mouth, and sometimes my paws. This is alot of fun!!!

Fetch… yes, I throw the ball up in the air and chase it wherever it lands! Not quite as fun as playing with a human, but it keeps me busy for a good 5 - 10 minutes at a time!

Tackle! I need Dozer for this, and boy does he hate it. It includes chewing on his tale which makes him whine with annoyance. Now that I am getting bigger he is easy for me to knock down.

Sandpail hockey… This is great fun. I need frost or ice on the deck to start with. Then I take a pail from the sandbox and bring it on the deck. Then I push it around with my nose and kick it with my feet. Before I know it I am running in circles skidding on the slippery deck after this pail… FUN FUN FUN!!!

Dig Dig Dig…. Mom lets me dig in the sand only. I dig under the deck and in the sandbox when my boys are in there playing. Not only is it great fun, I get to get totally filthy doing it!

So you see… I am smarter than your average dog! Keep this in mind if you are planning on getting an Aussie puppy! We are an intriguing breed.