Thursday, September 28, 2006
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Betel at 6 months and Orion at 5 1/2 months (and Odin at 7 years and 4 months)
Blogger won't post the pictures.
Today I was doing stuff around the house, and Betel apparently thought I wasn't paying attention because he went and sat on the bed - the one forbidden zone.
Stampy hurt his leg hiking on Saturday and has been gimpy ever since. It got a little better, but I can still hear that he's off, and when he moves around too much, it gets more obviously lame. When he is going to sleep, he likes to walk around and paw at the couch, dog bed, or crate - whatever he's in - before he curls up. It's funny. Betel doesn't do it. He also likes to get up every morning around 5:45 am and have a snack before he finishes sleeping. He is eating a TON of food, so I think he must get hungry during the night.
Betel is a late raiser, like his big brother, but then once he's up, he's wide awake.
I'll try the pictures again, one at a time.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
If Betel were human, he'd play the pots in the kitchen
He is SO rambunctious.
I can't do their weights anymore because I can't lift them and then look over to see the number on the scale. And they are too big and squirmy to sit in one tiny little scale spot. So now we'll just have to be surprised when they go to the vet (which I hope is never). I remember there was a phase where I was sneaking Odin into banks to weigh him on their scale.
Orion is eating about 15 cups of food a day. Sometimes he doesn't quite finish. Betel is eating about 12, maybe a cup or so less. In comparison, Odin eats 3.
They have also learned how to blast the door open with their bodies. First, I found Orion out in the living room when I got home at lunch, while Betel was inside the dog room with the gate up. Then they were both in the living room and the gate was down. So I started putting the gate up, and cracking the door open but holding it with weights. That has worked so far while they're both in there, but then I started taking them on walks one at a time (more on this in a minute), and they don't like being left alone. Even with the door shut and 20 pounds of weights stacked against it, they can blast it open and open it far enough to get out. The only way I can keep them in there is if I pull the treadmill in front of the door to hold it shut. I don't want to have to shut that door all the way because it's also the cat door. But the cats don't come in much anymore.
Speaking of the cats, each morning when I take Betel on his walk, all three are following me. I haven't worked up the nerve to go all the way around the block because I'm worried they would get scared and go into the evil neighbors yard and get trapped. Now only Bella wears a collar because Echo takes them off within 24 hours and I lost all the spares. Echo is almost impossible to catch now, and I see them two or three houses down. I feel like the neighborhood nut with all the animals - the Pied Piper, but harried - but at least there's the crazy neighbor who's nuttier than me.
The room that Watanabe sprayed in smells so awful (it is the dog room). I can hardly bear to go into it, and I don't know what to do about it. If I pay to get it fixed, he might just spray on it again. The carpet is getting all worn down, and they have done a tiny amount of damage to that door when they blast against it. Thank god I am not renting.
Finally, Orion was awful in obedience last week. For our third class we worked on the same: sit, down, stay, leave it, and walking on a loose leash. We just made each one a little harder. We played puppy poker first, where we walk around and when the music stops you have 3 seconds to sit on a card. Orion only got 2 cards out of 5 chances because he would not stop trying to figure out where Betel was. The instructor said the problem with two puppies is they bond together, and Orion is bonded to Betel, so he could care less about what I'm telling him to do. So now I've instituted a new, rigorous schedule where they eat separate, go on separate walks, and do very separate obedience. She said that should be enough, that I don't need to separate them all day. He already seems to be responding better. But it's very time consuming.
Odin has been sneezing and coughing a lot. Betel got over his sneeze he had after being boarded, and I don't know if Odin is having a delayed reaction (it looks like kennel cough from my dog book), or if it is a heart thing. One sign of heart failure is a lot of sneezing and coughing, especially after going to bed. I guess because you're asleep on your heart and the weight? He has been doing it a lot in bed, so I am going to watch him a couple more days, then take him to the vet. He still has that lump on his tail too.
I can't do their weights anymore because I can't lift them and then look over to see the number on the scale. And they are too big and squirmy to sit in one tiny little scale spot. So now we'll just have to be surprised when they go to the vet (which I hope is never). I remember there was a phase where I was sneaking Odin into banks to weigh him on their scale.
Orion is eating about 15 cups of food a day. Sometimes he doesn't quite finish. Betel is eating about 12, maybe a cup or so less. In comparison, Odin eats 3.
They have also learned how to blast the door open with their bodies. First, I found Orion out in the living room when I got home at lunch, while Betel was inside the dog room with the gate up. Then they were both in the living room and the gate was down. So I started putting the gate up, and cracking the door open but holding it with weights. That has worked so far while they're both in there, but then I started taking them on walks one at a time (more on this in a minute), and they don't like being left alone. Even with the door shut and 20 pounds of weights stacked against it, they can blast it open and open it far enough to get out. The only way I can keep them in there is if I pull the treadmill in front of the door to hold it shut. I don't want to have to shut that door all the way because it's also the cat door. But the cats don't come in much anymore.
Speaking of the cats, each morning when I take Betel on his walk, all three are following me. I haven't worked up the nerve to go all the way around the block because I'm worried they would get scared and go into the evil neighbors yard and get trapped. Now only Bella wears a collar because Echo takes them off within 24 hours and I lost all the spares. Echo is almost impossible to catch now, and I see them two or three houses down. I feel like the neighborhood nut with all the animals - the Pied Piper, but harried - but at least there's the crazy neighbor who's nuttier than me.
The room that Watanabe sprayed in smells so awful (it is the dog room). I can hardly bear to go into it, and I don't know what to do about it. If I pay to get it fixed, he might just spray on it again. The carpet is getting all worn down, and they have done a tiny amount of damage to that door when they blast against it. Thank god I am not renting.
Finally, Orion was awful in obedience last week. For our third class we worked on the same: sit, down, stay, leave it, and walking on a loose leash. We just made each one a little harder. We played puppy poker first, where we walk around and when the music stops you have 3 seconds to sit on a card. Orion only got 2 cards out of 5 chances because he would not stop trying to figure out where Betel was. The instructor said the problem with two puppies is they bond together, and Orion is bonded to Betel, so he could care less about what I'm telling him to do. So now I've instituted a new, rigorous schedule where they eat separate, go on separate walks, and do very separate obedience. She said that should be enough, that I don't need to separate them all day. He already seems to be responding better. But it's very time consuming.
Odin has been sneezing and coughing a lot. Betel got over his sneeze he had after being boarded, and I don't know if Odin is having a delayed reaction (it looks like kennel cough from my dog book), or if it is a heart thing. One sign of heart failure is a lot of sneezing and coughing, especially after going to bed. I guess because you're asleep on your heart and the weight? He has been doing it a lot in bed, so I am going to watch him a couple more days, then take him to the vet. He still has that lump on his tail too.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Link to about 196 of Judith's best photos (about 1/5 of her set)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexheimer/sets/72157594247246876/
1st set of photos from Judith's 1st CD
Never mind, blogger is lame. I'll see if I can get a link to Judith's Flickr account.
I am a negligent blogger - 12 days and no photos!
Things have just been busy, so here's the scoop in a nutshell:
1. Betel does a heli-tail when he's excited, just like Odin used to do.
2. Last week in obedience we worked on: sit, down, up (back into a sit), stay, leave it, and walking on a loose leash. The boys were much better than the first week.
3. Orion has been kind of clingy to Betel, especially in obedience. He wants to be wherever Betel is, while Betel seems to care less about Orion, unless he's bored, then he wants to chew on Orion's face. Another person in the class suggested that we put Bitter Apple on Orion's cheeks to stop Betel's chewing.
4. Odin has pooped in the bed a bunch more times. We put a waterproof cover on it for the upcoming pee in the bed. Apparently, old dogs just get incontinent and when they are relaxed (warm and sleeping), they let loose. Poor O.
5. We brought home a stray cat from our friends' wedding. It was in the parking lot of the Motel 6 and so it's been living in the spare bedroom, eating fabulous meals (torn up meat, squishy food, soaked cat food), and he got the heat before anyone else in the house did. Unfortunately, after a week of "fattening" him up (he didn't really get fatter, but he got livelier), I brought him to the vet today and he has feline AIDS. I was going to put him down, which I cried and cried about, even though I refused to name him, because I suspected this would be the case, but then a miracle happened and one of the vet techs with no cats said she'd foster him until she can find him a cat-free home. He was such a sweet cat. He pooped on the floor a lot, but he was still sweet.
6. The dogs spent the wedding weekend at Fido's Farm. They seemed really happy, and a special bonus for us, tired, when we picked them up. It was anxiety-inducing for me though to leave them there.
7. Betel had a bit of a cold (he kept sneezing) when he came back, but it cleared up after a couple days.
8. Both puppies have been having trouble with "down." I don't know what the problem is. They used to know it, then they just forgot. They can do sit, stay, and leave it, but look at me blankly when I say "down."
9. Betel has been giving me the affectionate nibble that is a lot like a flea bite.
10. I haven't been weighing them or taking any photos. I'm going to post some of Judith's top photos from a few weeks ago over the next few days.
I think that Betel is now 5 months old which makes Orion 4 1/2 months old.
1. Betel does a heli-tail when he's excited, just like Odin used to do.
2. Last week in obedience we worked on: sit, down, up (back into a sit), stay, leave it, and walking on a loose leash. The boys were much better than the first week.
3. Orion has been kind of clingy to Betel, especially in obedience. He wants to be wherever Betel is, while Betel seems to care less about Orion, unless he's bored, then he wants to chew on Orion's face. Another person in the class suggested that we put Bitter Apple on Orion's cheeks to stop Betel's chewing.
4. Odin has pooped in the bed a bunch more times. We put a waterproof cover on it for the upcoming pee in the bed. Apparently, old dogs just get incontinent and when they are relaxed (warm and sleeping), they let loose. Poor O.
5. We brought home a stray cat from our friends' wedding. It was in the parking lot of the Motel 6 and so it's been living in the spare bedroom, eating fabulous meals (torn up meat, squishy food, soaked cat food), and he got the heat before anyone else in the house did. Unfortunately, after a week of "fattening" him up (he didn't really get fatter, but he got livelier), I brought him to the vet today and he has feline AIDS. I was going to put him down, which I cried and cried about, even though I refused to name him, because I suspected this would be the case, but then a miracle happened and one of the vet techs with no cats said she'd foster him until she can find him a cat-free home. He was such a sweet cat. He pooped on the floor a lot, but he was still sweet.
6. The dogs spent the wedding weekend at Fido's Farm. They seemed really happy, and a special bonus for us, tired, when we picked them up. It was anxiety-inducing for me though to leave them there.
7. Betel had a bit of a cold (he kept sneezing) when he came back, but it cleared up after a couple days.
8. Both puppies have been having trouble with "down." I don't know what the problem is. They used to know it, then they just forgot. They can do sit, stay, and leave it, but look at me blankly when I say "down."
9. Betel has been giving me the affectionate nibble that is a lot like a flea bite.
10. I haven't been weighing them or taking any photos. I'm going to post some of Judith's top photos from a few weeks ago over the next few days.
I think that Betel is now 5 months old which makes Orion 4 1/2 months old.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Bird's Eye View
Last night I caught Orion getting on the bed next to Odin. Today I caught Betel on the bed next to Odin twice, and once on the bed in the spare room. hmmmm.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
1st Night of Beginner Obedience
Well, within the first 20 minutes Betel had scared another dog into peeing on the floor and lept around pawing at the instructor when she tried to demonstrate how to walk on a loose leash. She had to show us the "emergency" method for wrapping the leash around his leg so he couldn't jump up so high. Kevin and I both hung our heads in shame. At one point I started laughing out loud because he was far and away the worst dog in the class.
Orion was his sweet, mellow self, which begets a chicken and egg question. Was Odin so good because he is Odin? Or was he so good because I made him good? I spent a lot more time with him and was far more strict with him when he was young. But I've always attributed his "goodness" to being dumb.
We worked on looking at us, catching and grabbing by the collar when loose and playing (Betel couldn't handle this), sit, down, walking on a loose leash, and come. Our homework is to do all those this week and next week we will also work on stay and maybe some outside walking on a loose leash.
She said to bring in our Halti for Betel because it should adjust to fit him and he needs it. They are also both mouthy, and she said to not let them have the treat until they're gentle. She used "easy."
There's certainly plenty of room to win "most improved" this session.
Orion was his sweet, mellow self, which begets a chicken and egg question. Was Odin so good because he is Odin? Or was he so good because I made him good? I spent a lot more time with him and was far more strict with him when he was young. But I've always attributed his "goodness" to being dumb.
We worked on looking at us, catching and grabbing by the collar when loose and playing (Betel couldn't handle this), sit, down, walking on a loose leash, and come. Our homework is to do all those this week and next week we will also work on stay and maybe some outside walking on a loose leash.
She said to bring in our Halti for Betel because it should adjust to fit him and he needs it. They are also both mouthy, and she said to not let them have the treat until they're gentle. She used "easy."
There's certainly plenty of room to win "most improved" this session.
Tonight we start Beginner Obedience
The other fascinating observations I had about our Labor Day weekend was that Kevin made up a couple new nicknames: Scarface for Betel and Noodle for Orion. Betel is covered with little scabs and scrapes from playing, and Orion gets sleepy and just goes limp. They both got their ears really dirty from all the dust.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Puppies' first camping trip
We went down to Kevin's property in Oregon and the puppies spent their first two nights in tents. They did really well, not even being $6 million dollar dogs when the coyotes were howling.
The back of Sea Squirt (aka Peppermint Patty) was filled with dogs, but they behaved really well - especially Saturday when they hadn't had much playtime before we hit the road. Travel time was a lot longer because we had to stop every few hours for bathroom, food, or water breaks. It was really hot and they had a bit of a hard time in the back.
They did well on our two "hikes", which were really just walking around. Betel has a lot more energy than the other two. Orion's tail is really long. We had more observations, but I'm too tired now.
I'll try to post pictures, but it might need to be in the a.m. Pictures seem to post better then.
The back of Sea Squirt (aka Peppermint Patty) was filled with dogs, but they behaved really well - especially Saturday when they hadn't had much playtime before we hit the road. Travel time was a lot longer because we had to stop every few hours for bathroom, food, or water breaks. It was really hot and they had a bit of a hard time in the back.
They did well on our two "hikes", which were really just walking around. Betel has a lot more energy than the other two. Orion's tail is really long. We had more observations, but I'm too tired now.
I'll try to post pictures, but it might need to be in the a.m. Pictures seem to post better then.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Betelgeuse
In a "Short History of Nearly Everything", Bill Bryson writes, "The nearest likely candidate [for a supernova] ... is Betelgeuse, whose various sputterings have for years suggested that something interestingly unstable is going on there."
Here, too.
Here, too.
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