Saturday morning naughty puppy

 

Don't know if it's visible to anyone else, but this is my outdoor unit of the central air... can you see where the puppy tore at the rubber and tape?  Copper conduit pipe is showing.  So I had to reach back in there, grab her by the scruff of the neck and pull her away.  I wonder if anyone could install perhaps a chain link barrier for all the places that enter the house?  Around the AC unit?  Or will she learn before she gets fried or disables something vital to my home?

So, after that episode, and making her spit out the rubber stuff, she is in her den until Mommy recovers.  Will I survive to her adulthood, I wonder?

Meanwhile, basking in his status as the best-behaved animal in the house (including Mommy), is The Prisoner.  

Pretty weather this Saturday morning.  Ember is supposed to go meet cousin Carl in his yard for playtime at noon.  I am picking times to avoid traffic around Memorial Stadium which is on my route from my house to my son's place.  The Spring Red/White football game kicks off at 11 a.m., and another round of severe weather is due through here about 3 p.m.

Addendum, post visit to Carl's yard

I loaded Ember into her "den" in the back of the car, and messaged my son we were ready to start.  He messaged back about the Spring Game, and I told him I already thought about that.  But then I was delayed for a while because Ember while going through the garage had used her sharp puppy teeth on the HUGE bag of her puppy food, tearing a hole in it.  I had to schlep that big bag into the house, pour about half of it into the puppy food safe, and tape up the hole for later use.  Then I messaged the son that we were only just leaving the garage now (20 minutes later) and coming the long way around because of the football game.

We arrived a little after noon, and Carl was most generous about sharing his yard for playtime.  He was fine with Ember sharing his water dish, too.  He didn't even bat an eye when the puppy stole some of his most recent meal, remaining in his dish.  He did, however, insist that HE was still his daddy's puppy!  

Despite the obvious size difference, they raced and tumbled around the yard, shared attention between the two humans.  Ember got a little anxious when I left the yard to go organize the car, but she was soon distracted by play.  When I came back into the yard, she ran to greet me, glad I hadn't abandoned her for keeps!

After not quite an hour of this, Carl was showing signs of being tired, as was Ember, and we called it a day.

One big revelation was that Ember gets car sick on trips longer than the few blocks to Puppy Class or to the vet.  She tossed her tummy contents both ways.  I thought of LeanJean6 and her Big Beau, who was car-sick so much when he was young.

When we got home, I wrapped my poor baby in a towel on the deck while I cleaned out the crate, then used some waterless dog shampoo to clean her up and cuddled her while apologizing for her having an upset tummy.  She fell asleep in my arms, and I tucked her back into the cleaned-up den.

And only then did I claim a shower for myself, just as the next line of thunder boomers arrived.  I understand that Carl crashed on the floor after we left as well.  And this is why we do play dates... tired puppy (or dog) is a happy one.

Life is good.  Keep on Sparking!

Wet Friday

The overnight was "interesting" balancing cat, dog, and weather.  It looks to be a very drippy Friday, and more showers are predicted over the weekend.  Clearly the cat doesn't feel safe in the sight / hearing of the puppy, but they aren't at constant war, either.  We have carved out a safe space for kitty in the laundry room and attached crawl space.

The Prisoner's bed space is under my hang to dry rack where I air-dry my delicate things.  It is lined with "his" comforter and blankie.

The Prisoner's feeding space.  You'll have to imagine the breakfast (wet food) bowl because he already licked the platter clean, and I took it upstairs to wash.  I have to remember to watch my step when doing laundry now.

You know what a standard litter box looks like; it's off the same room.  I would say that The Prisoner now has a luxury "safe space", just as Ember has her own "den".

Anyway, I've been picking times when it isn't actively raining to get Ember out for some exercise.  I took advantage of one of her puppy naps (I stretched it to two hours) to go get groceries.  I have started letting her take one of her stuffed but OK to chew toys into her den with her. It seems to be a comfort to her to have Snaky or Monkey with her in that safe space, and she hasn't destroyed them.  I am keeping a close eye... the den is for quiet times, not fierce exercise times.

Got her up from her nap and we went on a "big girl leash" walk, all the way around the block.  We returned to the house and did a perimeter check of the backyard and a little game of chase the ball before coming back in for another nap in her den.  About 2 p.m. we were out on the deck and the big outdoor tornado sirens blared... I closed the door and pondered over whether the schools were running a drill... but no, it's for real, a warning lasting until 3 that covers the Western half of our metro area.  Carl, who is freaked out by t storms is in the warned area... hoping he's OK.

The Prisoner asked to come in after I got Ember back settled, so he was down in his kitty luxury suite... safest area of the house.  I woke Ember long enough to shuffle her den to the family room (next lower level) with me.  And we watched the storm coverage on the local TV.  It was scary, as there actually were some funnels touch down in nearby areas.  Still not known how much damage, and there was hail on my son's side of town, but the important bit is that all the people and animals are OK.

One of my nieces lost the screen door to her porch.  My son will probably have his roof checked for possible hail damage... but at my house?  Wind and a very little bit of rain... no hail, no funnels, as the line of storms passed to the west and north of me.

After supper I took Ember out in the back yard for some ball chasing, since her afternoon play time was interfered with by the severe weather stuff.  Now she's in her safe place again, and I'm getting ready for bed.

Life is good.  Keep Sparking!

Ember growth compared to Auntie Alicia

First photo with Auntie Alicia, April 3rd, 2024.  Ember looks so tiny!

Three weeks later, sprawling under Auntie Alicia's feet in the back yard.  April 24, 2024.

But when Auntie Alicia stands up, Ember still looks pretty small, just not AS small as three weeks ago.  Gaining weight as she grows, the vet's scale said 23.4 pounds.

We continue to work on puppy lessons (no surprise there), but we have only one more appointment for puppy shots.  Various theories of when to spay versus lifetime risks for disease were discussed with the vet.

Thursday it was chilly and rainy outside, and I forget just what Ember did to need a quiet time at 7 a.m., but it was something.  I think it was her usual morning puppy Zoomies plus teeth, so I put her in for a puppy nap, while I took a Mommy minute.  About that time, my trainer messaged me that another client had cancelled, so could I start my warmup at 9 a.m.

Consequently, between taking the time to get ready and go, the workout, and come home, Ember was in for longer than some days.  But she does get used to it.  

Meanwhile, the woodpecker...

Here he is, poking his head and beak out of the hole he has expanded!  Yikes!

I had the call in to Ace Handyman Services.  Turns out they are an extension of Ace Hardware, use all employees, no sub-contractors.  They called me back while I was mid-workout, but my little Google Pixel Watch connects to my phone, and I was like Dick Tracy of old with the wrist radios, talking to their admin while I was doing my lunges.  

Anyway, she checked with their craftsman and the craftsman said yes, he could do this (I estimated about 10 spots that need reinforcing).  She gave me both a time and dollar estimate: 3 - 4 hours, and at the outside $500.  Worth it to save my wiring and maybe restore some of the insulation this dude dropped onto my patio!  He is coming Monday around mid-day.

It got all wet and yucky in the rain, and I picked up some of it, and left other parts of it, cautioning Ember to "leave the yuckies".  She did pretty well about that... it must not taste good, that insulation, and even seems to be learning "spit it out" as a phrase, related to things that are not food.

I have five more days to live with pounding on the walls to try to deter the woodpecker, but I'm pretty sure he's not bothered by a few loud noises.

The day went on.  I got Ember out for some great games of "chase the ball" alternating 3 balls that aren't the kind that get soggy.  I waited it out during a break in the showers until she did her business.

We came in for an early supper, and once well fed, Ember started to tire out, and laid at my feet in the kitchen while I put a yam in to bake.  I gave her a couple bits of my afternoon snack apple, and she seemed to like that.

About 3:45, she voluntarily went into her den, without my even suggesting it, coming out for a quick cuddle so I could release her from the house line.  When the tired puppy sleeps gently in your arms... well, whatever they did in the day is forgiven!

Life is good.  Spark on!

Prisoner never was a fan of the cat-tree anyway

 But Ember has decided it is an excellent place to stash her toy treasure trove.  She hides them in the lower level!

I had moved the cat-tree to the garage but when it wasn't there, she got in worse trouble with other distractions.  Since Prisoner has never been a fan of the cat-tree, I made the executive decision to sacrifice it to Ember's growing pains.

The joys and challenges of puppy training!  

Wednesday's start

We made it through another night, and it's Ember's second visit to her local veterinarian.  She got her next round of shots, and an appointment for three weeks down the road for the final shots in this series.  She was a very good girl at the vet's office, not nearly as shy as she was the first time there.  They probably spoiled her with the wet dog food they tempted/treated her with.  Once again had confirmation of what I'm doing in training... tempt her away from the no-nos with more attractive "yes" things.  OK, so keep calm and carry on.  

She was drowsy after the vet, so I left her napping and stocked up on things that I hope will help in the weeks ahead... the non-skid water bowls recommended by Susan, the puppy food large bag, some supposedly enzyme cleanup stuff, and some spray-on sealant to see if I can make that PVC repair less Ember-enticing.  

When I came home, though, it was to find that a persistently pesky woodpecker has broken through the sealant that Antonio the handyman put on in 2020, and pulled out enough insulation that Ember of course started picking up to gnaw on.  For the first time, I was able to get her to "show me what's in your mouth" and hook it out with my finger... without getting bit by her sharp little teeth!  Progress!

I have a call in to a handyman service to see if/when they might be able to effect repairs and put preventative measures in place on that side of the house.  If this sounds repetitive (I wrote about the problem before), that round, the bird ended up dead, and not by my hand.  I found its body on the patio.  But this is a new bird!

Oh, well... pesky bird or no... life goes on, and Life is Good!  Keep on Sparking!

Chillin' in the backyard

Chillin' in the backyard on a very blustery Monday.  It wasn't cold, but it was certainly windy.  There were plenty of leaves flying with the wind, tempting Ember to chase them.  I'm sure there were plenty of layers to what she could smell on the breeze, too.  In the end, though, she just wanted to sit and watch the world and listen to the birds sing.  No ball chasing, no puppy zoomies... just chillin'

Monday overnight we got a very minor amount of sky water, and The Prisoner even came in and ate a bit in the shadow of Ember in her "safe space".  Ember passed a good overnight with a potty break at midnight, and a wake up potty outing at 4:45 a.m.  

Tuesday morning

The 5-6:15 time frame was a whirling dervish time that included feeding Ember and feeding the cat.  Looks like the cat is moving to a meal schedule that will match Ember's.  Breakfast was interrupted by play time and she got pretty rambunctious.  I moved her crate back from the kitchen/dining area to the living room/parlor, and she chilled there while I waited for enough daylight to go out for poo-patrol.  Found both from overnight, and she also did her bit while we were out on patrol.

It is trainer day today, so I tried to schedule enough exercise for her to be content in her safe space while I go do that thing.  

Ember had other plans.  She found the two big bags of potting soil that I had put in front of the gaps under the fence, and today, she was not willing to listen to my "leave it".  She started tearing the bags open and digging in the potting soil that spilled.

I had to scoop the puppy up not once, but twice (after playing inside for a while we tried to go out to play again).  After the second puppy retrieval, she pulled her water dish stunt (dump it and drag it into the living room, dripping all the way, then hang on to it like a chew toy).  That did it... Ember went into the crate about 8 a.m. so that Mommy could do clean-up of the minor flood in the dining area.

But as long as I have her started on her morning nap, I went out and did some upping of the blockade.  Hopefully this will hold for a while, and I'll ask Gary (trainer) to go a little easy on me today, as I shifted those cinder blocks a ways to put them there.  Oof!

Now I'm taking a "mommy break" and changing to workout gear.  Also building my shopping list:  

• Water bowl that she can't tip/flip over.
• Enzyme carpet cleaner.
• Next 20 pound bag of her puppy food

Oh, yes, my house may be no cleaner than it was, but it is getting cleaned in pieces more frequently!

I don't know if it's just the posture (not curled up) or if she's growing that fast, but remember I said she was not going to fit in that space for long?  

One more puppy training photo:  her collection of practice items for "let go" / "drop it" command (progress is very slow on this one!)

I did not choose these items, Ember did.  It's a cluttered photo, but it's the shoes that she drags out of the closet when I go to hang up or get out my jacket.  I'm sure she'd go for all the paper products on this shelf, too, if given the chance.

Busy morning!  And I'm off to finish getting ready for the trainer.

Life is good. Spark on!

 

The Cat as Tutor

High from a successful play date with Carl on Saturday, and a good puppy preschool class, Ember was ready to play some more.

Deterred from his normal escape spot by the neighbors running an edging machine on their lawn, The Prisoner was standing his ground on our own deck.

Ember took this as an invitation, and approached, nudging the kitty with her nose.

The cat put up with this for a brief time, but when Ember put herself in the "on top" dominant position for puppy wrestling, Prisoner had had enough.

This is how we played in class for playtime, isn't it, Mom?

At this point, the murder mittens unsheathed the claws, and The Prisoner hissed and swatted.  Puppy yelped, Prisoner jumped to the deck rail, and it was all over except for Mom telling the Prisoner he was a great teacher, and a good kitty.

And of course, comforting the puppy, telling her, "A cat is not the same as a puppy, Little One."

Anniversary Dinner

Puppy did a good job, after all that Sunday activity, holding her organs while Mom dressed, drove across town and enjoyed a lovely dinner with the companionship of the one-year-married now "kids", and my DIL's parents.  We had a nice table in a little nook, and enjoyed an excellent meal.  The plan is for this to be an annual tradition. Good friends, good food, good conversation, leaving the venue with good feelings, hopefully all around!

Ember did well overnight, and when I went down in the midnight hour, she just came out and climbed sleepily in my lap, not wanting to go out at all, so I cuddled and tucked her back in, and she lasted until 3:45 a.m., at which point I got up, and we began the day.  And mommy is tired.

But Life is still good!  Spark on!

Cousin Carl visits Saturday, Puppy Class Sunday

 

After all the drama in the blog from Saturday early morning, several cycles of puppy activity and napping led to a backyard visit from her big cousin Carl.  They wrestled and played in good doggy style.  Turns out Carl is a fine mentor to Ember, on "how to dog".

As usual, Carl's carers gave me the heads up that they would be heading in my direction and the option for whether to have a joint play session.  Of course I said yes!  As they did last Sunday, they wore one another out.

Carl was very patient, but also acted like a parental kind of dog, stopping Ember from doing what he deemed was "not OK" by blocking her way, in some cases.

Both got good and dusty, so it looks like Carl went home to a bath, and then crashed.  Ember did not get a bath, I pretty much just sponge her off if needed, or brush off the dirt.  But similarly, she napped for two hours after the visit.

Sunday morning was her Puppy Preschool.  This weekend they put the two litter mates a couple of stools apart in the class lineup, and that worked better for both of them in terms of focus on the lessons.

I took NO photos during today's class, so that my own focus would be good, too.

I was glad to have confirmation on how I'm trying to train "drop it".  This one's going to take some work, witnessed by the shoe obsession... it's nearly impossible to get her to drop shoes she pulls from the hall closet.

They also had the "conditioning to the vacuum cleaner" as a station, the ball pit, and hurdles and a hoop from agility as the other two stations.  Of course we showed off sit, down, and stand, and puppy push-ups.  I told the trainer that at home we are working on "off", "leave it", as well as "drop it".

On to HUMAN stuff:

This is my son and daughter in law's first wedding anniversary.  Her parents have arranged for an anniversary dinner at the same place we held the wedding dinner.  I am grateful that we don't have to re-live the bone-chilling ceremony part before dinner tonight.  I only have to make sure Ember's in a fit state to stay quietly in her safe space for the two to three hours of dinner.  She's had practice, so I'm pretty confident if she's on a good bathroom schedule through the afternoon we'll be fine.

Here's hoping everyone has a wonderful rest of your Sunday!

Life is good.  Spark on!