Toys and their spaces

For every plaything, there is a "spot".  Ember has decided that cardboard tubes mommy gives her to chew to destruction should be played with in this spot.  Different toys are for the staircase, or the cat tree, the TV room, or the parlor... and of course, there are special toys for outside!

Bunny goes in the crate or in the car as a comfort toy.  I find it endearing that in the morning or after a nap, as soon as we come back inside from our potty opportunity, Ember "rescues" bunny from the den, and takes him to whatever room she (or Mommy) has chosen to play in.

Thursday was a good day!  No overnight accidents, Mommy found the overnight poos to clean up, got a little yard cleanup done, with Emmy's help, and stopped before demon puppy came out in her.

She is responding to "let go" command better, along with a treat.  When she has hold of your wrist, and you try to pick her up with your other hand, you're asking to start a dog fight.  She doesn't know what else to do! 

I managed to be calmer in issuing "let go", and offered the treat right away, as a trade:  you let go, you get the treat.  Also, I reintroduced the house lead.  I had let her off it for a couple of days, but that left me with fewer options in getting her calmed down.  She's getting to be a bit big for the scoop a puppy and get her to listen to mommy's heartbeat, so we've moved on to treat swap.  Wouldn't you rather have a treat than feel scared and fight?

No broken skin or blood today!  A calmer puppy, who took a nap by the couch while mommy nodded off in the chair in the photo in the 3 p.m. hour.

Today's adventures included attempting to get her into her new harness, and discovering she may still be a bit small for it.  It's a size medium that purports to be for dogs 26-44 pounds, and I haven't tried to weigh her since that last vet visit, when she came in at 23.4 pounds.  Soon, though.  I managed to get in on her and buckled, but she could still grab the chest strap with her teeth.  I called it a success, unbuckled, praised her when she "let go", and we'll keep trying as appropriate.

I have also acquired a puppy life vest in the hopes of getting her to get on a kayak with me sometime this summer, but the first attempt at sizing it onto her was not successful (this was before the vest arrived), and I have put it away for now.  The harness is a higher priority.

Another adventure was a short car ride to the gas station.  Ember had not been through this exercise with me, anyway.  That was really why I wanted to get her in the vest:  for the car ride, to see if it helped her stay calmer?  Another day, another adventure.  With a little one, patience and repetition will lead to eventual success. 

Life is still good.  Spark on!