X-Pen

 I finally set it up, as a test run.

It's like pitching a tent.  I have set it up in a part of the back yard, on the part that is NOT new sod.  It took me a bit, but I was able to set it up by myself.

I expect I won't go out to Sunday morning's lake gather. It's a 27-minute drive, per Google, for this weekend's planned spot.  Ember might actually be able to handle that, if she's not too full, and is tired enough to just chill out. 

However, at this point, I would want to take the X-Pen along as a place for her to be while the people are doing their thing.  It's new.  She hasn't even tried it out yet.  I haven't even taken it down and measured it for if it would fit in the hatch of the car.  I think we have a few more steps of prep work before taking this tool to a park!

I have left the X-pen in the backyard overnight and plan to introduce Ember to it after our morning walk.  The grass will be wet, it will be cool, etc.

On Saturday, I did the "ice on the deck" thing again after I'd set up the X-pen.  Have to have a way to keep Ember interested and cool enough to focus on the task at hand (pee and poo).  After that was taken care of Ember was content to nap on the cool tile floor for a while.

The peanut butter flavored "teething ring" treat was not in favor for about a week.  Saturday she was OK with it.  How frequently a treat is offered is part of its value.  Which is why things like "tripe", "chicken livers", "venison", etc. become the highest valued rewards in training treats.

Currently, the favored lure for willingly / joyfully entering her crate is whipped cream.  I just squirt about a tablespoon onto her Kong or Pupsickle, that's filled with its regular stuff, put it in the back of the crate, and in she goes!

Whew! Ember demanded a 4th walk Saturday, telling me, effectively, she did not care how hot it was outside, she needed to get out, already!  We walked at 6 a.m., 9:09 a.m., 1:51 p.m., and 5:01 p.m.  I have to be careful to keep these short, because whether she thinks ahead to the availability of fresh, clean water or not, her Mommy does!

The memory card for the camera had arrived by the time we headed out for that 5:01 p.m. walk, so there was a game of "search" the treats on the front porch while mommy saved it from Ember's curiosity!  After the walk, and after Ember went into her "mommy's suppertime" crate time, Mommy looked up the installation instructions for the memory card for that camera, and went downstairs to complete that task!  Yay!  I now have access (should I ever need it) to recordings from both front and back cameras.

Other Saturday Ember activities:  

• grooming the cat until the cat would not take it anymore!
• Playing fetch in the house with mommy
• Turning up our nose at the food puzzle games
• Accepting kibble fed by hand by her mommy, as though she was a little puppy.  Sometimes I think she just wants the comfort of still being "the baby".
• And of course, puppy naps.  They are so important to healthy growth.

Life is Good.  Spark on!

The flexible and creative games we play with our canines

 

I came up with the magic bowl game because Ember stole a broom and dustpan out of my supply spot.

The magic bowl game in action.  It doesn't have to be flat on the ground to be a "magic" bowl.  If it's in any way able to hold a few kibbles, the magic can happen.

But when it's upside down, the bowl has lost its magic, and no more kibble falls into it.

When she's distracted by something else, I put the magic bowl atop the refrigerator, until the next time it's needed.

Also, who needs a formal "tug toy" when you have the dog towels?  These came into play Friday morning when Ember started chewing on the Muddy Mat by the back door.  I swapped her for a towel, made it enticing by playing a little bit of tug, then letting her win.

I found another fragment of baby tooth in the mat by the front door this morning, too.  

Permission to geek out on dog training

Last night as I was getting ready for bed I flipped on a YouTube by Susan Garrett, a Canadian dog trainer with champion agility dogs as her specialty.  In it she said if there was ONE thing you could do to make your training more effective, would you do it?  Well, what would that one thing be, Susan?  My ears perked up when she said, "Most people don't want to do it", and then revealed the big secret:  RECORD KEEPING.

If you want to make much more progress, you must track what's happening, when, the context, etc.  This will help you analyze what might be triggering your dog, and give you a much greater chance of being able to overcome whatever the problem might be.  "Aha!" my geek brain chirps in, "Permission to geek out."

Today I started "Ember's Training Log".  Beware, world, the Geek has been awakened.

Ember can now reach up over the lip of the kitchen sink and look down into it.  Yikes!  And she can reach (easily) the third shelf of the bookcase.  I had cleared the bottom two shelves, but today while my attention was on something other than my puppy... Ember declared herself an atheist.  She pulled a "One Year Bible" off the shelf and began ripping pages out of it.

Oh, well, I wanted a different Bible, anyway.  Of course in the process of "being naughty" (and don't think she doesn't know this is naughty)... she also peed on my carpet (see why I was glad I didn't replace it yet?)

Into the crate she went while I cleaned up both kinds of mess.  Sigh.  She stayed in for a while, and I did other things.

But eventually you have to get her out again.  I took her on a car ride to go pick up a prescription of mine.  When we came home, she spotted a discarded child's toy that someone had left in my yard.  I had moved it into the garage, thinking to donate it somewhere.  Well, Ember was all over that rollable toy.

She dragged it into the living room and treated it like a teething toy.  And as long as one is being naughty... I enticed her away from it with some treat or other, and as she was moving toward the dining room, she just squatted and started to pee!

Dang, girl!  I thought we were past this stage!  I can just imagine her doggy little brain thinking "In for a penny, in for a pound".

Back into the crate, little one!  I left her napping there for an hour or so.

Then I got her up and decided to do "science experiments for puppies" on the back deck.  My goal was to keep her outside until we did BOTH kinds of business!  Enough of this cleaning up after!

I grabbed the box of ice cubes from the freezer, and started putting them in the water bowl on the deck, and for good measure just scattered several of them on the deck floor.

About 1/3 of the deck was shaded at this point in the day, and having the ice there did make a difference.  We did stay out long enough for the stated goal to be realized.

Then we came back inside and played the trainer's version of "fetch" / "wait" / "OK, go get it".  At least as well as Mommy's coordination and Ember's energy level could pull it off.

By 3 p.m. she was tired again and napping on the cool tile floor.  Yes!

Joining the "smart house" world

Pretty much since hanging out with my brother's daughter in 2019 when he passed, I have been acutely aware that I'm behind the times.  Seeing how LeanJean6 (from Spark) / Lakeside Lady (here on Blogger) has all her place wired by her son so her children can monitor how she and her Himself are faring, no matter where said son (the pilot) might have flown, I've wondered about putting something similar here.

I mean, I don't even have a peephole in my front door, and would have to go to the Bay Window to see who's on the porch.  So when the motion sensor light fixture on the back deck failed on me, Bruce the electrician helped me choose a fixture to replace it.

Bruce did not come today to install it, a different Josh came (different from the one that did the tub/shower conversion).  The advantage of getting a different guy to come do the install?  I had the benefit of his assessment of whether he could install the doorbell (with camera) on the front door, too.

So now, I'm wired.  Or my house is.  It wasn't nearly as expensive as I feared it might be.  I was able to "share" my camera views with my son and daughter in law... we shall see how that works.  They have to download the app to access them.

Here I am, accessing the app while standing on the back deck!  I had to order a memory card for this particular camera, but the app lets me "take a photo", and that's how this image was captured.

Side note:  One thing the security cameras are pointing out to me is how often I'm bending over/looking down.  Of course there is the lure of a puppy to pay attention to and I am looking down at her, but the posture was a "have to watch that" moment for me.

Life continues to be good, even when the puppy takes it into her little brain to be naughty.  Spark on!

In case you were wondering why Chewy boxes are so apparently flimsy

 

Ember, in demon-puppy mode:  Good stuff came in this box, I can smell it!

Mom, choosing my battles: The contents have been put away, have at it, destructo-pup!

The was on our porch step Thursday mid-morning, already looking a bit beat up, as we were leaving for a walk.  Took a bit of persuasion to get the box inside the door as we left.  When we got home, it was full on "attack the box" mode.

She tore enough of it open to grab one item out.  Turned out to be a bag of 3 tennis balls, but it was in a plastic bag.  I let her worry at that while I rescued the rest of the contents, which included training treats, a replacement leash, and a pair of "over the headrest" doggy seat belts for use in the car.

Then I dropped treats to distract her while I retrieved and unwrapped the tennis balls.  When she swiped the empty box off the counter, I decided to let her destroy it.  Face it, a professional dog trainer I am not.  Working out emotions is something both humans and canines need to do.

Once the box was pretty much shredded, Ember collapsed on the floor.  She's been exercised!  Long walk followed by the battle of the box.

Private Training Session:  what did we learn?

The goal I stated was that I wanted to learn how to safely play with my puppy, who is growing so fast and is total muscle!  So, the trainer took her in hand, left her on leash and got her to act the way she does at home when I try to play with her.  

So, we now have a script to follow:  calm puppy.  Get out treats, sit, treat, toss toy, "wait" (while stepping on leash so she can't get the toy), when she ceases to lunge for the toy but is calm, "OK" to release her to "go get it".  Lather, rinse, repeat this game.  It's a mind game for her, not just body exercise.

Try with different toys.

Then there is the tug toy, tug for a short while, then let the puppy win and play on her own with it... totally OK.

Scatter of treats to get the toy back is OK.

Bought tools:  a 16 foot long line to work on the fetch games, as well as later for recall.  Three different "highest value" treats - venison, wild boar, and chicken livers.  To be used ONLY on the fetch games and recall exercises.

OK then!  Ready for the next cycle of puppy training!

Also, tips on length of time in crate.  She should be able to handle 3 daytime hours in the crate, while I do human things, including shopping, trainer workout, etc.

So much about these private training sessions is reinforcement and encouragement for ME, as a hu-mom.

Once home, total wipeout of the puppy... she slept on the kitchen/dining room floor.  Got up to take a leash walk in the 89 degree F heat, then had her supper.

I told you she was teething:  first baby tooth fragment found in the Chewy Box debris!

Life is good.  Spark on to a wonderful Friday!

The Prisoner's vacation is over

This was actually a pretty sweet little "grooming" of the Prisoner as administered by Ember.  "My favorite interactive plaything is back, now I'm home," she seemed to say.  The mouthing was gentle, and only at one point later did the kitty even turn his head and give Ember "a look".  Then I told Ember to "let the kitty get away", and with a little leash pressure, she did.

Ember wasn't hungry for her supper, but then she'd had treats on two walks, plus three chewy kinds of treats, a whipped cream kong bribe, etc.  No wonder "kibble" isn't terribly exciting.

After the "pack walk" we went on with Aunt Alicia, Alicia went off to her own pack (including Benji) and Ember napped in her den for a couple of hours.  I got her out at 6 p.m. and she then consented to nibble on the kibble, but she still didn't eat the whole portion.  I then put her back to bed only to go down to give her a potty break before 11 p.m.  I was willing to bet she'll be plenty hungry for breakfast.

This turned out not to be the case.  I think being boarded taught her a couple of things.  One was timing of the meals.  I think they feed at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.  That means that I've been feeding her earlier than the times they have set.  Yesterday afternoon, she wasn't ready.  And this morning, she wasn't ready, either.

Ember wanted to go out for her walk at about 5:30 a.m.  I told her we have to wait for the sun to come up.  We have to wait until at least 6 a.m.  I do like going between 6 and 6:30 in the morning, because it's just the garbage men, us, and the occasional person who works early enough they are leaving their house in that time frame.  She gets lots of chances to sniff, she is not distracted when I cue her to "leave it" or "leave the human things alone".

We had one incident of teeth before the walk this morning, based on Mommy not being dextrous enough with the harness snap.  Sigh.  But we got calmed down, and after a ten-minute timeout, we got out for the walk.

Thursday morning, based on the Wednesday afternoon experience of her shredding a styrofoam cup that someone had tossed out of a car window (people!  Geesh!), I took her across the street.  Unfortunately, on the other side of the street, she found a Monster (the drink) aluminum can in the bushes, and got it into her mouth before I could pull her away and cue "leave it".  

Let us be brutally honest:  I don't have good enough treats in my goodie bag to make her drop that big a prize in her value hierarchy.

She immediately looked for the fastest route home, wanting to return with her prize.  I humored her, but had to enforce the "If you pull, Mommy has to stop" rule multiple times before she decided to follow Mommy's pace the rest of the way home.  Even so, in the house, it took about 3/4 of an ounce of cheese to retrieve the can from her.

I cooked my own breakfast, hand-feeding her enough kibble to fill her belly.  She'd had so many treats she wasn't going after the puzzle dish at all, but she happily took kibble "breakfast" from mommy's hand, even doing her "stations of the sit" cues for it.  Then she collapsed in a heap on the kitchen floor and I put on her Dog TV gentle music, and we have a puppy nap!

The hardest time to entice her into the crate is for the morning nap.  But once she's there, she settles down.  I left for the grocery store and she was snoring when I got back.  So I did some human stuff, quietly, including typing this up.  And now I hear her stirring, so I'll wrap it up!

Something she learned at boarding:

• Sometimes one doesn't have to "work" for meals, they just come in a bowl!

Life is good!  Keep on Sparking!

44 pounds in under 5 months

We are in the business of growing a dog-shaped weed, here!  

She's off at doggie day care on Tuesday, as part of her boarding arrangement for my little trip to the docs and their post-procedure instructions not to drive.  I called and asked the vet's office to weigh Ember so we'd get the right dosage of Simparicatrio for her, and sure enough, she was up into the next weight class.

They assured me she is having fun, and not causing problems for them:  "being pretty good".  Which has me wondering what "pretty good" looks like.  They said she had one good doggie friend to play with in day care, and therefore will be tired out.  Yay!

Wednesday, I pick her up after the daycare pups arrive.  This times out to the 24 hours since procedure, the driving restriction.

Thursday, we have a private training session scheduled, at which my particular goal is to learn ways for this 71-year-old hu-mom to safely play with her precious pup!  I want to be able to play tug and fetch, interactive games, with my dog, such that she's happy, properly exercised, and my skin is intact!  It should also help strengthen our bond as person and dog!

Friday, the electrician will be back at the house to install a motion sensor light and security camera outside the sliding glass door to the deck.  

Dontcha love a medical oopsie?  As long as it gets caught with no damage done!

Once I had a dental hygienist read the wrong x-ray and tell me something I knew not to be true.  Turns out x-rays for me, and for another patient, were stuck together.  

Today's episode had the guy in charge of my anesthesia coming in and beginning to lecture me about my blood pressure.  He started saying things about taking my prescribed blood pressure meds (I don't have any prescribed) and monitoring my BP post procedure, etc., and that I should discuss with my PCP.  I ended up telling him I would check again at home this evening, but I was both confused by the conversation, and at the same time totally unconcerned about it, since I knew my own doctor was not concerned.

WELL!  Not long after that, when he came to administer the propofol, he apologized... he got me mixed up with another patient... I do not have a blood pressure problem.  Whew!  But this is why they check identity all those multiple times, y'know?

Whoever that other patient is... hope they are OK and that they are following appropriate advice!

They gave me propofol, yeah, the drug that did in Michael Jackson!  They are using that in this office.  I poked back at him about that... he quipped that MJ's doctor wasn't doing his job, but he, my guy, would do his!  Monitor as the procedure is ongoing and if any problem were to develop, fix it stat!

In any case, the procedure went smoothly.  I truly did drop off like turning off a light switch, and woke up back in the waiting room with Lacey.  I was wide awake and refreshed.  

They did remove two polyps that they think are benign but are having tested anyway, just because.  The results of pathology will be back in a week or two and will dictate whether I'm free for five years or ten from having to do this again!

Kitty is loving this break from the dog

The Prisoner has been within voice call, and has come inside each time I offered, but later also asked back out.  He's got another 19 hours before the d-o-g comes back.  Most recently I let him in as I headed upstairs.  It was supposed to rain within the next couple of hours, possibly T-storms.

Wednesday morning, Prisoner was getting quite bold.  I fed him both supper last night and breakfast this morning in his old spot on the kitchen/dining room floor.  I can't do that when Ember is in residence, as she will steal his food.  He really is relishing access to the whole house!

Meanwhile, in the front yard

Am I imagining things, or do I see the little baby blades of grass starting to germinate from the "overseeding" process?

Don't just Spark:  Water on, Barb, water on!

I turned off the 7 p.m. watering, as we got rain, honest rain, during the evening hours.  Then I checked the forecast and snuck back down to turn it on for the 4 a.m. watering.

The forecast calls for cooler temperatures and "scattered showers" during Wednesday's daylight hours, so I might have to turn off the noon watering, also.  Save what water we can.

That said, Life is Good!  Spark on!

Clear Liquids Only day at Casa mia

 

One thing Spark taught me was the importance of "dressing your meals up" when you're restricting what you're eating.  Monday's apple/peach juice was dressed in the SWAG glass from the Wineglass half marathon in 2018.  This was the last race that my brother (whom many of you knew as MOBYCARP) and I participated in together.  I plodded through the half marathon distance, while he ran his personal best full marathon that day.  

At 3 p.m. I dropped Ember off at the vet center that also boards and does day care.  

Ember was excited to go, and she was so happy with the "kennel" staff person who greeted her.  This young lady let Ember stand on her hind legs and lick at her face!  Ember had been on best behavior all day long, as though she knew something was up.  I have no new wounds!  Not even the accidental kind from paws.

When I got home, I picked up her toys and treats, and I went out on the deck and announced in English that she'd gone "on vacation" and the house is dog-free for two days.  Then I came back inside to the cool A/C.  Shortly after that, The Prisoner appeared to be let in and fed.

Survived the Prep - Tuesday morning report

Prisoner stayed in all night, but as usual he's not allowed in my bedroom (allergies).  This is just as well for doing the "prep".  They have changed it since the last time I had a colonoscopy (10 years ago).  Now it's what they call a "split dose", do half at 5 p.m., and the rest at 3 a.m.  At least that's how my schedule parsed out, with my procedure scheduled for 8:30 a.m.  The 3 a.m. is "four hours before you leave for your procedure".  

So now, at 6 a.m., the part most of us dread is over, and it's just a matter of my driver showing up on time, and putting myself in the hands of the professionals.

Post procedure

Lacey showed up exactly on time, and the procedure went smoothly.  Out by 9:30 ish.  Since she took the whole day off, my daughter in law also drove me to get my glasses frames adjusted.  Ember had knocked them off kilter, and a day while Ember is elsewhere is a great day for getting errands like this done.  

Lacey had brought me a piece of banana nut bread to have on the trip home, and it was a perfect way to break the fast.  She brought me home, and I gave her the grand tour.  I'm hoping that the ten weeks since Ember arrived and reduction to one cat plus her preventative use of antihistamine will make her reaction to my cat-person home tolerable.

Then she took me to the grocery store, since I'm not supposed to drive today.  Whew!  Finally started to cook my breakfast while Lacey headed home to enjoy the rest of the day.  Breakfast, at almost lunch time, was just right.

Life is good.  Keep on Sparking!

Now that the Cat Tree has been removed...

Ember keeps looking for a new "aggression toy".  Sunday, for the second time, she focused on stealing a broom and dustpan out of my closet/pantry.  I decided to make a game of her play with the plastic dustpan.

Whenever she got it "right side up", I would drop a handful of kibble into "the magic bowl".  If she had it upside down, of course, no kibble.  This creatively got her breakfast into her belly, and kept her entertained until the sun was up.  As soon as it was "close" to 6, we went out for a walk.  Runkeeper clocked it as 5:57 a.m.

Later that morning, Barnaby invited Ember to play in his back garden, and of course we did so!  Ember was in a much better mood having had play time with another pooch.

The Father's Day outing for Lacey's dad went very well, despite the gusty conditions.  He played tag with a heron as they kayaked the backwaters of Branched Oak lake.  I'm glad they had such a good outing.

Monday morning report

Another good "aggression toy" for Ember are the fallen branches, after a windy day.  She will happily gnaw at one of these, snapping off twigs and sub-branches, for a good portion of our walk time.

Speaking of walk time, the 6 a.m. walk was calm winds and therefore a calm walk.  We explored a little further than usual because of the calm and alert demeanor and behavior of the four-legged member of the team.

We played the "magic bowl" game this morning with a disposable plastic dish.  When she flipped it rightside up, I would drop kibble into it.  When she had it upside down, no kibble fell.  This was a kind of combination game... some respect for things like bowls, I hope, and also puzzle for her puppy little brain.

During a puppy nap, I called and scheduled her spay appointment for August 2nd, and the pre-op exam on July 31st.  I packed her four meals for her boarding appointment, too.

A second walk gave Ember some social interaction with other people, as there were men waiting to start a project down the block.  They asked if they could pet her, and one even gave her a puppy biscuit, which I asked him to break apart because it was a bit big for her.  

She also found a plastic bottle to gnaw on, on the way home from the second walk.

And now:  turning her nose up at special treats, she's just ready to nap again!

Life is good!  Spark on!  

Inaugural shower!

 

The new shower has now been used!

This early Sunday morning, the lesson was on the mechanics of gravity, doors, and the new shower controls.  Turns out the control as far as water temperature works as expected. The doors?  Well, they are weighted.  If I want the shower to keep the water in, they have to be in a specific configuration, because the "inner" door slides automatically toward the shower head.

OK, I can work with this.  But the real luxury was being able to flip that little seat down and soap up my feet!  And rinsing off with the wand is so much easier than trying to get your body pretzeled to reach every soapy surface with the regular shower stream.

It looked all pristine with the clean towels dressing it before I went to bed Saturday night.  Sunday morning, well, things have to dry off, right?

And to be honest, I love the way the new floor looks, and despite the inconvenience, I'm glad it worked out this way.

Weathering the weather

We had some rain yesterday evening, but it wasn't enough to deter me from letting the 7 p.m. watering program run.

Sunday we have a breezy day.  Things flapping in the wind have always been a bit spooky to Ember, and I'm beginning to understand some of her triggers.  On our morning walk, a big gust blew by at the same time as a vehicle passed by us on the street.  Oh, my goodness, she got zoomies, and I was spinning around to keep the leash from tangling.  Then of course she jumped up on me, and I hugged her and told her all was well, Mommy's here, and fed her treats, on a cue of "sit".  Several treats.  She did calm down enough to finish the walk (we were only a street and one house away on our way home.

Then we tried to play in the house, but she wanted to rough house.  Which makes mommy's thin skin produce blood.  I bandaged me up, kind of forced the issue of the crate while I did, and left her in for a while.  Let her out for about an hour, and ran into the same issue.  We went outside and she played "dominate the cat".  At least she did her business outside!  I put her back into the den about an hour ago, which is close to her normal crate time anyway, so she didn't resist as much.  Whipped cream has entered the picture as a bribe (pup cup in a Kong).

The planned Father's Day outing got pared down, because my son begged off.  He's not been well the past week, and is conserving energy for his work days.  With him absent, it means Carl is not coming along either.  And I had already said "not a 40 minute drive with Ember" especially after my two failed attempts at car rides Saturday.

So, praying the people at the Gastroenterology place don't pay too much mind to the bruises on my legs when I go in on Tuesday.  Between the little nips on the hands and arms, and the bruises from her hard head and teeth through the jeans... yeah, I do look like the victim of some kind of violence!

Anyway, I am now going to try to close my eyes for a bit, and come up with a plan for the rest of Ember's day!  Wish me luck both today and tomorrow (Monday), which will be both "clear liquids only" day and drop Ember off at boarding day.

Life is good.  Honest!  Spark on!

Getting our amusement where we find it

 

On my Friday grocery run, I purchased eggs.  When I was putting them away, I realized that the old carton had an expiration date on one niece's birthday, and the other on another niece's birthday!  We take our amusement where it encounters us!

Saturday morning started out rainy.  I snuck down the stairs before 4 a.m. to make sure I was not watering in the rain.  Then went back upstairs and puttered until 5 a.m. so I wouldn't get the animals off schedule!

Prisoner was nowhere to be found, at least not without raising a ruckus, so I just put his breakfast in his "room".

Ember was disturbed by the rain jacket I put on, but I just kept feeding her treats and crooning "It's still Mommy.  I just have a coat on."  She eventually settled down, but when I put the coat away, snagged one of my snow boots.  I did not give chase, and eventually she gave it up for a "good treat".

I'm just focusing on loving my little one.  And with no people showing up at the house to do any work today, we had quite a pleasant morning.  Indoor games, outdoor potty breaks, and eventually when the rain stopped, a walk around our normal morning block.  So much going on during that walk, because everybody else who has a canine was doing the same scheduling shift around the showers.

Most of the doggies that were out are ones we encounter from time to time on our walks, but they were all out at once!  Ember did very well with the distractions, and lots of treats.  We finally found out what all the flags were about on the corner to the East of us, as there were men at work this morning.

Right on that same corner, a FedEx truck was making a delivery.  Ember did her little "sit and watch" drill, augmented by good treats, of course.  She did get to greet one walker, before we got there, and she loves that.

Back from our walk, she napped on the floor in the kitchen.  I nodded a bit in the wingback chair, then shifted to the couch in the family room before getting up to write this.

I had tried to get Ember into the new harness when she came out of the crate, but my clumsy fingers just could not get it snapped before Ember lost patience with the process. This happened twice Saturday. 

When it did, I just took the harness off, and said, "we won't do this right now".  She did let me put the old harness on without the detour through the crate, twice.  She has learned this drill, and a couple of good treats and she doesn't play tug with it.

Thus, we earned our walkies!

Later in the day, we earned a time out for tearing at the carpet where I'd taped the threshold from the hallway to the master bedroom.  Not so much for that, but for the reaction to the correction, when she raced down the stairs to jump on me and put her mouth on me.

At this point, I decided I needed to leave the house.  I went and got my hair cut!  I came back and let her out and we tried another leash walk, but never left the yard.  I tried to take her on a car ride, but I did not clip her in, and she jumped into the front seat, so I didn't even go around a block, pulled in a driveway and came right back home.

We went out again, and tried, with her clipped into the seatbelt.  She wasn't wearing a harness the first trip.  This time, though, she put her paws on the back of the driver's seat and was starting to nibble on my shoulder... didn't even back out of the driveway that time.  Back in the garage, back in the house. and she started to piddle on the floor... "You're supposed to do that outside!"  Clipped the leash on, and out we went.  She not only finished the piddle, but she also pooped.

Soupy poop.  She's been overfed treats, and fed too many "new" things, I perceive.  Two meals, true, but way too many treats between.  It's such a balance.  The treats save my skin and calm her down, but they aren't so good for her digestion!

The little one took yet another puppy nap, including a short interval with her head on my lap on the couch.  She got up in time for her snuffle mat supper.  When it came time for Mommy's supper, she went into her den with no complaints.  All in all, I would give Saturday a B+.

Now the dog laundry is in the washer, the cat has been given supper, and I'm finishing up this blog!

Life is Good.  Spark on!

The end of the extra well by the sandbox

 

No more "bubblin' crude", as of 9:30 ish Friday morning.  They came out and capped this particular well.  One more check mark off the list.

Justin showed up promptly to take care of the bathroom floor.  He brought samples to compare pattern and colors.  It was a pretty easy decision for me.  Then he did some prep work before the install.

While he was doing prep work, I did a grocery run, and stocked up on dog treats and cat food.  I think I spent more on the livestock than on myself, this trip.

When I got home, Ember was barking and whining, and I gamely waited her out, then took her out on leash.  

She found a huge windfall branch and spent most of this second walk of the day, chewing on it.

Back in the house.  Not happy on leash in the house.  Had another episode of her going for my legs, this time jeans-clad.  There had been an earlier such episode before her first walk. 

I think I am ready for a change in strategy.  The kind of ignore the trainer recommends is not working for me.  I need a closer bond with Ember.  I'm contemplating going with my heart on this one now.  She is not hurting me, I need to let her communicate, and I need to be able to love on her in response.

Justin finished up with the floor by about 1 p.m. and I was able to let Ember out of her den.  It's a hot afternoon, so except for potty breaks, we've been chilling inside.  I'm implementing my new strategy, and letting her play with the toys.

We ended up napping, me in the wingback chair, her on the kitchen floor in the 2 p.m. hour, with Dog TV on in the background.

The new floor is lovely, and it goes well with the new shower.

He put white quarter rounds and baseboard around the entire floor, and in the end it's almost as if I got the whole room done for the price of the shower conversion.  I will wait another day before putting it into use.

It feels so good to have the house back!  

Life is Good!  Spark on!

The last little piece of sod

 

Here's the little hole, before it got filled.

And here it is as the last piece is laid into the hole.

All that's left to do for both the sod, and the overseeding (which was done yesterday, according to the crew), is water-water-water for the next three weeks, 3 times a day.

Early morning (as in about 5:45 a.m.), while the new zone 8 was active, we went out to discover there's this extra buried sprinkler head, bubbling up out of the ground, leaving a puddle, not spraying.

Now if I had my say, I would disconnect that one, perhaps, because that's supposed to be a sandbox and a rock bed in that spot at the end of the patio.  But we will see what Nate has to say about it.  The heads that were closest to the house on the front side all got disconnected when the river rock and patio pavers were installed over there.  We didn't even know this head existed at that point in time!

Per Josh, this will be his last day here, finishing up with the tub/shower conversion.  Once he's painted and installed the baseboards, and tested the waterproofing, I'm to give it 24 hours and then it's ready for regular use.

Ember got a nice walk in this morning before Josh got here, and car ride followed by a short one about 10-ish. 

She got in trouble with Josh's booties again after that short walk, while on leash in the house and mommy was trying to keep her contained while she did some human things.  Sigh.  Sometime in the 1 p.m. hour, she got in worse trouble by nibbling at mom's ankles.  One could say it was mom's fault for putting on shorts, but seriously... she needs to know mom has ankles underneath the jeans she normally wears.

Anyway, mom couldn't turn around and "ignore".  Not that she was physically incapable, but she was shy of the teeth being applied and the jumping she'd experienced before when trying the "ignore".  Mom put her hands in the little canine's mouth, told her "no, that's Mommy", "We don't bite mommy", etc.  This is not the trainer recommended protocol.  Anyway, scruff, collar, belly, I ended up hefting the entire puppy up and crooning at her to listen to my heartbeat and settle down.  Eventually I got her settled and into the crate... where she is served a "time out".  Mommy deserves that time-out, a.k.a. a break!

Examining my limbs after the fact, although it was a full-on tussle, only two new band-aids needed.  She really is not biting me as hard, she really is learning to gentle it down, but it was just too frustrating and tempting at the same time.

Later:  Guarding the steps down to the family room.

A little whining

Mine, not Ember's, whine.  Just as Josh was cleaning up and packing up and was going to be done with the job, one of his heaviest tools fell to the floor, damaging the linoleum.

Aaargh!  It's a tiny little ding, mind you, but it is indeed a ding.

So, they will replace my bathroom floor.  Gratis.  He offered even to upgrade to a different kind of flooring if I wanted.  I responded I don't want to make any more decisions (I'm moving into tantrum stage here, I was ready for this project to be done, this was day 6, and now there is going to be a day 7).

So, tomorrow, Josh's brother-in-law will show up and install a gray shade of linoleum to match/harmonize with the shower walls and paint.  Josh, it turns out, has no experience laying linoleum.

My main beef is that Ember is clearly suffering from the extended confinement, and I'm using up social energy myself!  If I'm suffering, you can imagine that she has no idea if there will ever be a finish line to this situation!

I mean, it's nice they are replacing the floor, but I would so much rather have had the time in my own home, without extra coming and going and restrictions on my dog's freedom.  It's bad enough I have to keep her from her back yard for three more weeks of sod-watering!

end of whine

After everyone left and Ember was fed, I tried to keep her up, and decided to toss some of her indoor toys, but she got so excited and out came the teeth again, nipping at my ankles and hamstrings.  I got her calmed down, but I'm despairing of enjoying simple interactive games like tug and fetch.

I called the training place and scheduled a private session for us a week from today.  With the specific goal of learning how to play fetch and tug without driving each other crazy.  Her teeth coming out and her getting crazy excited brings out the negative reinforcement in me.  Not good.  Clearly my dog and I are not communicating effectively around this subject.  She looks sad about it.  I feel like a failure over it, too.

Anyway, I am hoping that Friday goes smoothly and I can have a relaxing weekend.  I may not do the Father's Day lake outing with my daughter in law and her parents.  Too long a drive and for not enough proper enrichment for Ember.  What she really needs is some off leash time in a safe space.  What I really need is some peaceful easy days with her, bonding!

Pray for us!

Life is good.  Life is good.  Keep repeating it:  Life is Good!  Spark on!

A quiet puppy gets rewards...

 but a noisy Mommy gets results!

As in operational zone 8 sprinkler heads.  I now have pulled the hoses back into the garage, and the new zone has run once, and the noon programming is in progress, and we'll see that it rolls from zone 7 to zone 8 properly.  It did!  Yay!

Also, the sod guy showed up, and again ran out of sod... he only needs about two more rolls, he said, and he thinks he could be back later today.  In the meantime, what's here is being watered.

Puppy class went pretty well this morning.  Only four puppies in today's class, one bigger and two smaller than Ember, physically.  Amazingly calm collection, too.  We did games of various sorts, including the agility weave pole trainer.  That was fun!  Ember did a pretty good job of following the treat.

They also were training "heel", which they classically do on the left-hand side.  I normally walk Ember on the right, as that's my "treat zone".  She rode home without benefit of seat belt, just riding in the back seat.  It's less stressful for her, especially for this short a trip.

After class, as usual, very tired puppy, ready for a long nap.  Also, very tired mommy!

Ember slept until nearly 3 p.m.

Aunt Alicia pampering the liquid puppy when she came over to visit after her workday.

Teeth feel better when chewing on a toy originally bought anticipating Carl visits.  Some dog toys last for years!

The shower is getting closer and closer to done.  Today's questions had to do with color of the PVC strip, the divider between the shower doors, and the baseboard.  (White, gray, white, in case anybody is interested.)

End of day Wednesday shower work:

The doors.

The corner shelving for soap, shampoo, etc.

And the start of how the walls above the shower walls will be painted.

Yet to be done:  the PVC stripping on the edge of the shower, the baseboards and the paint.  That's on the agenda for Thursday.

Life is Good.

Spark on!

But maybe a sod killer?

 Tuesday evening report

The sod dudes never showed up, so I decided to start the watering, in spite of what they told me.  What I discovered is what I didn't hang about long enough to see last night.  The sprinkler heads that are supposed to water this part of the yard are not doing so!

And this morning when Nate (the sprinkler crew head) came over, he programmed the system, but did not recheck that they were all working in the back.

Consequently, I have a call in to them about this.  They have not called me back yet. I have also taken matters into my own hands.  They told me I wouldn't have to pull hoses, once these repairs were done.  Tuesday evening, I pulled hoses.

Hard to see, but in the bottom right-hand corner, a thin black line of drip hose.  I will leave it on for a while.  Note the sprinkler heads on half of the yard seem to be functional.

Wednesday morning update

E-mail back from the landscaper, Nate will drop by again this morning, and in the meantime, I might want to consider pulling out the hose and watering if I could.  WAAAAAY ahead of him on that one.  This morning I also put out a sprinkler for a patch in the middle that didn't seem to be reached by any of the working heads.  Sigh, always something.

We'll see what Nate has to say about all this when he gets here.

Something I did not notice until this morning is that the drainage spot across the sidewalk has widened with the extra source of water to the lawn.  

Some things one just does not see until things get "turned on" for real.

Demon puppy appearance

As you can see, the cat tree destruction project (Ember's plot against The Prisoner) has continued.  She is now down to removing the carpet from the top, and regularly drags the thing around and tips it over.

So, Tuesday after I'd put her away for the night, I removed the cat tree and cleaned up the fragments.  This project was a way for her to work out some aggression, so it was not particularly startling to see her move on to another toy to jump up on and nip at this morning:  me.

But we survived it, and even got her into the "Easy Walk" harness that is still a little too big for her, and took it for its maiden neighborhood walk.  Woo-hoo!

When we got home I cooked my breakfast, and pulled out one of the chewing toys I had bought for Carl visits.  She likes it!

I kept her outside the den/crate until about ten to eight, at which point, she walked in under her own steam enticed by treats and a peanut butter bone.

I'm hoping she stays content there for a couple of hours, so we go to puppy class fairly fresh.  Cross fingers for us!

Meanwhile, on the inside:

The seat and the grab bar have been installed, and the shower walls.  I was invited up to check the placement, and it seems Goldilocks "just right" to me.  

Progress!

Life is good.  Keep on Sparking!