Summertime

On Saturday, memories were triggered when the tinkly music of this vehicle started entering my little neighborhood.  I had just had a popsicle, as it was quite warm out.  I was not tempted but I did wonder about prices.  Back when I was a kid, a dime was considered expensive for a frozen treat.

Sunday morning's "long walk" started early, at 5:52 a.m.  I thought, "this early, there won't be as much traffic on the busy streets".  The plan was to take her to within a house of the busy street, put her in a sit, and watch the traffic go by, treating all the time, to desensitize.

As is often the case with puppies, things did not go quite according to plan.  There were sprinkler's (one of her nemeses) running in the last yard before the busy street.  We got as far as the "sit" cue, and a couple of treats before a vehicle passing by on the busy street at speed made her jump... and she jumped right into the spray of the sprinklers, which further spooked her.  The remainder of the walk was spent getting her from jumping up on me to a calm "sit", and tossing treats in the direction I wanted her to move.  When we got back to our "normal" block that we go around, things started to get better, but she was still fairly jumpy the rest of the way home.  Sigh.  As with weight management, even when things don't go to plan, they usually go better if one has a plan, than if one doesn't bother with it.

Home safe, no new wounds.  Full of treats, calming "Dog TV" music on the TV.  Sleepy puppy napping on the floor.

Walk #2 began at 8:04 a.m., just a couple of hours later.  Lots more activity during this walk, in terms of other people and other animals out and about.  A nice lady interrupted her own walk to say hi.  A pair of adult/puppy dogs walked by, and Ember thought it would be a good idea to follow them.  We did so for a while, before the next distraction.

Pulling up some carpet nails earned her the next "time out". While she was napping, I deconstructed the X-pen and tested out how it would fit into my car's hatch.  I have determined this is a two-person job when it comes to "real" deployment.  Someone needs to control the furry beast while all the human loading / unloading and construction / deconstruction take place.  More hands the better.

After that particular time-out, I attempted to do the trainer "play" exercises, i.e. a little tug, letting the puppy win, and the fetch with a "hold" enforced by stepping on the leash until the little one quits lunging for the toy.  The actual play was fine, but it triggered the "let's go for it" jumping up and mouthing mom's hands and forearms after mom considered the session over and done with.

Back into time out.  At noonish I got her out and we fixed lunch salad for me, and a few treats for her.  She got two slices of cucumber, quartered, a grape tomato, one mushroom slice, and about 1/8 of a cup of cottage cheese.  Then she had some nonfat Greek yogurt on her licki-mat.

I interrupted eating my own salad to take her out, as she was asking.  She pooped but only peed a little bit.  I know her tank is bigger than that.  Back inside eating my own salad, I discovered a puddle would explain why her piddle was so small outside.  

I would have let her stay napping outside the crate had she not decided she needed to steal the cleaning paper towels.  So... she was back in again.

The day proceeded this way.  She got hold of a telephone directory from the shelf I'd been meaning to clear since she shredded my One Year Bible (was that Friday?)  Didn't get it cleared in time.  She made a HUGE mess.

So... back in the den while mom not only cleaned up the destroyed phone book but cleared the entire bookcase.  I also put away the pebble jar calendar.  It would have been just a matter of time before she got to it.

By then it was suppertime, but she never really finished her breakfast.  She was stuffed full of treats from the walks (and the panic on the walks).  And she had several dollops of whipped cream associated with bribing her into the crate over and over again.

Is it any wonder with that kind of diet that her final two poops were soupy?  I dosed her with Kaopectate, to help her get through the night, I hope.  I went back down to put in my eye drops.  That's when she gets "last call".  Nothing.  Went out, panted on the patio, no pee or poo at all.  Looks like I'll be up at midnight to give her another chance.

The cat stayed in for the night.  He stayed out all day in the heat, being pursued at times by the dog on her leash.

Monday morning picks up where Sunday left off

Puppy with more energy than she knows what to do with, not interested in "regular" food, etc.  Mommy's in for a full day, with the temperature predicted to top the century mark, Fahrenheit.

Sunday afternoon, Ember dug in the puddle's mud, and tore up a phone book.  

Monday morning, she started working on the duct tape on the threshold to the master bedroom, and discovered the door wasn't properly latched.  She found a great prize in the closet (also door not closed!)  

Mommy rescued this much.  It could have been much worse.

We went on our morning walk after I got about a cup of her breakfast into her by various means.  Distractions on the walk, of course.  Why is it that people throw things out of their cars as they drive down the street?

She picked this discarded McDonald's plastic cup up on Sunday morning walk #1.

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Same cup was there Monday morning, although already mostly destroyed before I got her past it Sunday!

Monday morning first puppy nap started about 7:30 a.m.  Mommy went on poo patrol, weeded some, and came back inside to clean up this morning's TP episode.  The TP made me wonder if she's in puppy adolescence just yet... remember your high school days?

Regardless, Life is Good!  Spark on!