Who's There?

Today I took Dhali to the street market.  I carried him and we walked around through the stalls.  Then we walked up to the hospital and I let him look at the water garden.  He also ran around on the grass next to the parking lot and ran on a brick path through the 'healing garden'.  Then we sat next to the front door and watched people waiting for the bus and coming in and out of the hospital. 

He wasn't wearing a leash, because he's so small and he follows me every where. 

When we got home I tried out his leash and just like his collar he doesn't like wearing a leash either!  The collar was really annoying him - very cute though :)

Next we went to where my Mom works.  She works with vulnerable adults.  Dhali sat on the lap table of one person's wheelchair and enjoyed lots of petting by all the guys.  He saw a little flag and checked out a fan.

He also road around in the purse/bag carrier.  It works really, really well.  Zoe's Mom works with my Mom and she couldn't even tell that Dhali was in the bag.  She said, "Oh, did you bring the baby?"  I I said, "Yeah, he's right here."  She walked over to the car and looked in, "I don't see him?"  I said, "No, he's right here!  In the bag!"  LOL!  She was so surprised!  I think when Dhali grows out of the bag I'll give it to her for Zoe.

Dhali also got to play with the hose in the backyard.  He got wet!  He likes chasing the actually hose, rather than chasing the water.  Although he tried to catch the water droplets too.

Still ZERO potty accidents.  He went potty in a new place, but he's been traveling to different places every day and going potty there with out a problem.  He hasn't pottied on cement yet, so I'll have to make sure he does that soon.

I worked today and he was crated for 4 hours - then I came home for lunch and we played a lot - then he was crated for another 4 hours.   

Tonight there was a dog barking and howling in the neighborhood.  Dhali did not like that at all.  He wanted to go back inside. 

He's a funny little guy.  I made a video of his silliness in the x-pen, but it's still uploading to Youtube.

He's SO MUCH FUN.  I don't get anything done at all around the house.  I do make sure that Tibby gets special cuddle time alone with me.  I don't want her to feel ignored.

He's just so active and.....well, drivey that it's easy to give him more attention. 

He's changing so fast.  I feel like he's grown a bunch already.  They grow up way too fast!

Keep Busy

It's really, really hot here.  Keeping Tibby occupied when it's hot outside is easy - keep the AC on and the couch nice and comfy.  Keeping Ellie busy in the heat is another thing.  She has a lot of energy.  It's too hot for her to spend more than 5-10 mins outside - she runs full speed the entire time when she is outside.  When I make her come inside she is panting so hard that her crate shakes. 

So how do I keep her happy?  Well, in the morning when it's cooler I take her breakfast outside and make a trail in the grass.  I keep the trail in the shadiest area, so she doesn't overheat - even in the morning it's HOT!  This keeps her busy sniffing out each and every tiny kibble, but she isn't running around crazy, so she can stay outside longer.

When it's time to come back inside (and go back into the crate), I give her a big fat bully stick and fill the Busy Dog Ball with little pieces of dried beef.  She works and works for HOURS to get the treats out of the Busy Dog Ball.  When she is exhausted from smacking the ball around her crate, she settles down to chew on the bully stick or (maybe) take a nap. 

She gets quite the work out from the Busy Dog Ball!  She will be panting after a while and it tires her out.  It works her brain and her body. 

Before this I wasn't too impressed with the Busy Ball, because it doesn't come apart for cleaning and it seemed to be VERY easy for Tibby to get the treats out of it.  You can't adjust the difficulty level - for the treats to fall out - and Tibby is an expert at getting treats out of treat balls.  However, it does come with a money back guarantee if the ball ever breaks due to a dog playing with it.  Good thing!  Because Ellie isn't exactly gentle with the toys! 

It seems to be hard enough for Ellie.  She's in her crate which makes it harder to get the treats out and she likes to play with it - ALL the time. 

So far I have let her have all different types of toys and she loves them all AND she will tug with ANYTHING.  ANYTHING.  Hard toys, soft toys, things that are not toys.  Her favorite right now is a soft bumper toy, but she is happy to switch to a different toy.  When she goes outside she plays with ALL the toys.  First with one, then another, back to the first one, then to a new one.....

   She also has a lot of prey drive.  She will chase dandelion fuzz and balls of her own fur across the yard.  Anything that moves - she wants it.

And she's back to playing with the Busy Ball......I'll let you imagine what it sounds like, plastic vs. metal and a determined border collie!