I Think I Love U

This is how Dhali treats strangers LOL!  If you scratch his back or rub his belly, he is your friend forever!

He was really relaxed :)

Pretty Eyes

Pretty Boy

Pretty New Collar

Give Me Those Pretty Eyes

"You mean like this?"

Wordless Wednesday

Why I can't get anything done....I have a Tibby attached to my lap.

Wordless Wednesday

She's My Sister.....

and I looooove her.

Wordless Wednesday

I was busy with this project and 2 craft projects this weekend.  Tibby thought I was boring.

Snuggle You

  

Definition of relationship

noun

• the way in which two or more people or things are connected, or the state of being connected:the study will assess the relationship between unemployment and political attitudes
• the state of being connected by blood or marriage:they can trace their relationship to a common ancestor
• the way in which two or more people or groups regard and behave towards each other:the landlord-tenant relationshipshe was proud of her good relationship with the staff
  Relationship - the most over used dog training word EVER.

Rainy Day

This is a picture of Dhali after he fell off the back of the couch and landed on the window sill.  He was comfy there and took a little rest (eyes open, of course).  

It is raining very hard,  so my plans of a nice long hike today have been canceled.  I like to hike in the rain, but it is cold and raining really hard.  I don't like getting soaked with TWO muddy dogs.  

I know we have been in a drought, but it was nice while it lasted - now there are muddy footprints and washing muddy feet all day long!  And Dhali's little holes, that he's dug all over the yard, are filling with mud which is even more fun to play in......oh, little puppy!

I actually think the 2 fluffy tails have been trying to either kill me or control me with sleep deprivation.  Monday night I got very little sleep - Dhali barking in his crate, Tibby standing by the bed gently woofing in my face or jumping on and off the bed.  I let them outside, thinking they might have an emergency - nope, they just wanted to play and sniff around.  Ok, back to bed.  I put them both out of the bed room.  Then I had Tibby barking AND Dhali barking.  Tibby barks REALLY, REALLY LOUD.  O-kay.....no sleep for me.

Tuesday night - same thing.  I tried to get them very, very tired, but after the lights went out they became little nocturnal yipping jumping beans again.  Ugh. 

 You know how you wake up in the night and see that you only have x amount of time left to sleep, before you have to get up?  So frustrating! 

Even more frustrating - the next morning when I'm soooo tired, after they kept me up all night, the two night owls are crabby and sleepy.  They don't want to get up - "We're sleeeeepyyy!"  Yeah, well so AM I!!  But I don't get to sleep all day like you two lazy bums.

So last night they got me up maybe twice.  I honestly don't remember.  This morning I let Dhali out at 5:30ish and he just wanted to sleep on the outside bed.  I left the door open a little bit, so I could hear him when he wanted back inside and I went to sleep on the couch.  And I really fell asleep!  Poor little guy was 'pounding' on the door to get back in.  He does look like he has little fists drumming on the door and he whines so pitifully.  He whines better than any dog I have ever met.  It's sounds so sad!  I don't think I've ever heard Tibby whine....hmm, interesting.  Another thing that is different about them.

So we slept in this morning and Dhali snuggled and cuddled with me.  Tibby left and went to sleep on the couch.  Now they are both asleep on the couch - all curled up and cute.

Daily Dose of Dhali

Today's Dhali cuteness:  I let him sleep on the bed with me (and Tibby).  He slept straight through for almost 10 hours!  And he didn't get up even once.  Tibby tends to snark at him if he moves around too much, so he's learned quickly to stay still or deal with the drama queen!  He's such a cute little snuggle baby.  

I think they were both very tired from all the running around they did yesterday.  They ran and ran and played all day long.  Very cute!  Tibby instigates a lot of the play which is nice to see.  She LOVES to get chased and loves to chase Dhali too.  Although he's not quite fast enough yet for her to really open up and run after him.  

A Milestone

Dhali is finally big enough to jump up on the couch.  I walked into the living room and there he was!

Last night he jumped up onto the bed when he was chasing Tibby.  He tried to jump on the bed later and couldn't make it, so I thought it was just and accident and having enough speed from running after Tibby.

Nope.  He can get up there all by himself.

I think he likes it.  He's a big boy now!

"I don't always sit on the couch, but when I do I like to dig hole in the backyard first."

This is NOT a picture of Dhali sleeping.  I'm actually not sure that he EVER sleeps.  I've seen him in his crate   

'resting' with his eyes open.  No, he was just trying out the big bed while Tibby was in the other room.  

She came back and took her spot back.

Dhali settled down with a bully stick. 

Last night he played tug with me for over an hour.  Full chase and tug and playing rough.  I was watching a movie and playing with him.  That's how I know it was over an hour!  Hey, it's multitasking.  

Today was a big day of playing and playing and playing.  We all took a little nap in the afternoon and then went for a 2 mile walk.  Then more playing and running and digging.  He met the manners minder.  Thought it  was a monster at first, but by the end of the day was doing hand touches and eating from it eagerly.  I think it blew his little mind that he could do something and get food from this box and not from me.  The only time he was crated was for nap time and when I was vacuuming/sweeping.  He likes to try to eat the broom and vacuum.  

He also likes to snuggle, but just for a little bit and then he's ready to go, go, go!  

So it's almost 11pm now and he's still going strong - running around and pulling toys out of the toy box.

oh,dear he just brought me the tug toy.  Time for another movie?

Monday, Monday

Just sleep in a little longer!

Just Right

Tibby found a new favorite napping spot!  The couch wasn't quite soft enough, but this added pillow makes it just right. 

Spoiled puppy alert!  :P

Sneaky, sneaky

"First she takes my big pillow in the kitchen, now she takes my crate in the living room!  Sneaky, sneaky cat.  Oh, well I have the biggest pillow all to myself!"

Good Morning, Good Night

"Good morning Tibby.  Time to get up for the 2nd day of the seminar!"

I was very tempted to skip the 2nd day.  Really, really tired when my alarm went off at 5:45am.

I'm glad I didn't.  Today was much better than yesterday.  For starters, we all slept through the night.  Not a peep out of Tibby.  She woke up when the alarm went off, rolled over and went back to sleep.  Ah!  So tempting to follow her example!

I crated Tibby out of the car and it was much, much better for both of us.  She went to sleep in the crate and was behaving more like herself - i.e. doing a visiting loop (not quite a zoomie) around the room during our working spot.

I'll write up a full post soon, but I thought the session (Attention As A Behavior) this morning was better than yesterday.  I'm actually a little confused about why today's session wasn't yesterday, because having focus/attention seems to be the basic 1st step to do yesterday's heeling exercises.  I wanted to ask Jane about that, but I forgot.

Anyway, we made it home.  Tibby was happy to see her couch and she is crashed out there now.  First she had to chase Catty around the back yard and then she fell asleep.

I think the most interesting thing at the seminar was the people.  I met Crystal and Laura - it was fun to finally meet them.  And I got to pet Vito!!  :)

The other people were interesting.

Hopefully none of those other non-blogfriend people read this blog, because I'm going to talk about them!!

After our first working spot on Sat. two women came up to me and we had an odd conversation.  Maybe I was just tired and it was totally normal.  "Is she spayed?" 'yeah'  "Oh, too bad!"  Other woman to 1st woman, "Is she what you're looking for?"  1st woman, "Oh, yes.  Exactly."

1st woman to me, "She can really move.  She has excellent structure.  You know in a performance dog you want the whole package and I hope you know she is the whole package."

Me, "Well, I think she is :)"

I also made a new friend (Kirsten?) who had a working spot in the afternoon on Sat.  Her dog was a Brittaney Spaniel (Sparkles) puppy that did a nice big zoomie loop when it was supposed to be heeling.  Kirsten (well, I think that was her name) was crying outside the seminar room after the first rotation through the working spots.  Tibby and I were waiting to go back into the seminar room and I was able to give her a little support/I've been there/it gets better/don't give up pep talk.  She was nice.  I did feel bad for her, because I've been there and it sucks.  Like NO ONE understands until they have been there.

So to the people who were sitting next to me!!! - No, she doesn't need to get a herding breed, "because you can train one of them in half the time".  Really?  That's the point of dog training?  'cause that sure isn't why I do it.  I heard a lot of breed-ism this week-end, which was kind of odd considering the seminar material.  Lot's of, "Well, you might need to do that with a terrier, but not with my sheltie/BC/ect."  I guess I don't get it.  A dog is a dog.  They have good traits and difficult traits, but they are all dogs.  I wouldn't trade Tibby for any dog.  I have never seen another dog that I thought, "Ooo, I wish I had that dog instead of Tibby."  Why do I love Tibby?  Because we have learned together!  Everything is part of the journey.  Sometimes the journey is bumpy, like Sparkles Mom was experiencing or Tibby in the crate-dungeon-of-doom, but each part is an important step.

Every day your dog is with you you're training it.

SO

  Why would anyone be in a hurry to get to the end of the road?

Neighborhood Watch

Last week we had some excitement outside on the street.  A police car pulled someone over - right is front of our house!!  Tibby kept an eye on the activity.

Car that was pulled over with the officer talking to the people.

"Can you believe this Mom?  They are on MY street!"

Then a sheriff pulled up in his car.  So there was - people pulled over, police car, sheriff car.

Sheriff talking to the policeman.  When the policeman gave the guy his licence back, the man was smoking and talking on his cell phone.  They let him drive away like that!!  Distracted driving???

Tibby made sure they all got off her street.  I was surprised that she didn't bark at them.  She just sat and watched the show.  Sometimes she will growl/bark at people, if she thinks they look suspicious.  She doesn't do it to everyone.....maybe she's just telling them, "Move along.  Keep going.  No loitering!"

Sleepy Head Sunday

Static Electric!  So shocking!

Sitting On An Arm

"What do you mean, off the couch?"

"I'm not on the couch."

"See, now I'm on the couch."