Nurse Tibby and Dhali The Kleenex Attacker

I have been sick for the last 4 days. sick, sick, sick.  I'm sick of being sick.  Never thought I would get tired of sleeping in and laying on the couch all day watching Netflix, but yeah....sick of being sick.  

I also haven't had any voice for 4 days - it's starting to come back today, so the dogs have been getting used to a lot of silent hand signals.  Tibby has been a very good nurse, she sleeps on my chest and keeps me warm.  Although, maybe she's sleeping on me because I'm laying in her spot on the couch....

Dhali is good at making me keep alert.  He LOVES used Kleenex.  It has to be used.  Yuck.  I know.  If he hears me blow my nose, he comes running from any where in the house and dives with a open mouth full of teeth at my face.  He's trying to get the Kleenex, I know, but still it's scary to see that many teeth coming for your face.  So I have learned to do covert nose blowing and fast, then hide the Kleenex.  

Tibby is also obsessed with used Kleenex, but she is sneakier.  I'll wake up to find a fluffy dog laying across my chest and picking my pockets for used Kleenex (where I have hidden them from Dhali).  

I will admit in my feverish haze the Kleenex stealing does make me feel a little bit like a celebrity. 

Too Cute For

I have had a bad cold since Sunday. It should be against the law to be sick AND have a puppy! And I hardly ever get sick! I haven't been able to do much running around with Dhali, but I have had him playing with the flirt pole. He LOVES it so, so much. He's crazy for it. Even more than Ellie was. He's very fast too - for 11 weeks. Of course, his judgement isn't always quite right and he ends up head over tail when he tries to grab the lure :P>

I think Tibby is jealous of Dhali, when I play with him, but she doesn't know what to do about it. So I'll be sitting playing tug with Dhali and after a few minutes Tibby will slip under my arms and end up sprawled across my lap. Dhali keeps on playing and running crazy for the toy, so I guess it's OK. Tibby isn't interested in the toy or playing at all, she just wants to sit and get a cuddle. I wish they could talk :)>

Last week, before I got sick, I was running with Dhali and he bit me several times. Once was on the arm and MAN! it left a mark. It doesn't look too bad in the picture, but it turned purple, green and black. I can still see it and it's almost a week later! He has really sharp teeth.>

You will see that Dhali has a nice soft bed to sleep in. As long as he doesn't want to rip it up - he gets to keep it! Very cute to see him all curled up in it. Although, if he keeps growing at this rate he won't fit for very long! I measured him and he is about 12 inches tall at the withers. About, because he didn't really like the idea of standing still for me. Tibby is just under 16 inches, so he is really catching up on her! I knew he was getting taller!>

It's hard for me to know how to divide up his day. I want him to understand that he can and should relax when he is in the crate/x-pen, but I don't want him to spend a huge amount of time in there. So I bring him out for play with me, training/feeding and play with Tibby. In between those sessions he goes back into the x-pen. He did NOT want to settle tonight. Very loooong evening. I know he's getting enough exercise, but he can't be free all the time. For one thing he annoys Tibby and then she plays to rough with him. I don't want him to get hurt! How much time do your puppies spend playing with your other dog(s)?

Upset Tummy

Tibby woke up this morning with an upset tummy and the dreaded diarrhea.

It's probably from the new bones, because she hasn't had anything else new. I haven't even been training her with hot dogs or turkey lately, so I can't blame them.

One positive thing: She asked me to go outside.  I didn't have to read her mind - progress!  She has the strangest way of asking to go outside.  She goes to the front door, so I will let her out of the back door.  Whatever works.  When I first brought her home we never went out the back door, because it was a big mud pool, but now that it has been frozen and covered with snow for the last 3 months I always let her out the back door to potty.  It's convenient for me, because the backyard is fenced in, so I let her go out by herself.  Yes it's true! At 4am I really don't want to go outside with her in the snow!

That pic above is an old one from a couple months ago.  Tibby is not sick enough to slow down.  She is chasing keeping an eye on Catty, the neighbors and the bunnies.

Actually, for the past 3 days she has been a stinker with the bunnies.  Up until now she was really nice, just watching them in their room.  She likes them, but she wasn't obsessed with them.  Then last week Tansy jumped the fence, while I was at work, and took a field trip to the dining room.  Tibby was of course, very interested.  Now she wants to get into their room all the time.  The bunnies don't care, but she bangs against their gate and it is very annoying!  I think I might try a Scatmat in front of the gate.