Ordinary stuff

According to my survey, it appears that slightly more than 50% of dogs have the ability to treeverse.   Which is better than the stats in this house.  Someone suggested that the skill can be trained easily with a clicker.  We'll have to give it a try.  Thanks to all who responded!

And speaking of training, the FG is still not catching anything. Neither toys nor cheese popcorn - and  certainly not the cornflakes.   The whistle thing IS getting better.  But far from reliable enough to be tested outdoors.   Training is hard work.  We DO remain good at countersurfing though.  In fact, I am starting to like the FG more and more - partly because he has better reach than I do.  The other day, my human took him out first for his walk.  And then she took Einstein and me next.  And when we walked in the door, she discovered that a multi-page flyer that had come in the mail was now multi-piece confetti.  And she said the breath-wasting statement: "what did you do?"  At which point the FG walked away, wagging his tail.  

My human was again sleeping on the sofa the past few days.  And it had nothing to do with the FG.  After his unsuccessful attempts to sleep free in the bedroom,  she was allowing just me and Einstein in, while he was sleeping on the dog bed in the other room.  But unfortunatley, my comfy sleeping arrangements didn't last long.  As I did once before, I jumped off the bed while I was half alseep, and awoke the next morning - limping on one of my front legs.   So for the next couple of nights my human slept back on the sofa - because she didn't want me jumping on and off the bed.  So why not simply block the door - and leave us with the FG?  Because Einstein won't let her.  He stands at the bedroom door and barks.  And barks.  To be let in.  So the only option was to go BACK to the sofa - because for some odd reason he doesn't bark at her in the DFZ.  He'll stare - and look longingly at her, but he doesn't bark.  Have I ever mentioned how very well trained we have her?

Today is Saturday.  Have to get my human up early - no point in wasting the day.

Have a  good one!  Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 15

Treeverse study

So I am doing a study.  Well, it's actually a survey.  And I don't have any grant funding to carry out this survey, so I will rely on my blog readers to help me out.  And I realize that this subject pool would be a select group - but it's a place to start.  So here is my research question...what percentage of dogs have the ability to treeverse?  As you may recall, the term "treeverse" comes from my own Viktionary.  I define it as "the ability of some dogs to reverse themselves when they are on a leash and have gone around a tree."  In this household, we are looking at 33% who are able to perform this movement.  And you can probably guess who that is - Einstein.  We don't call him that for nothing.

Last night when my human got home from work, she took each of us on leash in the backyard to "do our thing."  In the process, Einstein went around a tree, while my human and I were on the other side.  My human simply said to Einstein "go around" and he reversed himself and we continued on.  On the other hand, the FG went out and somehow managed to wrap himself around not just any tree - but a pine tree - with low branches.  He bounced around while my human worked to untangle him and set him free.  She clearly needs shorter leashes.  I didn't actually get tangled last night - but based on past performance, my human is counting me as one of the non-treeversers. 

I think that treeversing can be trained - and agility dogs can probably figure out this move pretty easily.  But I'm not entirely sure.  And herding dogs MIGHT also be able to figure out the move too - but obviously the FG and I  aren't in that group. I should also note that this doesn't just apply to trees - poles count as well.  Poles as in structural columns - not the people.  Although, I suppose some dogs can get humans tangled in leashes too...But that's for another research study.

It's FRIDAY.  Thank goodness. The temperatures sound perfect for good long walks - although I did see a forecast for rain on Sunday.  What a crazy winter!!

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.  And watch out for trees. And don't forget to respond to my survey....

Seizure-free days: 14

Pied Piper

Well the FG sure learned how to tease a couple of PONs yesterday.  He was like the Pied Piper luring us from room to room.  My human bought these new treats for us - they are called Cod Bits.  They are made from "Wild Alaskan Cod Skins" and they are "Hand twisted and slowly dried in Canada."  I sure would like that job. Anyway, they are basically dried cod - and they are light and crunchy.  And the aroma when you open the bag is scrumptious - to us dogs anyway.  And probably cats too.  My human gave each of us a piece.  Of course, Einstein and I simply grabbed it, crunched a few times and it was gone before we even realized what we ate.  The FG stood staring at the strange thing in my human's hand, and wasn't going to touch it until he realized that Einstein and I were about to grab it.  So he took it gently in his teeth. Now as I said, these things are pretty light and crunchy and they break apart pretty easily.  So here he was, carrying around his delicate cargo, but unwilling to drop it because he KNEW a PON would quickly get it.  He wasn't even sure if he really liked the thing, but he knew that he liked it enough to not want one of us to have it.  So he walked around the dining room table.  Carrying his cargo.  And careful not to drop it - although it was starting to break up just as he held it.  He walked faster.  And two shadows walked faster.  My human said "hey - let him enjoy that."  We glanced at her and kept following the Pied Piper. Into the kitchen.  Back into the dining room.  Around the table again.  By this point he had taken a few tentative bites and decided he definitely wanted it.  So he took the plunge and ate the whole thing, without dropping it to examine it - like he does with any new food item.  Safe to say, the Cod Bits were a hit with everyone.  Mind you, I don't know if there has EVER been a treat that we PONs didn't like...

The FG is actually feeling like a celebrity these days.  Remember my story about Toto?  Or Terry.  Well I also mentioned that there were a couple of Picards who starred in the movie, Because of Winn Dixie.  Well I came to find out from one of my readers that there were 5 Picards in the film.  The two that were well known were Laiko and Scott.  And I quote Betsy Gilardi Richards:"... Laiko was a proven stud dog and had fathered 8 litters in France before he was leased by the production company Birds and Animals. The other dog Scot went on to star in at least 2 movies in Europe after he went back home." These two dogs were used for the close-up shots, while the others were used for distance shots.  So of course, my human had to see if the dogs were related to the FG.  And sure enough, Laiko is the great-great-great-great grandfather of the FG!!!!!!  So clearly, he comes from a "trainable" ancestry. There's hope for him yet.  Next things you know, he'll be giving out paw-tographs...

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 13

Sled on

So in looking for news in the world of dogs, I saw an article about a man "crossing Canada with his sled dogs." So of course I had to check it out.  It seems a guy who calls New Brunswick, Canada his home (which is north of Nova Scotia if you are not sure of Canadian geography.  From Halifax, Nova Scotia you can cross the border into New Brunsick in about 2.5 hours.   Unless you have LOTS of pee stops).  ANYWAY, he is starting his journey from Churchill, Manitoba and traveling by dog sled to his home in New Brunswick.  Churchill, Manitoba is an interesting place, because it holds the title as "Polar Bear Capital of the World."  Tourism and ecotourism to see the bears is a big industry in Churchill. It's on my human's bucket list.  But she said we are not allowed to come along.  Because although you MAY have seen a video like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE-Nyt4Bmi8

These same polar bears have been known to EAT dogs as well.  So we're not going to Churchill.

I should point out that while the sled dog story describes the man as "crossing Canada" - if you look at a map, Churchill is about half way across Canada.  Still, the journey is about 3000km or 1900 miles.  I checked out the names of the sled dogs going on this journey and there were some interesting names - like Alpine, Juniper and Tamarack.  And of course, there was a Bella.  Seriously.  There HAD to be.  If you want to follow their progress or find out more about this adventure, here is their website:
https://www.bossdogexpeditions.com/

Given that Einstein and I don't like to get wet, and we quite enjoy the comforts of sleeping on my human's bed, I don't think we are cut out for this kind of work.  I think the FG could do it, because he certainly has the energy and he LOVES to run.  Mind you, he doesn't follow directions well - so they could end up in Florida instead of New Brunswick...

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!!

Seizure-free days:  12

I bit my human...

I bit my human.  Yup.  I did it.  But it was an accident - so I don't think I'm really guilty...Am I????

My human was off yesterday.  And we were sure to get her up nice and early to make the most of the day.   Sunday night was a repeat performance of Saturday night with the FG.  She attempted to allow him in the bedroom again.  But like the night before, he preferred to spin, chew, lick and basically NOT settle down.  But this time, he went on his own into the other room to sleep. And then we ALL were able to sleep.

My human had several "projects" planned for Monday, including cleaning out the tool closet in the garage.  Somehow, it had exploded - and she couldn't find a thing in it.  Nails were mixed with screws, hammers were buried under rope - it basically was a disaster.  So she had been to the infamous Dollar Store to purchase a variety of containers to help her organize.  But she ALSO bought some other things at the Dollar Store...So before she began her organizing, she "invited me" in to the garage to take some photos.  And although I don't mind the picture-taking thing, wearing assorted holiday attire - because I DO get lots of treats - I was in a serious modelling mood.  And try as hard as she could - my human could not get me to smile.  I would sit and look seriously at the camera.  So she figured I needed some play time first.  So she got out the hedgehog.  And she tossed it for me.  And I ran around with it.  And we played tug with it.  And she somehow managed to get it away from me and tossed it again.  We were having a grand time. And then she attempted to pull the hedgehog.  And I went to grab him to get a better grip and bam - I grabbed her finger.  "Yow" she said.  And she grabbed a towel because, well let's just say I got her good.  I quickly realized I had dome something because our playing came to a halt while she tried to stop the bleeding.  "Aw buddy" she said.  "game over."

After she got herself bandaged up, she figured she should start her organizing project.  So she put all three of us in the run in the garage while she was working.  In the run there were assorted toys that dispense treats - so we quickly emptied those.  But Einstein wanted more treats.  So he kept batting around the now empty "Pyramid" while barking.  Incessantly.  So it was like bam-crash-bark-bark-bam-crash-bark-crash-bam-bark-bark-bark-bam-crash.  After about 15 minutes, my human couldn't take the noise any more, so we were all ushered back into the house, leaving her with her bandaged finger to clean the disaster closet in peace and quiet.

We DID get to play games when she was finished and had a good run around outside.  Although I must say the snow is really not very much fun right now.  It still has that crusty surface.  So it's slippery and then all of a sudden you fall through.  Einstein and I tend to keep to the areas that have already been walked on.  Even the FG finds it hard. And today, we have rain in the forecast.  Great fun.

Well time to go on guard duty. Oh and I forgot to mention - I really AM sorry about that bite....

Have a good one!  Peace and paws up.

Seizure-free days: 11

FG training....

If at first you don't succeed....

OK. So we have been doing this gradual experiment to prepare the FG for sleeping out of his crate at night - and in the bedroom.  And to get him ready for this, we have all been sleeping free in the dining room and kitchen - while my human has been sleeping on the sofa in the DFZ.  We've been doing this for weeks - and we all are happy to sleep together and the FG settles down immediately when it is bedtime. So my human decided on Saturday night to go back to sleeping in her bed at about 11PM. Einstein and I quickly returned to our usual sleeping locations on the bed - me near the head of the bed, and Einstein at the foot of the bed.  When the FG realized what was about to happen, he RACED into the bedroom made a flying leap onto the bed and flailed himself onto the comforter.   Einstein and I just looked at each other.   My human managed to find a spot on the edge of the bed and for 58 seconds it appeared the new sleeping arrangements would work.  But the FG was SO excited about this, he couldn't settle down.  He spun around on the bed.  He started licking Einstein's ears.  He spun around again.  My human was looking at her iPad, so she observed the goings on without saying much.  He spun around again.  After about a half hour, Einstein jumped off the bed and went to his favourite corner of the room.  And I joined him.  The FG just watched us and sat up.  Where was everybody going?  Now he flailed himself on top of my human.  By now it was almost midnight, so my human turned off the light, thinking he would settle down. He sat up again, looking to see where Einstein and I were located.  He flailed himself again on top of my human.  Licking her face.  By this point, Einstein and I decided to get back on the bed.  The FG sat up again. And he spun around.  And around.  And it was at about 12:15 that my human conceded defeat.  She went into the kitchen, with the FG following her.  He raced onto the dog bed in the dining room.  She had a glass of water and went back to bed, putting a gate in the doorway to the bedroom.  It didn't matter - the FG didn't want in - he was quite comfortable on the dog bed. However at about 5AM he wanted in, so it was time for all of us to get up.

My human isn't convinced that this sleeping arrangement thing won't work - so we will try again.  

The good news - the whistle training is coming along quite well.  Not only will the FG grab the toy when he hears the whistle, but my human can actually tell him to wait in another room, she blows the whistle and he comes running.  BUT - this IS  inside with no distractions.  And to be honest, one time he was playing with the hedgehog after finding it, and she debated whether to blow the whistle.  She didn't think he was probably ready for that level of distraction, but she took a chance.  Blam.  Didn't work.  So he's not ready for distractions just yet.  But he certainly is associating the whistle with coming to play. So that is coming along - so Einstein and I think he IS trainable.... Ya gotta love him.

My human is off today - so lots of playing on the agenda.  At least on OUR agenda.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure-free days: 10

Toto. Or Terry.

January 21. And on this day in 1903, the musical, The Wizard of Oz premiered in New York City. Interestingly, Toto did not appear in that early stage version, but obviously had an important presence in the famous 1939 movie classic.  And here are some interesting facts about the dog who played in that movie role:

1.  Toto was a cairn terrier and was a female dog - not a male as most people believe.

2.  Toto's REAL name was Terry.  In the film credits, she was called Toto - and several years later her name was officially changed to Toto.

3.  Toto's owner was a dog trainer.  Someone had droppped Toto off for training - and never picked her up - so the trainer kept her. Wonder what her original human thought when she saw Toto's career!

4.  Toto actually starred in 15 films in her career - including one with Shirley Temple.

5.  Toto received a weekly salary of $125. Which was more than the people who played the Munchkins received...

6.  Judy Garland wanted to adopt Toto after the movie, but her human said no.

7.  Toto didn't like the basket on the bike, or the wind machine used to simulate the tornado.

8.  Toto actually appeared in more scenes than Judy Garland.

9.  Toto had a biography called "I Toto" which was published in 2001.

10. Toto lived to the age of 13 and was buried at the residence of her human.

So it was a rags to riches story for Toto - or really I should say Terry.  I'm not sure how I would feel about the whole Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and Tinman thing...and I know I definitely would not want to encounter the flying monkeys... 

And  one more interesting movie tidbit - you know the movie Marley and Me?  My human has never actually seen it.  She read the book - and figured she didn't want to make a spectacle of herself in the theatre so she never saw it on the big screen.  Anyway - how many dogs do you think play the role of Marley in the film?  Are ya ready - 18 different dogs!  Mind you, the film depicted Marley at various ages - but 18?! Still waiting for a movie to star a PON.  There WAS a movie starring a Picard - Because of Wynn Dixie.  Reportedly, two dogs by the names of Lyco and Scott shared that role...although another source said there were 4 Picards.  

So that's your movie trivia for today.  Now excuse me while I go and work on my screenplay.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 9