Von Bonehenge White River of Dreams

22 Jan 2009

Another week has gone by. Puppy life has been pretty good - overall. And I have been a pretty good puppy. Overall. Well... Maybe I got into a little trouble..... Dad was a bit upset anyway.

Dad has started training me for a new game - called WAIT. Dad makes me sit and WAIT while he puts my food out. I don't get it. The food is ready. I am sure ready. Why do I have to WAIT? It is so hard to wait. Puppies are always hungry.

The big trouble all started with dad playing with me on Thursday night. We always play a while, then dad gives me some toys to play with by myself. While I play dad does other things. Dad is always so busy. Well - I got bored with the toys dad picked for me. So I went to the big doggie toy box in the living room and I started digging for a better toy. I found some that were interesting. But they got boring after a while too. So I went exploring.

Now - dad keeps an eye on me. He wants to let me have the opportunity to learn how to be loose in the house without getting into trouble. I try really really hard. I really do. But sometimes things are just so interesting that I can't help myself. This was one of those times. I went exploring. Somehow dad didn't catch me right away - he was really busy looking at some papers he called schematics. Something for work in the morning with his friend Reiner I think.

Anyway - I found something interesting. It was brown and soft, dad wears it on one of his feet in the mornings. And it smelled like dad. I liked that. So I just sorta "borrowed it" from dad's closet floor. I walked around the house with this brown thing in my mouth. At first I just carried it. But after a while I started chewing it. Just a little nibbling. Just "tasting" it. It sure was good. So I chewed a little more.

I don't know how it happened. But somehow the insides of this brown thing came out and got shredded up all over my doggie bed. I tried to stuff it back in so dad wouldn't notice. But just then dad walked in to check on me. UH-OH..... I was in trouble. Dad scolded me and gave me time-out in my crate. Dad turned off the lights and walked out.

I was lonely, so I started crying. Dad came back and shut all the doors. He must have been really upset. But after a long long long long time, maybe a half-hour or so, dad came and asked me if I was sorry. I licked his hand and wagged my tail so hard my butt was shaking. So dad let me out and we played a little more - till dinner time. I always like dinner time.

23 Jan 2009

Friday dad and mom went out and left us dogs home. Not much fun, but we did get a good dinner.

24 Jan 2009

Saturday dad didn't get up till the sky was getting light. He let me and Daisy outside. Then he brought us in again. Daisy went to bed with a cookie. Shhhhh - I got to snuggle on dad's bed for a while. Then we got a yummy breakfast. Dad always puts me in my crate after I eat. I take a little nap. When mom woke me up, she loaded me and Daisy into the dog-show van. Dad got in too, and we drove to Las Cruces. We went shopping at PETCO! I love PETCO! They have a COOKIE-BAR there. I can pick out what cookies I want to have and dad buys a bag of them. Mom got two big bags of dog food. She was really happy because she got to use some of those coupon things again.

Then we loaded up and went to a DOG-PARK!!! What a great place. There was about 10,000 dogs there and they were all running and jumping and playing. At first I was a little scared. But pretty soon I just started running and jumping and playing along. After about an hour - with my tail waggin and my tongue draggin, we loaded up to go shopping some more.

Next we went to a place was called Better Life Pet Food or something like that. Dad bought us TWO of those bully-stick things. Shhhhhh - do you know what they are MADE OF??? Ha ha ha ha - they sure are tasty. And then dad kisses me.

After that dad was talking on that radio-box-thingie. The voice was WK5C something or other. This WK5C thing told dad about some rabies shot clinic. Mom said Daisy and I needed those shots, and they were half-price. So we went to visit the nice shot-clinic people. Of course they loved us. Everyone does!

After that dad took mom to some place called Dripping Springs. It was a nice place - but it had a nasty sign. NO PETS ALLOWED. Bummer. Dad ran inside to talk to one of the ranger-humans while mom took a few photos. Dad was back pretty quick, and we left. The rest of the day was just normal at home.

25 Jan 2009

Sunday morning - we started with the GET THE PAPER game. Dad opened the gate, and I rushed right to the paper. I grabbed it real good and ran for the house. Dad was chasing behind me. I had to stop while dad got the door open. Then I ran straight to mom with the paper and traded it for a nice big cookie. I am so lucky - no other dog gets to do all the fun things that I get to do.

A little later dad cleaned the garage. It was GREAT FUN! Dad would push the dirt around on the floor with this broom-thing. It was a fun game - I tried to bite the broom-thing while dad yelled at me and tried to push the dirt around me. I loved this game. Dad - not so much I think. Dad started throwing toys in the yard and sweeping really fast while I chased the toy. That's a good game too. Sunday afternoon we went to visit the nice people at that big building in El Paso. Lots of people there sit in chairs with wheels on them. We went from room to room looking for people to say HI to. Dad did some kind of "computer work" for some people there. Then we came home to take a nap.

After the nap - I got into some trouble again. Dad helps mom to make the dog food. Dad scoops the food out of the box and measures it into the dog bowls. Well - I was hungry. So I just tried to get a few mouth-fulls of food on my own. Dad blocked me from the boxes and scolded me. So I stuck my head into a full bowl and got a mouth-full of yummy food. UH-OH.... I was in trouble again. Dad grabbed me by the mouth. He held my mouth open and shook my little head until all the food fell out. Then he scolded me really bad, and made me sit and wait while he made all the food. SIGH! Hungry puppies shouldn't have to wait! Dad carried the 5 food bowls to mom, and mom put in some yummy juices and vitamins. Mom feeds the other dogs while dad makes me WAIT. Dad made me WAIT extra-long tonight I think.

26 Jan 2009

Monday - dad got up early and left before the sun came up. He does that most of the time. I think I am beginning to see a pattern here. Anyway - when dad got home he asked me if I wanted to go to Dog Training again. Boy - DO I!!! I like Dog Training. So we loaded up in the dog-show van. This time mom came along, but Daisy didn't get to come. Dad had the green dog-training-bag along again too. I am really starting to like this dog training stuff.

When we got there, dad started by letting me play with that tennis-ball fox-tail thingie. Dad would throw it, and I would bring it back. Throw and back, throw and back. Playing with dad never gets boring. Pretty soon other dogs started to show up. But not as many as the week before. And there was one new dog. He was really an old dog. Guess he flunked out of puppy class a few times - ha ha ha ha.

First we did that controlled down exercise again. I don't like it so much. I would rather run and play. While we did the controlled down exercise the Alpha-Human talked about doggie things. After about 15 minutes we got up and started doing the HEEL game. I have this figured out now. Every week the Alpha-Human adds some new exercise we have to master. Then dad and I practice it. I try really hard - I want dad to like me for trying. Well, this week I got confused. Last week we learned the recall. Dad says COME, and I am supposed to go and sit in front of dad's feet. This week we learned STAY. I am supposed to sit and not move. We did that stay a few times for practice. Well, then we started doing the recall again. This is where I got confused. Dad would tell me to stay, then dad would back up, then dad would say come. I didn't know what to do. And then the mom-collar started biting me. I was so confused. I even looked around to see what the other dogs were doing. But I just didn't get it. Then mom yelled something at dad, and dad stopped confusing me. I hope dad can help me understand this exercise, cause I just don't get it.

I think that sometimes dad forgets I am just a little puppy and not Uncle Parker. Uncle Parker must have been a really great dog if he understood all this training stuff. But I will keep trying. Dad must not have been too upset with me, because when we got home I got a really great dinner. Well - it is my bed time. I will write more of my adventures soon.