Borador Puppy
Wow! It’s hard to image. How time flies. It seems like just yesterday we were meeting and selecting Grace, taking her home, naming her, and getting her situated. This morning Grace made a slight whimper at 5:45. At 6:15, she was more persistent. I got up, quickly dressed, and took her out. She promptly did her business, and I carried her back upstairs. When we returned, Grace obviously needed stimulation.
New Tricks
I tried toys and fetch. Then I worked on training her “paw.” She caught on after about ten minutes. I fed her breakfast at 8:00. I worked on “speak.” That was harder than “paw” but she learned that one in about fifteen minutes. She barked and went to the front door at 8:30. I took her out briefly to do her business and returned at 8:45. Betsy shut Grace in her cage and left for church at 10:00.
Rush Home
A friend at church asked us if we would like to eat out to eat with them. We had to decline because we had to get back to Grace who had not been outside since 8:45. We returned about 1:00. Grace was sleeping. Betsy immediately brought her downstairs. Grace has a very full bladder. The good news was she had no accidents. Grace stayed outside until 2:00. We then went inside for lunch. Betsy fed her first.
Barking Disturbance
When I tried to eat, Grace started barking. We noticed I had a cheese bag and a dog treats bag next to my place setting. I put them up, but she still barked. I tried going through tricks with her, but the barking continued. We put her in timeout for about a minute two separate times. When we finished eating at about 2:20, Grace went to the door. Grace did have to relieve herself again. Perhaps that explains the barking. What threw us was she had been outside just 20 minutes earlier.
Playtime
We stayed outside exploring and darting through the pampas grass and shrubs. She seems to be able to hear worms. She dug one up today as evidence. We stopped by Jack’s place, but he wasn’t very interested in Grace’s advances. By 4:00, I decided to go inside, but as we were heading back, there came Bella. Grace raced to see her friend. They played for about five minutes when Jericho an Akita. He was very gentle with Grace as she excitedly went through her face-licking routine.
Another Lockup
At 5:00, Betsy fed Grace and included a loaded Kong toy to keep her busy. Betsy closed the door to her cage. We returned at 6:45. Grace lay in her cage calmly awake. I opened the gate. As I changed my clothes, Betsy put one of the new harnesses on a compliant Grace. I took her downstairs. The turned increasingly nasty as the temperature dropped, wind picked up, and a light rain started. Just before turned for home, we spotted Jericho. Grace played with Jericho for about five minutes. After Jericho left, I used “come” to walk Grace back to the foot of the stairway. I carried her up from there at 7:10.
At 8:30, Grace started barking at Betsy. Betsy wondered if Grace wanted attention. That didn’t seem like the problem. Then Grace went to door. I took her out to let her relieve herself. We returned at 8:45. I went over Grace’s tricks, which she did with ease. Having been in the cage about six hours today, Grace still had some play in her. Betsy, though was getting tired of dealing with Grace. She locked her in her cage and told her “Night, night.”
Monday
Grace stirred some around 4 AM but not enough to prompt us to get up. At 6:10 though, Grace whimpered enough to let me know it was time. I dressed and took her out. I had to wear my windbreaker outfit to adapt to the 50 degree temperature. She promptly did her business. She evidenced a small amount of digestive upset yesterday. This trip continued that trend. It necessitated a second trip to the waste station. Betsy proposed yesterday that perhaps the peanut butter in the Kong toy yesterday could have upset her stomach. Hopefully it will resolve soon. We did the circuit. I carried her back upstairs at 6:25.
In the apartment, Grace let me know she needed more stimulation. I went through commands with her, rewarded with treats. We then did fetch a few times. She decided to stop chew on the ball. She then curled up in a ball at my feet either asleep or just resting.
Morning Playtime
At 7:30 Grace barked. I had to assume she may need to go out. After her usual pit stop, she tore off for the back parking area. I didn’t see or hear anything, but obviously Grace did. When she reached the road she made a sharp turn. At that point, I could see her objective. Tucker and Isabella were being walked. They are being clicker trained. Perhaps Grace had heard that. Also, their owners prepare fresh liver treats, which really grab Grace’s attention.
After a short playtime with the two dogs, we moved on to exploring mode. Grace’s horizons not encompass the extent of this apartment complex. Tucker and Isabella made another circle around the perimeter, and Grace spotted them. I had to use treats to divert her attention from them. By 7:50,we made our way back to the area outside our unit. Betsy saw us and started talking to Grace. We then returned upstairs, and Betsy fed Grace breakfast.
Listless
After breakfast, Grace went to the balcony lounge chair on her own. I joined her there. By 8:35, she seemed listless and started to bark. We tried giving her more attention, but that didn’t help. Betsy played with her inside a bit. Grace then rejoined me back out on the lounge chair. After a bit more consoling, she finally settled down until 8:55 when the barking started back up again, so we went back inside.
We struggled with the barking issue. Grace has linked barking (or her initiating other tricks) to getting treats rather than getting the treat when responding to the “speak” command. Thankfully, we still have the timeout recourse, which works very effectively. After a couple of cycles of: bark, timeout, bark, timeout; she seemed to calm down. We’re going to have to be more careful to treat only in response to command. It’s hard to watch this though as it makes perfect sense to her to receive a treat for initiating.
Trip to Park
At 10:50, Betsy decided to take Grace to the park. In the mean time, I set up a meeting for us at 1:00. I went running. They had not returned, so I headed for the park. On the way, I saw them pull into Wendy’s around noon, so I followed. I told Betsy and picked up Grace, allowing Betsy to eat her lunch in peace.
When we returned home, Betsy fed Grace, we got ready for the meeting, caged Grace and left. We returned at 1:20. Grace lay contentedly in her litter-box bed in her cage. She whimpered to let us know she’s there, and I let her out. Betsy said Grace enjoyed the sniffing and exploring at the park, but the worsening weather turned them back after an hour.
Puppy Class
At 2:30, Grace went to the door. I took her out in some messy weather. Grace seemed to be not phased by it. Grace had something that looked like “puppy pimples” on her hairless underside. Since we had her scheduled to go to puppy play and puppy class tonight, we took her to the vet to assure she would be safe to interact with other dogs. The vet confirmed that her condition would not harm other dogs and gave Betsy three treatment options:
- Do nothing and let it resolve itself
- Bathe her with Hexadene medicated soap
- Give her an oral antibiotic
Betsy opted for option two.
While there though, the vet found some fleas. Betsy had applied flea medicine between her shoulders but not lately. The vet recommended a monthly tablet, Comfortis. Betsy put her first dose in with her dinner, and Grace ate it. Hopefully, that will be the end of the flea problem.
I had mentioned to Betsy earlier in the day that Grace seems like she weighs 25 pounds. Her official weight turned out to be 23 pounds 7 ounces. While Grace snoozed, I grabbed the treats bag to transfer them to a smaller bag. She recognizes the distinct crinkling sound of the treats bag. She over near me to try to get some. I gave her some tricks to do and rewarded her with treats.
We took Grace to class at 6:30. There were about seven other puppies there. The trainer gave us tips. One thing we didn’t know was to use the “off” command rather than “down” to get them off of your or the furniture. We told them we had no problem with house training her.
Puppy play started half way through the session. After about fifteen minutes of play Grace went to the side of the room and made a deposit on the floor. Perhaps the flea pill had something to do with it, or she just did not understand any indoors place is not acceptable, not just a home environment. She had a great time playing with the other dogs. While some gave out after about fifteen minutes, not Grace.
When we returned home, Betsy put Grace in her cage and turned out the lights. Grace happily curled up and went to sleep. She seemed cramped inside, so I reached in and removed the litter-box bed to give her room to stretch out. Grace barely moved as I did it.
Tuesday
Grace let us know her morning arrived at 5:50. Betsy did not have Grace’s collar handy, so I used the harness. Every one seems to go on differently, and I had forgotten how to do this one. About five minutes later, did I Not until we had gone downstairs and spent about five minutes walking did I figure out the problem and fix it.
Case of the Missing Treats
While I grabbed the treats on the way out, I couldn’t find them when I checked my pocket. We did not need to stop by the waste station this morning, so we went back upstairs. When we reached the landing between the second and third floors, I looked up and spotted the treats bag at the entrance to the apartment. Grace wanted to hang out there for a few minutes, so I went up and grabbed them. Grace looked puzzled that I went up without her, but stayed seated there. Without the treats, I didn’t do the circuit
Round 2
At 7:10, Grace let me know she needed to go out again. She did some longer than usual sprints this time. The 48 degree wet weather felt cold wearing only a warm-up suit. I must admit, the sprints helped to warm me up. When she took off for the longest sprint, I couldn’t figure out what prompted it. Then I heard the clickers. The owners of Tucker and Isabella started using clicker training about a week ago. Grace can hear that clicker before I can. Grace met up with Isabella for a minute of doggie play before they had to move on. Then Rhino (Scottish terrier) showed up for some more play.
After play time, Grace finished her business, and we headed back up to a landing in our stair area. Before long, Grace heard Betsy come out. She said “Hi” to Betsy and followed her out the the parking lot. This gave me a chance to make a deposit at the waste station. We then completed our circuit. This time I let Grace climb the stairs on her own. The dog trainer and others at the class agreed the climbing would not aggravate hip dysplasia and likely would help her in the event Grace turns out having that genetic disorder.
Nap Time
Grace came in around 7:30 and curled up in a tight little ball along the dining room wall. It’s now breakfast time, but there’s no need to disturb her nap. She’s so peaceful. I’ll wait until she wakes up. I had to get up and load some more paper in the printer. When I returned, I noticed Grace’s head popped up alertly (reminiscent of Grandaddy, her predecessor) as she made sure she knew my present location and activity. A few minutes later a train went by with a loud whistle. Grace didn’t flinch.
Breakfast
At 8:45, Grace got up. I started preparing her bowl. She barked once. I told her “Quiet.” She remained quiet until she finished her meal. She then gave a few soft barks at me. I told her “Quiet” again and consoled her. She went back to the paper bag and entertained herself for about 15 minutes, then came to the foot of my chair and lay down as I gave her a little attention. She started to become listless, so I opened the balcony door. Grace jumped up on the lounge chair.
If the weather were more mild, I could have just left the door open, but I don’t particularly like to pay to heat the outdoors. I put my warm-up suit back on and joined her there at 9:00. Grace enjoyed lying there and observing the activity below.
I took Grace out at 11:15 for a half an hour. She went down to one of the drainage ponds. It has a fence around it, but she still enjoyed watching a Canadian goose swimming. I could just see her sneaking up on one of those pests, grabbing it by the neck, and snapping it. Maybe some day. We met up with Cato, the eight-month old Lab. They enjoyed a nice little play time together, Cato’s owner said she acted just like Grace when she was Grace’s age, jumping up around the head of the other dog. Betsy fed her at noon.
I left for a few hours at 12:30 and Betsy took her out. They went back to the drainage pond to watch the goose. They went outside again at 2:30.
Expanded Horizons
I took her out at 4:40. Grace continued to expand her horizons. We went out to the north edge of the corner lot adjacent to the complex. After going to Chatham Street and finding a prize decomposing tennis ball, she carried her treasure back to the courtyard and threw it up in the air repeatedly. After a while she left it for a stick. We came back in at 5:40 and Betsy gave her supper.
I took her tennis ball and cut it some to make it more like the prized toy that she found. She found that interesting for a while. At 6:15, Betsy washed down her belly and in her “arm pits” with the special soap. Grace did pretty well considering we needed to leave it on her for five to ten minutes before rinsing it off.
Evening Outing
At 6:45, Grace went out on the balcony alone and watched some of her favorite friends walk past the courtyard. There she saw Sammie and Jack. By 7:15 Grace went to the door and wanted out. She needed to go. Grace heard the clicker being used with Isabella and ran over there. She missed Isabella, but spotted Bella with a tiny Yorkie. The Yorkie felt threatened by Grace and Bella put up with her for a while before telling Grace to back off.
Grace headed back to Jack’s end of the complex. Jack came out for Grace to say “Hi.” After a short while, Jack had enough and went inside to play with a toy. We then explored by the fenced drainage pond. I had no geese in it, but Grace did find a prize—a plastic flavored-water bottle. She grabbed it and carried it home. The cap was still on, and that was the only part that she could grip. After getting part-way up the steps with it, she had trouble with the next step knocking it out of her mouth. I crushed the bottle part way and put the lid back on.
It was 8:00 when Grace proudly pranced in with her new toy. She threw it up in the air, batted it around the room, and of course chewed on it. This went on for about fifteen minutes. Next she grabbed the tennis ball that I had cut earlier. She deftly held it in her mouth and ran the obstacle course through the house. I notice a lot of foam shreddings on the floor by the fluffy mats. I quickly checked the mats, and they all looked undamaged. By 8:30, she wanted to call it a day. She walked into her cage and put herself to bed. I shut the door behind her. Wow!
Wednesday
I heard Grace touching her dish perhaps around 5:00 AM. By 5:30 she let me know it was time to go outside. It takes me longer now to get ready because I need to put on more clothes and the harness takes more time. On the way out Grace grabbed a sponge. Perhaps that was what she had been shredding the night before. I took the sponge from her and left it on the welcome mat. We did the usual “bio break” with rewards and praise from me. We then did the circuit with a stop off at the waste station. Grace did it with ease.
Grace climbed the stairs and grabbed the sponge on the way in. We then proceeded to the balcony lounge chair. A rawhide chew kept her occupied. At 7:10, Grace let me know she needed to go for another walk. As before, she took off running for no particular reason. Then I heard it—the clicker means Isabel and Tucker time!
Morning Puppy Play
Isabel and Tucker had the time and Grace certainly had the energy. The three of them played the same game with vigor—a mix of tackle football (without the ball), wrestling, and tag. The fun lasted about twenty minutes. We then practiced leash walking with the distraction of friends along side us. After they went inside, Grace said “Hi” to a Scotty and then to Cato. Time flies when you’re having fun. I took Grace in to get her 8:00 breakfast.
After breakfast, Betsy continued vacuuming. The noise disturbed Grace. She said she would like to retreat to the balcony. I took her there, and she rested peacefully on the lounge chair. I had a business issue I needed to resolve that involved my having to go inside some. Grace happily just stayed put on the balcony without any concern related to her staying there alone.
At 9:30 we went out. Grace walked by Sammie’s place. There on the deck sat both Sammie and Cato. They happily exchanged kisses with Grace through the railing. Sammie’s “mom” said Cato came over for a few hours to play with Sammie. We explored the northern areas of the complex. On the way, we saw a small Bichon Frise that surprisingly showed no reaction to Grace. We then were told the dog was blind. Finally, we checked out the east woods area before returning home at 10:00.
I took Grace outside at 11:30. I showed her the pond had two geese in it today. She looked but wasn’t particularly interested. Grace stopped by to say “Hi” to Jack. He was a little more friendly today but still basically annoyed by her advances to lick and paw his face. We made the southern trip out to the vacant lot. It was getting late, I needed to go running before my appointment. We returned home at 12:15.
When we returned, Betsy gave her lunch and put her to bed. At 3:15 Betsy took Grace back outside for more exploring. After they came back Grace was a bit groggy. After Grace had supper, she went to the door at 5:00. I took her out. While doing her rounds, she met Gretta, a large light-coated lab. They greeted one another gently. Gretta’s “mom” had a small basket of treats attached to a belt around her waist. Grace alertly responded to her for treats. Then she bent over to give Grace more affection. While she was petting and hugging Grace, Grace excitedly devoured the treats in her basket.
We returned at 5:30. Grace played a bit inside. She then went to the patio door and barked. She went outside and sat on the lounge chair. She remained content and stayed out of trouble there for about a half an hour. At 6:30 we sat down to eat and Grace started to bark. It took two trips to timeout before she settled down and remained quiet.
Night Play
At 7:00 we went outside and met up for playtime again with Tucker and Isabel. Sammie came by and joined in. Then came Brantly (an eight month old German Shepherd mix). As I left the apartment, I had checked my pocket for treats. I felt a bag with stuff in it and went on. When I pulled it out, I found it was a puppy waste bag (neatly knotted thankfully) from earlier in the day that I had intended to drop off at waste station. Oh well, we’ll have to operate with no treats.
We walked with them twice around the parking lot. Grace followed them although she nearly continuously strained to go interact with the other dogs. Once we needed to part, Grace failed to cooperate. Without treats, I would either have to drag her or carry her. I chose the latter.
When we returned home, I took Grace through her tricks with treats. Then it was time to be bad. First she grabbed a small therapeutic pillow. Then she found a mouthpiece belonging to Betsy. She grabbed it and ran gleefully around the indoor obstacle course. I caught her as she raced from behind the sofa and removed the appliance from her mouth. She calmed down and watched Betsy bathe. Betsy locked Grace in her cage at 9:00, we turned off the lights, and went to sleep.
Thursday
Thursday in the middle of the night Betsy said she thought she heard something from Grace. I didn’t. I think she was dreaming. At 6:10, Grace made the soft whimpers to let us know it was time to get up. We did our usual route and returned inside in fifteen minutes. I tried to see if Grace might go back to sleep, but that wasn’t in the cards. I entertained her a bit and then she played on her own until 7:00.
Morning Puppy Play
We had tentatively made plans to meet Isabel and Tucker for play. I took Grace over to the play area. In a few minutes they showed up for about a twenty-minute puppy play time. I then walked Grace along with them around the complex. We returned back to the apartment at 8:00.
Puppy Meds
At 8:15, Betsy gave Grace another treatment for “puppy pimples.” It needs to stay on her skin five to ten minutes. We needed to keep Grace occupied in the interim. A chicken-flavored rawhide chew did the trick. Betsy then bathed Grace while I gave her (Grace) a few treats. While she’s not particularly fond of baths, she was a real trooper. After wiping her down, we let her go to shake and then collapse for a nap until 10:30. Later, Betsy applied the flea topical medicine between her shoulders as I held her still and consoled her. Again, Grace tolerated the invasion with admirably.
Betsy took Grace out for her morning explore and sniff time at 11:00. Betsy said Grace kept her exercised with lots of walking and bursts of running. They came back for lunch at noon. Betsy then locked Grace in her cage for a nap. Grace made no objection.
Another Milestone
At 1:30, Grace wanted to go outside. She met the little Chihuahua and played very gently to her. Then a Cocker Spaniel which was pretty withdrawn. Grace again adjusted her play to be docile toward her. This new behavior represents another milestone for her. Rather than play with aggressive full energy with all dogs, she adjusts her play initiatives to fit the dog.
Then came real play time. First, Grace met Jericho. He’s normally very laid back, but today after about five minutes of prompting, she got her to play. First came Bella and second Jack. Jack, being a shepherd, knows the chase game. He even herded Grace on one pass. Grace and I lay in the at the end of the courtyard—i in the warm sunshine, and Grace in the cool shade. At 4:45, we got up returned to the apartment.
Betsy gave Grace supper at her normal time. After all the activity of the day Grace took a break and rested peacefully on the floor. At 7:20, we took Grace out again. We missed Isabel and Tucker, but perhaps that was for the best. Grace had had a very big play day. We did get to mix it up a little bit with Rino. Despite fairly gentle play, Rino’s harness came off. We talked with a neighbor and worked with Grace on responding to commands and returned at 8:15. Betsy put Grace down for the night at 8:30 with no objection from Grace.
We continued to quietly tie up loose ends in the room for another half an hour before we turned off the lights. Grace gave no reaction. I assume she either rested or slept through it.
Friday
Grace awoke at 6:14. When we went out, she ran over to the play area, hoping to find Isabel and Tucker. She wanted to explore, but I turned her back toward home. We came back inside until 7:05. I put Grace’s harness on her, loaded up some treats, and we headed back out—hoping for playtime. Then we spotted them. Isabel and her owner had just arrived. Grace and Isabel, being both about the same size now, played energetically with each other. They play the same games and know all of the rules.
Tucker came by about fifteen minutes later. That multiplied the play activities. They played fetch and a lot of roly-poly roughhouse. Isabel and Tucker had to go in at 7:50. We headed back home at 8:00.
New Treats
To date, we used Bil Jac treats for Grace. As she matures, Grace consumes a greater amount of treats. We have also noticed a little issue with loose stools some time. We’re using premium dog food (Purina Pro Plan Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice Puppy Food). Grace loves it. I figured it worth a try using that for treats rather than the Bil Jac. She seemed to enjoy the kibble the same as the old treats. Isabel and Tucker even asked for some and came back for more
Grace quickly polished off her breakfast. Her water bowl needed filling. After all of that activity, Grace lapped it up. She then settled down for a good long, lazy nap. By 10:15, Grace started to need more activity. Betsy and I played with her for a short while. We proceeded from there out to the balcony with a rawhide chew stick—which our little rawhide-consuming machine can polished off in about 15 minutes. She came back in and lounged around some more.
I went running at about 11:30. While running, I realized it had been nearly four hours since Grace had been outside. I took her out at noon and brought her back for her lunch shortly thereafter. Betsy shut her cage door while she ate and Grace cooperatively took a nap. By 1:30, she was ready to come out of the cage. I took her outside for about an hour. During that time she enjoyed the fresh air and warm breezes. First we met with a toddler boy next door. Grace refrained from any biting and limited her advances to gentle licking of his hand and face. We met up with the Chihuahua. Grace was also gentle and restrained as they played a few minutes.
At 2:30, I realized I needed to go inside and coaxed Grace back to the apartment with treats. Then I needed to mail a letter. Grace was stretched out on the carpet and I hated to disturb her, but I could not leave her in the house alone. I locked her back in the cage for a few minutes. She made no protest. When I returned, she remained calm as I opened the door and she lay on the living room floor.
First Injury
At 3:30 we went down and met with Bella. Rather than retrieve the ball or at least run with Bella, Grace held back. She seemed to be walking gingerly. Something was definitely wrong. I consluded that the intense play in the morning or the previous day took its toll on Grace. The pads of her feet feel remarkably soft. Perhaps those delicate pads sustained injury running and playing fetch on the pavement. The wet grass could have further weakened the skin on her paws. If not her paws, perhaps just muscle soreness got the best of her.
I took her out at 6:00 and again at 8:15 and carried Grace up and down the stairs to spare her further stress. When we returned at 8:30, I tried to persuade her to give up for the day and sleep in her cage. She chose the space between the cage and the wall instead. Betsy dragged her into her cage about 9:10 to end a long day.
Saturday
Grace used her usual gentle whine to let us know to come release her from her cage and take her outside. As the weather cools, I need to put on more articles of clothing to take her out. This takes longer. Grace is learning as I roam around that help is on the way.At this point, I need to put on pants, shirt, a warm-up suit and shoes. I need to locate treats, her collar and leash, and a waste bag. Normally, I try to do this in the dark or near dark. We headed out the door at about 6:15. She seemed less stiff today and perhaps back to normal. Rather than risk it though, I carried her down the stairs and directed her to the grass.
Natural Light
We’re trying to follow the natural light concept with her. Before we adopted her, she lived in a pen outdoors. She naturally knows to sleep in the dark and get up in the light. That’s why we try to minimize turning on lights in her room the morning and evening. This seems to work well for her.
Marking
During the last day or so, we’ve noticed another new behavior starting up. Grace used to go outside and relieve herself in a particular spot all in one shot. Now she doesn’t event go to that spot anymore. Instead, she gets the pressure off in some different spot and then roams around marking multiple spots with what fluid she intentionally retained. I reward her for the first shot only. While I praised her for any time she went, I’m going to stop that now.
Feeling Better
At 6:29, I carried Grace back upstairs. So far I’ve seen no more evidence of gimpy or tender pads, but we’ll take it easy just in case. We played “fetch” inside, but didn’t force it. She still seems to need more rest than usual.
At 8:00, she acted like she wanted out. We tried the balcony, but she came back in after just a few minutes. By 8:15, we decided to take her out. Betsy said she would do it, but took her time getting ready. I told her I’d take her and pass Grace off when she came down.
Grace and I spotted Bella with a large white German Shepherd. Grace started running excitedly toward them. Then the Germand Shepherd made a threatening bark. Grace did a 180, heading back a the same speed the other direction. I had to react in kind. She turned back around to try a slower approach. The German Shepherd owner moved his dog from the scene, so Grace just did her normal “Hi” routine with Bella. At that time Betsy showed up. I left Grace with her and went to the apartment. Betsy and Grace returned a few minutes behind me. The time was 8:30. Betsy said she couldn’t keep Grace from following me home.
Grace lay at my feet most of the morning. I told Betsy I needed to go out running. Betsy was busy and asked me to lock Grace in her cage. Grace whined a little. I tried to console her. I left at 11:00. When I returned at 11:30, Grace sat peacefully in her cage. I praised her and let her out. She then lay down within a few feet of me.
Another Milestone—More Trustworthy
We’re seeing now Grace being more disciplined with her limits in the house. She stays off of the furniture. Does not bite or chew on the furniture, and tends to stay out of forbidden areas more often. She’s not perfect with these behaviors, but has reached the point where we feel we do not have to keep an eye on her every second. The kitchen waste basket on the floor today certainly attracted her interest. I told her to stay away. So far, despite interesting smells (like pizza), she’s restrained herself. Of course, when she needs to chew or play, we immediately offer her suitable alternatives.
At 11:50, Betsy fed Grace. I took her out to explore at noon. We met the little Yorkie named Hercules. Hercules was too afraid to touch Grace despite Grace’s gentle approaches. We walked across the main road at the crosswalk. I used treats to assure she came quickly across. From there we went to Sunrise Assisted Living and then returned. Again, we crossed at the crosswalk at the traffic light. Grace did fine.
On the way back, Grace said “Hi” to Sammie and at the last, saw Tucker. She really wanted to play with him, so I let her wrestle with him for a few minutes. It was tough tearing her away, but Grace needed to recover. We returned around 1:30. Grace remains content to sprawl out on the floor and rest.
New Potential Boy Friend
Next, I went out to mail a letter and take out the trash. On the way, I met a four-month old black Lab male named Flagle. The family was just moving in to an apartment near Jack. Flagle seemed very calm. He has a face very much like Grace. His coat is just a little bit longer than hers. They should become great playmates.
Betsy took her outside at 4:45 for about fifteen minutes. Betsy put her in her crate. I let her out at 5:20, but Betsy wanted her out of her hair while she made supper. At 6:40, I let her out. We played fetch and tug with her. She still had major ants in the pants. Just as we sat down to eat she went to the door and even jumped up to the door knob. I took her outside for five minutes for a bladder break and carried her back. She seemed to want to go to the play area, but I would not let her go.
Bad Pill
Grace became nippy, snarlly and barky. We did time out with her twice. Finally, I gave her a rawhide chew. That satisfied her need. She focused her attention on that. Betsy took Grace outside at 8:20 and returned her at 8:25. I finally put her to bed in her cage at 8:45. Within a few minutes, she passed out.