Scavenger Extraordinaire
Grace got up at 6:03. Again I carried her down the stairs, just in case she still needed to recover from a few days ago. I took her out and learned something else. Dogs are perhaps first and foremost scavengers. In the past, I viewed dogs as primarily predators. After observing Grace follow her nose and eyes looking for things to eat, I’ve changed my mind. She sniffed out some vomit on the sidewalk between the clubhouse and pool and persistently made her way to it. When I took her away from it, she circled the clubhouse to return to it. When that didn’t work, she went through the pampas grass to get me to drop the leash. She immediately made a beeline for the vomit.
She also located a green dog biscuit shaped item strategically placed along the walk and grass. It had the word “Trick.” I don’t know if it was a poison lure, a “gift,” or something someone dropped by mistake. Grace found it, but I made her steer clear of it. I allowed Grace to stay out a long time because she would be caged when we went to church. We returned home at 7:15. She still needed to burn some energy, so we played fetch and tug. Betsy fed her breakfast at 8:30.
Two Play Sessions
Betsy, took Grace out around 11:00. She played with Tucker and Isabel for about 45 minutes. They returned home at noon. Betsy fed her lunch. After lunch, Betsy put Grace in the cage for a couple hours as she went to a late church service. I returned home at 3:15. Grace sat contentedly in her cage. I let her out and took her outside. We immediately met Fraggle. We learned Fraggle is a female, born June 20. That makes her a few weeks older than Grace. Fraggle seems to weigh about 20 pounds and has a longer coat than Grace. They had a lot of fun playing in the grass together until 4:00. The energy level of the play was definitely a step down from Isabel and Tucker but still energetic.
She said “Hi” to Jericho and hung out around the grill area for about 20 minutes. At 4:20, we came in. She joined me on the balcony. She found the treat bag in my pocket. That caused her to bark. I gave her some tricks to do and followed each with a treat. We’re waiting to see how long she lasts before she gets agitated about not having her dinner.
Wanting to Play
At 6:00, Grace saw Tucker and Isabel. That got her barking and anxious to go out. We held her off for a while. Finally, at 6:20, Betsy took her out. Someone put a plate of scraps out. Of course, Grace found it and drove Betsy crazy trying to hold her back. They returned at 6:35. Grace continued to demand attention. Betsy finally loaded the Kong toy with treats and locked Grace in her cage. Grace objected and did a couple loud barks. Then she gave up and curled up to rest or nap.
At 8:00, I took Grace outside. She went by Fraggle’s place. While she was there, Fraggle came out. They played about ten minutes, but not with as much vigor as earlier. I brought her home. Betsy put her in her cage at 8:30.
Monday
Grace got up at 6:20. She headed for the grill area in scavenger mode. I’m reminded of the Bible verse that dogs eat the crumbs from the master’s table. She spent about five minutes scouring the area. We met the other white Lab (not Sammie) and said “Hi.” The owner gave Grace a treat, which of course she appreciated. After the trip to the waste station, we did the “Grace come” routine using treats to go home and up the stairs. I decided to stop carrying her up and down the stairs yesterday because she seems to have recovered from the Thursday “play-fest.”
Morning Play
We returned home at 6:45. The inviting, 64 degree morning air felt good as we sat out on the balcony waiting for Isabel and Tucker to emerge. We didn’t see them, so we decided to head on down at 7:30. Grace found a wooden stake and ran it up to Fraggle’s place. She and Fraggle played until 8:00 when Fraggle went inside. We then spotted Isabel and played with her for twenty minutes. Isabel went inside and Tucker replaced her. We went down to the play area in the back where Tucker and Grace mixed it up until about 9:10. We could see a marked reduction in the intensity of play with two vs. three dogs. In a way, that tamer activity may serve Grace better anyway.
When we returned home at 9:15, I fed Grace her breakfast. We then moved back out to the balcony to enjoy the peaceful, pleasant morning. We spotted Betsy as she returned from an appointment at about 10:30 and exchanged greetings. After hanging out on the balcony for nearly three hours, at 12:05, Grace let out a couple semi-angry barks. I told Betsy, “I think it’s time for lunch, Honey.” She promptly gave Grace three-fourths of a cup of food. Betsy then took her out for about ten minutes.
Growing Puppy
When they returned, Betsy commented on how heavy she was. I weighed her at 24 pounds. Grace then joined me again out on the balcony lounge chair for an afternoon snooze while listening to a gentle rain. At 5:25 she spied Tucker and Isabel from the balcony. I took her down. They could only say “Hi” and finish their walk. We returned at 5:35 and I fed Grace supper.
Puppy Class
At 6:20, we headed off to puppy class. One new member joined this week. It was a twelve-week-old Golden Retriever. It’s owner proudly announced that it’s father won the honor of the fastest Golden Retriever in the country. We stood next to that dog in the circle. It barked and snarled aggressively at Grace.
We did elementary commands: sit, down, and come. Grace did them with ease. During playtime, she tried to temper her play based on the size and demeanor of the other dogs. The new puppy took an aggressive stance with Grace. Of course, Grace was fine with that and assumed she could do a little spirited puppy play. Grace returned the posture and chased the puppy, trying to wrestle and rough-house with her. The owners of the puppy worried that Grace would hurt their dog.
Grace played with the other dogs too—carefully adjusting her play to match the dog. She would do chase, wrestle, or tackle depending on the situation. Grace looked markedly more muscular and mature than the others. As we left, I decided it’s time for Grace to move up to the class with older dogs.
After returning home from the class, Grace slipped into that mischief mode before bedtime. Finally, at 8:30 I had enough and put her into her cage. She made no objection and immediately went to sleep.
Tuesday
The morning greeted us with an unusual amount of commotion. Various noise outside including the annoying “beep, beep” of some truck backing up assaulted our peace. This likely confused Grace. She started her whimpering at 4:50. I decided not to get her up and see if she would back off. She did. At 5:50, she started up again, and I went ahead and let her start her morning.
She did her business. We made our way to the waste station and proceeded to do the circuit. Grace seems to be getting a bit stubborn. Rather than “come,” and continue to come, she will come and then sit. I could just constantly lure her with treats, but we really need her to respond without constant treats. I give her verbal praise, and that helps, but the challenge seems to be how to evoke willing, obedience without treats.
After about fifteen minutes, we returned inside. Grace likes to grab a sock out of the laundry basket. She knows she’s not supposed to do that. We tell her “No,” and she drops it. We played “fetch and tug” and “sock case and tug” for a while. Then she curled up in a ball at my feet. As the sky lit up, Grace seemed to know that her friends might be outside for playtime. I let her go out on the patio to look around. She saw no sign of them.
Rawhide Chew to the Rescue
Breakfast time approached. Grace started presenting her paws, hoping I would reward her with treats. I told her “good paw” and did other tricks with her without treats—substituting a lot of praise and affection. Then to hold her off, I gave her a rawhide chew stick. Grace immediately went to work on that project. Betsy loaded up a Kong toy at 7:45 to give Grace an appetizer. At 7:55, I gave her breakfast (one cup). When she finished (a minute later), she returned to the chew project which she completed (finished eating) at 8:03.
Balcony Milestone
I started to get ready to go to the fair. Betsy let Grace into the bathroom with me. She wanted to chew on the door, some soap, etc. She needed more stimulation. I encouraged her out on the balcony. She went there alone and had a good time watching the action until 8:20 when I had to take her downstairs one last time before leaving for the fair. When we returned at 8:35, I locked her in her cage. She cooperated, but would have preferred to be outside playing and exercising.
When we returned at 12:40, I found Grace asleep in her cage. We took her out for a few minutes and brought her back home to get her lunch (one cup). After lunch, I gave her another rawhide chew stick and Betsy gave her the bacon flavored plastic bone.
Afternoon Outing
Grace needed fresh air. I let her out on the balcony at 1:40. It’s nice that she now goes out on the balcony on her own without my being there with her. It gives her another outlet without having to walk all over the complex with her. Betsy let her back in at 1:50. Betsy gave her a last puppy pimples wash followed by a bath. We used a fancy chicken-based hard dog biscuit to work on to divert her before the bath. She tolerated the bath while standing pretty well as Betsy washed, and I fed her treats.
I took Grace out at 2:30. She met Sammie and Bella said “Hi.” At about 3:15, she saw Jack. They played “chase” until they both ran out of gas. About an hour later, Grace walked past Tucker’s and Isabel’s place. They came out on the patio and played rough-house between the railings. The caretakers said they would be out in about an hour or so.
Winding Down
We returned about 4:45, and Betsy fed her (one cup) shortly thereafter. She lounged around for a couple of hours. At 7:15, she got up ready for more stimulation. I let her out on the balcony. We turned off the lights inside. She lay down on the lounge chair and watched the activity. After an hour, Betsy decided it was time for Grace to come in.
Betsy developed back problems and suspected carrying Grace upstairs as the reason. I took Grace outside one last time before bed. She did a great “stay” while I left her tied up and made a waste station deposit. She then came upstairs with me. A barking dog quickened her pace up the stairs. We returned at 8:30. I lured Grace into her cage and locked her in for the night.
Wednesday
We endured a fair amount of commotion again last night. Around 5:00, a fairly loud emergency vehicle siren disturbed the peace for about five minutes. Grace seemingly ignored that, rising instead at 6:23. We went outside where she promptly did her business. She came with me to the waste deposit station and then back to the foot of the stairs. She meandered a little, but we scaled the stairs without my using a treat to lure her. When we made it back inside, I gave her a treat.
We then played “fetch and tug” without lights on for about ten minutes until she tired of that. She then started working on one of Betsy’s Crocks. I took that from her. She then curled up at my feet for a little rest as the light of the sky announced a new day. At 7:30, Grace started to look for some more action. I invited her out on the balcony. The temperature being just 48 degrees, I preferred to stay inside. Grace got up on the lounge chair on her own and observed the action below from there.
Parting
At 7:55, Betsy got up and paid attention to her. She fed Grace at 8:05. I took her out 8:15. At 8:20 we ran into Isabel but just long enough to say, “Hi.” We returned home at 8:30. I locked her in her cage before we left for a few hours. Grace was disappointed and whimpered some. It’s hard to leave at a time like that.
Play
We returned at 11:15 and met Tucker in the parking (or should I say barking) lot. I rushed up to get Grace. She was calm but awake and anxious to see me. Grace made a beeline for Tucker and a ten-minute wrestle and rough-house session. After that playtime, I took Grace exploring. She ran into Dakota, the six-month-old white German Shepherd. They played chase and tackle because Dakota was too big to wrestle with Grace. We returned back home at 12:15. I fed her (one cup) and we did a little bit of chase.
Little Shadow
Grace wanted into the kitchen trash. I said, “No.” She backed off. A minute later she carefully pulled out a large envelope from the office trash can and proceeded to shred it. She then moved on to the cat litter box. She can still fit inside if she curls up in a tight ball, but it’s getting increasingly more difficult. Now she likes to drag it around the room and teethe on the hard thick plastic. As I went out the door to go running, Grace tried to follow. It was hard to turn her back. She was disappointed she could not come.
A half an hour later, I returned. All was quiet. There was no sign of Grace. Finally, I spotted her sprawled out on the kitchen floor. She must have seen me, because a minute later she came to lie at my feet in the living room.
At 2:45, Betsy spotted Jack. I rushed Grace down the stairs. They had a good session of “chase.” Grace continued to want to wrestle, but Jack, being a shepherd, stuck with the chase routine. Then Bella showed up. Having run with Jack, Grace ran with Bella as she did fetch a few times, but then took a break. At 5:00, Grace returned home. Betsy fed her (1 cup). Shortly thereafter, Grace collapsed.
At 6:25, the dog below us started barking and awakened Grace. I let her out on the balcony (alone). She watched Bella play fetch. At 6:40, she faced the door and gave a little yelp. I let her in. She acted antsy and started offering her paw. I praised her with “good paw.” I then offered her a rawhide chew stick.
At 7:30, Grace went to the door to go outside. She meandered her way over to Tucker’s and Isabel’s house. Through the open patio door she could hear them. She barked, and they came running. That led to a fifteen minute wrestling match through the deck bars. It’s not nearly as fun as a real encounter, but it’s better than nothing. Finally, they had to go inside. We quickly made it back home. I got her to come up all stairs now without a treat. When we arrive home I give her a nice treat.
At 8:15, she asked to go to the balcony. I let her out. She hung out there perched on the lounge chair. She stayed there until 9:40 when Betsy got her. Betsy locked her in her cage at 9:55.
Thursday
Grace got up at 7:03. The day had dawned. We went outside and met the beautiful, well-mannered, three-year-old Huskie named Rumba. He likes people but is not particularly thrilled with playful puppies. He tolerated Grace’s antics the best he could. We saw Jericho, now wearing an Elizabethan collar to keep him from licking his paw raw while they try to get it to heal. The licking occurs as a symptom of separation anxiety. We walked by Tucker’s and Isabel’s, but they stayed inside.
After a lot of exploring, we finally met up with Dakota. The owner needed to go to work, but he let Dakota go to play “chase” with Grace for ten or fifteen minutes. We meandered our way back home, returning at 8:30. I gave Grace her breakfast (one cup). Immediately after she devoured her food, Grace wiggled on her back and growled in what looked like a mock-wrestling match. At the same time dried her dew-drenched coat on the carpet.
Little Yap
Then she let out a little “yap.” That seems to mean that she needs more activity. The morning temperature of 54 degrees was suitable for me, so I invited her out on the balcony with me. She lay at my feet watching the action below and doing that eyes-partially-closed shepherd nap. At 9:30, out came another “yap.” I tried a rawhide chew. She took it inside.
Betsy didn’t want to keep watching Grace and I was doing some paperwork, so she locked Grace in her cage. Grace complied and took a nap there. Betsy left to go shopping at 11:00. Grace said she wanted out. I took her downstairs. She stopped by Tucker’s and Isabel’s. She hoped she could get to see them since the patio door was open, but they never appeared. She saw a live worm on the tile at the outside entrance. She pawed at it for about ten seconds and then moved on. We met Bella, played “fetch,” and saw Jericho walk by. We returned home at 11:30.
Balcony Alone
I invited Grace out on the balcony alone. She went willingly. I tried to send a fax with our Internet phone line. It’s iffy. The fax failed, so I walked it down to the office and had the manager send it for me. Before I left, I simply shut Grace out on the patio. She was fine with that. I talked to her from the ground as I left and returned. When I got back, I opened the balcony door. Betsy returned home at 12:30. She needed help with bringing up the groceries. I shut the balcony door again. From the balcony, Grace can see the car, so I figured it would be easy for her. Strangely, she barked repeatedly after seeing us both approach with arm-loads of groceries.
Betsy then fed Grace her lunch. After lunch, we encouraged her back out on the lounge chair. At 1:30, Betsy spotted Tucker walking. Grace and I rushed downstairs to meet them. Then Betsy came down and said we need to meet Isabel instead. We moved to the courtyard and they wrestled and played tag for about fifteen minutes. At this point, Grace can outrun and out-wrestle Isabel. She needs to move up to Tucker or get back to the threesome.
Cage Time
It looked like it might start raining and I hadn’t had a chance to go running. I left and planned to put Grace out on the balcony, but Betsy insisted we needed to lock Grace in her cage for a nap. At 3:00, she awoke. I let her out of her cage and invited her to the balcony. That lasted for about 20 minutes, and then Grace wanted back inside. Betsy ended up putting Grace back in her cage. At 5:00, Betsy fed her and took her back outside.They were outside when I returned at 5:30.
Betsy gave her a toaster-size shipping box to chew on. That captured Grace’s attention for a while. We keep the laundry basket on the floor outside the laundry room. That’s a pretty big temptation for Grace. She pulled out a sock and started to chew on it. We told her to drop it, we put it back in the basket, and a few minutes later, she proceeded to pull it out again. That earned her more time in the cage.
At 7:05, Betsy took Grace outside and returned her at 7:20. We then put her back out on the balcony where she fell asleep. At 9:20, Betsy put her to bed in her cage.
Friday
Grace arose at 6:20. The light morning rain made the routine trip a little different. While rain seems to have little effect on Grace, today she did something a little different. When standing on a grassy incline, Grace would drop and roll. Sometimes she would wiggle around on her back. I wonder if this might be a natural way of cleaning off or adding an outdoor smell to their coat. She would then shake off the water she picked up from the ground. She did this four times. I should have seized the moment to teach her “roll,” but I thought of it after the last time she did it.
Carry a Big Stick
Grace knows “come” now. Because of the rain and puddles on the circuit, I didn’t bother with that. Instead, when she came close to the waste station, I just told her to “sit” and “stay.” She responded perfectly. Grace then proceeded to the courtyard where she accumulates some of her little treasures. She picked up at two-inch diameter stick about a foot long and made double-time up the stairs with it. It’s cute to watch her carry things like that—especially up the stairs. It’s pretty big for a puppy to carry up two flights of stairs, so when she lost her grip about half way up, I picked it up and carried it up the rest of the way. She happily followed me into the apartment without the usual meandering.
Big Ball
When we got up this morning, Grace spotted a sinister new object on the living room floor. It was bigger than her and round. When she touched it, it moved. Grace recoiled and then cautiously approached it to investigate. Since it didn’t move further, her heightened concern waned.
Last night while Grace fell asleep on the balcony lounge chair, Betsy pumped up an exercise ball. Since Betsy carried Grace asleep from the balcony to her cage to put her to bed, Grace hadn’t seen it. When we returned and started to play “fetch,” she saw the ball move. She tried to bite it, but that didn’t work. She also pushed it with her paws and learned how it rolls and bounces. Once she understood how it worked, she moved on.
Until morning broke, Grace entertained herself both on the balcony and inside. Then I joined her outside on the lounge chair. By 7:40, she started to need more activity. We played “fetch and pull” a few times. I went back on the balcony, and she joined me in the chair—alternately lying and sitting to watch the action below.
Feeding Schedule
At 8:25, Grace began eating her new stick. I had held off with the feeding to see if we can transition Grace to two feedings. I fed her a cup of food—which she promptly inhaled. Having eaten, she was then content to rejoin me on the lounge chair and observe the activity below.
After further reading, I’m not going to press reducing the feeding schedule. Feeding often reduces bloat, better satisfies Grace’s need to chew, keeps her on the same elimination schedule, and gives her more chances to break up her day.
Visit Across the Street
At 10:25, I took Grace to visit Mom at the assisted living facility across the street. She balked some, but with enough coaxing, we make it in about ten minutes. We crossed at a pedestrian crossing signal. She sat properly while we waited. She started across correctly as I lured her with treats. Then she put on the breaks. She would not finish the course. As time ran down, I had to be a bit more forceful with her to get her across.
Once we crossed, she followed pretty well down to the facility. She knows it and likes to go there. Inside she met the house dog named Pepper. Grace did all of the right body language with Pepper, but Pepper persisted in snarling and being stupid. I took Grace upstairs and brought Mom down. Again, when Grace met Pepper, Pepper showed her lack of dog etiquette and personality disorder. We proceeded outside to enjoy the warm breezes and sunshine.
Betsy joined us after about thirty minutes. When we took Mom back inside, we made two more passes by Pepper. Each time, Grace did it right and Pepper displayed her emotional problems. Yes, this is Pepper’s home, but this is also an assisted living facility. Lots of dogs come and go on a daily basis.
First Lake Trip
At noon, we headed out to Bond Park. We made our way down to the lake. Grace took it slowly, first drinking, then getting her feet wet, and finally fetching sticks we threw into the water. She limited her depth to where she could stand but showed no fear of the water.
When she came back she would do that rolling maneuver in the grass to dry off. We also played fetch in the wide open space of the big field. I regretted not bringing the camera, because Grace was pretty cute doing various fetch moves out there. One of the funniest moves was fetching the tennis ball. She would tear after it and then put on the breaks as she grabbed. This left her doing a somersault before returning.
We came back home at 1:15. Betsy fed her and we locked her in her cage for a nap. After an initial objection, Grace did not seem to mind and went off to sleep. I returned at 3:30 and took her out. Tucker waited for her. They played (with him on the leash) for about 15 minutes. We came back inside at 4:30. I fed her (one cup) at 5:00. She then went out on the lounge chair until 8:00. She was curled up in a ball but not sleeping.
We returned at 8:15. Grace was in her before-bed mood. Getting into things but actually more restrained than earlier weeks. At 8:30, I finally suggested she go back out on the lounge chair. She went willingly. At 9:30, Grace was ready for bed. Betsy locked her in her cage and said “Good night.”
Saturday
Grace got up at 6:50. Betsy took her out for about fifteen minutes. Betsy fed Grace breakfast (one cup) at 8:00. Grace went out on the balcony until 9:30. Then we went outside. I decided to take out the trash and mail a letter as part of the trip.
Easy Walk
I’m ready to mark this as another milestone. The trip to the trash was fairly painless. She followed my lead, without treats and with a minimum of coaxing. She really understands “stay.” Once we made it to the trash area, I looped the leash over the top of a fire hyrdrant. She stayed there calmly waiting for me to throw the trash in the dumpster and make a deposit at the waste station without any struggle.
Lots of Play
We said, “Hi” to Dakota, but he couldn’t play. We met and played with Sammie. After Sammie, came Rumba. He mainly just tolerated Grace’s buzzing around his head. Then Grace spotted Isabel. She ran excitedly to meet her. They wrestled for at least fifteen minutes before Isabel had to leave. We returned home at 11:30. Grace went back out on the balcony.
At 12:15, she spotted Tucker and began to bark. I took her down. They played, but with Tucker on a leash, it just wasn’t the same. Betsy came down at 12:30, and I went on to do an errand. In the interim, Jericho, Jack, and Bella came by. I don’t believe much play happened among them though as they all seemed tethered to leashes. At 1:00, they came inside.
Rest for the Weary
Betsy fed Grace and locked the cage door behind her. When she finished, Grace objected—barking sharply and repeatedly. We put Grace out on the balcony and she was fine. At 2:15, she started getting hot and asked to come in. Betsy let her in. After getting a drink, Grace lay down at the entrance on the cool hard-surface floor. By 3:15, she had cooled down enough to lie at my feet instead, so she walked in and plopped down.
At 4:15, Betsy returned home and gave Grace a bath—this time by herself. She said Grace is learning to like baths better now because they serve as another opportunity for treats. When she finished, I saw Grace do a roll. I told her “good roll,” gave her a treat, and tried it again a few times. She hasn’t learned that one yet, but perhaps this is a start. I took her out for a pit stop at 4:30. After we returned, I locked Grace in her cage, and we left to go out to dinner at 4:50.
I saw Grace sitting patiently in her cage when returned at 7:30. I took her downstairs. We returned in about fifteen minutes. Betsy put Grace out on the balcony for her last fresh air before bed. At 9:30, I took her downstairs one last time for five minutes. Betsy then locked her in her cage for the night.