We awakened at about 6:00. After I got up to use the bathroom, Grace went to the office and curled up on the floor beneath the window. When I returned to bed, Grace joined us. At 7:00, I got up and took her outside. We met Brantley. Grace and he played for about fifteen minutes, mainly chasing but also some wrestling.
Morning Play
Olive and Flo then showed up. Brantley and Grace raced to greet the new playmates. I could not call her off. The four of them played for about five minutes before Brantley had to go. Grace played with the other two dogs for another fifteen minutes. We returned home at 8:00.
Pond Play
I fed Grace breakfast (one cup). Grace went back to bed to be with Betsy while I readied myself for church. I left at 9:00. Betsy left at 10:15. When we returned home at 1:10, Grace happily greeted us. I fed her (one half cup). At 1:15, I took her outside. Grace went to the pond next door. Unlike the frozen mess yesterday, all had melted in the 45 degree warmth of the afternoon.
Grace played around the edge of the water. She found an empty plastic temporary flower pot. It was great fun as she tossed up and batted it down the steep hill. She found a water bottle about a quarter full. She did the same with it. We then played with the big golf ball that we found last time—fetching down the hill and running it back up.
Run to Danger
On the way back we met Isabel. Grace played with her for a while. Tucker then joined them. They ran around at Tucker ventured ever farther away. Finally he streaked for the road. Grace and Isabel followed him. He turned back into the yard where I caught him and stopped the wild run.
Quick Bath
We returned home at 3:15. She had pond water on her and Betsy was vacuuming. Grace was fine with getting away from the vacuum. She even helped get into the tub. Five minutes later, we were done. Betsy gave her a bully stick. At 5:00, Betsy fed her supper (three-quarter cup). Grace then took a nap in the office.
Sundown Routine
I returned from church at 7:00. Grace greeted me. I took her outside for fifteen minutes. When we returned, Grace was ready to play tug and fetch. We played until 8:00, when she went to bed. I took her back outside for the last time at 9:00. We returned at 9:15. Grace went to the office to watch out the window.
Betsy started to snack on corn chips. We gave Grace two. Grace seemed to grow both taller and longer today. It’s strange how in just one day you notice a significant change. I went to bed at 10:00. They stayed up.
Monday
Grace was there next to me through the night and as I awoke. I gave her the traditional morning tummy rub. At 7:15, I got up. We headed outside at 7:30. The weather was wet, but warmer at around 40 degrees. We did encounter a few icy spots on the sidewalk and some scant icy snow still hung around.
Morning Play
We met up with Olive and Flo. Grace played with Olive on the leash for about fifteen minutes. We saw Betsy leaving for work and said good-bye to her. Grace then headed for the vacant lot. In the wooded area, she saw something that spooked her. She approached it cautiously. The mysterious object was a soda can cardboard box at the base of a discarded Christmas tree. Grace grabbed another similar box and ran back to the lawn area with it. She was careful to wait with it to keep me in view as I trailed behind.
Practicing Come
When she made it to her preferred destination, she proceeded to tear and toss the box for about ten minutes. It was great fun. I called her off of her project once to practice the come command. I took some treats with me to reinforce it. At 9:00 we returned home. I did it off of the leash and practiced the come command some more, calling off of a bird chase and bringing her up the stairs. My objective is to to get her off of the leash and get her to always immediately respond to come. It’s a tall order for a puppy.
Run in the Park
At 11:00, we left for the park. Grace followed me, explored, and chased birds. I kept her off of the leash. She followed as I returned to the car, but detoured to chase a few birds. I called her and she came. We rode to the grocery store. Grace waited for about five minutes. We then returned home at noon. Again, we made it without a leash.
Quick Bath
Grace smelled like pond water, so we did a quick bath. I called Grace into the bathroom. She came reluctantly and moved to the side farthest from the tub. The I invited her into the tub. She got in on her own. This is safer and less traumatic for her. This is also another milestone. After a half-bath and quick dry, I praised her and gave her a treat. Grace then had her lunch (one-half cup). After she finished (less than a minute), she wanted more. I gave her a dental chew. That satisfied her need to have a more prolonged dining experience.
After lunch, Grace balled up on the ottoman for a nap. After I started the dishwasher she moved to the floor by the balcony doors and lay there. By 3:00, Grace began to want to play. She entertained herself, but clearly would have preferred a play partner. At 4:00, I called to see if Fraggle wanted to play. She did. It’s a good thing, because Grace really needed it.
Afternoon Play with Fraggle
Grace and Fraggle played until 5:20. I still had trouble calling Grace off of attractions, but she was at least better behaved than Fraggle in that regard. At 5:30, I fed her supper (three-quarter cup). I’m making her sit, stay, and okay-come before she gets her food. I really don’t like to do it, but feel it might help reinforce the come command. After supper, Grace went to the office to watch out the window.
Sundown Time
At 6:00, I ate supper. Betsy came home shortly after. Grace acted like she needed more food. I did tricks for treats with her. She’s doing her commands well, but the task of distinguishing between items to fetch still causes her trouble. She’s making progress, but she doesn’t get it yet.
Grace still wanted more. We were getting low on dental chews, so Betsy suggested we try the rawhide chips. Formerly, she made no headway with them. Now, she polishes them off in about ten minutes. We gave her two during the evening. I took her outside at 7:00 for fifteen minutes. When we returned, she hung out with us in the living room. She noticed that Betsy was eating corn chips. Betsy gave her one or two. Finally, we gave her another rawhide chip.
At 9:00, I took her out for the last time. We returned ten minutes later. Grace jumped up on her sofa and curled up in a ball. In the low light, she’s almost invisible. Only the sparkle of her eyes clues you in to the fact that she’s there. I showered and went to bed. Shortly thereafter, Grace joined us.
Tuesday
I awoke at 4:15 and went to the bathroom. Grace stayed in the bed and settled back to sleep. I had trouble sleeping, but that wasn’t Grace’s fault. I likely caused her some disturbance from my motion. At around 6:00, she lay awake and began primping herself. The alarm clock sounded at 7:00. I delayed until the snooze brought a second alarm. As I was getting up, Grace rolled over for a tummy rub. I rubber her for about five minutes. When I finished, Betsy filled in. I took her outside at 7:15. The temperature was a pleasant 55 degrees.
Early Morning Bonanza
We first met Baxter. While there, Moose stopped by, but he frightened Baxter. Then Fraggle came out. Grace played with Fraggle for about fifteen minutes. After Fraggle went inside, we explored in the woods on both sides of the property and out front. We headed back to the courtyard at 8:15 as Betsy was driving off. Shortly after, we spotted Dakota. The landscape crew was out, so we had to work around them. Grace and Dakota played until 8:45 when we returned home.
Run at the Park
We went inside. Grace ate her breakfast (one cup). The 60-degree weather and sunshine attracted Grace to hang out on the balcony. At 9:30, we went for a ride to the park and went running. Grace enjoyed running free in the open field and especially chasing birds. After our two-and-a-half-mile run, we returned home at 10:30. Since she had some pond water on her, I gave Grace a quick half shower.
Home Alone
At 10:40, I left to visit Mom, leaving Grace alone. This time, I propped the balcony door open to give her access there. When I left, she was in the office. When I returned at 12:15, Grace happily greeted me. I praised her for being good and fed her lunch (one half cup).
Afternoon Play-A-Thon
At 12:30, Fraggle called. Grace and she played in the warm sunshine, wrestling and chasing for one hour. No sooner did we get back inside than I spotted Olive and Flo outside. Grace played with them for five minutes. Then Dakota came to join in the fun. The usually game Olive was less anxious to participate once Dakota came. It’s interesting how the number of dogs in a play group dramatically changes the play dynamic. Perhaps that’s what happened here. Olive had to leave after five minutes. Grace and Dakota did mostly wrestling. They finished up at 2:30.
Fraggle-Fest
Grace caught her breath and rested at home for a half hour. At 3:00 Fraggle called again. Grace still had energy and enthusiasm to go out again an play with Fraggle. They did less running and wrestling than usual, but the play still was pretty vigorous. At 4:00, we returned home.
Alone Again
Grace collapsed in the office. I mentioned to her that I was going for a ride. She didn’t seem interested. I left her at home. When I returned at 5:15, she greeted me happily. I praised her and fed her supper (three-quarter cup). After supper she lay on the living room floor and then jumped up on the sofa and curled up for a nap.
Dakota Nightcap
Betsy came home at 6:30. She turned on the lights. It disturbed Grace’s nap. She did the silent bark followed by a big yawn. At 7:10, Grace went to the door. I took her out. At 7:25, as we were heading back, we met Dakota. They played for thirty minutes. Grace ran like a bullet as Dakota chased her. She streaked through the darkness and turned on a time. Dakota finally gave up the chase and they got back to wrestling.
Grace returned home at 8:00. She still would not give up. She went out on the balcony repeatedly watching for more action outside. She made me feel bad as I ate a snack, so I gave her a half cup of milk. At 9:00, I took her outside. We returned at 9:10. I went to bed. Grace followed some time thereafter.
Wednesday
Surprisingly, Grace was pretty active during the night. I figured all of that activity would have had her sleeping like a log. She didn’t cause a disturbance though.
Morning Excursion
I took Grace out at 7:15. Grace found a large pine cone in the new pine straw and proceeded to pull it apart in a very orderly fashion. I noticed her stool was firmer than usual. I believe the milk before bed made the difference. My guess is that trick will work in the future. We met Olive and Flo. Grace played with them for about ten minutes. We returned at 8:15. At 8:30, we went to the park. Grace enjoyed the run in the warm 60-degree, overcast weather.
Two-Dog Challenge
We returned home at 9:30 and went to take Dakota outside. The first problem came as I opened the door. Grace saw Dakota’s food dish and made a lunge for it. She got a bite or two before I could get her away. Finally I had to put her outside. The problem was, I failed to latch the door. Grace came barrelling in making a beeline for the food dish. I caught her and again put her outside.
My challenge was keeping Dakota free from mud. I picked what I thought was a good spot for them to play. After a half hour, Grace got down into a low area covered with pine straw. When she emerged, she was covered in mud. I suppose this is the dirtiest that I’ve ever seen her. She was transferring it to Dakota.
I had to act quickly. I took Dakota home and got him into his cage. His owner is moving, so he didn’t even have paper towels. I used Dakota’s water bowl to wash his paws and a spot on his neck. I then took Grace back and gave her a shower. After the shower, I grabbed a washcloth. We went back down to visit Dakota. I used his water dish and the washcloth to spot clean him.
At 10:15, we returned to play. I brought treats to improve my chances with the come command. That worked well, allowing me to direct the action well and keep them out of trouble. At 11:00, I took Dakota back. I offered him his food and fresh water. He ate but much more slowly than Grace. When he finished, I locked him inside his cage.
More Fun
As Grace and I headed home, we met Fraggle. They played until 11:30, when I had to return home. Grace had lunch (one-half cup) at noon. She retired to the office below the south window for a nap as I made and ate brunch.
Shopping Trip
I asked Grace if she wanted to go for a ride with me at 1:00. I went shopping and made three stops. Grace was a perfect little lady, waiting patiently in the car. When we returned home, I brought Grace up without a leash. She retired again to the office. At 3:15, I called in with Dakota’s owner. I told him all was well.
More Dog Play
Grace heard me and came out to the living room. At 3:30, she went out on the balcony. At 4:00, Fraggle returned to play. I had to move on at 4:30 and get Dakota. Grace and Dakota played for one and a half hours. All went well. I let them know that treats were the reward for coming. Both came when called and I managed to keep them out of the mud.
At 6:00, we returned home. Betsy had returned home but went for a walk. She made it back at 6:45. At 7:30, she went on the balcony. All afternoon and into the evening, The weather was warm and windy as a storm approached. At 8:00, Dakota, Brantley, and Lady appeared out on the courtyard. Grace had to go down. After she joined them though, she climbed the stairs. The second time she did it, I realized, she wanted to go back inside.
At 8:10, she went to bed. She came to the living room to join me at 8:30. We went outside for the final time at 9:00 and returned at 9:10. I took a shower and went to bed. Grace curled up on her sofa and fell fast asleep.
Thursday
Grace didn’t join us in bed until 6:00. I missed her and had some bad dreams about her. The first was about a dog that didn’t look like her but was her. She had her left foot or leg damaged in a car accident. The second was about a pig that was going to be barbecued. It has a coat just like Grace. I watched as they did proceeded to kill it before roasting it. We gave Grace her tummy rubs. I took her outside at 7:15.
Morning Rounds
We met Flo and the greeted. Grace now knows where the entrance to Dakota’s apartment is located. She went by there two or three times. She also found a Christmas ball ornament and played with it for a while. It was fun to toss and bat around. I had to throw it out though when she started to tear it apart.
Home Alone
We returned home at 8:00. Betsy had already left for work. Grace ate her breakfast (one cup). I left to visit Mom at 8:30. When I returned at 9:45, Grace happily greeted me and joined me in the living room. She calmly worked on some socks from her toy box, very gently chewing on threads in the sunshine.
Grace went outside at 10:35 and returned at 10:45. I left her home again alone while I went to a doctor appointment and ran some other errands. This time I left the balcony door propped open to give her a little more feeling of freedom. The 45-degree temperature and sunshine allowed me to do that without incurring too much heat loss.
Park Run
When I returned, Grace again happily greeted me. I fed Grace lunch (one cup). At 2:00, we went to the park. A woman jogger came there just after we arrived. She was fine with Grace running free with me. Since we ran opposite directions and I ran five laps, we met five to ten times. Grace would approach her but not touch her. As usual, she enjoyed the fresh air, the pond, and the birds.
Reflections
We stopped at the tailor shop on the way back to pick up a shirt that Betsy had altered. I took Grace in again to work on the concept of seeing her reflection in a floor-to-ceiling mirror. She wasn’t spooked or shaken by it this time. At 2:55, we returned home. Grace rested out on the balcony until Fraggle stopped by at 3:20.
Fraggle Play
Grace saw Fraggle and started whining that it was time to go. We left the house at 3:25. The did their normal play routine for an hour. Fraggle found some articles of clothing that blew off of balconies. At 4:25 we returned home and Grace took a nap. When she awoke at 6:00, I fed her. While I was eating, Grace wanted more. I gave her rawhide chips at 6:50 and 7:00 to hold her off.
Sundown Time
At 7:10, there was no more waiting. Grace brought the tennis ball and dropped it in front of me. It was time for tricks for treats. I had saved a piece of chicken for her. I used bits of it to quickly go through her commands. We then proceeded to the learning of fetching different objects. She continues to improve. She understands that one of the objects is what I want. She also reacts more quickly when she picks the wrong one and I tell her “leave it.”
After class, Grace checked out on the balcony looking for friends. She then returned inside to play fetch for about fifteen minutes. Betsy returned home at 7:45. Grace happily greeted her. Betsy continued the fetch game. For about forty-five minutes, Grace continued to need action. She repeatedly went out to the balcony as I tried to hold her off from having to take her outside.
At 8:55, I took her out. We returned at 9:10. Grace went to bed at 9:15. We followed shortly thereafter.
Friday
The alarm clock sounded at 6:55. Grace went outside at 7:00. The air was 34 degrees but calm. It did not feel too uncomfortable. We met up with Flo and walked around with her. When Taz showed up, Flo snarled and growled at Taz. That’s not the right way to approach Taz, who reacted in kind. When Taz left, Flo settled down and Grace went her separate way. Grace explored the grounds. She found a discarded biscuit and happily consumed it. At 8:20 we returned home.
Morning Fraggle
Grace had breakfast (one cup) at 8:30. Fifteen minutes later, the phone rang. The call had Grace anticipating perhaps a play opportunity. It was Fraggle. By then the wind had picked up, and it felt much colder. Grace found a wooden tray and ran around proudly with it. I took it away from her because it might be something someone wants to keep. Grace still has problems being distracted by people and animals, running after them and not responding to my attempts to call her off. Hopefully we can solve that soon.
Down Time
When we returned home at 9:20, Grace found and started to work shredding an oatmeal box. A few minutes later, she tried getting up on the ottoman. By 9:40 she had retreated to the balcony lounge but the cold temperature brought her back inside to lie in the sunshine by the balcony doors at 10:00. At 10:25, it was time for serious napping. She jumped up on her sofa and fell fast asleep.
Nap and Exploring
At 11:30, Grace moved to the foyer to nap on a cooler surface. At 1:00, she returned to the sofa for more serious napping. She napped virtually all afternoon. I opened the balcony door at 3:30 for her to freely move out and back in. At 4:30, she came from the balcony, faced me and barked in an upset posture. She wanted to go out. I took her out. She explored the surrounding woods areas and met Baxter.
Lots of Learning
When we returned at 5:20. Grace had her supper (three-quarter cup). She wanted more, so I gave her a rawhide chip. After that we practiced tricks for treats. I skipped the fetching exercise to be sure she had her tricks down. At 6:00, she came to me and dropped the Kong toy at my feet. I had to oblige her with the fetch game.
At 6:40, we went to puppy training class. Grace was less distracted today than the day when I signed up. The best thing I learned was to work on treating for eye contact in response to her name. When she responds correctly, say “Good Grace.” The handout says to respond with “Yes,” followed by the treat and then “Good Grace.”The other thing was to have her come to a specific point, use the arm motion and point to where she is supposed to come. We used clickers, but I decided not to buy one yet. I like the idea of using “Yes” instead.
Betsy bought Grace a new toy. Grace picked it out. It’s a snake with lots of squeakers. Grace carried it up to the apartment, removed the tags, and played with it. Betsy took her out at 9:00. They returned at 9:10. We went to bed a half hour later.
Saturday
I got up at 7:00 and took Grace outside at 7:15. The weather was a clear, brisk 32 degrees. Shortly thereafter, we met Olive. They played for a little over a half hour. Grace then explored the back woods behind us and next to the townhouses by the railroad tracks. This was new territory for her. She found something that interested her and she brought it up to the turf area to fling it around and play with it. After about fifteen minutes Dakota showed up.
Fond Farewell Dakota
Grace and Dakota had a marathon playtime that lasted three hours. I supervised their play as Dakota’s owner completed moving. About an hour into the session, Teddy and Triscuit came by to join in. I learned that Teddy, a Lab / Chow mix is blind in one eye and has about half of his field of vision in the other.
The problem was from glaucoma. Teddy’s owner could detect something was wrong when Teddy’s eye color turned from brown to blue. Eventually, she found an eye doctor that correctly diagnosed the problem as glaucoma. They have been giving him eye drops in the functioning eye but will soon have a laser surgery to reduce the pressure permanently. She said the onset of the disease on a Lab is normally sudden and in both eyes. The Chow mix saved Teddy from complete blindness by slowing the onset and progressing from one eye to another.
When they left, Grace grabbed a plastic water bottle that she had retrieved yesterday and used it as a toy to taunt Dakota. That toy changed hands (actually mouths) repeatedly between the two dogs. It got them both running and eventually into a tugging game as the bottle slowly succumbed to the powerful teeth and jaws of two playful puppies. Eventually, I had to take it away from them as the plastic was coming apart in pieces and had become a hazard to them.
At about 10:45, Dakota got into some mud before I could stop him. His owner and I decided that I should take him to the car wash to clean him up. When we arrived there, I realized the hose was frozen. I detached the hose and wrestled Dakota’s paws under the water to get most of the mud off. About fifteen minutes later, the hose had thawed enough to allow me to spray him down a little bit more. Grace and Dakota played one last time with Dakota on his leash. Dakota’s owner then came by. We said our good-byes, and they drove off to their new home.
Eye Contact Practice
At 11:15, we finally came home. Grace had her breakfast (one cup). I worked with her about ten minutes with the eye contact drill. She doesn’t exactly understand it, but she’s getting close. She’s confused because she has been conditioned to do a trick to receive a reward. She doesn’t understand that simple eye contact now qualifies. I love making eye contact with her. Her expression sweet and innocent connection rivals none other that we can make. Afterward, Grace curled up and took a nap on her sofa.
Park Run
At 12:30, Grace went out on the sunny balcony floor. At 1:00, she moved to the lounge chair. At 2:00, we left to go to the park. On the way out, she met Ellie and two little girls. Of course Grace never passes up a social opportunity. She played with them for fifteen minutes before heading off for the park. Grace enjoyed the run and knew the routine. Despite the marathon play she had before this, Grace frolicked in the meadow and around the pond with the usual boundless energy that earns her the title of designated playmate.
When we returned at 3:00, Grace rested near her new toy. I put my jacket on to go to the office. Grace was ready to follow me. I told her this was a bye-bye. She understood and rested the remainder of the afternoon. At 6:20, Betsy’s brother came over to take us out for dinner. Grace greeted him this time in a little more refined but still friendly manner. I took her downstairs for five minutes. We returned immediately after she relieved herself. We told her bye-bye as we sent out the door.
When we returned, Grace happily greeted us with her tail wagging. We all sat down as Betsy’s brother came in to visit for the evening. At 9:45. we called it a night. Grace went outside. She wanted to explore. I brought her in fifteen minutes later. Surprisingly, Grace curled up under the office window. When I made it to bed, Grace joined me.