Growing Up So Fast

Wow, this little puppy is growing up so fast. She will be 5 months old this Saturday, and puppy teeth are coming out and being replaced with beautiful, adult teeth (which, I must add, I'm happy to see). Karlee brought her a new toy on Wednesday, and this is what I found on the floor after she had been playing with the toy:

It kind of grossed me out, to be honest, but she was happy and kept playing with the toy.

We also went into a restaurant for the first time to have lunch. I made sure it was someplace quiet (but still had good food for me) and low key for her. She did excellent.

I did take a toy for her to chew on, but I think next time I will leave it home.

Yesterday I needed to pick up a new hair dryer on the way home from work. I chose to go into K-Mart because it is never very busy in there. She behaved very well, sat by my side while I decided which dryer to purchase, sat between me and the checkout stand and waited while I purchased the dryer, and then we were out the door.

She is also getting very long AND tall. She's just going up too fast, but I am loving the additional freedoms that a more mature puppy brings.

What We Did This Week

Spring is finally here. After a rainy start to the week, the weekend actually turned out quite nice.

Mariko has been attending training classes Monday evening and Saturday afternoon. She is doing very well, I still have a lot to remember and re-learn, however :-) The best result after training is sheer exhaustion. This is how I found Mariko after training Saturday afternoon (of course, she had also been running in the yard on a long lead with Bailey for a little while before turning in for the night):

Out Cold :-)

This week we were able to have Cheri stay with us for a while. It's fun for me to see how much like Cheri Mariko is -- looks, behaviors, mannerisms, etc. Both dogs were bred for CCI training.

Mariko wanting to be just like Cheri

Mariko was a little jealous when Katie was giving Cheri lots of loves. She decided she needed to be a lap dog if Cheri was going to be getting Katie's attention.

Our "little" lap dog

We have also started letting Mariko ride on the floor in the front seat so that she can practice "car" and also learn proper behavior while riding there by herself or with a person sitting in the passenger seat.

Our silly girl

She thinks if she puts her head on the seat, she just "might" get a pet or two.

We have been adding an extra day to nail trimming, since it stresses ME out so much :-) Last night, after a long day of playing and running in the backyard with Bailey, I brushed Mariko's teeth and was giving her a massage while waiting for Joe to come and trim her nails. I suddenly realized  she had decided it was time to sleep and not worry about any nail trimming:

The ultimate massage

She was snoring like a champion.

We are having such a great time loving and training this little stinker. Each week brings more fun and challenges. I hope she is having as much fin as we are.

New Toy

We bought a new toy for Mariko and I wasn't sure if she would like it. After watching her play with it the first time for over an hour, and then . . . take it to bed with her, ha ha, I think it is safe to say she really likes it.

If you are interested, the toy is called Bristle Bone. It has nylon bristles and rubber nubs that "provide dogs with a stimulating chewing surface" and has "Gnawhide" treats that you can buy more to replace what the dog has eaten.

So far I'm really liking this toy. Most "treat" chew toys that we give her are gone in a matter of minutes so I have stopped buying them. This toy, however, still has plenty of the "Gnawhide" after quite a bit of "chew" time :-)

So Much Alike

Mariko got to have another best friend over last night to play. This dog has also been trained for CCI and is a LGX. They are so much alike in so many ways. I thought this picture captured some similarities (even though they are adult and child):

We love having Cheri come stay with us :-)

Puppy Adolescence has Arrived

Well, the teenage years have arrived and I sincerely hope we both survive them.

Webster defines adolescence as: "youthful, exuberant, immature, unsettled." Some puppy behaviorists think puppy adolescence hits between 7 and 12 months. My research shows that most dogs exhibit at least some of these common adolescent traits: selective hearing; refusal to do previously learned commands; reversion to puppy behaviors such as mouthiness, destructive chewing, jumping and barking; lapses in housebreaking and just about anything else to drive their "house mates/trainer" a little crazy. The good news is that this period in a dog's life doesn't last long; the bad news is that it lasts WAY longer than we want.

Mariko is not quite 5 months and is already starting to display a little of this behavior. For example, last Wednesday when I told her it was time to go to work, this was the result:

Okay, so maybe this is a one-time occurrence. Thursday when I said, "Mariko, let's go to work," this was the result:

Apparently we have more fun at home than at work (imagine that)!

Once at work; however, she was on her best behavior. I even took her to her first "official meeting" in Salt Lake (four hour meeting no less). She behaved very well. We did take one potty break, other than that she stayed under the table and was very good. We even had people leave the room when the meeting was over and proclaim they had no idea there was a dog in the room :-)

We started in an intermediate obedience training class last week (Mondays and Saturdays). I love intense training because the puppies are always VERY tired when we get home. After Saturday's class she slept for four hours. Life was good!

This week we will continue with training and try to hurry these teenage months right along.

Another Week of Travel

Last week saw me traveling again, this time Mariko stayed home with the family. Well, let's say she had vacation for a week. Apparently this is what we practiced while I was away:

Very large dog bed

Still a lap dog, even in the sun

Kicking back before bed

This was the attitude at work this morning:

Pouty face

Sleeping and pouting

Yes ma'am, we are all back to work this morning :-)