Our First Official Outing

This morning I took a little time off and headed out to run errands. The tires for my vehicle had arrived and needed to be put on, and I needed to run to the pharmacy (which just happened to be right up the street from the tire store). Mariko and I dropped off the car and then walked up the street, about three blocks, so that I could get a prescription refilled. She walked right beside me the entire time and she sat and waited at intersections before she was release to proceed through. She was on her best behavior in the pharmacy and the pharmacist decided we should train his dog as well.

When we returned to the tire store, they were still working on my car, so I decided we could wait in the waiting room. Mariko was sitting quietly when four small, energetic children came into the waiting room to expend some of their energy. I quietly gave Mariko the under command, she went underneath my legs (between my legs and the chair) and settled right in (of course, she was receiving treats for being a good girl).

I was a little nervous that she might be stressed and was prepared to leave; however, she put her head down and closed her eyes :-) Fortunately the children left shortly thereafter, and our wait was only a few more minutes.

You are such a good dog Mariko!

Our Lap Dog

Mariko is such a cuddly puppy, that we call her our lap dog all of the time. Last night, as I was getting ready for bed, Mariko was happy and all settled in for, what she thought was, the night (please excuse the clothes and suitcase, I was also packing):

Loves Ginger's Bed

Since we needed to wake her to put her in her kennel anyway, Katie decided she would not only wake her up, but cuddle with her as well. Needless to say, our lap dog had Katie pinned and also decided she needed her face washed:

Lots of Love to Give

Unfortunately, I wasn't much help :-) between me laughing and taking pictures, Mariko pretty much over powered a weak, laughing Katie, and made sure her ear was VERY clean.

Puppy Shots Completed!

We went to the vet on Saturday to finish up the puppy shots. Mariko weighed in at 32.2 pounds (she is 17 weeks old).  She sat patiently in the waiting room:

Waiting Patiently

Then she displayed incredible behavior while waiting in the exam room:

Good Behavior in the Exam Room

Being a very good girl

Our vet was VERY impressed with how obedient she is for being such a young puppy. He's anxious to see her next year when she has an additional 12 months of training behind her.

Good Job Mariko!

WOW, She Really Grew

WOW, how time flies when you are having fun! Haven't posted for a while, life has been happening. We took the family to Hawaii for a week and had an absolutely great time, as did Mariko. She went to play with Aunt Wendy and Uncle John for a week and had lots of their "little" family members around as well. It was such a great experience for her to be able to have little people to play with, as well as other handlers. We missed her, but she got a great report card.

When we returned, I wasn't sure I was getting the same puppy back. She grew at least two feet.

It is interesting that the nightly routines still remains the same, however. After I let the dogs out for the night last night, Ginger and Bailey got up on the bed and this is where I found Mariko:

She looked so comfortable, that I didn't have the heart to make her get into her kennel just yet. I thought I would give her just a few more minutes. This was the result of a few more minutes:

And she was snoring like a champion. Needless to say, I got the pouty face when I woke her up to get into her kennel for the night.

We go to the vet this Saturday for her last round of puppy shots until next year. Super excited to be able to start taking her places, especially puppy school for some additional training and socialization. She is doing so good at work, puppy school is going to make additional public places possible.

We're Ready for Bed

By the time bedtime rolls around at our house, it is usually at the end of a very hectic day. Even our four-legged friends are ready to be there as well.

Last night, after brushing my teeth, I walked back into the bedroom and this is what I found:

We're All Ready for Bed

I wonder if I should buy a bigger dog bed?

Jaws!

Mariko had her first "sleepover" this week and did great! She even learned to go down stairs while I was away. She didn't mind that she was with another handler, which is good, but I do think she missed being around our Sheltie, Bailey (and Bailey missed her too).

When we came into work this morning she acted like she owns the place, and I will admit that she is displaying very good leash manners and sitting quietly if I stop to talk with someone. What a good puppy!

It was snowing pretty hard this morning when we came in so I didn't bring the kennel into the office. After we walked through the door, Mariko ran to the blanket (like she owns the place) and settled right in. After a couple of hours I looked under my desk to make sure she was doing okay, and this is what I had the opportunity to witness:

JAWS!

Gotta love those jowls. She actually reminds me of the underside of an alligator :-) Not very ladylike for sleeping, but this girl knows how to get comfortable.

3 Months Old

What a difference a couple of weeks makes. We now have a puppy that is sleeping 8-9 hours at night and consistently standing by the door when she needs to toilet. YEA!

We made a hook for the leg of my desk at work so she can be tethered and doesn't have to be in the kennel ALL day. This is how she spends the majority of her day now:

She is doing very well with commands, and we have started introducing wait before going out a door. This morning I opened my office door (had it closed to try and get some heat in here) to take her out and noticed that she was in a sit waiting for me to "release" her before we went out the door. I'm glad she has a really good memory, because sometimes I forget.

Because she is doing better (still puppy, however), we have started giving her a little more freedom around the house (notice I said "a little"). This is what happened when I was brushing my teeth and NOT supervising a puppy with a little more freedom:

That is grease off of Joe's bicycle that Mariko decided to explore :-( Needless to say, she's in her kennel when I brush my teeth now.

We are also starting to introduce the bed command (and of course, we had to buy a bed just for her). We still have a LOT of practice here, but she is so smart, I know she will catch on fast.

Today we were able to greet a man with a VERY long and scruffy beard. She was so excited to be able to greet a friendly stranger that the beard didn't seem to phase her at all.

Next week I travel, so she will be staying with a friend for a few days. I'm hoping we will still be friends when I get back :-) but I know she will be in good hands and have a lot of love and fun while I'm gone. It will be a little strange not dragging a puppy around, however. I'm also nervous that I won't recognize her, as she grows a little more each time I put her in her kennel and then take her out. She was 23 pounds when we weighed her on Saturday.

Excited to reach 4 months and have a fully vaccinated puppy.