Squeak Attack

The remnant

So Jenny likes squeaky toys. Really, she likes anything that fits in her mouth that she can chew on. Two weeks ago she started shredding one of her plush toys. The dismembered parts were collected and given a proper burial in the trash. Sandy replaced it a few days later with a  KONG^® plush squeak toy.

It lasted about a day. Within minutes of receiving it, she was licking and tugging on the tail. Sounds of cloth ripping prompted me to distract her attention from it. The plush pink puppy lasted one more day. Sandy witnessed the horror and shared the account with me.

In a moment of savagery, the tail was pulled back, stuffing was strewn about, and the squeaking mechanism was removed. Sandy removed the loose stuffing and closed the wound. The pink plush puppy is still among us, but it is less than it used to be.

We decided we could no longer sacrifice plush toys to The Destroyer, so I went out Saturday and bought some plastic/rubber squeak toys which were marked down considerably for Christmas. She played with one a little, occasionally squeaking it, but mostly holding it. I have yet to see any damage done.

That evening, Sandy went shopping and returned with a  ChuckIt!^® ball, the Ultimate Squeaker. You may remember that Jenny LOVES to fetch balls. It quickly became her favorite toy as she chewed and squeaked and chased to her heart’s content. We feared she would chew it throughout the night, causing much disruption to our silent night. Gratefully, there was a reprieve, and the night passed without the tiniest of squeaks.

Sunday afternoon, as I waited for lunch, I picked up the Squeaker and squeezed it. Nothing. No squeak, whether full or partial, was heard. I shook the ball and heard something bouncing around inside. The Destroyer struck again, rendering it silent.

Do You Wanna Go Outside?

I don't recall when exactly, but Jenny has developed a new habit.

She loves to go outside and chase the ball, but she still struggles to just be outside by herself when
one or both of us are home. Sandy saw her go out a time or two, but normally she stands by the door and waits for us to join her. Forrest was very good at going through the dog door whenever he pleased and spend 30 minutes or more just laying in the grass. I long for the day Jenny finds that freedom and comfort.

A rare moment of contentment

But now she has this habit. Mind you, she has full access to go outside via the dog door. But what does she do? It starts with some tail wagging and eye contact as she stands where I can see her. It's so obvious she wants to go, but something in her brain says she needs a chaperone. Next, she jumps up on the couch and sits right in front of my face. I start petting her, not letting on that I know exactly what she's doing. I may convince her to lie down next to me, which lasts about two minutes if I'm lucky. A minute or two later, the torture begins. Every few seconds, she presses a paw on my arm, right in the "elbow pit," where it hurts the most. I try more aggressive petting. Sandy calls her over and gives me a 30-second reprieve before Jenny returns to sit very close to me and tap my arm.

I can't take it anymore. As if I suddenly understand her motives, I excitedly ask, "Do you want to go outside?" She attains a new level of excitement, jumping off the couch and "dancing" back and forth, waiting for me to get up and walk out with her. If I delay, she approaches the couch again, threatening a new round of torture for my arm. We head outside and start playing fetch.

Now, you would think after all that effort, she would stay outside quite awhile. But we seldom spend more than five minutes outside. She may relieve herself after the first throw; she may not. I haven't made a firm connection between her tapping and a need for a bathroom break. But she will chase the ball at least twice. Sometimes five or more times before she confidently pushes through the dog door.

We also have yet to resolve what alarm or trigger goes off in her head that leads her to repeat the cycle over again, sometimes three or more times in an evening.

With football season days away, the question is who will break first. Will I miss an amazing play, or will she learn to go out by herself? I anticipate pausing the TV a lot more on Sundays and Monday night, silently conceding the battle.

Maybe we should rent a kid to go outside with her for a few hours each evening. Jenny, I love you, but why won't you go outside by yourself?

Rocky Mountain Howls

Recently, we took Jenny on vacation with us to Colorado. We were concerned about the length of the road trip (14+ hours) after she had some accidents in the house a day or two before the trip. We rented a card and put some blankets in the back seat to help control the dog hair and any other messes that might occur. We left early and soon learned some things about her.

First, as long as the car is going 50mph or faster, she stayed calm in the back seat. As we slowed through each small town along Highway 287, she stuck her head between the front seats, then slowly inched her self forward. If we didn't pay attention, she was suddenly within a step of climbing in my lap while I was driving. With elbows raised we pushed her back to a safer position. Thankfully there was never a sudden stop or other activity that put her at risk.

We arrived at the cabin at dusk. Once we got everything moved in from the car, we took her for the first of many walks. There were other cabins where we were, and several of them had dogs. So as she is walking around, she's sniffing and growling and barking at other dogs. She's still showing that behavior. We don't know why she feels compelled to bark/growl at dogs and not people, but that's her.

The first night, and every night, Jenny continued her habit of waking us up several times. Because she'd had the accidents, we were quick to respond and take her out. At 3 a.m. Sandy rushed to get dressed and take Jenny outside where she promptly sat next to Sandy and looked at her. That was it. Just looked at her, like she didn't know why she was suddenly outside.

Jenny and I on the trail

We went for a hike later that day. Just over a mile in length, but we likely gained few hundred feet in elevation as well. Jenny pulled us up that trail. You would think she had grown up in the mountains. I tried to catch my breath every few feet, often lingering several steps behind. We found a bench and enjoyed a view of the valley and mountains beyond before she pulled us back down the trail.

We left her at the cabin while we went to dinner. We returned to find yet another accident waiting for us. It was at this point we determined it was the new treats we had bought. We won't buy Blue Wilderness treats again. Once we stopped giving those treats, things greatly improved. Except she still woke us up several times at night. By the second full day we had arranged a system to keep her from running off, but also have freedom to move around. If the front door was open, she barked at people walking by.

Overall, it was a great experience. Jenny saw geese. She tried to pick a fight with other dogs. She chased chipmunks. And she survived two very long road trips. I love you, Jenny. Thanks for making our vacation even more memorable.

Training Days Concluded

Wow, ok, so I'm not doing one of these posts every week or every other week as I had hoped.

Last Saturday, we had our final training session for Jenny. She did reasonably well with the new commands, but we were surprised how much encouragement it took to get her to run to one another following the "Come!" command. She steadily improved with each attempt, though.

So now we have a perfectly trained and well-behaved dog.

Um, no.

One thing we learned during this training is the importance of consistency in working with Jenny. Sandy and I are inconsistent with each other, but also at times inconsistent with ourselves.

Jenny has proved she knows every command and will obey in a timely manner if not distracted by anything at all. So we get to spend time reinforcing the commands until they are second nature to her and to us. We have no aspirations of attending competitions, but we would like her to stay, heel and come on command for her safety.

Through all of these efforts, Jenny has also been training me! At the most inconvenient time (for me) she will sit very close to me on the couch and tap my shoulder or arm with her paw. I envision these thoughts going through her mind:

"Hey, you realize what time it is? It's time to go out and throw a ball so I can chase it and maybe pee.
"You aren't getting up. (harder pushes) Put your phone down and take me out.

"Yes, I realize the door is open and I can go outside whenever I want, but I want you to watch me run after the ball and then sniff the ground for five minutes before I squat."

Sometimes the tapping/pushing turns to scratching; other times she just stares at me with the ball in her mouth, allowing the drool to slowly pool and drip onto the couch or me. I consider it a brilliant training method, and she has experienced great success in interrupting our evening.

I love you, Jenny. Thank you for training me to take care of you so well.

Training Days

So I haven't posted for a couple weeks. Part of that was a work event that kept me busy the first week of June. But that's not about Jenny. And I regret that I forgot to take pictures. I'll try to remember next week.

Jenny is enrolled in 5 weeks of classes to teach Sandy and I how to interact with her better. I can say confidently that after 3 sessions we have learned much more than Jenny. Issues we've experienced: pulling/sniffing while on a walk; barking and growling at other dogs and certain people; chasing rabbits. We've learned some key techniques and purchased some additional equipment to help with these and other issues. She's very patient with us as we learn, too!

Last Saturday, we met our trainer, Bill Whatley (http://www.bwdogtraining.com), for the second session with Jenny. (The first week was two hours of teaching us what equipment to buy and familiarizing us with terms.) After a period of adjustment, where we let Jenny walk around on a 25-foot leash, we did a review of the previous lesson of "Heel" and "Sit" which Jenny seems to do well in front of Bill but regresses with us during the week.

After the review, Bill asked if we would like to work on the "Sit and Stay" lesson. He told us it is one of the hardest lessons. I don't think we grasped what he meant by hardest at the beginning. Sandy had done some preliminary work with "Stay" during the week, so I suggested she "go first." We didn't realize there would only be a first.

Bill set up the cones and went through the concepts with his dog, Ares. Ares is a Chesapeake who seems to read Bill's mind. Bill wouldn't even get the word out and Ares was promptly sitting. Throughout the demonstration, it was as if Ares was a statue for 5 minutes as Bill demonstrated and explained the lesson. Then Sandy worked with Ares with success. The time came for Jenny, who had been watching intently with me, to enter the ring and start one of the greatest battles of will ever witnessed.

Sandy started well, with an obedient Jenny sitting and staying for the first phase of the lesson. Bill continued to relay the next step and Jenny dutifully sat. After about three phases, Jenny stood. The Battle is on! Over the next 30-40 minutes, Jenny waffled between obedience and disobedience as she sat, then stood, then resisted, then sat, then stood. Sometimes Sandy and Jenny had to start over from the beginning. Sandy struggled with errors she was making, certain she was leading Jenny astray. Jenny continued to disobey whether Sandy did it "right" or not. At one part Sandy wanted a water break, but Bill said to break now would undo all the effort.

We had almost lost hope that this lesson would stick when Jenny seemed to "get it" and stayed seated through the whole rotation. She even watched Sandy as she circled behind her. Once complete, there was much rejoicing and petting as we declared the lesson over. We were instructed not to do any more training that day, as it was an intense lesson. We soon parted ways with Bill.

I was proud of Sandy for her effort. She repeated the exercise Sunday morning and had no trouble. Evening came and we decided that I would have a go at this lesson. After a couple loops around the court, and the departure of some very distracting trucks, I led Jenny to a spot in the middle of the driveway. I issued the "Sit" command; Jenny obeyed. I began working through the various steps of the rotation; Jenny didn't flinch. I completed the rotation with no problems and commenced with a shower of praise and affection. Sandy quickly reminded me it was all her hard work that allowed such an easy go for me. I agreed and thanked her for her determination and patience.

I love you Jenny! Thank you for your patience as we learn.

Rabbit Season!

We've started walking Jenny in the morning. The hope is if we burn off energy then, she won't be so amped up the next night when we want to sleep. Thus far it isn't working.

This morning was my first go of walking her. She has had a tendency to run away from me when I try to attach the leash to her collar in the house. I decided I would let her outside first, then get her on leash.


The plan was working. I had closed the door and was preparing the leash when we saw it: down by the sidewalk was a small rabbit. BOOM! off like a shot, Jenny gave chase. The rabbit sprinted toward the neighbor's yard. I reasoned I would never catch Jenny, so I waited to see if she would return. After about 30 seconds, back she came, sniffing the ground and looking energized. My guess is the rabbit went under a fence.

I attached the leash and began our walk. She pulled at first, but we found our stride and enjoyed our ten-minute adventure. No other rabbits dared show themselves, for which I was grateful.

I love you, Jenny, but please be careful when chasing rabbits.

Playing ball at night

One thing we've learned about having a Golden: it's always time to chase a ball. First thing in the morning? Check! When you get home from work? Check! Five minutes after you finished? Check! Before you go to bed? Check!

Given the tendency for the ball to go over the fence, we acquired several balls so the games wouldn't have to stop in case the neighbor wasn't available to toss it back. Among the varieties, there was a glow-in-the dark ball. Sandy likes to hold it near a light bulb till it's glowing as bright as the moon! When you throw a glowing ball into the darkness, you see it bounce all around, and then suddenly disappear. This is the moment that Jenny catches the ball in her mouth.

The next moment is even better; you see this sort of half-moon, glowing object make it's way to you and the light. Only when it enters the lit area do you see that the shape is formed from being held in Jenny's mouth! (I tried to get a picture or video of this, but I don't have a good night time camera lens to detect this.)

The glowing balls also make it easier to know where Jenny is once she catches them. Before their arrival, we could only hear the rustling of grass and the banging of the ball against a fence. Now we can track her return to the porch, or see when she gets distracted in the yard. It has added a new dimension to playing ball at night.

Jenny, I love you. Thanks for playing ball all the time, even in the dark.

Where are you?

The other day, I was enjoying a relaxing time watching TV. I hadn't noticed just how relaxing it was until Sandy came out and asked, "Where's Jenny?" I assumed she was in our closet, one of her favorite places. But she wasn't there.

We called her, whistled for her. Doors flew open. We scanned the entire house. Nothing. We looked in the backyard, nothing. Sandy started to worry. "Could she have gotten out?" She was especially concerned because we'd taken Jenny's collar off the night before and hadn't put it back on.

As emotions and tensions rose, I thought to check one more place: the garage. We had been in there earlier, but I was sure she had come out with me. I opened the door, and joy flooded in - whining, tail wagging, ball in her mouth. Several minutes of playing ensued followed by a brisk trot outside.

All was well, emotions tempered. Life got back to normal. We were amazed there had been no barking, no scratching. Nothing to belie her secret location until I opened the door on a hunch.

Jenny, I love you! Please let us know when you're playing hide and seek so you don't play alone.

What Just Happened?

We decided to take Jenny for a walk this evening. It's the first sunny day this week, and Sandy's weekly Bible study wasn't meeting. It proved to be a memorable adventure.

The walk started out fine. We've learned which fences to avoid (that have the barking dogs behind them) and the route that gives us the best exercise. Usually, I hold Jenny's leash on the walk and do my best to keep up; my knees aren't what they used to be. We reached a section with an empty lot and Jenny decided it was time for a bathroom break. So Sandy took the leash while I picked up "the package" Jenny had bestowed on the grass. They walked ahead while I did my duty.

I caught up to them but had not yet taken the leash when we spotted a rabbit in the next yard. Both Forrest and Jenny love to chase rabbits. Forrest had no chance with the missing foot. He might take two or three steps, but he was easily reined in. Jenny, however, is 55 lbs of muscle and quickness. The leash was perhaps too long. Perhaps Sandy wasn't fully braced for Jenny's reaction.

Jenny saw the rabbit, paused a moment, and then bolted. Sandy's arm yanked forward. I thought she had tripped. Before I knew it, she was off her feet and landed with a thwack. It's not a sound I ever want my wife's body to make again. In the abrupt motion, the leash fell to the ground and was dragged as Jenny continued to chase the rabbit to the fence.

A few scrapes

As sanity slowly returned to the scene, I grabbed the leash and corralled Jenny. I kept asking Sandy if she was ok. She said she was, and she seemed motivated to keep walking. I didn't know then, but her body was flooded with adrenalin, pushing her to keep walking rather than take a break. Her elbow and arm were scratched, and other extremities were sore. We finished the walk without major incident, and no other rabbits chose to show themselves. We cleaned Sandy up and covered the one spot where the skin had peeled back.

Jenny, we love you! The next time you see a rabbit, we're letting the leash go.

Adventures in Weatherford

"We're going to Clark Gardens!" That was the pronouncement made, letting me know that if the weather cooperated, we were making a trip to Clark Gardens—Jenny's first experience at this wonderful location. Today was gorgeous, so we loaded up the car and headed West.

For those not familiar with Clark Gardens, let me tell you about this place. It's a large expanse of land dedicated to Texas native plants. It's a few miles west of Weatherford, TX, and we highly recommend those in the DFW metroplex to check it out. There's a modest entry fee, but it is well worth it. Forrest enjoyed many trips, and we knew that Jenny would as well.

Jenny considering a swim

There are several lakes, fountains and waterfalls sprinkled throughout the grounds. You often find fish, turtles and snakes in the water, and there are flocks of geese and ducks that tend to congregate at a couple lakes. Several times, Jenny looked longingly at various bodies of water. She didn't go in, but was considering it. One particular water feature gave her access to a clear, cool pool. Before I knew what happened, both front legs were in the water! When she came out, she had a lily pad in her mouth. Our best guess is she saw a fish and went for it, not realizing how deep the water was. It gave us a great laugh for several minutes as we brought it back to mind.

View from behind the waterfall

Sandy and I have several favorite spots in the gardens. The White Garden has a waterfall that you can actually get under and look out through the water. It is very LOUD! But it has become a "must stop" for us each time we go. I must pause here and say that the gardens attract photographers, weddings and other special events. We were under the waterfall enjoying a peaceful moment when a large, deep bark emanated from Jenny. A photographer had moved close enough and fast enough that it scared her, and she responded with a minute or two of barking. It gave us both a jolt, and the photographer decided to go the other way.

After about three hours of wandering around the gardens, we made the long drive home. After stopping for dinner at Dwell, we came home. Now I thought for sure after all that adventuring Jenny would be low key and relaxed. Ha! No sooner was she out of the car than she was running around the yard. Into the house and straight to the back door. This"tired" girl" was ready to play fetch! While we didn't achieve the usual reps, there were several spirited runs to the ball and returning the ball to do it again.

I love you, Jenny. Can we take a nap now?

Playing Ball in the House

Jenny and her many balls

It rained tonight. Hard. Which means muddy wet paws coming back inside and getting the tile floor even dirtier. Unless. . . Unless we keep Jenny inside and play ball in the house.

Many of you likely had parents tell you, "Don't play ball in the house." It may have been mentioned calmly at the dinner table; it may have been shouted as the sound of breaking glass or ceramic echoed down the hall.

The start of it was quite accidental. I was tired from throwing the ball outside for Jenny and needed to rest. The only way I could get to the couch and activate the recliner was to roll the ball away from the couch. Watching her slip and slide to get the ball was worth trying again. And again. Rolling turned to tossing. Tossing turned to throwing.

So tonight, rather than letting her run free in the wet, muddy yard, we toss the ball. She has improved to the point that if I toss it just right, she catches it in the air. But there are also plenty of perfect circles on the walls where the ball bounced off, leaving behind some dirt and/or moisture. Sandy says we will have to paint the walls much sooner than we planned. I think they are little badges of a life lived and should remain. You can't really notice them unless the light catches it just right anyway.

I love you, Jenny. Thank you for being a dog that plays fetch and enjoys it so much you don't mind us laughing when you slide past where the ball was a moment ago.

Towels everywhere

Ok, maybe no one has shared this with you before. I didn't fully understand it until we had Jenny for about 30 minutes. Golden Retrievers are messy.

When she takes a drink, you can see little drips on the floor all around her bowl. Apparently Goldens don't feel a need to finish swallowing once they raise up from the bowl. We have a towel right next to her bowl. That catches some drips, but there are always more, as if she hastily retreats from drinking and needs a trail to find her bowl again. So there is a secondary towel, on Ready 5, to clean up the drips.

It's against her innermost being to stay inside when it's raining or recently rained. And she is compelled to run and fetch and slide in the mud that is now everywhere. So there are towels outside. One is always on the back porch, along the path to the doggie door, in hopes she will get at least one paw dry from walking on it. But there is another towel on Ready 5 we use to wipe her feet and legs as thoroughly as possible. Sometimes she is patient and allows us to clean/dry her legs before going in the house. Other times she pulls away and resists all efforts to clean the mud out of her fur. Perhaps there should be another towel inside the house to catch more water or mud. Something to consider for the future.

I love you, Jenny! One day we will teach you to wipe your paws before going inside. Or you'll teach us to put down more towels.

And there was much rejoicing

From the first day we had Jenny, she loved to play fetch. There is something that lights up in a man's soul when he throws a ball for a dog that loves to fetch. She ran. She slid. The first few were not graceful as more ruts were carved into the lawn as she desperately fought to get the ball in her mouth. It was wonderful.
We started with a racquet ball, which worried my wife to no end. "What if it chokes her?" So far that has not happened. But this . . . concern led to one of our first purchases: a large red ball. A Kong ball that had the reputation of being indestructible. We liked that thought. And for weeks we would toss, roll and throw the red ball. In the yard. In the house. We took it on a road trip. That red ball was her constant companion.
Then one day, the red ball could not be found. I was fairly certain she had brought it in after our latest round of fetch. I looked under couches. I checked her favorite places in case she had taken it there to be a source of comfort. No luck. No red ball. We waited a week to see if she would come out one day, triumphantly carrying the ball in her mouth. Didn't happen. Last week we went on a road trip to see blue bonnets. After several moments, we realized we had forgotten her leash. So a quick purchase was made at the next pet store. Smaller, cheaper balls were also purchased, and they have been a great distraction.

Jenny enjoying the blue bonnets.

After losing hope, another Kong ball was purchased; this time we got a black one. We've had it two days. What did I find tonight? The red ball! I was looking for the black ball, as it wasn't where I had last seen it. I was compelled to look under the couch near its last coordinates. No black ball. But what was smiling back at me? That's right! The red ball! I hadn't thought to look under that part of the couch before. I didn't think it would have rolled under there.
So now we have both, and there is much merriment. I love you, Jenny! Thanks for being a dog who plays fetch!

How to train your parents

We soon learned that Jenny was quite different from Forrest. He didn't really play; she is ready to play at any moment. He would often leave food in his bowl; she consumes it all (and licks the sides) in two minutes. He would go outside whenever he wanted and spend lots of time laying in the grass. She only goes out if you go with her, and she won't do her business without fetching her ball at least once.

Wait, what? I am not making this up. If you don't go out with her, she will come back inside. And no matter how bad she needs to go, she will wait for you to throw the ball at least once before she will relieve herself. We're hoping this is just a phase. But she has us. Everything is focused around her. And she loves it.

Forrest would let you pet him a little, then he would walk away. If you stop petting Jenny, she will lick you and nudge you until you do it again. I lose all ability to multitask when we are on the couch; one hand must stay on her at all times. If I'm at the table, her nose is pushing my elbow out of the way so she can be as close to me as possible.

The one thing that is consistent between them is me. I was his favorite. I am her favorite. It didn't matter what my wife was doing with Forrest. If I walked in the room, he turned his attention on me. If she tried to touch his feet, he would pull them back. I was allowed to touch them for short periods. He occasionally growled at her; not at all at me. Jenny is proving to be the same. She prefers I throw the ball or I pet her or I walk with her. She will crawl in my lap.

My wife calls me a dog magnet, as I seem to be able to relate to dogs easily, and they tend to be more relaxed around me. I think she's just jealous. (j/k, Honey.)

New Beginnings

Forrest in his stroller

Sadly, I never started the Forrest blog. Forrest was a border collie mix we had for 2 and a half years. He was missing a back foot and died much too soon from kidney failure.

After a few weeks of being dog-less, it was time to find another. We connected with the Golden Retriever Rescue Alliance of DFW and began considering options. We knew we didn't want a puppy, but we also didn't want an older dog that would only live a few more years. We saw pictures of "Tamale" as well as other adoptable dogs. She was 4 and seemed to have no special medical issues.

Jenny

We saw her for the first time at an organized "Meet and Greet" at an area pet store. She was newly rescued, so she was scared of many of the other dogs there. My wife and I (in case you thought I was using the plural of majesty) took up  positions to protect her from some of the other dogs (and children) who were a bit too friendly. We made our desires known and left, waiting to hear if we would be chosen to be the forever parents of one of these dogs.

A week passed before we heard. Our first choice was in need of further treatment, so they offered us "Tamale." We asked when we could have a home visit, and they said, "How about tonight?" So we suddenly found ourselves the parents of a new fur baby. We named her Jenny, since we had recently had Forrest. (Feel free to look up "Forrest Gump" in IMdB now if you are unfamiliar with this reference.) We love her very much.