THE main difference between my parents’ dogs and Zeeke - and the reason I have SO much problem with Zeeke - is all in the fact that these two dogs CARE what I think. I mean, Zeeke probably does care - but he doesn’t back down, he doesn’t get cowed, and he absolutely is NOT submissive. Oreo and Tessa are extremely easy to teach (usually, unless it comes to food). Tessa is going to be broken of this cat-chasing habit (which we’ve allowed because Joey willingly participates, most of the time, and chases HER) very very quickly because when I yell “TESS-A!!!” she stops DEAD and when I stomp towards her with a frown on my face, she lowers her head. That’s all I ever need to do. Oreo requires only a stern voice, unless she’s really off her nut (such as when she’s barking at a knock at the door). And I rarely ever even do that much, and when I do I back off immediately. But there’s that change in the dog, that reaction that says, “Oh, I’m sorry!” Of course they forget all about it three seconds later, but that’s fixed with repetition.

Zeeke, on the other hand… NONE of those things work. At all. If I reprimanded him the same way I do these dogs he challenges me. He does NOT cower, he walks towards me, tries to intimidate me. And I’m sad to say, I don’t know how to react to that. I am not a person of force. The most I’ve ever done to Oreo was probably a light slap on the rump when she’s not listening to my voice, and that’s just to get her attention. Zeeke I had to hold down to try to get him to calm down and not spaz out, but it didn’t work too well.

I just find it so much easier - so relieving - to be able to work with submissive dogs again. And it’s not like I want them cowering around me - I absolutely don’t. A few random people have suggested in the past that, since I have smacked Oreo once or twice that she’s afraid of me. *snort* They’ve never seen her around me. She adores me, she trusts me, and the LAST thing she is is afraid of me. I give the dogs a lot of leeway in daily life, I let Tess play with the cat to a point, I let Oreo reprimand the “pup” in her own way, I let them bark and roughhouse and throw their toys around. Until it steps over a line and then I remind them to back off, and they listen.

I am just not meant to be a German Shepherd owner. I do not have the personality for it at all. Which makes me really glad Den does!

The IQube toy is going over very well. I bought it today when I took Oreo down to Petsmart, and bought it, a plushie bone and a chewie bone (for Tess), just because. Well at first there wasn’t much interest in the IQube. But I tossed the balls around for a bit, which got Tessa really happy and Oreo interested. Next step was shoving treats in with the balls. Both dogs loved that, but the balls were just obstacles, lol. Finally after a while Oreo wanted a ball and so she started shoving her nose in and pawing at it and worked one loose bit by bit. We had a big celebration and I chased her around (it’s her favorite game), then a little later put the balls back. She can pop them out pretty quickly now, when she wants to. It was pretty cute. She really seemed to enjoy it.

Tessa, on the other hand, just wants to play fetch with the balls. LOL We left one out for her while Oreo played with the rest. They both had fun. (Though I make sure to take the toy away when I’m done, because Tess would tear anything apart!)

I know I should have more faith, but I honestly never expected this kind of communication between Oreo and Tessa. I’m constantly being surprized at how they get along, I just can’t believe this is the same dog I raised.

Oreo’s at the point where she will grumble when Tessa gets too close to “her” space, and will even chase her off if Tessa pushes too close. And yet in the opposite situation, Oreo is not in the least bit pushy. Oreo never intrudes on Tessa, not even to steal back a treat that Tess took from her. I guess Oreo’s attitude is more or less a “leave me alone and I’ll leave you alone” kind of motto.

Oreo grumbled at Joey the other night; Oreo was asleep on the bed by my feet, and Joey started exploring the lower half of the bed, sniffing at her. Oreo woke up and snapped at him, causing him to jump ship. I was a little surprized that she’d do that to one of the cats, but then again she doesn’t like anything near her bum, and she was asleep so she possibly didn’t know it was a cat.

But even still with her little quirks, she’s all show. I’ve seen Tessa actually step on Oreo or trip over her while Oreo’s laying down, and Oreo vocalizes - but that’s it. I guess like a “Watch where you’re going!”

The time Oreo gets most pushy is when there is a lot of excitement - when Tessa is running around into things, and just super-hyper. That just happened: dad’s friend showed up at the door and came inside. Both dogs get so excited to see someone new, Tessa was doing her whole-body wiggle, tail smacking around, and Tessa has a habit of pushing Oreo out of the way. Well Oreo got fed up and I heard a lot of growl/barking from her and she chased Tessa and pinned her down. I actually saw Oreo very gently put her mouth over Tessa’s muzzle as she growled. It seemed so much like Oreo was the older one saying to the young child, “Alright, calm down! That’s enough!”

It’s just that Oreo handles the situation so well, at least now after a lot of time. She’s so gentle and does what’s necessary to get her point across. I guess a lot of dogs wouldn’t be grumpy at all, but Oreo’s a matronly dog, she doesn’t like pushy dogs at all and prefers nice sedate situations. And I totally understand it. I’m just so impressed with her ability to communicate without going overboard.

I really hope this continues past Tessa’s adolescence. I know dogs hitting adulthood can suddenly challenge the upper pack members, so I hope it goes smoothly.

Joey’s still been stalking Angel, but I’m not putting myself in the middle of it anymore, other than trying to keep them seperated.

Middle of the night tonight, Angel was apparently left indoors, and not kept in Cory’s room. *sigh* So I hear a catfight break out in the kitchen. I go to see, Angel’s growling from the kitchen nook, Joey’s on the floor, tail swishing. So I just watch for a bit. And what does Joey do? He flops down, then starts rolling about on his back. ?! I don’t even know where to begin interpreting that behavior.

You’d think he was maybe trying to play with Angel, but if you could see the way he stalks him and then glares at him, I just don’t think that’s it. There has to be a fight for dominance going on here. I think Angel’s going to loose.

Dear Joey,

I am glad you are feeling affectionate lately, and I am glad you want to cuddle and spend time with me. It’s very endearing, and I do enjoy soft fur and purring. But, is it really necessary to sit on my head at 8am?

Me

Oreo is just such a sweetheart. Her age is really showing, though - she seems so much quieter, softer than she used to be. Her eyes look different. Maybe it’s because of the puppy, maybe because I’m used to young dogs… or maybe it’s just simply her age.

But she’s still my sweetheart. She’s being so good with the pup and cat… when I’m giving Oreo a belly rub Tessa inevitably comes over to try to budge in, snuffling Oreo’s ear and such. Oreo just grumbles quietly, but doesn’t do anything. The cat of course Oreo treats with complete respect. More or less ignores the cat, gives him his space. It’s kind of funny, how she actually allows more from the cats than she does from another of her own species.

The funniest thing the other day - Cory was watching tv from my couch and he looks over at my bed and starts giggling. I make my bed every morning by pulling the blanket up all the way. Well Oreo was standing there pulling the blankets back with her paws, then she turned around, stuck her head under the blanket, and shovelled it to the end of the bed. After she uncovered the entire bed, she happily curled up in the middle and fell asleep. As much as the fur up my nose every night is kind of annoying, it’s a small concern. That’s her bed too. I just wish she didn’t insist on getting IN it.

Joey is being a sweetheart still. He talks to me a lot. When I get home I call his name and scoop him up when he comes over, for a quick cuddle and a kiss. It feels good to have my little boy back.

I think some of my favorite times in this house is at night when I’m just with my dog and my cat. I feel very happy with my babies. Maybe I don’t want/need a houseful of pets… yeah, they are a lot of work. And perhaps it’s better to have just a few to really lavish your attention on - at least with the dogs. I do know Joey needs a buddy, though. We’ll have to get another cat - preferably a kitten - next summer when we move back to Den’s, he’ll be pretty lonely, I bet.

Joey had a crazy stretch there. I don’t know what was up, but, after following Angel around any chance he could like a puppy dog, he started attacking Angel. The first time I thought it was a fluke, but after the second time of him initiating contact - and not-so-nice contact, at that - I locked Joey in my bedroom full time. He’s just now getting his house priviledges back.

He also attacked me… when I’d move Joey into my bedroom, he lunged at me and sunk into my arm, then a few days later my leg. I’m still healing from that one. It was freaky, he’d flatten himself to the ground, pin his ears back, whip his tail around, then lunge. I was almost afraid to pet him at all, he kept having temper tantrums.

And then two days ago he suddenly became my sweet little guy again. He spent the day following me around and lounging on my desk beside me, feet hanging onto my keyboard while he purred. He cuddled me in the mornings, and after one nap I found him asleep on the floor beside the bed. This morning he even stood on my chest, kneading and purring very loudly.

So I don’t know what was up with him, maybe it was a full moon, but boy am I sure glad to get my sweet boy back.