Oh my gosh I am SO proud of my Zoe-monster!! Today we had a family bbq - with just some of Den’s immediate family. It was outside. First only Gram and Den’s uncle was here, and we were sitting and talking. Den says to me, “How do you think Zoe would do out here, off leash?” I told him she wouldn’t come anywhere near the strangers, but she certainly wasn’t going to leave our property. So I went and got her. I was very happy that he suggested I bring her out. So I did. She happily trotted ahead of me out to the backyard, halfway across it - then took a giant double-take and flattened herself to the ground when she realized there were strangers there!! Just as predicted, she didn’t want to go anywhere near them. I sat down and she wouldn’t come any closer than 20′. After a few minutes of pacing back and forth at that distance, she trotted across the yard and around the house. So I hurried to catch up, and I found her just where I expected: standing in front of the front door, wanting in. So I got her long 50′ leash and clipped it to her, and walked her back around, putting the loop end under my chair leg. She stayed at the end of the leash, and wouldn’t come close - but at least she couldn’t just pack up and leave the scene.

When some other people arrived she started barking, then panicked a little, pacing. When everyone sat down she calmed down again. Rinse and repeat until the kids arrived - Den’s twin 5 year old nieces. They of course went running towards her. I told them she was scared of people and to not do that. Errg. Well, they played merry-go-round for a bit, sort of *following* the dog slowly around trying to say hi to her, and I was losing my patience a bit because Zoe was not happy. She just didn’t want those kids close to her. She stayed out of reach. I was trying to keep track of one dog and two kids, and one time I turned around to find no Zoe behind me - she had run over to Heather (the kids’ new step-mom). A few minutes later one of the girls jumped forward and gently touched her back. Zoe jumped, but then just sat there. And for the rest of the night Heather remained a Good Guy in Zoe’s eyes, and she’d follow her around if she couldn’t find Den or me.

One of the reasons the girls left Zoe alone was that Den put a harness and leash on JoJo and let the girls “walk” him around the back yard. They love that cat. Wouldn’t you know it - he LOVED it. He ate grass, he played with the toy they brought out for him, they lugged him around like a sandbag. When they lost interest we just looped the leash around the table leg, and that’s where the cat stayed until dinner - laying under the table, playing with grass and stalking bugs. I swear he’s the strangest cat ever. He had the time of his life. At one point we had a fright - he saw a squirrel and totally spazzed trying to get out of his harness so he could hunt and kill it. Den and I both jumped out of our seats and lunged at him. We grabbed him, fixed the harness, and he calmed down after that. (No more squirrels in sight.) He did have to be put back inside at dinner time, though, because we were having pork tenderloin and Jo wanted that meat so bad he was trying to get onto that table if it killed him.

After that initial furor, it died down - the girls said hi to everyone and went to play games like hide and seek, and Zoe stayed back. Over an hour or two she got closer and closer to me and Den, until she finally just stood at my side, or in front of me… or under me. She got tangled around my chair legs a few times. Well the girls kept asking me questions about my dog - what her name was, was she a girl or a boy, how old she was - and after a while asked if they could give her some food. I said they could give her little pieces of chips. At first Zoe wouldn’t take anything, kept skirting to my other side. But then she took one, and ate it. And another. So I kept letting the girls give her little bits of chips - and cheese. Zoe LOVED the cheese. So much, in fact, that after a few tastes she was walking towards the girls to get the cheese. I was thrilled. That’s a huge step.

Zoe showed no signs of leaving my side by that point, and she kept getting tangled around my chair, so I let her off the leash. She stayed that way the rest of the night. She startled at quick movements near her, or loud noises - like chairs being moved, or the kids shouting. But the reaction got less and less all night. She stayed by my side. She followed me to the house and back when I went to get food or the laptop, then followed me right back out. If she shied too far away from us or tried inching off towards the front of the house I’d cluck and call her, and she’d come right over. Though, the first time I went into the house she followed me in, I grabbed what I needed, turned around and Zoe was gone. I couldn’t find her in the house! I panicked, calling Den, then I heard the jangle of her collar - I looked out the open windows and she was out back, following Heather back to the circle of people! Call me astonished. I have no doubt it was because there were people in the house at the time and Heather was the lesser of two evils, but still. When I got around back she was sitting beside my chair, waiting for me to get back.

So really, she settled down and behaved very, very nicely. I was so proud of my girl I was going to cry. She stayed right with the people off-leash. She was taking food out of peoples’ hands and letting the kids pet her head. (Sometimes she’d pull back a little, but half the time she’d let them.)

Yes, it WAS very overwhelming for her, and at times it was too much. BUT I think the over-stimulation over the long period of time actually helped her. I saw a ton of progress in just one night. We did try to get Zeeke out there to comfort her, but he was so hyper spazzo we couldn’t let him around the people. :? So he stayed inside today.

A good training article: How to teach a solid retrieve with the clicker.

The pets all got a TON of new toys today, a gift from the people at the cat sanctuary - a huge gift bag full of dog toys and cat toys and chocolate (the chocolate was for me, not the pets). I couldn’t believe how much stuff was in there! The dogs got a frisbee, a chuckit, a few fleece toys, some treats, a rubber chewy toy… and the cat got a bunch of mice toys and little balls with bells in them and some interaction toys (stick with toy on end, for him to chase). Plus I picked up dog food today and brought home some rawhides, which the dogs went absolutely bananas over. It’s been a long while since they got any.

Nothing better in life than a very happy dog chewing on a bone at your feet. Zoe’s just the happiest little puppy! I give her lots of hugs and kisses. She’s the sweetest darn thing, I can do anything at all to her while she’s chewing, and she wouldn’t dream of doing anything. I put my hand in her mouth and she just tries to get around it. If I take something away she just sits up and looks at me, waiting.

Zeeke is really wound up over everything, and is freaking out when taken away from his new toys and bones. Several times today he went to check out something, then came running back frantically, ran over Zoe, and took the bone back from her. It’s like he suddenly realized what would happen if he left it unattended. So that’s been going on all day. Luckily she usually just lets him take it. Usually - not always. After he took the small bone away from her several times, she stood her ground on the smaller rawhide and snarled and snapped at him - guess she’d had enough of his games. He backed off. I warned them to knock it off, but it seems to me that their “altercations” are still a part of their communication. Her dispays appear to be just that: displays. She states her mind, and he generally does respect that. But if he didn’t and decided to push his position I have a feeling she would defer to him.

I took them both out on their longlines (attached to the house) and brought their new kong frisbee to play with them. Neither are too keen on the game. Zeeke loves the catch/chase, he’d even carry it around for a little bit, but he lost interest pretty quickly and wouldn’t retrieve at all. Zoe would only chase while it was in motion; once it stopped, she wandered off. Guess they’re just not frisbee dogs. But they did both have fun. I attached Zeeke to his 20′ leash, then that to the steel cable we were using, so he had almost as much length as Zoe did (she has a 50′ long line). So they were able to romp and play. When I went to untangle their leashes a little bit, I just left Zoe off the leash - with Zeeke tied up, she wasn’t going anywhere. So I was able to play with them without two leashes tangling all over.

I’m so thankful I have my little girl. She’s always by my side.

Should I take it as a compliment that Zeeke brings his toys and bones over to me? The other day he kept shoving a bone on my lap - he wanted me to hold it for him while he chewed on it. Apparently he couldn’t get the right angle, alone. Currently he is chewing on a bone beside me on the bed. I gotta say, he’s gotten 10 times better about bones than he used to be. I touch his bones all the time, and his mouth while he has one, without worrying overmuch about getting snapped at. Obviously if I did something aggressive I think he’d react badly, but just me moving the bone, or petting him, or whatever that usually happens, he’s fine with. I think mainly because at this point the bone has lost a lot of its value, since we always have several of them laying around.

When I take naps I wake up frequently to find Zeeke asleep with his chin resting on my hip. It’s really quite sweet. He rouses and groans and shoves his head into my stomach. He’s not half as cuddly as the little princess, but he surely appreciates attention and petting.

I did a mini experiment this morning while Den was asleep. Both dogs were in the office with me and I gave Zeeke a bunch of attention, petting him and kissing his head and telling him what a good boy he was. Zoe tried walking up to me once, which I ignored, then she sat down on the dog bed. After a minute or two I called her up to give her attention. Zeeke got grumpy and pinned her down roughly, I corrected him and called her again. Then I gave her all the attention, called her a good girl, etc, and Zeeke wandered off. I was just saying on a forum how the two of them are pushy, jealous attention hogs. Apparently not all the time. They can get a little pushy around me sometimes, but I think mainly their bad behavior comes out around Den. I’ll have to try the experiment again another day under different circumstances and see.

Zoe just grabbed a chew-toy and jumped up on the bed beside Zeeke - literally, against his back - and the two of them are happily chewing while I type. Zeeke is stretching out on his side while he chews. He’s very laid back and relaxed. I think he’s enjoying this. LOL

So we’re at the point with Zoe that when she needs to pee I just open the front door and let her run out to the grass and pee, then call her back in. I usually don’t bother with a leash. And today I was just thinking about how great it was that I don’t have to get wet when she has to pee, and how good she is. And of course she sniffs and sniffs and starts eating grass and she meanders away across the lawn. “Zoe, potty! Potty! Zoe. Go potty. ZOE!” Nope. She was too interested in the grass. So I called her inside.

10 minutes later she’s nudging my arm in a panic and whining up a storm. So I run over and let her out. She walks out there, starts eating grass. Arg. I let her, hoping she’ll potty. She starts wandering across the yard again. I step outside and call her, she runs straight to me. I tell her it’s great that she listens now, but GO POTTY! She walked off and starting eating grass again. Arggghhh. So back inside, again.

Third time she started whining at me I thought, fine, I’ll just let her go eat the damn grass. I put her on the long 50′ leash and just let her outside. I watched through a window. She walked out there, sniffed around, and peed on the leash.

Aggghhhhh, I can’t win.

Today was Zeeke’s vet visit. He had to get his rabies vaccine - apparently we were slightly overdue so he couldn’t get the three year, I’m not pleased about that - and his heartworm testing, and his general physical. His Lepto and Lyme were also due, but I told them not to give them. Den is still wants to get the Lyme vaccine, but everything I read isn’t very positive about the vaccine.

So anyways, he freaked out in the truck, as usual. We had to pick Den up from work on the way, and by the time we got there he looked like he was going to have an accident in the truck, so I ran him into the woods. Once at the Vet he was very alert and hyper, lots of nervous energy to burn. He sniffed another dog that was in the waiting area, sniffed everything he could reach in fact.

We put him on the scale, expecting around 110lbs. It said 88lbs!! The vet went over all his past records and said they’ve ALL been around 88 lbs, except for last year that said 96lbs and he said if anything that one looks like it could have been an error, since he certainly has never looked any different at any point. This is apparently his “good” weight, and the vet says if he looks good, keep it. But we’re just shocked, we fully expected him to weigh over 100, and he’s not even over 90! Boy can we estimate wrong, sheesh.

So then we went into the exam room and the doc came in. We talked about Zeeke’s weight and the vaccinations. I was happy that he wasn’t at all pushy about it, he just went over the risks of not getting the vaccine - which unfortunately made Den nervous. Then he looked Zeeke over. Zeeke did so good! He didn’t display any signs of aggression at all - two years ago (last time I went in with him) he actually had to be muzzled because he flipped out and tried biting the vet. He wasn’t happy, but he was good. They took him in the back to take blood and give him his rabies, and didn’t have any issues with that either. The vet also took a look at the lump on his ear, it’s very small and hard, under the skin. Says it could be a few things, but it definitely doesn’t look like anything dangerous, so we should just keep an eye on it and let them know if it grows. It’s been that way for a year, so I’m not concerned. It just bugs the heck out of me, though, I wish we could get it taken off - but that would require anesthesia, I’m sure, and that wouldn’t be good. If he has to be anesthetized for any other reason, then I’ll ask them to take it off.

We also picked up a 6-pack of the K9 Advantix and a year’s supply of heartworm preventative. For that and the visit it came to $280. Holy $^!$#!. I nearly fainted. We are SO buying our flea/tick medication elsewhere from now on.

I never did write about Zoe’s last class, did I. Den came with us, along with the camera, so I got some photos of her big day.

The class was spent playing a game: the room was split into two teams, and we competed against each other. the instructor had a stack of cards, each with a task on it. For instance, the dog must hold a sit-stay for 30 seconds while the owner is 10 feet away. We got to choose if we wanted a Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced task. After hearing the task, the team would nominate one owner/dog to attempt it. Each completed one got points.

So the first task Zoe was nominated for (actually I volunteered) was the one mentioned above - I put her in a sit-stay, walked 10 feet away, and tried to keep her in place with my voice alone. She felt nervous in the center of the room like that, and she kept trying to inch away. I’d “oops” her and she’d abort her attempt to get up. But, she only lasted 25 seconds. We tried three times, but that was about her breaking point. The instructor gave us the points anyways, since she knows Zoe’s anxiety issues - that was actually pretty good for her.

While the others were doing tasks Zoe was happily splayed out on the floor beside me. She looked very relaxed, and she seemed to appreciate having Den there with us, she seemed a little more confident than usual. He gave her treats and tried to coax her into doing “tricks” like climbing up onto his lap (she made it halfway).

The corgi in the class was sitting next to us, and Zoe spent a while laying there with her chin on the ground, staring at the corgi. She even tried creeping her way over there. Can you imagine! Zoe trying to go see another dog. We did end up letting them sniff and meet at one point. Zoe had her tail down and was a little nervous, but she did good.

Our team got a difficult task: with the dog in a sit-stay, the owner was to walk away dropping a treat every foot for 10 feet, then call the dog - and the dog had to come without eating any treats! The instructor looked at Zoe and said, “I think there’s one dog who can do that.” So we tried it. Zoe held her stay, though she sniffed the closest treat from where she was sitting. I purposely positioned her in the middle of the room, and me in our corner. I called her with great enthusiasm and opened my arms wide. And she came flying! Didn’t even look at any of those silly treats. Zoe just wanted to go back to where it’s safe. LOL

In the end of the class Zoe was given the prize for Most Improved Dog! Yeah Zoe!

After class I made sure our name was down for the Intermediate class starting in July. I’d like to start sooner, but with me going on vacation for two weeks in June we have to wait. I’m looking forward to it! I’m not so sure Zoe is.

I’m having a heck of a time deciding on a collar to buy Zoe. I’ve decided I’m going to splurge a little and get her a really nice one for her birthday (May 27th!), but I can’t decide if I should get a martingale collar for her (since I still don’t have one yet - yeah, yeah, I know), or a new flat collar she can wear 24/7 with her tags on it. On one hand she needs a martingale, and since she’d only be wearing it for walks it would stay clean. On the other hand, she wouldn’t be wearing it very often at all, and I would like to see it! Any advice? (I’ve read that you shouldn’t leave a martingale collar on all the time, as it can get caught and choke them - which seems odd to me, since the point of the collar is to tighten but NOT choke them.)

Here are my choices:

Martingale collar:

Buckle collar:

Personally I think the martingale has the better color for her. And either way I think I’m going with the brass metal and definitely 1″ width. She’s wearing 3/4″ width collar right now and I worry that 1″ will be too much, but I think it’ll be okay.

I also really want to get this collar for Oreo:

It’s just a matter of finding the money for it. But I need to do it soon, as I’m visiting her in June!