Merlin is home! It went way better than we were expecting.

First thing we did was get the cage set-up and ready for him. So when I came home with him Den held Jo back while I quickly put Merlin in the cage and closed it. Then we let Jo go and watched. Merlin checked out the cage while Jo came over to sniff everything possible. Jo wasn’t being territorial at all, but he was a little nervous and not sure what the heck that thing was and why was it in his house? He’d lean forward to sniff, then jump backwards. Merlin, for the most part, was wholly unconcerned by everything, he just seemed to wish he could get out of the cage to explore more. He looked around his cage for a while, ate some food, drank some water, used the litterbox. Jo, surprizing us both, stayed close to the cage to check out the new dude.

“WTF?!”

Sniffing

Can I come out now?

Merlin right away was sticking his paw out of the cage to touch Jo, he seems to love other cats. A little while later, after watching Merlin for a while, Jo tried getting his attention by doing the same thing. It was so cute!

When we let the dogs into the living room it was a bit interesting. Merlin’s first reaction to Zeeke was to puff up like a porcupine and hiss. He did not seem impressed by the big barking thing. Not at all. Zeeke was immediately obsessed.

Zoe didn’t really seem to understand what was going on at all. She just wanted to greet me, who had just come home from work. Zeeke was barking and spazzing, Zoe was put off by all the energy zapping around the room. We let her in the kitchen to let her check out the new cat, and she seemed even more put off by that - she just didn’t want to be in the kitchen. She always gets yelled at for being in the kitchen, it’s scary. She did notice the cat and go up to the cage to sniff him, but when he so much as twitched she hid behind me. Because of this Merlin filed her under the “unimportant” label and totally ignored her, even when she was sniffing him. He just didn’t care.

So after a while Jo had layed down on the kitchen floor to take a nap and Merlin was eating after napping in his litterbox (don’t ask, I haven’t the foggiest). Den and I shrugged and opened Merlin’s cage to let him out. It should have been too soon, but honestly it was going so well. So Merlin came walking out. Jo got to his feet to check him out up-close.

And it continued going so well we couldn’t believe it. The cats sniffed each other. Merlin explored the kitchen while Jo alternated sniffing him and sniffing the cage where he had been. It was so low-key. Jo just followed him around, sniffing here and there. We let Zoe in the kitchen again, she sniffed Merlin again. Merlin again ignored her. It appears Zoe is just not going to be a problem at all. Jo had the exact same reaction to her - “A dog!! Wait. It’s afraid of me. Oh, okay then. Maybe I can beat it up…” Merlin’s not quite at the “picking on her” stage, but I bet he will be soon. Zoe is just such an easy target, she’s so docile. LOL

Hi dude.

Follow the leader…

Zoe doing the butt-sniffing thing

Pretty boy

There’s a cat in my sink

Still following

A little nervous, are we?

And then Merlin surprized us all. He went sauntering across the countertop to where Zeeke was sticking his head over the babygate. They sniffed noses. Merlin sat down… layed down… then stretched out and relaxed. With Zeeke’s head less than two feet away.

Yeah, okay, I see you there

Whatever

Yawn

He isn’t brave enough to venture out of the safety of the kitchen - Zeeke is pretty darn scary. Zeeke did lunge at the babygate twice with a mean-sounding bark, causing Merlin to puff up halfway. But honestly? It took a year for Jojo to approach Zeeke in a fairly relaxed manner and not take off running. I’m seriously impressed, and I think Merlin could very well become friends with Zeeke in time. I sure hope so.

Den spent time with the cats today too. He sat on the floor and Merlin did his usual - climbed all over him, headbutted, and purred. Den even looked slightly amused by this, it was cute. We’re sure to give Jo equal attention, too.

So it did go pretty much how we expected - Zoe is a non-issue, Jo is a little weirded out but okay, Zeeke is a barking monster, and Merlin doesn’t really give a shit except about Zeeke.

Once upon a time I used to be worried about my little Zoe-monster being hurt by the big mean Zeeke. He was so much bigger than her, and she was so shy and dainty! When they started playing I would watch carefully, hovering like the nervous mama that I was. I’d frequently tell Zeeke to cut it out.

Well Zoe isn’t much bigger, and she’s still a shy, dainty little girl. But she sure tells Zeeke where to go when he gets too rough. Usually if there’s the sound of a fight during a particularily rough play session, it’s her kicking his butt. She snarls and yips in a really high-pitched voice, jumps up and bites him on the cheek multiple times. Then there’s silence. Then the sound of Zeeke trying to pick on her again… then the sound of another bitch-fest coming from Zoe.

And of course, not 60 seconds later they are both happily playing together again, tails wagging. But I don’t bother worrying about my little girl anymore. She can hold her own!

I think we are finally getting somewhere with Zeeke in regards to appropriate behavior around the cat. Den just let him out of his office, and when Zeeke saw the cat on the bed he was predictably a little ramped up about it. But he’ll leave the room and come back in - and he hasn’t put even a paw on the bed. He’s slowly (slowly) learning the rules, the limits. We’ve really been strict with him about the bed, he is simply not allowed on it, period. He has a dog bed on the floor right beside the bed that is all his. He has the old futon in Den’s office. We do let him sleep on the couch sometimes. But he does not get on the bed. The fact that he is respecting that rule, even when the cat is laying in the middle of the bed, tempting him… well that is a big step for him. I’m impressed.

The baby gate hasn’t gone back up in the kitchen, either. The dogs aren’t great with that and have to be constantly reminded, but all it takes is a “Eh, OUT.” I will find them both standing in the doorway, staring into the kitchen, ostensibly to figure out how they can sneak in. Zoe is actually worse than Zeeke, she just doesn’t seem to be as aware of the rule (typical of her, she’s a little bit naive). Zeeke is perfectly clear on the fact that the rule exists, he just decides he doesn’t need to listen to it - as evidenced by the fact that he goes running in there about .2 seconds after Den walks into the bathroom. “Woo hoo, here’s my chance!” Unfortunately, I was sitting right there.

And Zoe is doing a very strange thing just now. She’s on the bed, laying there. And every time he sticks his head over the bed to try to get to the cat she lunges at him and snaps at his face. At first I thought she was just trying to play with him, but just now she started her high-pitched yip-bark as she lunged - her “MINE, don’t touch!” bark that she makes when she’s protecting a bone. She appears to be protecting the cat?? I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it myself.

What a great day today!! Today was Dog Dayz and we did end up going, but only for Saturday - unfortunately we didn’t know in advance if Den would be available for Sunday, and besides that, we own no camping equipment. Makes it a little more difficult.

It was a one and a half hour drive into upper New York state farmland. Zeeke didn’t do so well with the drive up there, we stopped once to let him empty his stomach. I just don’t know what it is with him. *sigh*

It was very exciting when we got there. People were doing agility run-throughs, there was a flyball demo going on, a dock jumping dog and owner doing some demos (which was really fantastic! I’ve never seen a dog fly like that before!), and even sheep in a pen for a later herding demo. There were also booths set up for raffles, border collie memorabilia for sale, grooming/nail trimming (which we should have done with Zeeke - hindsight), and some great leashes for sale. We didn’t buy any leashes or collars yet, but I’m definitely still thinking about it.

We spent some time walking around watching the demos and letting the dogs check everything out. Zeeke was, as usual in public, the perfect gentleman. He greeted strange dogs and humans alike with politeness, even the rare times when a dog snarled at him (someone’s foster dog, who is still working on socialization). Zoe was doing very well with Zeeke beside her - I knew it would be a good thing to take them both, even if they can be a handful (like when we split up to use the washrooms or whatever - they hate being split up or even just one of us parents walking off!). People really got to see the real Zoe, with her tail up and everything. She was approaching people to sniff them, though she stopped shy of being petted and would generally back off again. But she wasn’t spending the entire time hiding behind my legs, which is great!

At one point I got Den to bring out the flexi leashes so we could let the dogs play in the pond. Other people were letting their dogs off-leash, but our two aren’t at that point of trust yet. Even with the flexi Zoe didn’t so much as dip her little paws in - apparently water is not an interesting thing and she couldn’t seem to understand why Zeeke was in it. Zeeke definitely liked it. First thing he did when we approached the pond was go splashing in. Actually, there was a small kiddie pool filled with water for a water bowl for the dogs, and Zeeke got in THAT too (not the first or the only!), He didn’t go right for swimming, but he went in as deep as he could and still touch. So we took him up on the dock and encouraged him to jump in. He definitely was interested, he was just trying to find an easier way in! But we kept encouraging and finally he leaned down towards the water. He put out his front paws and held himself up by his back paws, leaning forward, leaning forward… until the weight was too much and he let go. SPLASH! There was a look of horror and panic on his face as he disappeared right under water, head first. He came up flailing with his front legs, apparently forgetting that he CAN swim (he has before). Finally he stopped flailing and started swimming and swam to shore. At that point both Den and I were doubled over laughing. I was nearly crying I was laughing so hard. The look on his face as he went under was priceless. He ran around up to the dock and, with more encouragement from us, did it again - so it couldn’t have been too bad!

They served lunch in a dirt-floor building that they obviously use for agility training as well. People were lined up with their dogs standing beside them on leash (not everyone, but some). It again made me proud of all these well-behaved dogs! Zeeke, being so tall, was just too interested in all that food so Den stood to the side with both dogs while I got our lunches. Eating it was a bit tricky, though, as we had to sit on the grass to eat…. and sitting, with food, and dogs? Oh Zeeke wanted our lunches very badly. Zoe at least only sniffs, and then sits back when I tell her to leave it. So it was a bit of a juggle to get the dogs to not eat our stuff, but we managed. In fact, Zeeke ended up laying down. Did I mention we were sitting on a hill? Well we were. And Zeeke, the doofus, tried laying down and almost went tumbling all the way down the hill. Ha! It took him a few tries to figure out that he needed to lay facing UP hill. Den was pretty tired as well so he layed down on his back after lunch…. and there was a “HUMPH” sound as Zeeke noisily layed down beside him, flopping his head across Den’s stomach. Cute award!

Then I talked Den into trying the agility lessons for newbs with Zeeke. I ended up trying it with Zoe as well, though I went in saying, “I don’t know how much she’s going to be willing to do, if anything.” Den wasn’t sure Zeeke would do much, either - he kept saying, “I don’t think he’s going to do well, his attention span is so short” and “He’s really not going to like that teeter totter thing.” But we tried it.

I was right about Zoe - she didn’t really want to do anything. The tunnel thing? HA! Her? Go THROUGH that? Are you kidding her? So we just praised her for going up to it, sniffing it, sticking her head in it. That was as far as we got. She wasn’t so okay with the tire at first, though I do think half the problem was the trainer holding her leash. But after a couple of tries (and eating treats off my hand while sticking just her head through the tire) she walked through it. Big praise! The jump (set very low) was okay with her, she hopped over it (slowly). She did a sit-stay on one side, I’d call her from the other. Yay. The teeter thing was another matter entirely. They had a tippy board (a board with something underneath in the middle so it “tips” when the dog walks on it - it’s what they use to condition dogs to it. So wouldn’t so much as put her paw on it. She saw it moving when Zeeke tried it - nope, nope. I did get her to approach it, put her nose on it, and then I got her to “paw” it, which was great! It was suggested that I either make a board like that, or just use a garbage pail lid upside-down on the floor, and teach her to touch it with her paws, and then walk across it. It’s obvious with Zoe that it’s going to be a very long journey with very small steps. Everything is scary to her, so we need to de-sensitise her to it, then work up to it in baby steps. It’s going to be hard on me, because every little thing I do makes a huge impact - if I rush her even the slightest, she’ll freak out. I can’t push her. If I bump something - or someone else bumps something - while she’s sniffing it it’ll put her back. So yeah, it’s going to be a lot of work. But, I think it will indeed be a good confidence booster for her, once she learns that things aren’t so scary as she thought they were.

Zeeke was another story entirely. We walked in the ring and as we were standing there, Zeeke attempted to climb the A-frame. Den got him off it, of course, but Zeeke wanted to so bad.

First up for Zeeke was the tunnel. He took a while to get what we wanted - like, say, 5 seconds or so - and then he ran through it. Daddy had a cookie at the end! This is pretty cool, says he. After that the trainer could barely hold him back from running through the tunnel until Den called him. The trainer ended up lengthening the tunnel for him. No problems, Zeeke flew through it. So after a while she put a little bit of a curve at the end, saying that most dogs have to start from scratch again when there’s a bend in the tunnel. Zeeke? No problems. Bigger bend - no problems! So she scrunched it up small again and got Den to “send” Zeeke through the tunnel a few times. A little more problematic, although Den remarked, “I think he’s suffering from Bad Handler.” lol So Den was directed on how to hold his body to make sure Zeeke went where we wanted him to - the tunnel - and Zeeke was off. No problems! This tunnel thing sure is fun, dad! The funniest part about the tunnel was that every time Zeeke successfully made it through the tunnel, Zoe would get super excited and jump on him (or jump up and down if she couldn’t reach). It was like, You’re back! You survived!! It didn’t eat you!! Oh she was so happy. And yes, I think his ease and success made it easier for her to approach the tunnel - she wouldn’t go NEAR it before seeing him go running through it. So I think he is going to be a big boost to her training.

The tire wasn’t even worth mentioning to Zeeke. “So I jump through the tire thing? Okay, next?” They did have a bit of troubles with Den running beside Zeeke and sending him through the tire - Zeeke kept going around it. (So then they’d go back to calling Zeeke through it to make sure he succeeded, before trying it again.) And for the tire thing the trainer just unhooked Zeeke’s leash. I think Den and I both had a little heart-hiccup when we saw him go running through it with no leash on, but he obeyed perfectly. He tried wandering off to sniff the fence (it WAS a mostly fenced enclosure for agility), but came with Den called him. So honestly I think that was a big thing for Den and I, to see him doing well even off leash.

Next was the tippy board. Den said, “He isn’t going to like that, this is what he’ll have problems with.” The trainer walked him around the tippy board. Zeeke stepped on it. Click! Praise! Treat! Zeeke’s eyes lit up. He started jumping onto the tippy board, then looking up expectantly for that treat! So they moved him over to the very low training teeter. Zeeke walked across it perfectly! Not one issue with it tipping beneath his feet. Click! Praise! Treat! So he was very eagerly walking back and forth across that thing! And while he was doing that I moved Zoe over to the tippy board to start conditioning her. And as I’m trying to get her to put a paw on it, Zeeke comes running over, jumps on the tippy board (bang as it tips over), and looks at me for a treat. LOL! He definitely knew how that thing worked! “I jump on it, it goes bang, I get a treat. Can this get any easier?!”

Den was SO proud of Zeeke. I was too. I expected him to do well, but I certainly didn’t expect him to go running through everything with no fear and no hesitation, acing everything in two seconds. So someone pointed us in the direction of an agility trainer, who as it turns out lives and trains only a half an hour from our house! She has shelties, which are known for being very anxious and scared of things like Zoe is, so she’s familiar with working with dogs like this. She seems very nice. So we exchanged information, and we’ll try to set up some agility lessons for both dogs! Woo hoo! We’ll have to start with just me handling them both, as Den’s going to be away two weeks in September, but I hope to have Den take over Zeeke’s handling. I think it’ll be a really wonderful thing for both of them. We are a little concerned about the cost - $90 per dog for 6 weeks. I do think it will be worth it, though. Just seeing the look of joy and accomplishment on Zeeke’s face - and echoed on Den’s. And of course Zoe will really benefit from overcoming her fears, though I don’t really see her ever trialing - Zeeke on the other hand… he has the potential to be really really good.

Oh and we ended up winning a raffle, too! A picnic set of dishes - I haven’t really looked at it yet, but it has melamine plates and big plastic tumblers and even some little votive candles. Sweet! And Den was saying how we never win anything.

The drive home was completely silent. I had THREE asleep in the truck - two dogs and a hubby! That’s the FIRST time I’ve ever seen Zeeke laying down and quiet in the truck for any length of time. It was amazing. We stopped on the way home to get some shakes and fries from McDonald’s, and then it was silence again. When we got home Den layed down on the bed and immediately fell asleep, and Zeeke went into his crate and followed suit. He didn’t even bother finding the cat first. And Zoe, well, she figured if big brother was sleeping in his crate, so should she. I found her laying there after my shower. And then I crawled into bed and we all had a nice nap! It was a wonderful day, tons of fun, and we are just exhausted!

Up early this morning (thanks Zoe - do you have a sieve for a bladder?) and the cat’s hyper. Zoe walked by him and he did the whole crouch down, swish the tail, wiggle the butt, POUNCE. He can be so mean sometimes - he grabbed her legs and started gnawing (literally - he chomps on her legs like they were a nice fat drumstick). Then he jumped up and smacked and clawed her around the neck. And my poor little girl - who was corned in the bathroom - just stood there and gave me the most pitiful look. I had to shoo the cat away (to which he gave me the evil eye). She is just such a sweetheart when it comes to the cat, she just stands there. Sometimes she plays back, but when he gets rough with her she just… takes it. My silly, sweet girl.

Today we took both dogs out at the same time to potty before we had to go out. When they were done that I let Zoe off her leash. Zeeke was on his flexi, because remember he can’t be let off. So Zoe zoomed around and around, with Zeeke cutting her off and chasing her back and forth. It was so funny! They (Zeeke) actually crashed into me at one point (ow). But the funniest part was that when Zeeke would get close enough to her he grabbed her tail! I’ve never seen a dog do that before. I guess he knew he wasn’t going to catch her with what leash he had, so if he couldn’t outrun her - stop her! Ha! (He didn’t hurt her, just slowed her down a bit before she took off again.) He squashed her once or twice, grabbed her tail twice - but overall Zoe was in the lead. It was so funny watching them run around like mad. Den and I were just in stitches.

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

This morning I got up and made myself some breakfast, and as I’m puttering in the kitchen the cat starts attacking Zoe. Well I can’t really say it like that - they started attacking each other. Playing, of course. But this was more than the usual… Jojo lunged at Zoe, and they both met standing on their back legs, wrapped their paws around each other and wrestled. Jojo got knocked to the ground. He jumped up and pounced on her again. Zoe was smacking him with her paw and jumping and wiggling. It was so funny! I really need to carry a camera around with me to catch it on film.

Since then they’ve both been walking around, randomly pouncing on each other and running off. I’m so happy that they’re not only getting along, but becoming best buds! We got really lucky with this family.

Wow, what a workout! LOL I took Zoe out off-leash this early AM, let her run around the back yard for a bit. Then we went to the front yard, where I chased her around with glee. She looooves that game so much. Then I spotted a car headed up our road, so I quickly said “inside” and she zoomed to the front door. She doesn’t go on the road, and she’s scared of cars, but just to be safe and all. So then I put Zeeke on his leashes and collar and headed outside. I thought for a second, then let Zoe out too. They need to run. So we went out back, both dogs pooped, and then I let them run around for a while. Zoe doesn’t like to come within Zeeke’s radius too much - for which I can’t blame her, he completely slams her when he catches her. Instead she runs around the perimeter of the yard full-tilt. God she goes! After a short while I headed around to the front yard. Zoe ran around the other side of the house and I figured I’d meet her in the front yard. But Zeeke was lagging as I headed up the hill, and then suddenly came flying…. I look and there’s Zoe headed straight for me, she zooms past me, Zeeke right on her heel. Zeeke’s leash is a 26′ flexi… and he was at the far end when he started running, and he didn’t stop until he hit the other far end. That’s 50′. And you know… he never caught her! Man does she fly. Den agrees, she may just be faster, though obviously we haven’t let them duke it out when Zeeke is loose.

But once we were in the front yard it was a quick jog to the front door with Zeeke, and Zoe followed - she hung back, probably knowing that Zeeke was going to slam her if she got too close (which he did, soon as she got inside… he can be so mean, that one!). They’re both panting like crazy now… and I’m a little out of breath too, I have to jog to stop Zeeke from hitting the end of his leash. Hehehe. I’m so glad we have an acre…. it’s so much space for them to run in, even if they can’t really use it all right now.