Thursday, February 28, 2019
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Monday, February 25, 2019
Tricked
This is Toby and I was tricked. I thought I was going to the vet to get just weighed and to get my teeth checked. I was prepared for that and refused to open my mouth at all, and the next thing you know, they gave me shots. I now weigh 6 and a half pounds. I was 2 pounds 15 ounces when I first came home. The vet says I am growing much faster than he expected and now he thinks that rather than 7-9 pounds, I may end up 10-13 pounds. He said that I am smart and strong willed and will need challenging things to keep my mind busy. Mom picked up a puzzle toy at the store with her coupon and sure enough, I figured out all the levers, buttons, etc. to get the treats without having to be shown. It is nearly the same toy that both Ruby and Sami had to be given lessons on how to use. I now have full run of the house when Mom is home except for the bathroom and bedroom. I have also learned how to get through a blocked area that Mom was sure was fool proof. She has blocked me from the kitchen because I think the door rug is a potty pad and because I seem to get in trouble in that area of the house. I continue to sleep all night and my reward is getting to sleep on the bed because I have that figured out and wait to potty until we get up and I can get to my pad. Just to keep her off balance, I have now decided that getting a shower isn't as much fun anymore. I still love to splash in the puddles after and run and jump to make a big splash, but that rain coming down annoys me now. I have also decided that the blow dryer is not as much fun as I had thought it was. Also, I am thinking I need to let her know she is not totally in charge of everything and I need to have some opinions about things. I have my rabies shot at the end of March and neutering and microchip at the end of April. I have to have the rabies shot before the surgery in order to go to intermediate level in puppy school. I am doing well in puppy school and always do just perfectly for the teacher, but not at home when we practice. The teacher knows what she is doing and she is more consistent.
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Friday, February 15, 2019
More Adventures of Toby
The Adventures of Toby: My training techniques are working well on my mom. I taught her to play fetch. I had a hard time dropping what I brought back, or so she thought, so she started to use 2 toys. When I brought one back, she would only throw the other when I dropped the first one. Well, duh, that was my plan all along so that the game could never end. Then I figured out that I should only bring back my favorite toys which are the balls and the toys that squeak. I rarely bother with the others because they just aren't as much fun. This turned out better than I expected because she bought a package of 15 squeaky toys for $12 and now I am surrounded by delightful toys. She is finally proving to be trainable. I think I just had to let her age a little and help her figure out what I was telling her. Brain development, you know. Now she is getting it. She is so happy that I use the potty pads 95% of the time in this weather. The other 5% of the time is because she misjudges something, yep--totally her fault, but I will be patient because this is her first time owning a puppy and you cannot expect one to be perfect immediately. I have her serving my raw pumpkin in a separate bowl because I don't like my foods mixed. She knows that I like certain bowls and not others. She is now reading a book called, "The Other End of the Leash" about how humans are the ones who need to be trained. I am also making sure she keeps shelling out money. I have outgrown my harness and my sweater and soon will be able to get over the short gate to my craft room. Yes, it is my room, but she is allowed to craft in here if I am getting enough fetch time at the same time. I will have to say that I did pick a reasonably bright human who learns eventually and is doing all she can to please me. She is pretty enthralled with me and I just have to say that that is working for me. Did you see the pillow she bought me for Valentine's Day? It is posted on her timeline. I do like those personalized gifts as they show forethought.
Sunday, February 10, 2019
The Adventures of Toby-Chapter 2
The Adventures of Toby: Today I attended puppy class and we learned so much that I need a nap. And homework! They gave me homework! The teacher was very nice and she had some special treats for us when we got bored with the ones our moms brought for us. There are 4 of us in our class. Bizzy is a mini-dachshund and about the size of a jelly bean and only 10 weeks old. Kojack is Great Dane and is my age, and JoJo was a beautiful husky puppy that my mom thought was so cute. I did just fine in class until the end when I got too distractible. We worked on sit, focus, clicker reinforcement and marking, and release (ending a behavior we were asked to do). I like the teacher. She does not believe in any punishment or scolding. She told our moms that dogs who obey consistently do so because we adore them and are not afraid of being punished. The teacher thought I already showed that I will be a great service dog and I am very eager to please. All mom had to do was rattle the treat bag and I was trying to do what I had been taught almost in a frenzy. I really liked all of the other dogs and not one dog was naughty in any way for the full hour. Well, one threw up from too many treats, but I totally understand that. We also got a treat bag to bring home, just like a birthday party!
Saturday, February 9, 2019
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Tobias "Toby" Tucker
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