Compromise

Well. we are almost to a compromise about being on the couch thing. We purchased an used couch last week, a sectional, and it is almost impossible to keep her off. I am allowing her to lay on one of the ends, on top of a blanket, but she migrates. We are also trying to institute a "you can be on the couch, but you have to get down when ever I ask" thing. She seems happier, and I am happier since this means I am not standing up to shoo her every 5 minutes throughout the day.

We love the new couch, and it is worn in a few places and already went through one puppy growing up with it so we are not too concerned about keeping it nice. It will be replaced in a few years when both the kids and Molly are grown up a bit.

More School

Molly is almost done with her second obedience class. She was doing really well at the beginning, but now is too concerned about the other dogs to pay attention to me. Even if I dangle a treat in front of her nose and try to lure her to look at me, she ignores it.

She can "sit" pretty much on command, will lie down and stand with some hand cues and is learning "stay". She will stay seated in front of me, with treats of course, for quite a while. I have even been able to step back away from her for a second or two without her getting up to follow me.

I need to spend more time with her, lots of time, she learns quick and I need to take advantage of that.

A point of frustration is the whole being on the furniture thing. We chase her off over and over and over and over again. There are days that she is back on the couch by the time I have turned around and taken a few steps. Jason and I made an executive decision last night, she will be allowed on the chair, and only the chair. I think it is just a comfort thing. We have laminate floors or tile throughout the main level (she is not permitted upstairs), so she doesn't have a soft place to lie on, except for a towel I put down for her and inside her kennel. If I were her, I would get on the couch for my naps as well.

I don't know why she swolled a fly, perhaps she'll die!

Well, it wasn't a fly, it was a mouse. While visiting my SIL last week, her kitty caught a mouse (an almost daily occurrence) and left it in a usual spot on the deck. Molly found this and took off. Jason went to see what she was chewing on, and immediately tried to stop her from swallowing.

With the sharp little puppy teeth, it was impossible to reach in and grab it. While waiting for a glove to arrive, she swallowed.

Everything seems to be ok digestively, it's just really gross.

Help Minnesota Valley Humane Society!!!

Getting Too Big For The Cat

Our poor little kitty is the target for Molly's need to wrestle. It was fine a few weeks ago when they were the same size and she could easily jump out of Molly's reach. Now, kitty gets pinned to the floor with her side held firmly in Molly's mouth. I break it up as much as I can, but the dog can reach kitty everywhere but her cat tree, top of the gate to upstairs and if she is on the table, which I discourage. I know for sure the cat is unhappy with Molly's presence and now avoids her instead of the taunting she used to do. I was hoping they would be friends, but Molly's desire to play with absolutely every one and thing she meets needs to subside before this can be.

Look How Big I Am!

Today, May 27th, Molly had a checkup at the vet and received her final distemper and the rabies vaccinations. She is now at 15.8 pounds, meaning she has gained 4.8 in the last three weeks! Apparently this is normal for large breed dogs, and typically they are three times their weight of 12 weeks. This would mean she will be about 45 pounds, very manageable.

We also took a another trip to PetSmart for a new leash (she chewed through the last one, twice) and then to the dog park. She played with a very excitable beagle. He started out being a big meanie and picking on her, but after some restraint they did fine together. The played for about 20 min straight and near the end they were so tired they would both stop to rest a few moments between bouts. Molly slept a couple hours, which is great, she needed to get some of her energy out.

Here is pic of her today, she LOVES my daughter's Dora chair. It's just the right size for her now, I am curious to see how she will curl up in it when she full grown.

Graduation!

Molly graduated from puppy school on May 11th. There wasn't a specific test to pass, I think it is just for the fact we get to dress our dogs in cute mortarboards. She (and I) got a lot out of the classes. Most of the puppies got "sit" down, perhaps not all by a verbal command, but it's a start. Molly needs some work with "come when called". If she is to distracted I won't even get a glance in my direction. She does however got "down" down, but only by luring. Here is a photo of her in her graduation hat!

Training on May 5th

This afternoon we practiced more of "come when called" and "down". She has "sit" pretty much down and will come sit in front of me when ever I am holding a treat; I don't really have the opportunity to practice to actually put her into a sit. We haven't started with using the verbal commands, but that will come soon enough. The only thing that is causing a problem is her attention span and interference by distractions. While at puppy school, she is hard to call for, there are just too many things going on that are more exciting than me. I'm still looking for that magic noise I can make to get her attention; I can not whistle and my voice is a bit soft. Once I do have her attention, and she sees that I have treats, running off again to play doesn't really happen.

The mouthing and nipping is still in full force as well the chewing. It is frustrating.

Puppy School

Puppy school began on the Monday following the adoption, after just three days at home. The class runs four weeks, and has been pretty helpful. I am doing some training at home too, using a clicker. She is responding well to it, being that she can hear it much better than my voice in a distracting situation.

Socialization is a big part of Molly's life right now. The puppies in the class all play together well and I have been trying to take her to as many places that I can during this important time. We have gone to PetsMart, so she could help shop, played with the neighborhood dogs and met the neighbors. We also have driven around for errands and to my son's daycare so she could be handled by several kids at a time.

Next week, May 11th is the last class, and there will be a graduation "ceremony" where the puppies will wear little motarboards, tassel and all.

Welcome To Our Home!

Molly came to us through the Minnesota Valley Humane Society; she was seven weeks old when we picked her out. She was a sweet little puppy that was very mellow and a bit shy. She came home on Friday, April 17th, 2009 and from there they craziness began.

After a few days she warmed up to us and showed her true self. Now she is a very active, nippy, and somewhat stubborn puppy, but still sweet as can be.

We were successful with crate training, through the whole night, up to 6 hours, without whining or crying, after just a couple days. Now, she uses her crate as a napping place, a retreat from the kids and her dining area. She is put there for time-outs, while we are gone, and to sleep each night.