Birthday Puppy

My husband says everyone loves babies and puppy dogs.  I think he’s right. What a shame they grow up to be dogs and teenagers and can learn to talk back or rather, bark back! Often I have heard that at two years, dogs quit being puppies.  Kinda odd how people throw out definitive timelines like that.  Do you know you are ineligible for the Newlywed Game after 2 years?  Yeah, like everything is figured out by then and you know everything about the other person already!  People are not like dogs, they surprise you more. Dogs are there for you when the rest of the world is too busy with stuff.

My puppy turns two this month. Minus the first 8 weeks she was with the breeder, all that time she has been with us.  And it has been a whirlwind of fun and love for the most part. Of all the dogs I have owned, this is easily the best one, behavior-wise and listens the best. Oh, that does not mean all the time or she wouldn’t be a dog now would she?

As she celebrates in a few days turning 2, the memories of Tessie grabbing shoes, accidents (though few!) and running from bath time come easily to mind.  They now are replaced by adult dog behavior, the list of nots, things she does not do:

• Not getting in the refrigerator when the door is open
• Not grabbing clothes when drawers are left ajar
• Not joining me in the shower if the door is open accidentally
• Not counter-serving to see if there is something better up there than in the dog bowl
• Not biting during playtime

And yet why do I find myself somewhat missing them, or at least the sight of a tiny puppy verses the long-legged creature I now have?  With hair in her eyes that always wear a sad expression no matter how happy she is, well, Tess is a mess.  Grooming her myself, every 4-5 weeks and that hair of hers still gets ahead of me constantly needing cut, trimmed, brushed or just overall groomed! As a puppy, her hair didn’t grow as fast and there wasn’t as much there to manage.

Now I find myself remembering the day we brought her home to our home to make it her home, you follow? She was loving but whimpering something she only does now when her feelings are hurt. It’s all relative too because hurt, in her mind is, “I’m on the leash, there is a potential new best friend over there, four legged or two, and I need to be free to greet them my exuberant way!”

So in the end, I suppose with Tessie turning two, many will consider her non-puppy.  With her quirky personality and classic labradoodle looks, she is something special.  As she hops on my lap still convinced she is small enough to sit there though I feel pinned down, I lovingly hold her and will continually call her ‘puppy’  well beyond this month!

Tessie

Tessie Tests Us

As I sit here, wetter than the dog, I wonder why I didn’t jump in and lather up with doggie wash. Or

is it called doggie shampoo since she is hairy all over?  Man, can my dog splash in the tub! And I thought the grandkids were like whales in the shallow end of the pool in the bathtub, Tessie has them beat by a mile!  Puppy adventures are extraordinary and so easily forgotten or nobody would ever get one again!

I looked at puppy, wet down, minus her labradoodle curls and she was a skinny runt with long legs, barely recognizable. I had to admit, she was comical. I thought about taking a picture but stopped myself knowing it would be downright embarrassing to her for others to see looking so goofy.  How pitiful does Tess look wet!  Quickly I got her out of there, well actually twice she half jumped out and I not very politely shoved her head and shoulders back in there.

Next was the trip to the bathroom with the cool air from the blow dryer to aid with drying her. Never

having been graced with curly hair, whew, what a surprise was that. Earlier today I did my first mini trim job on her, taking off just a bit of her hair. That bit I cut off must have been enough to make it spring back into action. Blow drying it after the bath, her hair was like a slinky being put up for the day!  Bouncing but not behaving!  She was a sea of poodle curls and not loving the air coming at her. Her mouth was wide open showing me her new teeth coming in as she tried to bite air. Oh great, I am sure to be treated to gas later tonight, compliments of Tessie!

Due to what the trainer calls’ “counter-serving” Tessie is now going away to Camp. Maybe we should call it school for the delinquent or strong willed child.  We called who our vet recommended “Sit Means Sit.”  And then they found out she knows the command sit but her sit is short-lived, like most everything because her attention span lasts about .yeah, that long, a period at the end of a sentence.

Counter serving, by the way, is the dog that has incredibly long legs and can reach up to the top of the counter. Tessie likes to see what is going on there that has my attention. Also, it is imperative she find out if there is anything available to steal, chew or just look at.  If she doesn’t see anything of interest in front of her, she just moves along down the counter with her feet on the ground and her paws sliding down the counter.  Yeah, others think it is cute, funny or whatever. To us, it is aggravating and to the trainers, it is a definite no-no, right up there with the jumping on everyone.

So after spending some time with our little gem, the trainer and I were in agreement, a simple few training lessons is never going to be enough for Miss High-Energy Low on Attention Span Puppy

especially given her breed. Heck, this great trainer had a horrendous time getting even eye contact with Tessie. I think Tess sensed she was going to make her mind and thought, “the hell with this lady.”  So, Tessie will be boarding with them for 10 days and come back a changed lady instead of the Tramp. Get it, from the Disney move…..

She gets walked daily by the driving range. Lucky for her, several golfers in our community are bad hitters and balls land way off the range on the walking paths. Those balls get spotted by Tessie and thus dog walks consistently include a game of chase the ball. This is great fun and wears her little butt out so it has an added bonus.  It is hysterical to watch her overrun the ball, try to apply her brakes which are her legs too long currently for her body.  She lands up splattered on the ground like a deer on ice!  She looks up with you with her raccoon mask like “What the hell just happened?”

I have to say a real shocker is how much Tessie loves car rides. Never have I had a dog that enjoyed the car. With her, there is no drama, no panting, crying, barking or pacing. She simply sits in the back seat and occasionally looks out to see who is out there and possibly if any good looking dogs are tailing us. 

I still have bite marks, as soon as some heal, new ones form. Oh yes, she gets reprimanded, toys given to distract her but in time, that doesn’t work either. This puppy is high energy and smart.  She is learning right along with us, what works and what doesn’t.  And then there are the times, though rare, when she is the sweetest loving thing in the world.   But all in all, I think we’ll keep her! 

Puppy For Hire

Who wants a Tessie for trial to see what it is like to own a puppy?  Have I got a deal for you, no charges involved!  She is a character and will give you the full gamut of experiences of what it is like to be a pet-owner with all the pluses and minuses all wrapped up in a ball of fur.  Thus continues my life with Tessie, the labradoodle I just had to have!

Tessie has progressed to taking walks to the dog park. How is it that moving along in weight to 14 lbs

from 7 lbs in 3 weeks can make the leash pull go from nothing to a challenge?  And the misnomer to

the neighbors is her prance makes her look like Cinderella at times. Unknown to them she is a She-

Devil in disguise at the house.  That beautiful high step in the home is a massive black blur at home as she literally runs so fast she slides on the wood floors coming into contact at times with walls, furniture, and yes, my feet!

I have found useful purposes you will enjoy of Tessie being in your home, listed below: 

•       The dust bunnies are gone under the bed as she frequently goes underneath the bed refusing to come out when I need her to, hiding in the very center where she is unreachable
•      It will be easy to remember to rotate washing various rugs around the house as she is inconsistent about having accidents in the house showing no preference where she pees
•      Regular exercise will easily be accomplished with Tessie as you will find yourself frequently taking long walks to wear her little butt out so she won’t be so energetic in the house

There are dog experts all over for training purposes. I have taken all kinds of training classes before with dogs I have owned. Most techniques do not work with this pup. She is one who needs a child expert on the strong-willed child. She is hell-bent on getting her own way. We need Cesar Millan in the worst way.  However, I refuse to be on the show and have cute little Tessie make me look like I am an incompetent owner.  Having had two Rotties that were huge and could even walk off lead and heel, have food on their noses without budging I now find myself with a wrist that looks like I was attacked by sharks.

The vet suggested adding in healthy treats for training to curb bad habits. Quickly we found

carrots are a passion with Tessie. She learned carrots come from the refrigerator.  Now guess Tessie’s favorite place to sit, lay and whine?  She is an excellent example of Pavlov’s dog experiment. Train a dog where food comes from and there they lay, except that is where our food comes from too!  And every time we attempt to open the door  a little She-Devil comes like a bat out of hell and manages to squeeze through my legs. 

Now, instead of looking for my intended item, I am contending with a puppy climbing up the side door, biting the lip on the drawers or trying to literally take food off of the shelves right at nose height, how convenient for Tessie.  I can even hear her thoughts, "This seems a helluva lot better than dog food. Why are you holding out on me Momma? "  I am trying to reach for items, push her out with the other hand and have paws everywhere. Sometimes it is just plain not worth it and close the door. Maybe take out is easier!  Carrots have turned her into a food thief!  Next suggestion….

My past training involved taking pop cans, putting pennies in them and taping the top to cover the hole. Simply shaking the can will annoy the dog so much they will stop jumping or biting.  So two girlfriends come over the other day and each is given a can. This seems like an excellent idea with the thought behind it, one shake and it won’t happen again. This has worked like a charm with every dog I have ever had before.

Here comes Tessie, like a flying Frisbee at them, full speed ahead, jumping with her mouth wide open, all baby teeth exposed. Up goes the can in their hands, shaking it with gusto like Morocco’s. The sound is obnoxious to all of us, so loud and clanging. Tessie jumps back, scared out of her mind. So she runs to the other friend, who promptly lifts her can once Tessie jumps up her legs and, once the friend bends to pet her, my darling bundle of joy clamps down on her wrist. It works. Tessie lays down all of 3 minutes. Then back she comes to the other friend. This goes on for about 20 minutes till, luckily my husband comes home and removes her from the room. By then, we all three are holding our heads with pounding headaches.  Agreeable, the cans got Tessie down on the ground but the noise was atrocious and the cans were in constant use. This is not how this correction is supposed to work!

So I sit here writing, looking at a lovable puppy that is sleeping at my feet wondering how I can write such a sarcastic blog about her.  Look at her precious pictures posted on the blog. Oh, but what you don’t see are the ones that will never get posted, the blurs of black because, prior to the picture being snapped, she shot past me and headed into Trouble going to bite furniture, jump on me or attempt to urinate. She keeps me on my toes, one of which is broken so I wear a boot, a boot which she loves to chew on, blatantly right in-front of me. A correction will lead to her giving me a sharp bark until she gets the “dreaded look” that translated means “Don’t mess with me” and quiets her down. Mamma Bear has her limits.

So I suppose I won’t rent her out. I am afraid you just might not bring her back in after taking her out for potty breaks. You might accidentally on purpose leave her in her cage one time too long. You

might correct her too much and hurt her feelings. Or you might get too use to have no dust bunnies under your bed or on the floor. I can’t run the risk, either, me hiring Tessie to you, getting use to a pup and falling in love with my Tessie!