Good Dog

Keller did good with all the guests here last night for the Hummus-A-Thon. She didn't bark, she didn't jump (too much) and she didn't beg except for one occassion. What a good dog. Everyone loves her.

We took her out on a walk this morning and decided to keep her on her leash, but not hold on to it. It was a trial run, and when she didn't go scampering off after ten steps, Dave and I looked at each other, purely astounded. She stopped when we called for her and almost waited naturally when we were behind. It was incredible. We did that for about 20 minutes. Short training sessions. Well, she ran into a yard then and thought it was a game, so back in our hands she went.

She also went over to Curt's with Dave this evening for an impromptu grill-out. How nice to play with her and let her run in a fenced-in backyard. We left her alone today not kenneled up when Dave ran out to Fleet Farm and I went to work. She was apparently curled up by the front door when Dave got home, alone for about 1 1/2 hours. No messes. Woohoo!

She continues to sleep on the bed with us, or at least start on the floor and then want to come up. No messes there, so we're doing good on that front, too!

Trip to the Dog Park

This dog does not tire out...ever. I ran her for an hour this morning, played with her this afternoon, walked her TO and FROM the dog park (total time = 2 hours) and she STILL played outside with the neighbors this evening and is STILL awake at 11 PM. What gives!! I'M more tired than she is! Anyway, here are some pics of her at the dog park. One goes along with a video I just uploaded. She was crazy there (but well behaved).

We pulled three ticks off her tonight. Luckily we caught them right as we got back. Icky little buggers. Still gross me out. Have company coming tomorrow so she'll probably get a bath so she smells nice and fresh. :)

Growing Up..But Not Done Chewing

We had to buy a new dog gate today because Keller chewed through the other one. We found a really nice, sturdy one at Saver's, and it was 50% off. Sweeeeet.

Keller's had a crazy weekend - she had extra company with Lynn and Glen here and did great and was just loved to pieces! We left her alone in her kennel in Bloomington for 5 hours to go to a Twins/Brewers game...no accidents...and we've started letting her sleep on our bed at night. She does great. Last night we left the kennel door open and she slept in there, then sometime early this morning, jumped up on the bed. Good. Dog.

This morning she also had her first trip to the Dog Park (North one). She met her near twin, who was also 4 months old, and looked identical to her, only darker and slightly bigger. Funny!

Legal Puppy!

Just like every morning, we're up early - 6:15 a.m. (that's early for me but I've grown used to it. Trust me, in the winter, I won't like it as much). We took a later run this morning (8-ish) because we planted some flowers bright and early! Then the rain came. It's been in the 90s Tuesday and Wednesday, and so windy that we had dust storms here on Wednesday (no joke). So, Keller likes this cold front that came through. It's comfortable outside.

Keller had her 4 month check up today - see left - that's her "I don't know if I wanna be here or not" look - she's up to 26 pounds! (I think a little more...I couldn't get her to sit on the scale very well). She also got her last round of core vaccines, was dewormed for the last time, had a fun and fine stool sample check, got her first lyme vaccine, and, of greatest importance, is now a LEGAL Rochester dog-citizen! She got her rabies and her tags. Woohoo!!

Afterwards, Keller helped me with some shopping. We bought some flowers, and some groceries because Lynn and Glen are coming tomorrow, and Dave is coming home too!, and then we went to PetCo. I had some coupons and I thought she deserved a treat after going through all that today!

So we got some new Nylabones and a free pound of treats from the Treat Bar!! YUM! Some of them I wanted to eat! Keller got spoiled by one of the dog trainers there. Everyone says she is so well-behaved (but they don't see her 24/7...heehee)

Oh, she has seriously chewed a gaping hole in one of the dog gates. We're going to go hit up some garage sales tomorrow to see if we can find some stronger ones. She's not destructive in the house when she breaks out of the bathroom...at least not yet. 

What 'ticks' us off

For Dave. Hi!

I found a tick last night. It wasn't on Keller and it wasn't on me, but it was crawling on the floor, and that was enough to warrant the eebie jeebies. GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I flushed it down the toilet, and of all things, the toilet overflowed. No, really. Keller was very confused.

Yesterday it made it into the mid 90s here - will again today. Still uncharted territory for the pup. It was nice and cool in the house for her. She also managed to chew through the plastic dog gate just enough to get through it. No joke.

Hi, my name is Trouble

Anything plastic = anything goes. Recently discovered hot chewing items: the plastic covering surrounding the metal frame where the mattress rests in the corners; plastic chew toys previously fine now ripped apart; dog gate plastic tines starting to slowly shred (she can now stick her face through the gaping hole).

Uh....

Keller does have a new toy, however - to the rescue, it's the Kong!!! Thank you, Fleet Farm, for amazingly cheap and amazingly wonderful dog toys. This thing occupies the hell out of Keller. I put the rest of her breakfast in there with some treats, and the same with lunch, and it amused her until I had to leave to go back from my lunch break. A physically and mentally exercised puppy is a tired and happy puppy. Hooray!

I put some new videos up - one is of Keller licking our screen door, racing down the stairs she previously was terrified of, and the third one is Keller just being Keller. And yawning. And winking. Of course, all of the videos on my YouTube website.

Look What I Can Eat!

First I should explain the pictures. I took Keller out to Fleet Farm for a new chew toy since she has a good chunk of her adult teeth in. I found what I thought would be a great fit for her - something that's edible, but can take a looooong time to get through. 

WRONG! I gave it to her when I got to the car (happy puppy), and we hopped back on the highway to get home. No more than probably 5 miles, I looked in the backseat and she has nearly DEVOURED the bone. What the - ?!?!?!?

Good to know. So the picture on the left is a smiling Keller after a niiiiice treat. On the right, the package (with the remaining bone) and what she had managed to not eat in 8 minutes or so (but was well on her way). 

Anyway, beforehand, we had been over hanging out with Randy, Owen, and Duncan. Keller and Duncan had fun, but Keller jumped up on Owen a few too many times (sorry, bud).  

Dog? Where? Where?

This morning Keller and I were watching FOX 9's morning news and M.A. Rosko had the culminating piece of her adopted dog's training over 9 or so weeks. 

Keller - for the life of her - could not figure out where the doggie noises were coming from. She stared down the TV for a good minute or so, her nose grazing the screen as she'd walk by it. Finally she sat her butt down in front of the screen and proceeded to watch the rest of the package. Absolutely hilarious. She didn't bark, but obviously was SO confused.

We're going to go play with Duncan and go tire Keller out for the day. Hooray!

Keller vs. Bee

Keller found a bee in the house last night. I thought she was playing with a toy but I heard a little too much sniffing going on. I don't know if she killed...er...wounded the bee or if it had managed to kill itself somehow, but it was pretty out of it.

Anyway, she was a VERY VERY VERY good girl while I pulled her away, told her to stay, and she waited and stayed the whole time that I went and got the flyswatter, swatted the thing to death, and plucked it outside.

She's learning! Woohoo!!!!

More pics

A collection of images from last week. Keller with Uncle Bob and Dexter the yellow lab, Trudy, and Beth in Minnetonka during our get-together last Thursday; Keller on the rocks (sounds like a drink...weird) in Hastings during our Hotel Hunt; Keller intensely waiting for the bubbles grandma Ann was blowing; and our little prairie dog in the Vibe, trying to figure out why Dave is lugging so much trash back to the car (Bloomington City-Wide Clean-Up = Gold Mine for Dave).

Sorry the picture aren't neatly organized, I can't figure out how to move them and still have them link the bigger picture. It's something in the coding I can't get!

All I Want For (Christmas?) Is My Two Front Teeth

Keller is losing her teeth like there's no tomorrow! We first noticed on Sunday that she was missing one upper toof; yesterday we realized she's without two bottom teeth and two or three top teeth! AGH! At least we're managing to get rid of those pinchers...correction...needles...and get some grown-up teeth. Crikeys!

Anyway, it explains why she doesn't want to eat much...so we started softening her puppy chow. We thought she didn't eat on Thursday and Friday because she was in the car all day Thursday (seriously). She got to pick up Dave at the airport and tour hotels with us (not inside, just drove around to like 8 of them).

Friday we went to Bob's and she got to play with Dexter!

Saturday we went to Seth and Sarah's and she got to play with Santiago!

Needless to say, she slept all day Sunday. No joke. No walk needed.

I'll get some pictures up and videos when I get home later. :)