My Top 10 Fun List (Dogs Only)

My birfday is coming up–next week I’ll be 4 years old! To commemorate that momentous event, I decided to entertain you with a few stories about when I was just a lass. You know, ‘back-in-the-day’ type of stories. We all have them. And things haven’t changed much in the past 3 years. So, here we go–originally posted August 17, 2010.

I’m bored. It’s been hot for days, which means no walks during the day, no park during the day, no this, no that, not much of anything! Mom says that’s not true–we just have to do things differently. She said it’s going to cool off tomorrow–boy, am I glad! (‘cept now it’s cold and raining and raining and raining. BORING)

I’ve already told you I have LOTS of energy, so when it’s hot, I just can’t sleep all day like Toby does and I don’t know how to read yet like Mom and Dad do. So, inbetween deviling the cats and chewing my antler, I decided to list my 10 favorite things to do. I’m not sure I can even count to 10–remember I’m not even 9-months old–but I’ll try. My list is not necessarily in order. I know which is my favorite, do you?

Do you think she likes me?

10. Tease cats–I get in trouble for doing this, but it’s FUN. If they would just learn….. (Um, sometimes I still tease them…)

9. Chew my elk antler–I spend a lot of time doing this. Mom says it helps my teeth AND I don’t chew it up in 5 minutes like I do all my other toys. (my fave!)

8. School–you might say “why is this fun“? Because Mom and Dad learn stuff and I have fun! (remedial education is an ongoing thing around here, for some reason)

7. Play games–I play a lot of games, like “leave it”, “come”, “NOW”, “drop”, “off” (that one I don’t do so well), “quiet” and of course, “sit”, “down”, “wait” and “stay” (I don’t do that very well either). What I like best about games are the treats! (YEP–this is a keeper!)

6. Go to the park–I get really excited when we get in the car and Mom takes Toby & me to the park. I have LOTS of friends there that I can run and wrestle with. I especially like to go to 1000 acres park with Toby II. He’s my best friend. Mom says it’s good to be “socialized”, whatever that means. Friends teach me stuff and I teach them stuff. Like school. (1000 acres is still my fave! Others? Not so much)

Two fun things–a ball and water!

5. Play ball–I play ball at home when we can’t go out (like now). I even bring it back! Mom played ball with me in the pool today. WOW–do you know that’s two fun things in one? (well, you know the answer to this one 🙂 )

4. Walks–We do that a LOT. I sometimes get to meet Mom’s friends and I’m very good and “sit”. Sometimes I see Oz and we get to play! (my buddy Oz moved, but nothing else has changed)

3. Off-leash–Oh, wow. I LOVE this. But Mom is always in control. She’s the top dog, right? I think so. Sometimes she won’t let me run free (like when I don’t “come” right away). I always know where Mom is, but sometimes she doesn’t know where I am. She says I’m learning. That’s what school is for, right? (Mom’s still the boss here…)

2. Digging–Mom says I’m digging a hole to Croatia. They “think” they are leaving me here when they go, but won’t they be surprised when I pop up! (OMD, I just found out I was digging to Australia–not Croatia. Guess I should have looked at a map….)

1. Water–I LOVE water. Yep, I LOVE water. The river, the pool, the beach–you name it. Mom says I don’t even know about snow yet. She says that’s water too. We’ll see…. (I should have added mud here, but it’s still has that water component. Right?)

So, what do you think? Pretty good list, huh? Do you think I forgot something? Did you guess my favorite? What do you think it is?

Recall Class–Week 1

Actually it was week 2, because I wasn’t allowed to go last week. It was humans only. You do know they are the ones being trained, don’t you, and they need extra schooling? One extra week even! I guess that’s because I’m smarter than they are.

We had to stay on a leash and couldn’t even play or wrestle. I could in Puppy Kindergarten and Advanced Manners. Mom says that’s because I was being socialized in those classes. Whatever….

But we did play some fun games!

The Name Game. Mom or Dad said my name (it’s Sage, remember) and if I turned my head, I got a treat. Each time I got a treat, I heard a click. We did that lots!! It was fun and I got some really good treats.

The Movement Game. This was fun! Mom walked backwards and when she stopped, I stopped. She didn’t say anything to me, but she gave me the hand signal for SIT. I sat. Click. Treat. Then she walked sideways in a circle around the room. She’d stop. I stopped. Hand signal. Sit. Click. Treat. Pretty easy, huh?

Coming in the Door Game. We practiced coming in a door. When we got inside, Mom stopped, I sat. Click. Treat. That was sooooooo easy. Do you know why? Mom makes me sit when we walk and come to a street. The minute she stops walking, I sit. She doesn’t even have to say anything or give me a hand signal any more! Toby doesn’t sit, so she has to say “sit”. When he does, we both get treats. Oh, and don’t forget the “click”. So, I knew this game. And my teacher was impressed!

In fact, teacher (his name is Doug) wanted to know if I had been to the park? I guess that’s because I wasn’t crazy, like I am sometimes when I go there just to play. I had gone to the park, but had lots of time to rest before class. I just wanted to show him I could do these games. And I worked really hard at doing all the games correctly. It took lots of concentration!

I guess I worked too hard at it, because when I got home, I threw up all over Dad.

Three-Quarter-Year Birthday

I looked like a little devil, didn't I?

This is me at 9-months old!

Today I’m 9-months old!! Mom says that’s like having a teenager all over again. Well, I do have lots of energy, eat a lot, do some things I’m told and listen when I want to.

Uh-oh, did I say that? Shhhhhh–don’t tell Mom.

It’s only when I’m super distracted. Honest.

MOM– I’M LISTENING. I HEAR YOU—–I’M NOT DEAF.

Except I think she already knows all about me. She told me she’s on to teenagers, having raised two human ones. I guess that’s why I have to go to school.

My Top 10 Fun List (Dogs Only)

I’m bored. It’s been hot for days, which means no walks during the day, no park during the day, no this, no that, not much of anything! Mom says that’s not true–we just have to do things differently. She said it’s going to cool off tomorrow–boy, am I glad!

I’ve already told you I have LOTS of energy, so when it’s hot, I just can’t sleep all day like Toby does and I don’t know how to read yet like Mom and Dad do. So, in between deviling the cats and chewing my antler, I decided to list my 10 favorite things to do. I’m not sure I can even count to 10–remember I’m not even 9-months old–but I’ll try. My list is not necessarily in order. I know which is my favorite, do you?

Do you think she likes me?

10. Tease cats–I get in trouble for doing this, but it’s FUN. If they would just learn…..

9. Chew my elk antler–I spend a lot of time doing this. Mom says it helps my teeth AND I don’t chew it up in 5 minutes like I do all my other toys.

8. School–you might say “why is this fun“? Because Mom and Dad learn stuff and I have fun!

7. Play games–I play a lot of games, like “leave it”, “come”, “NOW”, “drop”, “off” (that one I don’t do so well), “quiet” and of course, “sit”, “down”, “wait” and “stay” (I don’t do that very well either). What I like best about games are the treats!

6. Go to the park–I get really excited when we get in the car and Mom takes Toby & me to the park. I have LOTS of friends there that I can run and wrestle with. I especially like to go to 1000 acres park with Toby II. He’s my best friend. Mom says it’s good to be “socialized”, whatever that means. Friends teach me stuff and I teach them stuff. Like school.

Two fun things--a ball and water!

5. Play ball–I play ball at home when we can’t go out (like now). I even bring it back! Mom played ball with me in the pool today. WOW–do you know that’s two fun things in one?

4. Walks–We do that a LOT. I sometimes get to meet Mom’s friends and I’m very good and “sit”. Sometimes I see Oz and we get to play!

3. Off-leash–Oh, wow. I LOVE this. But Mom is always in control. She’s the top dog, right? I think so. Sometimes she won’t let me run free (like when I don’t “come” right away). I always know where Mom is, but sometimes she doesn’t know where I am. She says I’m learning. That’s what school is for, right?

2. Digging–Mom says I’m digging a hole to Croatia. They “think” they are leaving me here when they go, but won’t they be surprised when I pop up!

1. Water–I LOVE water. Yep, I LOVE water. The river, the pool, the beach–you name it. Mom says I don’t even know about snow yet. She says that’s water too. We’ll see….

So, what do you think? Pretty good list, huh? Do you think I forgot something? Did you guess my favorite? What do you think it is?

I need to tell you about my Toby

Toby was about 3 then. Isn't he handsome?

He’s my big brother. He’s 11 years old! Wow, that’s OLD. Older than me. He wasn’t as lucky as I was as a baby. Mom and Dad didn’t find him until he was 15 months old. He told me he was STARVING and he looked it. He was 20 pounds under-weight. It was so sad. And no one wanted him. But, Mom and Dad did and he’s been SO happy for the last 10 years. He loves Mom and Dad because they saved him from that shelter place. He had been taken there at least twice and he was scared that no one would love him. He hasn’t forgotten how it felt to be all alone and hungry. He is still scared of cages and when Mom and Dad go on trips. Were they going to come back? He doesn’t know and gets scared. Mom says it’s called separation-anxiety.

They tried to board him when he first started living with them, but he said “none of this”. He tried to climb an 8-foot fence at this place where they left him! And he did it more than once. Wow, that’s pretty impressive. I can’t do that! So, Mom and Dad have someone to come stay with us when they go away. At least that’s what Toby’s told me. I don’t know about that yet, but I will soon. Toby likes it and he told me it’s OK. So, I will like it too.

Toby loves the ocean too!

Toby and I went to Doggy Business the other day. That’s where I went to school when I was a baby–now I’m a teenager! And I act like one, at least that’s what Mom says. Anyhow, I like this place because they make it FUN. And I get to play and run and play and run. Toby kinda likes it too. They don’t have cages! And he gets to play. He still gets scared when Mom and Dad take us there, but Doug, my trainer, says he’s doing better. Maybe someday we’ll get to spend the night!

They do other things there at Doggy Business – like have school. Mom says I have to go back to school because I ran over to my best friend’s house the other day. That’s Toby II. You remember him, right? He lives across the street and down a couple of houses. Boy, I got in trouble for doing that. Big trouble! I had to go in my crate.

My Toby doesn’t do that–he stays with Mom and listens to her. I wonder if I can be like Toby when I grow up! I guess that’s why I have to keep going to school…….

I was all wet here, but I like water and Toby doesn't. We were getting treats.

Ugh–I Failed Recall

Who said? I think I do pretty darn well at “come”, but I think I must have a limit. The other night, I found it. But, to be fair, on a scale of 1 to 10, this was a 10 in the distraction list. It was MORE than a ten, if you really want to know. Let me tell you what happened.

We went to the local park where I ran and played with a whole lot of dogs. Every time Mom called me, I came. Somebody even told Mom how good I was doing. Well, a little dog came–he was a new arrival–so Toby and I went to greet him. He got all scared and stuff and ran down to the street. Of course, I went too, and I sorta came when called. What did this little dog do next? He ran back down there and so did I. Mom was right behind me.

THEN, I saw this chocolate lab that I had been playing ball with. He lives across the street, so I went over to see him. Mom was still right behind me, but I was faster and wasn’t listening anymore. And this boy who lives with lab tried to catch me. Well, I showed them! I wasn’t going to be caught. I ran into their back yard, out and around and back in again, out and around and back in again. Mom heard the man say: “Don’t let that dog get in the pool!” Then I saw it–WATER!! Of course I jumped in, you know how much I love water. But Mom pulled me out right away. I didn’t even get to show her how well I can swim…….

I don’t think Mom was real happy. She made me go home and I heard her talking about me to Dad. She said I needed more training and it wasn’t my fault. IT WAS THEIRS!! Ha, I knew it. Not my fault–told you so.

Uh-oh, she brought out the big guns and called my trainer–his name is Doug and he knows ALL about dogs.  I guess this was serious–I was just having a little fun.

He told her it sounded like the “perfect storm” of distractions and that will happen. We just need to keep working on my recall (whoopee, I know what that means: treats!). He had several suggestions and they all sounded like it meant I was going to have more fun! Isn’t that what it’s all about?

* Mom and Dad can get a wading pool and say “come” and give me a treat and then let me go back in the water. And then do it all over again. What’s wrong with that?

* Doug said he can come to 1000 acres with us and help Mom and Dad teach me that I have to stay with them when we get close to the river. That’s because I run ahead before we get there. I know where I’m going–why do I have to wait? He said to put me on a long lead when we get close (that really long one?) and I’ll learn who’s boss. Shoot, I thought I was, but Mom says NO!  How about sometimes? She still said NO! She said we’ll go out there this weekend and let Doug know how I do.  YAY–the river!! I’m ready–let’s go.

* He also thought I’d learn that the surf was scary–that’s the ocean, right? Well, take me back! I’ll see about that. I heard them say I’m just a dog and I do dog things. And I’m young.

WHAT? JUST A DOG? ME?