Big News!

For all the frustration and, yes, aggravation that Kringle-Carlos caused during his initial days here at The Lodge, he has made up for it ten-fold.

He started playing with all the dogs here and was really getting accustomed to Carter and they were having a good time.  Carter went home on Friday night and on Saturday, all of the doggies and the mama were pretty bummed.  Scott and I decided that nothing cured a case of the "doggone blues" like a trip to the dog park.

We didn't do too much running around as it was cold and windy so we just hung out with the other park patrons behind the pine tree windblock.

Carlos isn't so much of a "hang-around-and-talk" kind of guy.  He's more of a let's walk and run.  But Saturday, he ran and played with the other doggies.  He even sat on Marilyn's lap for a little bit.  He really seems to enjoy playing with Gabby but he's really getting into playing with the other boy dogs at the park, as well.  He's made a lot of new friends and hopefully that will just keep improving.

Back at The Lodge, he's started playing with Sid and they tear it up pretty good.  Running through the house, round and round and round.  He lets Sid chew on the back of his neck and he chews on Sid's back legs.  It gets very loud but everybody is getting along wonderfully!!

He can even lay on a lap with puppy next to him or even on top of him, without getting growly and snarky.

He's even gotten a lot better with the kitties.  So much so that the past week or so we've been letting him sleep out of the crate at night (He's a very good cuddler).  Hooray!  He does still like to chase if Siddy starts chasing the kitties but can be called off from eating the kitties.  (They get so funny about that.)

This week, since I'm down a dog, I'm really going to work with Kringle-Carlos and Siddy with the recall issues.  Carlos likes to run out the door, down the street and through the neighborhood at "bat-outta-hell" speeds.  He's been wearing the training collar, though we haven't needed to use it in over a week.  But just the weight of it there, hanging on his neck seems to be slowing him down and making him think before he bolts.  I get the feeling that perhaps he had an inground fence or maybe just because he's a terrier, he's just that smart.

This afternoon we had to run some errands that required the dogs to stay home.  I had been wrestling with Kringle-Carlos, he's a very good wrestler, and took the training collar off.  Scott opened the door to go out to the car and zip, out Carlos went.  I was able to stop him from leaving the yard and call him back up on the driveway to me.  Whew!

Could have significantly ruined our trip.

So, I'll be working on recall with him and Siddy using some pieces of braunschweiger aka liver sausage - that is if Connor left me any.  I'd really like to get the training collar off of him but I'm really soooo not into the whole chase through the neighborhood scene. On the upside, it is supposed to be nice this week.  I guess it would be ok to run through the neighborhood in 40 degree temps.

The liver sausage will also help Siddy with the "I'm-going-to-eat-your-fingers-when-you-give-me-finger-food" game.  Even though he has virtually no puppy teeth left (they are waiting here in a jar for you furever family - eww), he still bites pretty hard when he thinks that your fingers are liver sausage. Youch!!  Can you say, "TAKE IT NICE!"

Those are my big plans for the week.  Unless, Furever Families, you'd like to train them your way. Let me know.  The applications are in the upper right hand corner of this page.  Don't forget to include the application fee.  It becomes part of your adoption fee. 

If you live around Southeastern Wisconsin, try and get out this week and enjoy spring.  Hopefully it'll hang around this time. 

And, if you could, if you are a praying person, can you say a little prayer and send a little positive energy and love to our friends in Japan.  They can use all the help they can get right now.

Peace!