Tug the Weenie

What a wuss! Every since he arrived a baby gate has kept him from my side of the house. I'm actually allergic to dogs a bit so I didn't want him in my room. It also means he can't get to my bath or the guest bedroom. For the first few months he didn't really notice there was a barricade and he's never tried to jump it. He just waits there for me and puts his paws on the top and stretches up to get petted. He's a pretty good dog, really.

For the past two days the gate has been down for part of the day while Mama rearranges the guest room so we can get new carpeting put in. She just closed the doors to my room and bath. This morning she had the gate down and needed to ask me a question. She opens my door and suddenly a little black streak goes past. Tug was in my room. He got panicky and raced circles around and under my bed until I caught him. I picked him up but I was on my bed so he got more upset because Mama's bed is the Forbidden Zone. Everytime he jumps up there he gets in trouble. So, he's not only in a room he's not supposed to be in but he's up on the bed and the poor thing just freaked. He was shivering like he'd shake apart even though I was holding him and not fussing.

He didn't calm down until we took him into the hall and replaced the gate. Then I sat him down on "his" side of the gate so the Universe was back in its proper order. He shook himself and dashed over to get his crab and started squeaking it as he ran off to the living room- just like nothing had happened. What a weenie!

Tug's squeaky toys

Tug loves his squeaky toys and although the noise can really grate on our nerves we love to watch him play with them. Aggressive chewers like Bostons can go through them in nothing flat. I'd read about a Cuz on a site and it's a round ball with little feet. So he gets the best of both worlds because he can chew the ball part to make it squeak or on the feet for some power-chewing. The squeaker broke so now I'm thinking that I'll get another in the same color and replace it and see the startled look when he chomps on it and it squeaks! :) I'm so wicked. Then I realized it won't happen. Even when you replace something with the exact model and color it doesn't smell the same and he has to treat it like he's never seen anything like it in his life and oh my god did it just move run away run away no wait it didn't so run back and sniff it again but did it move then??? (you get the idea) It can take 3-4 minutes until he actually puts his mouth on it. But it was a fun thought...

He had a brightly colored crab chew toy and it suffered a leg amputation. So it was replaced with a prehistoric type fish with spines but he chewed the spines off within days so it had to go. Now, I've got to go out and find another crab...he really liked it's shape the best and it threw better I think. The fish wasn't as aerodynamic. (Did I really just consider the engineering of my dog's chew toy? Geez...)

Read at your own risk!

Really! This is a good one!!

Tug loves to take blankets and towels and shake them fiercely like he's subduing them. I think it makes him feel victorious. Mama was working outside on plants around our building today and came in to go straight to take a bath. When she was preparing to come out, wrapped in a towel, the little Terrorist grabbed it and yanked it out of her hands. As she stands there- naked as a jaybird- he races away with the damp towel and stops with his legs spread wide to shake it into submission...truly a sight to behold. I hope I never forget the look on her face!! :)

Our Boston Terrier

This picture of our goofy boy is just a few days old. He loves to jump up onto me when I'm sitting on the bench at the paw park. "Park" is another word in his vocabulary now.

Tug's Progress Report

9 Month review:

Growth: on target; approximately 19 lbs

Vocabulary: A+ recently demonstrated ability to choose correctly from several toys by a verbal command only

Obedience- standard: A- still gets too excited to maintain "sit" command when someone arrives

Obedience- extreme: B sits patiently by the closed bedroom/bathroom doors when Mama is inside & waits for her to come out

Nutrition: C- must learn to stop eating grass, leaves, sticks, moss, paper, chew toy stuffing

Needs to use his "inside voice" more often.

breakthrough behavior

Tug was doing his crazy 8s on a new rug Mama had bought (against my better judgement I finally told her to go ahead- he's chewed holes in the hall runner she bought today already). I stood up, leaned over him with my hands behind my back to lessen their appeal as targets and bellowed "sit." He complied! I said "stay" and he stayed. I continued alternating "stay"and "good boy" until Mama could go the kitchen for treats. She came back and fed him kibbles one by one while praising him for sitting and being quiet. WHEW

The other day she gave him a treat to stop barking and something clicked on in his little pea brain. As she walked away he began barking again- just sitting there with his ears half cocked and watching her as he barked to see if another treat would be forthcoming. She was not amused.