My puppy is 11 Months!!

Gordon Update!

As asked for, MORE GORDON!!!

Age: 4.2 months.

Weight: 9.75 lbs.

Level of Sass: 9/10.

Language:
Sit, Lay Down, Stay, Come, Leash, Roll Over, Shake a Paw, (toys) Mr. Sock, Mr. Celery, Mr. Moo, Walk, Brush, Training Time, Sit on your Pillow, PP outside, Snout (to clean his eyes we must hold onto his snout, he hates things getting close to his eyes), Car Ride, the Boys (he loves my nephews), Jump, Dance (a variable of Jump), good boy, bad boy, bedtime, Up, Down.. I am sure there is more, but I am sleepy. All training sessions are meant to give him more grip on what we are saying, he's a Gemini doggy and likes to get in on the conversations we have. Also, he knows many of these terms in French instead of English, as we are a bilingual family. And, well, he's a Bichon Frisé!!

He's pretty skinny, when we put his little coat on, you can really tell the skinniness. I want to send in the photo of him in his sweater to magazines, so I am not going to put it here. I am also going to enter the photos into calendars :) I don't want to enter him into physical competition, as I have seen dog shows and don't want him to ever go near those things. Not that they are evil, but Gordon is a family man, not a show man. We don't intend on breeding him or making him look like a froo froo girly dog! HE IS MACHO! hehe.

He loves to lick and cuddle, he actually gives hugs - he puts his front paws on either side of my neck and squeezes, licks, and then gets down. I understand this is a domination thing, but I just love it too much. I'm his equal in this house I think, but my Parents surely are good at showing him they are the bosses. To Gordie, I am his teacher, his sister maybe, and his playmate.

Favorite Games:
Hide and Seek, Fetch, Tag, and Tug.

Pet Peeves (heehee!):
People who bother him when he's taking a nap, having anything close to his eyes, having his ear hairs plucked (a must-do for Bichon ears, as they tend to get long inner hairs that mat and wax, and then plug), Squirrels, Lemons, not playing when he wants to play, barking dogs, too much light when he's trying to nap.. what a diva.., people taking off his sweater when he's cold, the Vet, that People Food isn't for Doggies (we don't feed him human food), okay he has lots of Peeves, but I'm getting sleepy.

More to come on Gord, and thanks for your comment, Colleen!!

Art and the Carpet Shark.

Art
This week I've been working on an exciting painting. It's like putting together a puzzle. I don't want to get into the concept, as I find that can mess things up... especially on such a doozie. I love complicated art, art with more layers than one can see. Art with bits and pieces that only the mind can put together in a subtle way, and only those who're in touch with that subconscious can put together. Also, art that pertains to specific arcane subjects, subjects that the general public wouldn't know about, only the indoctrinated... or some art critic in the year 2105! I love the thought of people looking at my art and seeing something of themselves in it. It enlivens and lights my heart.

Carpet Shark
Gordon is doing very well. I want to tell you about our ritual for saying:
Hello!

• I walk down the stairs.
• Gordon Sees me.
• He waits, I wait.
• I sit on the floor.
• He runs to me like a mad cat.
• He and I rub noses.
• He and I kiss said noses.

-Now, this can go either of two ways:

1. Shark Hello

• Gordon bites my hand, licks it a bit, then bites a little more. More biting!!!
• "Gordon: no bite!!!!!!" I say as calmly as possible, as not to arouse his prey drive any more. I want to shriek, but I know in doggy language it could mean: I'm excited, more more more!
• Gordon still bites.
• I get to higher ground: the couch, or just stand up and stretch. Stretching and yawning is calming to canines.
• Gordon makes this sneezy sound and licks my foot for a good 30 seconds. Maybe even a minute, depending on my deliciousness that day.

I think the shark greeting means: why were you gone so long? I missed you and I will bite you in punishment!!!!

2. Cloud Lamb Hello

• Gordon licks my hands and nuzzles me.
• I kiss him on the snout, ears, and top of his head.
• Gordon cuddles me and makes me into a nest.
• I sigh with utter contentment and rest in heaven as he sleeps.
• Gordon licks me in his sleep.

Aww.. he did that this morning. I love it when he does that. Soon I will have to go down to the ground floor - right now I am upstairs - so we shall see which one he deems applicable.

Tricks and the Tricky

Gordon and I are learning to speak eachothers' language. I am reading a couple of books and several articles on canine "language" - and I am training Gordon to understand a few of my words. I'm quite silly, naming everything off to him, but I really hope that through this we can both understand eachother in a satisfactory manner..

To date, Gordie knows these words, or at least I think he does: Sit, Lay Down (bit of trouble with that one), Shake a Paw (useful not only for cuteness but grooming purposes), Look (pay attention), banana (he has a squeek toy), Moogurt (his puppet), Cecil (his celery squeak toy!), Kong (another toy), Up, No, Yes, Good Boy, Bad Boy (we call him Carpet Shark.. he likes to bite due to his teething), Mom, Dad, Emilie, Hello (greeting for kisses!), Mouse (a toy he broke tonight, which broke his heart, poor dear), and treats for training purposes. I'm sure he knows more words than that, but those are the words he responds to. "No biting" is on the top of my list.

To date, I have learned a few things about dogs: Dominance and Submission are big in the canine world - looking into their eyes, petting them on the shoulders, giving them food, etc (many more but I am tired) - are all ways that say, "I'm Higher Up than You!". Dogs show signs of nervousness, frustration, fear, and anger (doggy emotions I think are different from human emotions, but I will put my inadequate lables on for the purpose of this post) when you do too many of these, although they appreciate knowing that you are there to protect and take care of them. Dogs have an innate ability to communicate through smells, body language, sounds, behaviors.. Did you know that dogs "Split" up fighting dogs to keep the peace? I didn't. I'm too tired to write everything down that I've learned, but point being - I'm doing my bit too, in order to understand my fluffy cloudlamb carpet shark better ;)

Gordie Update

So my little cloud lamb is settling in well enough. I am pooped and having a massive fibro flare up.. but I am so in love with him. He likes to bite me lots, but I'm teaching him not to do so. I'm also teaching him "Drop it" "Sit" "Stay" "Find it" and of course the basics like housetraining and crate training. I haven't been all that successful in crate training.. My folks are doing a lot of it tho.. it's mainly my Dad's dog, but I am the secondary owner. I hate saying owner next to a dog. . . it's not something you really own, but someone you bring into your pack.

I was totally not prepared for how much work this was going to be, and how painful. I also didn't count on having this huge flare up. I almost went to the hospital today to get knocked out with some more serious painkillers.. the ones that come in liquid form. Always better than the ones that take a pit stop in your stomach. I also have a kickass liver that tends to filter most things out. Not that I'm complaining.. lol. If I had to make this decision over again (endorsing the puppy buying) I would have waited until my symptoms were more under control. As it is now, I play and feed and train and all that a doggy mommy should do, but I can foresee a week from now being bed-ridden Em if I'm not careful.

Luckily, I have Moo-Gurt on my side (See above photo). This means less bites to the hands and arms. Thank goodness and my Mom for it! My Mom sewed on an extra arm-protecting faux lamb "fur" (?) onto it and I now have less trauma! He's so cute, he'll do this thing where he runs around the house like a grey hound after a fake bunny. We laugh heartily.

Alright, I am pooped and need to sleep. More to come :)

Prince Gordon the Cloud Lamb - Day 1 complete!

So we've had Gordie for a day now, and last night was certainly a learning experience. He is SO active at night!! I got bitten by many a mosquito taking him out to the bathroom. But he's so sweet, I can't even get frustrated at his not wanting to sleep. Of course it was his first night, and I didn't want him to get too stressed, so I spent a lot of time with him. Tonight we're going to keep him in his lovely and spacious crate... I will try NOT to listen, my folks are going to keep an ear out, as I have the softest heart I know.

When we used to babysit my eldest nephew regularly, any cries he'd make would strike me in the heart and I'd start getting teary.. yeah I know I'd be a bad Mom!!! I get upset when babies cry, and puppies are no exception. Of course, as I was taught back in the babysitting times, I have to think about what's best in the long run, and not so much in the short run. Short run - all I want to do is cuddle with Gordie, do whatever it takes to make that tail wag or see him sleep, but long run - that kind of babying will lead to a spoiled and overly attached doggie. I must get that through my emotional skull!!!!

It was beautiful this morning at 4:30am, the Sun was coming up and hitting the whispy clouds - lightening them up like neon signs too far away to read. Me and Gordie were outside, he was going to the bathroom and I was stopping him from getting into trouble, and it was a great moment.

Painwise I see a difference in having Gordon around. I have tons of pain from all the excitement - the 4 hours in the car, the weather, lifting Gord in his crate, frequent squats to get down to pick him up or pet him, laying on the floor.. etc: however, through all this pain, I am happier and more tolerant of the pain. I'm exhausted too.. I feel like my blood is as light as helium, running through my veins with chaotic undercurrents of sleep. It's too hot. I hate hot weather. I like it cool, not cold, but cool. Maybe even a little crisp.. just not jaw tremblingly cold.

Last note: I'm going to take a few posts off the blog.. so if you see things disappearing, it's all part of the plan.

GORDIE!!!!!

Meet Gordie, my family's new puppy! He's sweet beyond belief!

He's six weeks old (rounded down)

Loves to play, kiss me, follow me, and snuggle while we take a nap.. and I've only known him a day!! It was hard to pick him from his brothers and sister, as they were all super cute and playful.
So far I've cleaned up a few accidents, taken him outside and twisted my ankle on a squirell hole in the ground.. also spraining my wrist in the process of stopping my fall.. but I'm still very happy!!!! He's already showing how much he loves me with all his kisses.. especially his ear kisses!!

More to come :)