Full of Fun!

Mommy let me take a shower with her this morning. It was the first time I have ever even been in the room with the shower running. I was a little scared, but after she rinsed the dirt out of my paws she took me out of the shower and dried me off. As I have mentioned before I love the drying off part. After getting dried off I was full of myself for the rest of the day.

Oh, and attempting to look innocent did nothing to put Mommy and Daddy at ease.

I was wild and crazy. Below I am sticking my tongue out at the camera.

Wouldn't you just love to take me home? I am so much fun!

I didn't do it! Honest!

Talk Back!

I LOVE to talk back to my Mommy. Check out this video.

A Lot of Growing Going On.

Ok. I just have to brag. Look at these pictures at how much I have changed in just twenty days! Aren't I just adorable??

Same Old, Same Old.

Well the night before last I slept in Mommy and Daddy's bed ALL night and didn't have an accident. Although last night I slept in my crate and did pee in it. I just can't control when I have to pee. They didn't restrict my water after eight o'clock (Mommy hates doing that), so that is probably why I couldn't hold it.

Other than sleeping arrangements everything has been the same as usual. On April 30th I get to go to the vet again for my last round of shots. Then I will be fully protected and able to go places and meet people. Mommy might even take me to Petsmart.

Yesterday I had another pretend bath. I whined a little bit, but did pretty good. Mommy is still using the huge bowl to bathe me in, but she is putting the bowl in the bath tub so I get used to having baths there. I do not fit in the bowl anymore, so she does my front half and then my back half. I don't care for this.

Well, I gotta go burn some energy. I think I heard Daddy say something about squirrel training today wohoo!!!!

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Comments:

Ukie (formerly Dutchess) said...   http://www.blogger.com/profile/13729086357172086504

    Ugh! Baths! I *like* getting wet and going in the water to play, but I *hate* baths! My sympathy!

    April 22, 2008 7:21 AM


Blogger BWTH Dog House said...   http://www.blogger.com/profile/07060481079615747766

    Hi Jackal, you are such a cutie. We hate bath time coz it will following by blowing & brushing which make us sit for doing nothing for at least 30 mins.......no fun at all!!

    April 22, 2008 5:27 PM

Training Breakthrough!

Well we had a training breakthrough today. Mommy has been taking me on walks everyday and I have proved to be a leashed hellion. But today armed with the new liver treats we tried again. And I FINALLY found the position Mommy was looking for because she started clicking and treating. I was even looking up at her. I still got distracted very easily by all the smells, but I wasn't pulling and I wasn't dragging behind, so it was great!

I absolutely ADORE my new toy. I get very excited when it comes out!



Mommy is excited because she thinks it is helping to build my drive. All I have to say is with liver treats and this cool new toy I LOVE training.

Last night Mommy clipped my nails again. She only managed to do five on random paws, because a bunch were still short enough and she was taking it very easy and slow so that I wouldn't get scared. It went pretty well. With a toy to chew on I barely noticed.

Also tonight I whined to let Mommy know I had to pee for the first time ever. Before now I have always just peed when I had to pee because I could never feel it coming before. Needless to say she was very excited.

Well that is all for tonight! Bye!

________________
 Comments:

The Army of Four said...  http://www.blogger.com/profile/12430214230146328389

    Ha wooooo, Jack. Thanks for stopping by our blog! We think we remember your sister Storm from Sibernet - did your mom and ours used to communicate off-list? :)
    Luv,
    Dave

    April 18, 2008 7:05 AM


Blogger Opy - the Original GruffPuppy said...  http://www.blogger.com/profile/15875018844057021226

    hey buddy,

    welcome to www.dogswithblogs.com.au - it is great to meet you and I am sure you will make lots of new friends here :-)

    love
    opy

    April 18, 2008 7:29 PM


Blogger Amber-Mae said...  http://www.blogger.com/profile/16183603626694384497

    Hi Jackal! Nice to meet ya!

    Love licks,
    Solid Gold Dancer

    April 19, 2008 1:31 AM


Blogger Thor said...  http://www.blogger.com/profile/00068189562714340147

    Nice to meet you, Jackal!
    I found you on DWB´s list and wanted to come and say hi!
    Cool blog!

    Thor

    April 20, 2008 12:10 PM


Blogger The Airechicks said...  http://www.blogger.com/profile/11052597104758824243

    Nice work - sometimes is really hard to get Mom trained and in tune with you....

    Welcome to DWBs.....

    XxoooXXoooXXoo

    April 20, 2008 4:43 PM


Blogger Rascally Jack a.k.a. Jackal said...

    Hi Dave!

    Yes our Mommies used to e-mail each other off-list. Unfortunately she went nomail and I don't think she even uses that e-mail anymore. Its good talking to you again.

    Jackal

    April 23, 2008 4:19 PM

Getting Stricter

Well, my Mommy is getting stricter. She is making me do outrageous things like sit before I get to come into the house. How dare she? I liked running through the door. She also gave me another bath in just plain water so that I will get used to the experience. Mommy has also been taking me on walks with Storm. They are very unorganized and crazy, but Mommy decided to teach me to use a target stick which should help me learn to heel. She made the target stick out of a straightened coat hanger with a fishing bobber on the end as the target spot.

Learning target is fun. Mommy bought me some bite sized liver treats for training. I work a lot more enthusiastically for those than my regular kibble. She still sometimes uses kibble for refreshers on stuff I already know. Today Mommy went out and bought me a special toy that I only get to play with after a training session. This is supposed to keep me looking forward to training. It is an oblong toy made of rubber and covered in tennis ball fabric with a rope attached to one end. It is great for playing fetch with. I love it already. I just wish she would give it to me all the time instead of only after training.

Anyway things are going pretty much the same each day. Daddy gets up at 5am and takes me out. When he is ready to leave for work around 6:15am he puts me in bed with Mommy. Then I sleep with Mommy until she gets up. Then I go out again and wait for her to get dressed, teeth brushed, etc. Then we have a play session. When I lose focus we play, then I get my breakfast. Then I stay outside with Storm while Mommy is at work. When she gets home we have another training session and/or a walk. After a lot of play time we go back to bed. Fun huh?

Well gotta go burn off some more energy. Bye!!

Vaccines Hurt!!

Mommy took me to the vet again today. I didn't like the car ride, because she wouldn't let me ride in her lap and I have been getting car sick. But I did stay in the passengers seat on my towel and did not get sick during this ride. The people were very nice again. One of them jabbed a needle in me. I yelped, but got over it quickly. They also gave Mommy something called "wormer" which she is giving me tomorrow since it is her day off so she can watch me in case I get an upset stomach. I slept on the ride home.

Mommy had to work all day and Daddy was sleeping so it has been pretty boring other than my trip to the vet. Mommy said Saturday we will be going to see her Mommy and Daddy and brother. She also said that in three weeks the vet is going to jab me again with a needle and then I will get to go explore everywhere without worrying about getting sick. I can't wait! I will get to meet all kinds of people and have so much fun! Then maybe I can go on more walks with Storm. Well time for a nap. See ya around.

A new game and some more training . . .

Hey everyone! I learned a new game yesterday evening. Playing with water bottles. It is great fun!


Mommy did a bunch of clicker training with me today. She has been watching training videos on YouTube to get ideas and inspiration. Well she was definitely inspired! She took me out to pee and noticed I was very alert and attentive so she broke out the clicker and the treats.

We worked on sit, which I am doing to the command already! Also worked on making eye contact when she says my name. I have been responding to my name very well the last couple of days. I also know the word 'no' really well. Mommy doesn't even have to use a deep tone anymore. She simply says no in a normal voice and I stop doing whatever I was doing and go play with my toys. She says I am no where near as stubborn as Storm was at my age. What is she kidding? Look at this face! I am so totally full of mischief.


We also worked on the off command. When I jumped up on her or put my paws up against a wall or rock or something she would say no and wave her hand at my face. When all four paws were on the ground she would click and give me a treat. I'm really starting to have fun with this. Mommy can't wait until I start offering behaviors. She doesn't think it will be too much longer.

So now that I'm a big dog when do I get to go on bike rides like Storm??

Fun Days!

Things are going MUCH better! Mommy is being a lot more attentive to my potty needs and has finally remembered how long it takes for us young puppies to learn to control their bladders. I think she was expecting me to be the same as Storm when she brought her home as a 10 week old female, forgetting that I was younger and males have to pee more often than females. But we are all good now.

I have been spending a lot more time outdoors. Staying outside in my pen while Mommy is at work is sooooo much better than staying in the bathtub. I only hope the rain continues to hold off. Yesterday Mommy and Daddy took me to the lake to go fishing. I spent most of the time napping.

We are still trying to find a routine that fits all of us, which is hard due to my Mommy and Daddy's awful work schedules, but we are doing better. Mommy is working on my clicker training. Mostly just having me sit, so that I start to associate the click with something good. I haven't started seeking behaviors yet, but it will come. Anyway that is all for now! Bye!

Housebreaking is not going so well . . .

Mommy is getting sad and frustrated, because I keep peeing in my crate. She thinks it is due to having to leave me in the crate too long one day. Ever since then I have been peeing in it whenever I feel like. So she has put the divider back in so I don't have much room to move around, hoping that will stop me from peeing.

During the day when both Mommy and Daddy are at work she puts me in the bathtub, because there is no way to avoid accidents and this makes it easy to clean up. The weather has been way too nasty to keep me outside in the day time like she wants.

Yesterday I got my first bath! I did fairly well. I was scared, but didn't whine. It was over pretty quickly and Mommy played with me with the towel while she dried me off. My coat is so soft and shiny now. I guess that is all for now. I am keeping Mommy very busy, like yesterday I got to go for a real walk with Storm on a leash. It was fun. Anyway, bye for now!

Some good news . . . and some bad news.

Well I went to the place they refer to as the vet today. It was a scary place but there were lots of nice people. Mommy got the dates mixed up and I'm not actually due for my shots until next week, but it is okay since they don't charge an office visit. I got a clean bill of health and they did a skin scrape, which came back negative, as I had been losing a few tufts of hair and scratching a lot so Mommy was concerned it might be mange.

Unfortunately Mommy had to go to work almost as soon as we got home and she had no choice but to leave me in the crate for seven hours. I couldn't hold it and did pee in my crate. Mommy was a little unhappy, but not at me, more just about the circumstances. I think she is planning to start leaving me in my outdoor pen while she is at work if Daddy is also working. She was just afraid to today because it was cool this morning and rain was expected.

Well I guess that is all for now. Bye!

Calm Days.

The past few days have been pretty routine and calm. Really only two things that need mentioning as far as my training goes. Mommy put a thing she calls a leash on me and put the other end on my crate, so I can't go running around the house anymore. I threw a HUGE fit, but she ignored me. Once I realized what had me I calmed down and am now resigned to the fact. I do still try to chew it though.

The other thing is that Mommy took me for my first walk today on a leash. She was very proud of me and said I 'gaited' well. I think she meant my trot. I kept up with her really well. Even though we only went to the neighbor's driveway and back it felt like a long way to me. I had a lot of fun and when we got back to the house I went right to sleep. Well it is time to play now. Bye!

More Training.

Last night when Mommy took me out I refused to pee even though she kept picking me up and setting me down in my "pee" spot. I thought we were playing a game so I started trying to bolt past her as fast as I could and she would scoop me up out of a dead run and plop me back down. Eventually I got frustrated and walked to the side of the house and started digging as hard as I could to vent.

After a minute she even started picking me up from there and plopping me down. After a couple of more bolts I finally realized that the hand in my face was telling me to stay, so I sat down and looked at her until her patience wore out and she took me in. Unfortunately she put me in my crate and wouldn't let me play. Trust me I peed the next time she took me out.

This morning she did funny stuff with my breakfast again. She held the kibble in a closed fist again, but this time she didn't just click when I took my nose away. She only clicked when I moved my nose AND sat down. I quickly caught on to that. Although I haven't really acknowledged the verbal command yet.

After doing this a few times she got up and would run a couple of steps away and squat back down. Of course I ran after her as hard as I could. When I was about two and a half feet away she would say "come", click and I got a treat when I got to her. We did this a few times. Only one time did I not come immediately. I noticed that time she never did say the command "come". She only used it when I was already in a dead run headed toward her, and it never failed I got a click and treat. I like this training stuff!!

Anyway it was a boring day full of short play sessions and den time. It was thundering really loud outside. I only jumped a couple of times. Mommy ignored me when I acted in the least bit nervous. I quickly got over it. Tonight is Daddy's last night working for a few days so I will be able to play more and be noisier during the day.

Anyway, time for another nap. Bye!

Clicker Training!

Well, Mommy officially started my clicker training today. She wouldn't let me have breakfast until after I went potty and she got dressed and woke up some. Then she took me outside and put my food bowl on the rock column in the front yard where I couldn't get to it. This confused me because normally she puts the bowl in front of me and I get to eat.

So once she gets settled, she takes a handful of my kibble and holds it in front of me in a closed fist. Of course I started biting, chewing and clawing at her hand hoping to get at the food. After a couple of frustrating moments I turned my head away from her hand and viola I heard a click and she opened her hand. It took me only a couple of tried before I figured out that I had to remove my nose from her hand to get the click and treat.

Mommy was happy because I calmed down and sat nicely during this whole process instead of my usual excitement and playfulness. I was happy I made my Mommy happy and I got lots of pets.

Storm got irritated with me today and scolded me with both front feet and a mouthful of teeth. I ran and hid. I stayed away from her for a while. Then she took one of my toys and put it between her front feet and then laid down and put her head over it. This frustrated me to no end because I was afraid to go to close to try to get the toy.

All in all it has been a nice day. I'll keep you updated!

Rainy Days.

It has been in the fifties and drizzling off and on all day so I mostly stayed inside and played with Storm. I don't like the cold. My coat is too thin. Mommy spent the morning with me and Storm, playing, until she had to go to work. Daddy slept all day because he has to work nights right now, so I spent around four hours in my den.

When Mommy got home she let me help feed Sophie and Julie and let me run around for a while, then I went inside and chased Storm ALL over the house. After playing so hard I had to pee, so I went to the front door. Unfortunately Mommy wasn't fast enough and I couldn't hold it so I peed in the floor. She was upset, but it wasn't directed at me. I also got my first dog biscuit today. It was yummy, until Storm stole my last half. Anyway I'm gonna go take another puppy nap. Bye!

Play Day!

Your fearless Jackal Man is back! I've had a long, wonderful day of playing and exploring outside. It was a blast! I even cornered the goats and gave them my best "treeing" bark. I don't think they were scared, but Mommy and Daddy were impressed by my voice.



Does Storm look a little annoyed?



This is why! I was being a very pesky brother. But after harassing her for a while, she finally stopped growling and started PLAYING!


Of course when she got tired I had to play by myself.



Mommy spent some time today brushing my coat. I tried chewing the brush a little, but she didn't seem to mind. Besides those pins hurt so I eventually gave up. I woke up twice in the middle of the night for pee breaks and then got put outside at 7am this morning to play by myself. I feel so grown up. Nothing can stand against my powerful jaws!! All shall fall before me!! I leave destruction behind!! . . . . . okay, nap time. *Yawn*

Does the squirrel look lonely?

Settling In.

I'm settling in nicely at my new home. I slept all night with only one potty break at 3:15. Mommy went to work as usual and Daddy played with me outside all day. As you can see above and in the following pictures Mommy let me lick out her yogurt cup. It was good! I was proud of the tooth punctures I made in the plastic.



Storm played with me for the first time today like she did with her Yorkshire Terrier brother Mac. She rolled me over across the ground and growled and barked. I had fun and kept coming back for more. I'm glad she is starting to like me okay.

After Mommy got home I spent the evening playing outside while they grilled chicken. Had lots of fun and got to take off my E-collar so I could run around.

Mmmm! Yummy! Oh and by the way Mommy made me an appointment with the vet for April 2nd to get my next round of puppy shots. I don't want anymore shots. I hope that isn't why they are buttering me up with the yogurt.

Well that is all for today. Like I said, settling in nicely, nothing of great importance to mention. I'm still doing my business outside like I am supposed to. Mommy hasn't done much training with me lately. She says there is a lot of 'stress' at work lately. Bye!

Playing.

*Panting* Did I ever tell anyone that playing is hard work? And thirsty work.


I love my tennis ball!

Last night I slept in my den all night. Mommy took me out about three times and I was a lot quieter. Mommy and Daddy left a radio on for me. It was nice to listen to. This morning Mommy and Daddy found sores on my side and legs where I have chewed my tick bites raw. So they fashioned a home-made E-collar out of one of Daddy's shooting targets. I don't like it, but it doesn't really get in my way any.

I took my revenge out on Daddy's shoe laces.


Toward the end of the day, around the time when Mommy came home last time I went for my second car ride. I curled up in the floor of Daddy's truck and went to sleep. We went to Mommy's work and I met her two legged friends and co-workers. I was a little scared because of the new people and I shivered because it was cold in there. I had fun though.

When we got home they put me outside with Storm, Sophie and Julie. I cried because I wanted inside. My howling got the neighbor dogs stirred up. Then Storm started howling! It was a beautiful, deep howl. It didn't sound at all like her whiny bark. I hope someday I can learn to howl just as well.

I eventually climbed through the fence and tore my E-collar, so Mommy and Daddy brought me in and fixed my collar. Then they put me in my den. A nap sounds good.

Exploring.

Today was different. Mommy wasn't happy when I relieved myself in the house, but she wasn't mean to me. Then later she disappeared saying something about "going to work", so I spent the day with my new daddy. He spent lots of time with me, taking me outside to play. We played with the tennis ball and followed the goats around.

Daddy made me spend a lot of time in the crate today and completely ignored me when I gave my best howls. He said it had something to do with last night because I wouldn't be quiet and go to sleep. They put my den in the kitchen at some point in the night, but I continued to howl. At four in the morning my mommy took me to bed with her and I let her sleep until eight am.

Back to today. When mommy came home from this work place she took me outside again and let me chase Storm, the goats and the cat. I had lots of fun! Not much of the "training" they refer to often happened today. Mostly just exploring. I'll be back! I promise! Just need a quick puppy nap. Bye!