10 Things Dog

Here are 10 things you should probably know about my dog.

1. He's got a very high extension when he pees. So high he sometimes overbalances and falls over. He pees for distance and, due to #1, pretty much parallel to the ground. So make sure you're on the right side of that if you're walking with him.

2.We had our first noise complaint filed against him this weekend. Since there was no date or time given for the noise occurring I don't really know what the complaint was about. After my own research and talking with the dog walker I'm pretty sure it was his crying in the evening when I was gone. I was gone a little more often because I was celebrating and he wasn't crying when I left or when I got back until he heard my voice so I figured he'd been OK. I posted a note in the lobby yesterday in the afternoon, "If you don't leave a date and time for the noise in your anonymous noise complaint you make it hard for someone to solve the actual problem." That note was gone by evening so I believe the appropriate people have been reached. The part that cheeses me off most, though, is that anyone who knows me well enough to report my apartment number (which they'd have to do in order to get the management office to call me) knows that I've been training with this dog every single day since I got here. I'm working on it! Help me out, don't piss me off and shoot me in the foot all in one punk ass phone call.

3. He doesn't like to get up in the dark. On numerous occasions right before the time change I'd open his crate and he'd give me a "five more minutes" look. A couple of days I was reduced to luring him out of bed with treats. One morning after the time change he did get up and out right away but when he saw that I wasn't doing anything interesting he went back to bed. This morning after his third full night sleeping outside the crate he got up when I came in and asked him to but when he saw the leash he ran into the bedroom and go into his crate.

4. He surely does enjoy a marrow bone. I was afraid that it might upset his tummy but he worked on that thing for over an hour and I haven't seen any ill effects. Kept him quiet, too. He noticed the cats around but didn't chase them and while he was chewing he was thinking. Thinking about where to bury the bone for safekeeping. It was briefly hidden in the loveseat, under my foot, in his bed and under one vigilant paw. I didn't play fair, I stole it back and put it in the freezer again for later. It doesn't smell as much when it's frozen.

5. He knows the difference between Sit and Down but often deploys Down when it's not called for because he knows it's more valuable in a training sense.

6. We're working really, really hard on getting him to meet and greet other dogs politely. It is an uphill battle but improvements are being made. A thousand thanks to all the people who have worked with us on that. I owe you all a drink and, when it's time to desensitize him to the doorbell I'll invite you all over to have it.

7. He can jump up high enough to look me in the eye. From a dead standstill. You can't tell me that's not disconcerting.

8. He doesn't mind riding on the subway or bus or in a car. He likes to be in on the adventure. He prefers to be held on all forms of transportation. The destination isn't always so welcome. Not an enormous fan of the marathon, the Pupkin or, you know, Manhattan.

9. He's only about 18 months old (I duplicated Emily's birthday for him so February 14, 2009...ish he entered the world.) so his brain is still a little like cornstarch and water. It gives the illusion of being solid, useful matter, but it is not. I may need to be reminded of that. Often.

10. He enjoys a good snuggle. It's stupid-cute, seriously, But it's also worth remembering that he needs that every day. His brain needs to feel safe and part of that is sitting on a lap, sleeping on a chest, curling up right into the curve of your knees. I mean, sure, maybe it's also because he's cold but there's an emotional component as well. Oh yes there is!