Zen Fetching

I don't know what it is, but last evening I got to play fetch with Mom. Over and over. I would bring the tennis ball and drop it. She would throw the tennis ball. I would run, pick it up and bring the tennis ball back and drop it. Over and over. Almost trance like.
Usually Drover will let me play fetch. Every now and then he usually comes after me. He gets that terrier thing going and attacks me while I am playing. But last night he was so busy playing that Jolly Ball Keep Away game, which I totally don't understand, that he didn't bother me. For hours, seemed like, Mom and I played.
Zen fetch. Very relaxing. Try it sometime.

Top Ten Talents of Tux

In no particular order I would like to present you with my talents. Now keep in mind, I am not an alpha dog. I am not a registered show dog. My purpose is to get you thinking about your own gifts or talents. Yeah, we got 'em.

1. I am a fetching fool. Anytime, morning, noon or night I am up for a good game of fetch.

2. I always eat my breakfast. I clean the bowl. I am not a picky eater. I wish I could have more.

3. I don't bark unnecessarily. I don't bark much at all. I might go days without barking. I just don't have much to bark about.

4. I get along with every pup. Even when Drover acts all mad and tough. I turn the other cheek.

5. I have my own comfy covers right next to Mom's side of the bed. I go there when it is bedtime.

6. I go downstairs with Mom while she does her cardio workout every morning. I wait for her and when she is done, I go outside and poop. That makes her happy.

7. I sniffed out a mouse in our woodpile by the backdoor. Dad got it out and "took care" of it. But I alerted Mom to it's presence.

8. I can curl myself into a small ball while napping. Sister dubbed it "The Tux Tuck".

9. I have a cute happy run. Mom gets a kick out of it. She tells me I must have been a cute puppy. *blush*

10. I have used, with great success, the Jedi mind trick on the whole family. They will all toss the tennis ball for me. See number 1.


Think about your own talents.
Be happy in who you are.

Mood ring dog

Mom has been upset the past few days. Her laptop computer went kaput. Her stuff is all locked up inside there. She is still hoping to be able to get the stuff out.
She got very stressed about the sick laptop. I got very nervous. I have been very skittish lately. I need to be near Mom. The smallest noise makes me jump. The family, except Mom are skeery when they are standing.
It's getting better now. She has a new laptop that is working.
I am beginning to calm down. I'm still a black dog but my mood is becoming rosy.

Can dogs get hairballs?

The Drover dog got groomed today. I like to hang out with Mom so I went downstairs while he was getting his new *do*. I got all comfy right under the grooming table.
Drover's soft white hair came drifting down. Some got on me. Some went on the rug. It sticks to my tongue. His hair tastes good.
Maybe I was trying to help clean up.
Maybe I just have a thing for hair.
Will I get the dry heaves and hack up a hairball?

A nice, deep woof

I don't make too much noise. I like to roll on my back and I get a nice soft growly sound going. It feels good to scratch my back that way.
But I don't waste my barks. If I bark, I mean it. Something is going on.
Just like a few minutes ago. Outside, across the road from our place, four horses were moseying around. I gave a few nice, deep "woofs" to let them know not to come onto our place. Brother came running out to close our driveway gate.
He thanked me for the warning.
No problem, just part of the job.

Out

Did I scare ya? Yeah, I got out of my fenced yard. On Mom's invitation.
The little yappy dogs were inside. I had just had a nail trimming and a nice relaxing brushing outside. Mom got up from her spot in the lawn where she was working on me. It was time to go move sprinklers around.
I got invited out of the yard gate! Woo-hoo! Freedom! I romped in the driveway. Mom called me to her. I obeyed.
Then she invited me around the garage. There is a walk through gate and we walked through! One of the outside cats got all puffed up when he saw me but I didn't' pay him any attention. I got to run around in our weedy pasture area. I have seen Dad, Mom and the Brother out there but I have never been out there. Sometimes the Zoe dog gets to be out there with Dad.
Wow, I could run all over. It was great. Mom would call me and I would come right back to her. That made her happy, she had a big smile on her face. Then the Schnauzers were on the other side of the fence barking at me! I just ran and frolicked around. I got to check out some birds in a pen. Mom called them turkeys. Some of them said "gobble, gobble, gobble". I then got to go into the barn. It was kinda dark in there but there were interesting smells. Then Mom called me and we both went back through the gate. I beat Mom to the yard gate and Drover was right there. He was mad at me. Maybe he was jealous, I don't know.
It was a bunch of fun out there.

I am a guest lecturer!

Who woulda thunk a little labbie dog like me would be tapped as a guest lecturer? Well, it happened!
I am a student in Professor Chester's Canine Life Skills class. You can take a look at our previous classes.
He asked me to bark on my favorite thing in the whole wide world.
Here is my lecture. You can see my demonstration video on my page.

I Fetch Like a Fool and I Feel Fine!

Now, most dogs probably have a "fetch drive". If they don't, they probably had something traumatic happen to them when they were puppies. Maybe they were dropped on their heads or something. I don't know.
There are lots of different things we use when we fetch. You might prefer Frisbees. Some professional type dogs might use training decoys. If you are on a budget or out hiking you can grab a stick. Some dogs might fetch small children or kitty cats. I wouldn't recommend those last two items. Myself, I admit it. I have B.O.
Ball Obsession!
There are many different kinds of balls available. Round balls. Flat balls. Smooth balls. Fuzzy balls. My ball of choice is an inexpensive tennis ball. They are light enough for a person to lob for you. I don't think a bowling ball would make a good choice for fetching. You wouldn't want someone to get hurt. That would end the game real fast.
Let's get right to technique because it is so important. You see, you have to train your person how to play!
What is a game of fetch if there is no one to throw the ball for you? Right, boor-ring.
So here we go.
You get your stick or ball or what have you. You find an accommodating, playful person. Now get this, it is important. You lay the ball within their reach. We don't want this to become a game of tug-o-war. And if your person has to walk any distance to pick up the ball, we are defeating the purpose of the game. *We* are to fetch, the person doesn't want to have to fetch the ball. Your person may say something like "drop it" or "release". Whatever they say be sure you place the ball within their reach. They will soon learn that you want them to throw the ball. Most humans pick up on this very quickly.
Here is where it gets exciting! As soon as they throw the ball or frisbee, you run, run, run! Go get it! Run like the dog catcher is after you!
You might work on catching the ball in mid-air but I caution you. I know of dogs who have injured themselves this way. You don't want the game to end due to a trip to the emergency vet.
I prefer to catch the ball as it rolls along the ground. Watch out for obstacles. You might have your eye on the ball and run smack dab into a tree!
When you have the ball firmly in your mouth, return to the person playing with you. Repeat the "drop it" near their feet. I have found most people lazy in this regard. They want you to bring the ball right to them. They don't want to walk to you. The game will continue much more quickly if you put the ball at their feet. They will soon catch on that you want them to throw the ball again.
Throw, chase, retrieve, return, repeat. Repeat and repeat as long as the daylight lasts and you can still see the ball or the person has to go ice their arm, whichever comes first.
It is good to take a break every now and then. Please keep hydrated!
You can even play your fetch game inside. I use a soft egg shaped squeaky ball. Nothing gets broken when Mom, who does throw like a girl, plays with me inside.

There you have it. That is it in a nutshell.
I Fetch Like a Fool and I Feel Fine!

Invisible Tennis Ball!

I plumb forgot to tell you about this deal. It happened the other evening when Mom was throwing the tennis ball for me.
It went invisible! Really! Mom gave it a good throw and I couldn't find that ball anywhere. Mom came over to the lilacs where I was searching. She even looked in the neighbor's pasture. Not there. She looked all around the base of the shrubs. Not there.
No problem Mom, I'll go get another tennis ball and we can keep playing.
While I found another, suddenly the invisible ball appeared. Mom called to me and she had it in her hand!
I have never known a tennis ball to go invisible! I hope they don't make a habit of doing that.

Whining = Freedom

I like my crate. I will happily go into my crate when it is bedtime. The little Schnauzer dogs like their crates too. We must feel safe and secure in our "dens".
My crate has been near the woodstove ever since I moved here. One of these mornings that woodstove will be put to use and I would be way too close. Mom moved my crate yesterday. She moved it way over in the dining area. I checked it out while the peeps were eating dinner. It was fine, the door was open and I could come and go.
Not so fine when it was time for bed. My crate hadn't been put back in the usual spot. Mom called me over to the new spot. Ok, I went in and she closed the door. I started whining. And I kept whining.
Mom caught me during a quiet time and let me out, out to make a tinkle trip. That wasn't the problem. I came back in and had to find my crate again. Found it and went in. Mom closed the door.
Uh-oh. Lights out. That meant Mom was going to bed. I kept whining. I guess I am not too good with "change".
Mom caught me mid-whine and let me out. All night! I had Freedom to sleep where I wanted! Mom went back to bed.
First I settled down in the living room. I never get on the furniture and I don't use any of the dog beds that are scattered around. Then I realized Mom might want me to keep her company. I went back to the bedroom to Mom's side of the bed. She patted me and told me to lay down. I did. I stayed there for quite awhile then I got restless. Mom let me go outside. Had to "go". I came back in and settled down again by Mom's bed. I got restless again but Mom didn't let me go outside that time. She told me, "Tux, it is 5:30, we can sleep in today." So I settled down for awhile more. Finally, it was really time to get up and have breakfast.
I just love my freedom. I am a good boy, Mom told me so. I hope I get my freedom again tonight!

A few of the scary things

These are just a few of the things that scare me and make me jump. Mom hopes I can eventually get over my fears. She wonders what happened to me to make me so scared.

The flyswatter while someone is taking aim at a fly, especially if they hold it up above their head.

Sudden little noises like paper crumpling.

I am getting used to Dad but Brother is still scary. Real scary this morning when he had on an all black outfit to go running. His pants are very scary. They make a scary noise when he walks. Brother is very kind to all of us here but, yikes, those pants and when he is standing! Come to my house and you will see how scary he is!

There is a machine under the TV. It makes a scary little noise sometimes. I am getting braver about it and I stare at the machine now instead of jumping backwards.


These are just a few things that scare me. I can't tell you why.