Bob, tales of a lazy bulldog

Happy Thanksgiving!

I had a pretty good thanksgiving. Mom's parents came and I behaved and didnt try to hump them, well maybe once or twice, but Im getting better. I got a little turkey in my food, but not as much as I wanted as i would have liked to have the whole turkey, all the sausage and fig stuffing, the spinach gratin, the mushrooms, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, popovers, pecan bars and fruit crisp myself! Then we watched the movie Up! which is mom and dad's new favorite movie. I like the barkign dogs in in it and so do my siblings

Face of Bulldog Gin Conest

Mom entered me in the face of bulldog gin contest. She used the top 3 photos on my page here to show why I am the perfect bulldog to represent the bulldog gin brand. Obviously anyone who loves to party as much as I do is an excellent spokesdog for an alcoholig beverage. Plus Im quite refined and gin is a drink for a gentleman, wish me luck! If we win we get a photo shoot fo rme and a case of bulldog gin that will keep mom and dad in gin and tonics and martinnis for life!

My new shirt

Mom and Dad went to the L'oreal Because Your Dog is Worth It Day. Its a fund raiser for breast cancer. You can only bring one dog per person, and it is a HOT day, so they decided to leave me at home. Dad did spot this shirt though, and so they bought it for me (though a shirt is not really my idea of a good gift, they also got me a bacon treat I liked a lot better). Dad wanted to get me the shirt that said I Do Bad Things, mom says she will get me that one next year. Mom and Dad also visited the english bulldog rescue table and gave them some money since bulldogs are the best.

Obedience School Drop Out

Mom and I dropped out of my rally o class. I went to the second session and I hated it so much that I wouldnt even walk around the rally o course. I was very scared and drooling and I hated all the equipment. A few of the trainers there said mom should force me to go around the court, but thats now how we do things. I mean the whole point of rally o is it should be fun for me the dog right! It was our kind of class anyway, lots of choke chains and prongs and harsh training methods Yuck! So we dropped out. Unfortunately mom lost the 90 bucks, but at least we know never to go to that training place again. Hopefully mom will find some other fun class to take me too some day.

First rally o class

I had my first rally o class at first dog training club of nj and it did not go too well. Even though it was novice rally everyone seemed to have expereince except mom and me. Most of the dogs had been to other training classes at 1st dog and Ive taken my training classes else where so we did not know all the cues. The trainer didnt really explain anything she just set up the ocurse and went through once with each dog but didnt really have any tips for teaching the behaviors.
Mom kind of panicked because she hates the spotlight and she wants me to do well nad have fun. Dad said I did ok, at least with the halts. I was pretty afraid fo the jump pole and I didnt even attempt hte jump but it fell when I walked by and scared me.
Mom consulted one of her favorite dogsters Asher and she gave ups tips and sugested videos for us to watch. Mom watched them all and we have already started practicing rear awareness (Im in the beginning stages Ill just put one footie up on a book, I wont move around on my back legs yet with my front legs stationary. We also started practicing turns and heel a lot. Dad is our coach.
Hopefully I will start doing better, the treats are fun though.
If this isnt the sport for me mom is going to try a shaping class and some trick training with me

Birthday Number 2

So I had a good time celebrating my 2nd birthday. On friday I went to hoboken with mom and dad and Bingo and got to eat a hot dog, yum. On saturday I had my cake from canis minor dog bakery. It was very good but a little crumbly and messy. I got a stuffed tuff guys cat for my present and a big braided bully stick chew.

Im 2!!!

Today is my 2nd birthday! Woopee. My big present, actually its a present for all of us, is that mom and dad are having our fence fixes tomake it stronger and totally dog proof. That way we can enjoy our yard without mom constnatly worrying we might find a weak spot and get out. Ive also been told that Im getting a party on saturday with a special dog cake from a bakery and 2 presents and Im going to the bullyfest for heaven sent bulldog rescue. Woohoo!

Textures

You may see one of my photos is titled Textures: bob, sand and ocean. If you've seen the Marilyn Monroe movie 7 Year Itch, a very funny movie, you may know that Marilyn plays a model who has a nude or nearly nude beach picture entitled Textures in a photography magazine. She describes it to the lead male character and he is decidely anxious to see it. I think Bob is no less sexy and gorgeous then Marilyn, though of course he is a boy so perhaps devastatingly handsome is best. Now he has his own texture photo.

Beach Trip 09

Every year for her birthday mom takes some of us dogs for a nice outing. She plays hookey from work Shhh and Dad takes a day off too.

This year me and Norbert went to the beach, the pugs iwll be going on a beach trip in April. It was really nice weather, about 68 degrees perfect bulldog weather! We walked all along the beach and waded a little in the weather. At first I was afraid to go in but then we met two nice labs. They were having so much fun splashing that I waded in after them and we played for awhile. Mom and Dad were real proud of me for being so brave.

CGC

Today I passed my cgc at first dog training club of NJ. I have been practicing a lot.
Mom is so proud. Dad watched from the audience and was very proud too. I got a tuff toys ring as a present for doing so good. Next mom is going to train Norbert for the CGC, he probably would pass now but mom wants to practice with him a little more. I might start rally o soon which sounds like fun. We just need to find a time that dad can taje me to the classes.

7 fun facts about me

My good buddy Brodie tagged me. Here are 7 fun facts about me:

1.) I will be 2 on April 16 and mom is planning a real fun party for me, yeah! I will be getting a special collar as a present and some toys.
2.) I am a very stubborn boy. I will walk after I get out of the car and I will go on walk with my mom and dad and siblings but I w ill not walk with mom and dad by myself during the week. I put on the breaks!
3.) Im a little bit of a nervous boy. Sometimes I get spooked by bags on the streets and things.
4.) My breeder Mary Jo from red brick bulldogs is wonderful. She is a dog trainer and has helped mom and dad a lot. I visit her a couple times a year.
5.) Every year I got to the NJ bulldog puppy match, my breeder is always there!
6.) I am very cuddly.
7.) Sometimes I have a little bit of a humping problem.

7 pups Im tagging are:
1.) Yogi and Boo Boo
2.) Aibou
3.) Captain Jean Luc Picard Jr.
4.) Asher
5.) Winnie
6.) Kahuna
7.) Mallory

Check out my awesome recall!

Mom and Dad have been workign hard with me on obedience, they want me to pass my CGC (paws crossed). My recall is pretty good, see my video! The only problem is that when I do recall in my training clas sI come very slowly and walk sideways like a crab! Class is voer now (I graduated) but I did this in both my classes. Its so funny because I fly when mom calls me outside training class. Im going to take the cgc in february (hopefully). If I dont pass Im going to take a special cgc class.

I graduated from Around Town!

On Saturday I finished my around town class at St Hubert's animal training center. I know mom is late in writing my diary entry. I really liked the class, I was great at lying down around distractions and lose leash walking. My least favorite part was recall because my leash dragged I hate that dragging leash. I go real slow to mom and dad when my leash drags and I walk sideways like a crab. It looks very cute but mom and dad are working on teaching me to come faster wiht my leash dragging. They give me extra yummy treats for coming when I have my leash dragging.

Training classes, at least the postive ones and boo to any others, are so much fun. Dogs learn alot and our pet parents learn a lot more. You can always learn something new. It makes mom very sad that so many people think training classes are too expensive or unncessary. Lots of people, even on dogster, will spend tons of money on vet care but no money on training classes. Every doggie should take at least an obedience course it is money well spent. If more doggies took these classes there would be less dogs in shelters. Its so sad to see teh adolescent unruly dogs that have been dumped at shelters by owners who didnt watn to work hard to train them.

The good news is training classes are not all that expensive, some ar only about 100 dollars for 6 sessions. Pet smart has particularly good deals. Yep 100 dollars isnt free but neither is good dog food or good vet care and training is every bit as essential as these things and yes even experienced dog owners can benefit from training classes. Dog care isnt cheap but dog love is priceless.

The odd things I do

Mom and Dad took and my bro Norbert for a walk in the park today. Those little doggies seem to prefer sitting in the couch, particularly when it has been raining as it was today. I am working hard on the wait command for my around town training class. Mom and I had practiced it on a bunch of curbs and when we got to the park there was a big statue of Abraham Lincoln with steps. Mom decided to practice the wait command with me on these steps. At first I was fine but then I took a sudden dislike to teh great emancipator and began barking. Maybe I thought it was a giant man? Sometimes I do nutty things like that. Once I barked at a plastic bag and refused to walk pass it. Mom and I came down of the steps and I proceeded to walk happily through the park.

Around Town Class

I went to my first around town class at St Huberts dog school today. Its my first class at St. Huberts and this is mom's favorite training facility so far. I did a good job the first day working on my look at me's, sits, downs, and stays in a distracting environment. I also had to do a new command wait that everyone else in the class had done before (they had all been to other St. Hubert's classes) I didnt do a bad job at all. Mom and dad are going to work on the wait with me at home. I have to stay in place at a door, top of a stair, or some toher place and wait and then walk and look at mom when she tells me to go.

2nd Halloween!

Well its halloween time again! Last year I was the cutest pumpkin ever and this year I am a cowboy, a hobo cowboy with a kind of funky hat and a cool cow print scarf. Im looking forward to sporting my costume on Oct 25 when my big brother Norbert and I are going to Monmouth County Pitbull meetup's halloween party. Im not a pittie obviously and Norbert is a mystery mix, but all breeds are welcome and I want to show some solidarity with my bully brothers.

I had a nice hike at Watchtung reservation today and I walked for 2 hrs, not bad for a bulldog!

I also went to the park yesterday morning and did a great job at come. I ran really far from mom and dad and I didnt take any detours, except once to chew an extra yummy stick! For those who dont know, there is nothing cuter then a happy galloping bulldog coming at you.

Meeting with a trainer

Mom and dad took me to a meeting with a trainer/behaviorist at St. Huberts becuase they wanted an opinion on my behavior and obedience. The trainer really felt everything was pretty good and said that I had good basic obedience. Im excited because Im going to the around town class at the dog school in a few weeks. I get to practice genarlizing in a bunch of different environments. Mom and dad have already started with me practicing in the park and at pet smart and I am doing Good! After I take around town I can take off leash wonders and hopefully I will get my CGC and learn to be reliable off leash.

NJ bulldog club puppy match

Today mom and dad took me to the new jersey english bulldog puppy match. We went last year when I was just a puppy and little like most of the other doggies. Today I was one of the biggest dogs there. I saw my breeder Mary Jo from Red Brick bulldogs and she gave me a nice hug and a pet and said I looked great. She also told mom that the people who adopted my sister couldnt keep her anymore and sent her back to the breeder. We hope my sister finds a wonderful forever home. I saw my buddy patience who is not my sister but was from another little and we were puppies together she is a BIG girl now. I also saw lots of other adorable bulldog puppies and adults and lots of nice bulldog people. Bulldogs rule!

May bully meetup

I had lots of fun at the may bully meetup this weekend at Lyndhurst dog park. Mom was kinda nervous since Im not always on my best behavior at the dog park. I just dont understand why every dog does not want me jumping all over them. Mom and dad left my siblings at home so they could keep an extra close eye on me and so we didnt get into any pack behavior antics. (Later on that day, mom and dad rewarded Norbert with a solo trip to the dog park too.) I was pretty good the whole time. I did have to have my leash on part of the time becuase I was bugging one of the poor big doggies, a nice german shephered. I think every big dog is like Norbert and wants to wrestle with me and get jumped on. It was fun seeing all the bullies and as you can see from the pictures we are a handsome and beautiful bunch.
On a slightly sadder note mom and dad had to cancel our trip to the Rossmill Farm bed and breakfast. Tubby and I were going to go there with mom and dad next weekend but mom got very sick on sunday night. She had to take today, tuesday, of from work and that means she cant take next monday off too. Im dissapointed but mom has promised to make it up to me.

Training Class and Cancer Walk! Busy Weekend, woo hoo!

I had my first training class for dog training 101 on saturday at Best Friends pet care. I did very good. Mommy says Im a champ at look me and I did great at sit and down. My only problem was stand up, why do they want me to stand up? I did a little better at home though. Ill do anything for chicken and I love clicker training.
Then on Sunday we went to the cancer walk at riverside park. You can read more about it in Norberts diary. There were tons of bulldogs there though! Mom heard that we are in the top ten most populuar dog breeds and it certainly looks like it with all the bullies in Manhattan.

So I had a little accident today

Those who know me know that I love water, or at least like it. Just look at the photo of my swimming with my daddy. Im a natural water dog. Today though I had a little water misadventure. Mommy and daddy where walking all of us in the park. Mommy had me and Tubs and when we passed the pond in the center of the park I went over to the edge like I always do. Now most days I just stand by the edge of the pond and look at the ducks so mommy let me go right to the edge. Today I thought why am I just standing her looking at ducks? So I jumped right into to the pond. Splash! The pond was deeper then I thought. Mom was so shocked she screamed and then hauled my big butt out. I was fine but covered in dirty cruddy pond water. Uuugh. Mommy and daddy had to hose me off when we got home. Thats it for my pond swimming career.

I'm 1!

Well, its happened Im all grown up a puppy no more. Of course I still plan on running around and acting like a pup pup, its just so much fun. I had a great birthday celebration on Saturday. Mommy made me banana sour cream pancakes and they were much bitter then my usual breakfast of wellness core kibble and innova evo wet food. Then we all went for a nice walk in the park. We couldn't go to far because it was a nice warm day and my big brother Tubs got hot. Mommy is a little paranoid about him overheating. Then mommy and daddy gave me my presents. I got a musical birthday cake toy that daddy bought me at best friends pet store. I also got a wiggly giggly bone toy. Mommy's student Crystal picked that toy out for me. Mommy teaches a special ed class and they had gone on a class trip to the petco at union square to buy food for the class hamster Edward and a present for their therapy dog Coop. Mommy told the kids she had to buy me a birthday present and they looked at all the toys. Crystal liked the wiggly giggly bone because it makes such cool noises when you shake it and mommy agreed. So thanks Crystal!

Lazy bully no more!

Mommy's going to have to change my diary title becuase now I am an active and crazy bully. I still love napping but I also like to keep busy. Mommy likes it this way she was at the vet and heard another bulldog owner saying how she loved that her doggie just slept all day and that she never had to walk him or do much with him. What? Mommy thought who wants a dog that just sleeps all day, better to get a stuffed dog then.
Anyway this weekend I kept pretty busy. On saturday I went to the Northern NJ responsible dog owners meetup group and it was fun! There was only one other dog their a big newfie girl and the group organizers dogs which where great pyrenese and maybe one was a great pyrene/wolfhound cross. I played with the doggies. I got along wonderfully with the pyrenes but I had a little bit of an issue with the newfie, she didnt like me chasing her and growled and snapped at me. The organizer thought I'd be a good candidate for doggie daycare though and told mommy about training classes I can take that will help me get my CGC. Fun!
On Sunday we went hiking at the watchtun indian reservation. We saw lake suprise which just appears out of nowwhere in the woods, see a suprise lake! I kept up the pace pretty good but my big bully self is not very sure footed and I slipped a couple of times. After the hike mommy made us carob brownies from the latest issue of modern dog magazine to make up for any calories we had burned. Yummy!

Christmas Presents!

My first Christmas was pretty great. I got to wear my red Fleas Navidad t-shirt all day Christmas and Christmas Eve and everyone told me how adorable I was. I also got lots of gifts as you can see, of course all of the presents in the pictures aren't just for me, I wish, there for my brothers and sisters too. Mommy thought I looked pretty cute with them all piled up on me, of course In so wonderful and adorable she wishes she could have bought me even more presents. I got a Santa toy with a rope for my special Christamas present and I already ripped to holes in it, my bully bite is strong and toys just dont stand a chance. Its ok though because Im sure Ill be getting even more toys soon.

Thanksgiving Tag!

I was tagged by Lilly and Ringo!

Because it’s Thanksgiving time, there is a change to the rules. Each player needs to tell seven special things they are thankful for. Tagged dogs must post the rules in their diary and their chosen 7 things. Then choose 7 pups to tag and list their names. Let them know by pawmail or rosette that they have been tagged and to read your diary for the instructions on how to play
1.) I am thankful for my mommy and daddy and how much they love me
2.) I am thankful for all of my fur brothers and sisters and the fun we have playing together.
3.) I am thankful for food! Lots and lots of food!
4.) I am thankful for having a nice warm place to sleep and for sofas, beds and other people furniture!
5.) I am thanful for all my dogster buddies!
6.) I am thankful for being a very healthy bulldog so far!
7.) I am thankful for the Lyndhurst park dog run and all the fun I have playing there and for the Pet Smart in Seacacus and all the fun I have shopping for toys there!

I am tagging:
1.) Helix
2.) Mo
3.) Levi
4.) The Brew City Pitties
5.) The 3 Little Chi's
6.) Winston
7.) Princess

Vet trip!

My chewing got me into trouble and I had to go for a vet trip! Mommy was using the shutterfly website to make a calendar staring me and my adorable canine siblings and she heard me chewing on something. Mommy wasnt too worried because Im always chewing, but this chewing sounded different so she thought she should chek it out. I was snacking on mommy's razor. She took it away from me but couldnt find the metal part anywhere. Mommy was very worried I swallowed it so she took me to the vet and they did an x-ray. There was nothing in my tummy but food though. Later, after mommy had spent the 175$ at the vet she found the top of the razor under my dog bed. Luckily Im very cute.

Bulldog meetup!

I got to go to my second bulldog meetup at the dog park this weekend. There were so many cute bullies there, like my friend's Lilly and Ringo. I was the only puppy though so I got lots of pets and attention. Mommy said I was pretty good but I did do one very naughty thing. A nice lady was petting me and I humped her leg, ooh how embarassing. Mommy might have to post about me in the behavior and training forum.

Pumpkin Bob!

So some photos of me in my adorable halloween costume are up, and a video for those who want live action Pumpkin Bob. You can see that I am simply the most adorable pumpkin ever, no contest. I really like my costume and enjoyed posing for some photos with the real pumpkin mommy bought this weekend. Today, mommy is making some pumpkin muffins for me. She is going to use a human recipe but take out the raisins since she has heard they are not good for us doggies! I cant wait to try them YUMMY!

Dogster Plus

So mom bit the bullet and ordered dogster plus! Now she can make my page a real tribute to how wonderful I am. Mommy spent tons of time on saturday and got lots of help from wonderful dogster friends like Avery and Nikita Sophia and now my page is pretty nice! Since I have so many pictures of me swimming and Im such a laid back kind of dude mom thought a beach boys song would be perfect for my page. I have some videos up too, there not exactly exciting but I look pretty cute in them. Mom really loves the one of me running up the stairs I couldnt do stairs until I was 4 months old and now I gallop up them!

My vacation photos

Photos from my vacation to visit my aunt Sara are up! I went with my sister Ping and mommy and daddy to see them in August. Norbert stayed with mommy's friends in Manhattan and Tubby stayed wiht grandma and grandpa. Ping and I had a great time on vacation we got to play in Aunt Sara's big yard and we went swimming in her pool, which we weren't too sure about. Im a pretty good swimmer though for such a porker!

I was tag by my friend Cindy Baby Love

The rules of the game are as follows:

Each player will list 7 random facts about him/herself. Dogs who are tagged need to post in their diary The Rules and their 7 Pawsome Facts. They then choose 7 other dogs to tag and list their names. Don’t forget to bark them a pmail that they’ve been tagged and to read your diary for the info!

7 Pawsome Facts

1.) I can swim! Not that great but I do a little padling with supervision. Im the only canine member of my familywho likes the water.
2.) I am doing pretty well in my puppy kindergarden class at pet smart. Im so good at sit mom has to stand me up so we can practice it! I say why stand when you can sit?
3.) I am very lazzzzy. I have about two burst of energy a day and the rest of the time I spend napping on the cool tile floor.
4.) I love to chew on wicker, a wicker basket beats a chew toy any day.
5.) I love to wrestle with my big bro Norbert even though he is five time's my size I can still bring him down!
6.) I love cheese, and any other people food.
7.) Ive been told that I look like a beer drinker who would enjoy knocking back a cold one. Maybe its my laid back personality and the fact that I have a fishing outtit.

My time in NYC

Ok , so this is my first diary entry. Mommy had wanted a bulldog forever and when she and Daddy decided to buy a house she convinced him it was time for a new addition. Mommy opened her bulldog savings acount and spent quite a pretty penny on me and I was well worth it. Pretty soon Im moving to Jersey City and ill have a house and a yard but I got to spend a few weeks in Manhattan first. Manhattan is a pretty exciting place for a young puppy starting out life and I have attracted a lot attention. Ive been photographed and held by quite a few people. Ive visited central park, had coffee at a coffee shop, and been to the ice cream shop and quite a few pet stores. Fun! Im not much of a walker so I cant go to far, I like to sit down and even better is laying down. Mommy is glad we stayed in NYC for a while because she says Im well on my way to meeting the 100 people Im suppsed to meet during my first four months of life.