This dog is just too smart

Besides the trick with the toilet, Levi actually plans out strategies to get something he wants. We have an old papazan chair that I like to sit in when I study. Unfortuantely Levi thinks its his and if I'm in it, he wants it (thats Blue Heeler rule #3 if you are wondering). Anyway, he will climb up in the chair and lay all over my lap (all 70lbs of him) and push my books out of the way. Eventually one of us will be uncomfortable - usually me - and get up.

The other day, levi figured out how to accomplish his goal with minimal effort. He tricked me! We wanted to get up in the chair and I told him NO! and that I was not moving htis time. He groaned and laid back down next to me on the floor. Then he got up and whined. I was busy studying so I just ignored it thinking he was wanting to get up in "his" chair. Then he went into the bathroom and started clicking his nails on the tile floor and came back into my room. I ignored him some more (don't worry, its a game we play). Anyway, he went back into the bathroom and started lifting and dropping the toilet bowl lid - a sign that he has to go out and go potty. He came back in and I asked him if he had to go out and go potty. He ran over to the stairs and I got up out of the chair to let him out. In a split second, he ran around me and jumped up into his chair and pushed my books out onto the floor. I asked him if he had to go out and pee...he just groaned - and smled - and within minutes he was sound asleep and snoring. The little booger tricked me into getting out of my chair so he could take a nap in it!!

David

I taught myself a new trick

I figured out a good way to tell mom and dad that I need to go out to the bathroom. Instead of staring at the door like dexter does, I walk into the bathroom and ckick my nails on the floor. If nobody gets the message from that, I lift the seat up (mommy has daddy trained to put the seat and the lid down) and let it drop until someone hears me. And at three o'clock in the morning its really fun to see what happens!

Of course, you may wonder how I learned that neat little trick but I figured that that big white seat had something to do with going potty since mommy and daddy use it for that.

Daddy says that he is going to train me how to sit on the big white seat and use it to go to the bathroom. Yuck! I like the grass better for that.

Levi

I'm bigger than Dexter now

Heh heh heh. I went to the vet recently and weighed 1 pound more than Dexter (71 lbs - Dex weighs 70)!! Funny thing though is that I'm still about 2/3 his size. Dex has slimmed down and toned up too since daddy makes him exercise now. The couch potato has been put on exercise duty and now daddy says I'm getting a little pot belly. I'm gonna have to get him back and do something to his favorite slippers.

Levi

Im Growing up.

I've been with Dexter and his family for about two years now and I have grown up to my full size. Although I'm about half of Dexters size (mommy and daddy say hes a couch potato...and he's taken over daddy's easy chair) I can really show him who's boss. He's so patient with me. I chase him around, bite his heels...I guess thats why I'm a "heeler"...and practice "Dex Tipping". Its kinda like cow tipping and I sneek up on Dex from the side and run straight into him.
We have about ten dogs that live around us now. My yard is in the center of all the other dogs yards and I like to go to the fence and talk to them all day long. Although my daddy has to take me inside a lot because people call on the telephone and say mean things about me and Dex. I'm getting better at my barking though. Dexter told me to be quiet because the mean kids will shoot me with their BB gun. :-(
Today is Christmas and me and Dex got presents just like the kids...well, they didn't get any cool chew toys. Dex was very nice. He traded his chew toy for mine and then shared his bone with me. He's a cool step-brother.

Levi