One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Well, not has really been going on around here. I have been reading about pets and working with our puppy, Gil, to try and get him all trained up. The more I read about dogs and live with one for the first time ever, the more I realize that we're never really going to be finished training him but he's well on the way to knowing some important basic commands. We were really excited last week because he managed to go eight whole days without having an accident in the house but then both Saturday and Sunday he peed in the house. We have to keep reminding ourselves that he's only a baby. At three months old he's so big and does so well with training some days it's easy to forget.

He'll be disappointed when he gets to big to fit on that shelf.

One of the books I've read is Be the Dog: Secrets of the Natural Dog Owner by Steve Duno. It is about learning to work with your dog better by understanding how dogs think and working with their natural instincts. For me, the most interesting part is the section that lists different things you can do to enrich your dog's environment and keep him entertained. I've been having to keep a close eye on Gil both because he isn't fully housetrained and because he keeps finding things to get into that he shouldn't and I'm looking forward to a time when he can keep himself safely occupied and I can get more crafting and other things done. With this in mind, we bought him a Kong toy over the weekend and have started feeding him part of his dinner inside it. It isn't much but it does give us a few extra minutes.



We used some of that extra time to complete some super important chores this weekend. First, we finished our taxes. Then we had to replace our front door knob. For a while now it's been kind of sticking making it awkward to open but at the end of the week, it decided it didn't want to close without jiggling the handle either and that's a big problem. . . especially when you are running in and out with a puppy several times a day. I'm sure everyone who visits will be happy to see it now opens much more smoothly but we have the added chore of getting keys made. It came with two but we need some spares to leave with friends in case of emergency. Next, we mowed the yard. Well, mostly, it's not completely done but enough to give Gil an open space without giant clumps to trip over.

Because our cats want their pictures taken too.

Also, on a somewhat random note, I've always wanted to host a Christmas cookie exchange party but am usually too busy/ tired from work but now, I think a puppy and cat treat exchange party could be just as fun and not dependent on a certain time of year. Who's in?