Riley Update Tuesday Night

[[Ok, I wrote this on Tuesday night, after midnight, so it was really Wednesday. So I don't know why the blogging system put "Monday, November 29, 2004", when it was really "Wednesday, December 1, 2004". Blogger does weird date stuff sometimes. ]]

Note: Riley turned 15 weeks old yesterday (Monday).

Riley is asleep near me on the floor, he is so cute.

Not much is really new.

I know that as soon as I say it, he'll do the opposite, so I won't write about how well he's been doing with certain issues, I don't want to jynx it. ;)

One thing I want to mention right now is that sometimes I write things here for my own future reference, so if you ever see me say something like "oh he was bad today because he did this and that", it's not that I'm complaining and it's not that I expect my baby puppy to be behaving perfectly at his age. Part of the reason I keep this blog (online journal) is so that later on I can look back and see what his progress was at certain times. So don't assume I'm upset or expecting too much if I write here about how something went wrong along the lines of training.

That being said, he has been SO very good! I'm amazed at how good he's been doing with some issues.

Meanwhile, his biting is still terrible. My main concern at this point is the biting of the leash. We've had to wrap it in duct tape to keep it from being destroyed. Biting and grabbing the leash is a dominance thing, and I can't break him of it, no matter how hard I try. It's a stubbornness issue, because he's SMART enough to learn many many other things. I try to establish dominance using methods I learned from Cesar, not harsh things, just stuff like walking before feedings and affection, having him walk thru the doorway behind me, having him sit calmly before getting his food (he does this anyway on his own anyway), etc. But Riley is stubborn and wants to be dominant, so it's going to be a struggle.

His biting in general is still pretty bad. He bites the sh*t out of me and everyone; other dogs, other people. These big tough guys came up to him and he hurt one on the hand bad enough the guy yelled "Ouch! Sh*t!". He bites little girls who come up to him in public and they yell "Ouch!!!" and then their parents look at me funny. I'm afraid I'll get sued if I don't get him to stop it soon. (Yes I warn people but they don't listen, "oh look a little harmless puppy!")

He bites everything, so we can't let him have run of the house yet, or he'll chew the furniture (he tries!), the books and nicknacks on the lower shelf, the CAT (HE TRIES TO CHEW CRYSTAL!)*, the cat toys, shoes, socks, electrical cords, etc. Thank god for pens and crates is all I can say, and thank god that I work at home so that I can take him out potty, out on walks, out on the porch, around the house on a leash, out for car rides, etc. This way he's not all cooped up. But if I wasn't working at home, I could not have a puppy. It'd be too much for me!

[[ He, we think it was him, he pulled a whole plug of hair out of crystal's neck, it's red and sore and bald. :( He's always biting her hair and pulling it like he wants to pull it out, a whole mouthfull, but we always stop him. But we think she had her back to the cage, she sleeps by him, and we think he yanked her hair out thru the cage.]]

I know I'll miss the puppy period, but I really can't wait 'till the biting and chewing stops and he can have run of the house.

A group puppy training class starts in January and he'll have all his shots by then. I can't wait to get him in it. I think it'll help alot.

I called two trainers that come to the house which can come anytime, but private trainers are $$$$$!

Ok, I'm tired, I'm going to bed. :)

New Collar

Riley's beautiful new collar! (from ArcataPet.com) This is the Lupine "Good Heavens" collar.

Riley was SO tired in this photo. We'd been running around all day outside and then driving all around town. He was SO tired.

..::PHOTOS::..
(Cam: Canon D60)

Online Store Reviews

Because buying online can be risky, I always like to mention online stores and sellers that I've used that have come through as reliable.

I recently purchased some leads from DresslersDog.com and the items arrived 2 business days later by fedex, even though I only paid for UPS Ground. I was very impressed. I don't think they always ship FedEx for that shipping price, but I was impressed that I paid no extra and it arrived super-quick.

I also recently bought some beautiful Lupine dog collars from ArcataPet.com. I ordered them on Tuesday and they arrived today (Saturday) and Thanksgiving was a holiday, so on the 3rd business day they were here. There was a tiny problem with the order and I have to say that the people at Arcata Pet are VERY quick to respond via email (even on the weekend) and sent out a replacement collar at no charge, and told me to hang on to the other one rather than ship it back. So I would definately buy from them again.

New Talking Pug website

The owner of that Talking Pug that was on Letterman has made a website for her dog, Odie, where you can see a clip of him saying "I Love You". :)

http://www.ericavolkman.com/thetalkingpug/

And I think on this page of the website you can watch the David Letterman clip:
http://www.ericavolkman.com/thetalkingpug/tv.html

Friday vet trip

Riley had to go to the vet again today for more vacs. Here are some moblog photos:





(camera: Nokia 3650)

New jacket, new pix

Here are some more recent pix of Riley.

..::PHOTOS::..
(cam: Canon D60 [the ones w/ "IMG" in the name]
and Sony U30)

I got a new jacket for Riley at Petco. This is the one I got:
Click Here
They have SO many cool shirts and sweaters and jackets at Petco. You can see Riley in his new jacket in the photo gallery above.

You can also see Riley barely poking out of a dog jacket I got him at Old Navy. Riley wears extra-small in Petco clothes. They fit him perfectly, from the neck to the base of the tail. But the "extra-small" at Old Navy is HUGE!!! This is the jacket overhanging the tail area and obviously overhanging the head area.

This won't fit for a WHILE! I may return it... or put it on ebay... or hold onto it 'till next year.

I've also included a photo of Riley w/ his tongue sticking out a bit. He's so funny, most of the time you look at him his tongue is sticking out just a bit, like this:


UPDATE: One more pic added to the above gallery:

Riley fell asleep w/ his ball (or the fuzz from his ball) in his mouth. The yellow parts of this ball have been pulled apart so that it's like yellow Saturn's rings. He was playing w/ hit while laying down and just fell asleep. Maybe the fuzz isn't in his mouth, I can't really tell, but it's just so cute. As I type this he is making peep sounds in his sleep. :)

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving from Riley! :)

My computer pal

(camera phone: Nokia 3650)

Riley asleep on the keyboard try w/ his head on my arm.

Talking Pug Video

(The subject line was wrong before. I made a typo and then couldn't get back in to change the typo due to technical problems. But it's fixed now.)

OH-MY-G*D! Did any of you see that Talking Pug on David Letterman last night? Holy Cow! It was a RIOT! I wish I could find a video of it. I got it on tivo, but that's not much of a help (can't really put it online). Oh it was so funny, this adorable pug had learned to say "I love you!" and it just came out like a scream, it was SO funny and SO adorable! But you could really hear what he was saying.

Ok, I DID manage to point the camera at the tv screen and tape the segment (so it's not the best quality). The whole segment is 21.5 megs, but the short segment (just the pug talking) is 4.5 megs. But I don't think I can put it online for copyright reasons.

Oh, by the way, my email address is on the sidebar.

Not my pug, but a great photo

I just have to share this... I found this guy's photo of his pug, it is SUCH a neat picture! It's an action shot of this guy's pug named Paxton:

http://flickr.com/photos/cdirige/1290780/

Oh poop

Why is it that as soon as I OPEN MY MOUTH, I jynx things? I'd just written here and told others how Riley's been doing SO well with not messing in the house, and now he's had THREE messes in 24 HOURS. I know I know, I don't expect him to be perfect, I just think it's funny that as soon as I open my mouth he shuts me up.

Instant Message info

Want to chat with me? (Me, not the dog, LOL!)
Here is my instant-message info:

~ ICQ: 18166760 ("laserone")
~ AIM (Aol Instant Messenger): "Laserone theonly"
~ MSN Messenger: laserone123x@hotmail.com (no email)
~ Yahoo Messenger: "laserone123x"

Pix from around the house

Some funny/cute pictures of Riley from the last few days, just around the house.

..::PHOTOS::..
(cam: Sony U30)

Thumper

Riley does this thing now where if you pet his back, even if you just touch it, his rear leg will start going going going going going like Thumper from Bambi. It's so funny! His nose goes in the air and he starts air-scratching his side. It's a riot. I'll have to get it on video, it's so funny.

14 weeks

Riley is 14 weeks old today.

So how is Riley?

Riley is getting so big.

His hair-standing-on-end fuzzy-baby-coat is now going away and turning into a regular hair-laying-down pug coat. His hair stayed upright-fuzzy for a LONG time. Even when he was tiny other pug owners commented on how unusual his fuzzy coat was.

Riley has COMPLETELY conquered stairs. I've heard of some grown pugs that won't do stairs. I think that if you buy into the myth that pugs are untrainable or that pugs are "too stubborn", it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. People who hand-feed their pugs kibble one pellet at a time and carry their grown, healthy dogs up and down the stairs need to learn to stop teaching that dog that this is even an option. Thank you Cesar Millan for being there! He would never allow any of his dogs, regardless of breed, to develop strange behavior like that, and he would correct your dog if you let him into your home, and my dog if I let him into mine. That's why I show Riley what he can do. What he can learn now, he learns, and what takes more time will take more time. I don't force him. Never. But when he's an adult, he'll be obedient AND HAPPY. Just like Cesar says all dogs can be: obedient, well-behaved, AND HAPPY, regardless of breed. Cesar is such an inspiration to me. Watching him as well as talking to dog trainers and animal behaviorists in town, I know that almost anything is possible w/ Riley.

Today we went to Home Depot (he in his discreet carrier) [some home depots allow dogs, whether it's offical or not I have no idea]. We also cleaned out the garage and went to see Mom. He scared Mom's cats (or, just pissed them off, LOL). I think today really wore him out.

It's amazing how people stop to see him. Today we were at a traffic light and this lady was pointing and smiling and trying to get my attention. I rolled down the window and she's like "Where did you GET him?" Everyone wants to know WHERE I got him. I never anticpated that that would be the most commonly-asked question... but it is.

He's been SO good w/ housetraining. He's gone many days with no accidents. He peed his crate tonight but that was my fault, I lost track of time.

He is a darling little angel. He brings us such joy!

It's wild to watch his coat change over time. He used to be a dark baby with a really dark chest with a white patch. Now his chest is very pale and the now his forehead is very dark when it didn't used to be.

Still no forehead wrinkles though. I wonder if he'll get them.

Sunday camera phone pix

More camera-phone pix from today at Home Depot and in the garage:

..::PHOTOS::..

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(camera phone: Nokia 3650)

Frosty Paws ice cream.

Publix has several varieties of DOG ICE CREAM. Riley loved these ice cream cups. I think they even have ice cream sandwiches.

http://www.frostypawstreats.com/FrostyPaws/

New camera phone pix

Two more camera-phone pictures to share:

..::PHOTOS::..

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(Camera phone: Nokia 3650)

Saturday adventure

Today we took Riley w/ us to lunch again. It's great to find a place where you can sit outside and eat on a nice day and bring your dog along. Then we went and played in the grass, and here are photos of Riley's adventure outside:

..::PHOTOS::..
(Camera: Sony U30)

Riley Made Editor's Pick!!!

Wow! Textamerica made Riley's Moblog an Editor's Pick for today!

More Camera Phone Pix

Some camera-phone pix take of pug puppy Riley today as he helped me on the computer.

(camera phone: Nokia 3650)

..::PHOTOS::..

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My compuer pal!

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New use for the keyboard tray!

New pix

I took some more photos of Riley today. I've been lazy and just been using the camera phone lately, so I figured we'd do a session w/ the D60.

This is Riley on the back porch w/ one of the many bandanas M and I made for him.

..::PHOTOS::..
(camera: Canon D60)

P.S. As I write this, Riley is between me and the computer, he's sitting on the keyboard tray. :) Sometimes he'll rest his head on my arm as I'm typing. Sometimes he'll give my arm a bath.

Ticker

Ok, lemme try this:




A TickerFactory.com ticker tracking Riley's age. Cute!

Moblog added to sidebar

I added a thumbnail link to Riley's moblog on the sidebar. It has a thumbnail of the most recent picture added to the moblog.

(Moblog: a website were camera-phone images are uploaded straight from the phone to the web.)

Photos posted to the moblog will eventually be posted here so you don't have to check both there and here for images, but you can check the moblog if you want because camera-phone pictures are posted there before they are posted here (because they can be sent from the road from the cell phone).

Doggie lessons

Yesterday I was in the middle of telling M how having another dog might really help Riley. Another dog would put him in his place if he got too aggressive. Riley plays too rough and is aggresssive w/ other dogs. He's just playing, but it's still too rough. He bites other dogs in the face... hard. Just then a lady came by w/ a puppy the same age but larger. The two of them played and wrestled while we talked to her, and it was amazing to watch how this larger female puppy would completely put Riley in his place. First a growl when he lunged and bit, then a dominance mount, then a bite on the head and hold. Riley didn't give up tho'. Geez, he's nuts! But I wonder if he had another dog pal at home if he'd learn manners faster.

Sleep talking

It's so cute. Riley is napping in his pen and he's yipping in his sleep! It's so cute!

Pix from today

Here are some camera-phone pix from today's ride to the vet and short nature walk.

(camera phone: Nokia 3650)

..::PHOTOS::..

Whenever we go on a nature walk, Riley finds some pine cone or stick to carry the whole time:


Rollin' around in nature:


Car Ride!


Who's a cutie!?


MMmm, that camera smells good!


Are we there yet?

Pinecone Attack

Here's a short camera-phone video (low res) of Riley playing w/ a pine cone on our nature walk today.


Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Tuesday

Riley is so cute when he wakes up from his naps! There's nothing cuter than a puppy who's just woken up. He's groggy, and he does that slow, huge-mouthed, curled-tongue yawn.

Today we drove to the vet to pick up some pads to clean his facial folds, some treats, and then we took a short nature walk and he just LOVED it! It's so nice out right now. I love when it finally cools off a bit.

I'll post some photos in a bit.

Housetraining going backwards

I just don't understand it. Riley went #1 and #2 inside AGAIN today. I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong w/ the housetraining. He WAS doing so well, it like he's going BACKWARDS now. He's 13 weeks and up until now he's HELD his bowels and bladder so well until outside (for the most part). I take him out every 2 or 3 hours. I take him out when we get up. Then I feed him. Then a little while after I feed him I take him out again. Then before I leave for afternoon errands, I take him out again. I did this today. I was only gone for 2 hours (and last night he held it over night for 10 hours, he went #1 AND #2 in the morning. So even tho he went out several times in the am and well after his breakfast, he pooed in his pen while I was gone (the pen is folded down to the size of a small crate, just enough room for a bed and bowls) and then RIGHT when I got home he peed right in front of me in his folded down pen without crying or whimpering or anything.

I just don't understand. I know not to expect perfect housetraining at this point, yes, I know he's a puppy, but he WAS doing so well it's like he's going -backwards-. That's why I'm so confused.

Phobia / Bad Behavior

Riley took me by surprise today by acting out a new neurosis. So far he's been a typical puppy. But yesterday was a rainy day and he would not go outside. He refused. If you dragged him you worried his paws would bleed on the pavement. I wish I Cesar Millan lived nearby. I see him cope w/ these kinds of behaviors all the time on tv, but I can't duplicate it. Now today, whenever Riley saw shadowy pavement, he thought it was wet pavement and refused to move. I refuse to cater to this behavior and I made him go thru it. He dragged his paws and I'm worried he's going to hurt himself eventually. I found if I make him RUN thru it, he goes. But I shouldn't have to run every time there is wet pavement. I insist he behave normally. I know these phobias and behavoris can be conquered, I just have to find a good trainer or animal behaviorist to help me.

Dog Oreos

While at Walgreens yesterday I came across these Dog Cookies, they look and SMELL just like Oreos! (No, I dind't taste them.) And Riley just LOVES them!



by Three Dog Bakery

My first sewing project

I finally attempted my first sewing project since I was a kid. Well, I learned to sew in 8th grade at school, and did some sewing in 8th and 9th grade at home, and then tried to sew again when I was about 16 or so and that was a nightmare. It didn't go well and neither did my temper.

But having Riley makes me want to sew. I know, it's sick. It's so domestic. I'd never do this stuff for a human kid. No way. A human kid you can get all you need at Wal Mart or what have you. But Doggie stuff, boy, it's all way too ovpriced. So I want to learn to make doggie bandanas and doggie clothes.

First thing on the list was a doggie bandana. I traced the overpriced one I bought and made a pattern. Then we gave it a go. I can't believe how well M does w/ sewing. It's a amazing.

Anyway, between the two of us (and a bit of blood), we came up with some great first-time results!

We made two bandanas: One with cool bright colors, and another one w/ a fall theme on one side and a winter theme on the other. I love seasonal/holiday bandanas. Both are reversible.

I still have charms to sew onto the tips, but I have not done that part yet.

Here are some pix!

..::PHOTOS::..
(cam: Panasonic Lumix FZ1 [except the 1st pic, that was the U30])

Another adventure today

Riley went out on the town again today! This time it was M, me, and mom.

We went back to that outdoor sandwich place, and then back to that new dog bakery to see if we could get Riley on video trying to play w/ that pug statue, and then for a short nature walk, and then back home.

We did get Riley on video playing w/ that pug statue. It's low-res 'cause it was taken w/ the camera phone. I had brought my FZ1 along w/ me that does good vieo w/ sound (didn't want to bring the cam corder and make the staff feel that I was only there for that reason) but I left it in the car down the street, so I used the camera phone.

Here is video of Riley trying to get that pug statue to play!
He did bark at it, but not while I was filming.


Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Here are some photos from today as well: ..::PHOTOS::..

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Riley in the car.

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Riley watchin' the world go by.

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Riley's new HAT!!!!

(camera phone: Nokia 3650)

Cute article

Someone on a pug message board ("uggamama"?) pointed me to this amusing article:

"Go Ahead, Sleep With Your Dog - And, no, we don't mean it that way."http://slate.msn.com/id/2108762/?GT1=5742

That statue

This is the pug statue that Riley was barking at yesterday at the dog bakery:



I want to get this for Riley but it's $70 or $79 at the dog bakery and $140 at amazon!

Lands End dog clothes

Someone (thanks Eileen!) on a pug message board pointed out that Lands End has DOG clothes! I don't see a link for it but if you just to go landsend.com and type in "dog" into the search box, you'll see all kinds of stuff. Neat! :)

Bath time, sweater time.

Riley had a bath and then sported his awesome sweater afterwards, I just LOVE these colors on him. I'm going to get some black and tan colored material to make doggie shirts and stuff, I think those colors just complement his coat so well, especially w/ white and red mixed in.

(camera phone: Nokia 3650)

..::Photos::..

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Bath Time!

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I love this sweater on him. Check out Sasha in the background! :)

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Ever since he learned the "Down" position, he does it all the time in hopes of a treat! :)

Moblog pix from today

Ok, here are some moblog (camera-phone) images from Riley's day out on the town today!

(camera phone: Nokia 3650)

..::PHOTOS::..

Out on the town today.
Riley in his new vest-harness out on the town today. This is him at the place where mom and I had lunch.


Paws on the windowsill
When he was a tiny puppy, he didn't really have an interest in looking out the window. Now he does. Today was the first day he put his paws on the window and watched the world go by as we drove. Gosh he's getting so big!
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Riley in his car seat!
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Riley's own moblog!

Rily has his own moblog!
http://apugslife.textamerica.com

(A moblog is short for "mobile blog". A moblog is a website where you can email photos directly from your camera-phone to the web. I take a picture w/ the camera phone, email it to a special email address, and it shows up on his very own "moblog" right away.)

Any photos that are posted there on his moblog will eventually be posted to THIS website, so you don't have to check two websites if you don't want to. But what's nice is this way, I can email camera-phone photos directly from the cell phone to his moblog while out and about, and this way they are online immediately. Later on, when I'm home and on the computer, I'll link to them from THIS website.

This is nice for me because when I sit down later on the computer to write posts for this website, the images are already online, so I don't have to offload them from the camera and then upload them to the web. It's already done. Also, this means images can be added to his moblog as we're out and about on the town, so if you DO peek at the moblog, you might see photos that have not been posted to this website yet.

Out on the town

Riley (and I) (and mom) had a much-needed fun day today. I called this wonderful restaurant which has outside seating to ask if they'd allow a dog if we sat outside. I KNEW they'd say no, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask. Amazingly enough they said sure thing! So we went and had a delicious and relaxing lunch outside with mom, who is taking some recovery time off after losing her brother. He wore his new vest-harness. Boy was he a big hit! Everybody loved him! He sat like a good boy at my feet and I fed him sample homemade dog biscuits from the dog bakery nearby (they had samples inside this lunch place). (This lunch place, for you locals, is Renee's on McGregor!)

After that we went over to the new dog bakery nearby (behind the buddah, for you locals) and stocked up on homemade dog biscuits. Riley just loved the samples so I got a little package of them. He made some friends at the dog bakery, too. Three or so dogs behind the counter including a very pretty white Pekinese who had no face mask, was just pure white and just gorgeous.

What was HYSTERICAL was when Riley saw this life-size PUG STATUE, he went APE-SHIT! He started barking at it, jumping up on it (like he does w/ real dogs), trying to bite his face (like he does w/ real dogs), it was just hilarious!!! I have to get this statue, but it's like $70 or $79, so I'll hit ebay for sure. Riley was just so sure it was real!

After that we ran by Petco so I could pick up some stuff... more potty bags for the bags-on-board leash, a new greenie (he peed on his last one), and a the obligatory TOY.

Photos to follow! :)

Finally, more video

Yikes, I am no video diva. 6 times is a charm. It took forever to figure out how to export the video to the web and have it look and sound decent.

Here are two compilations.

The first is our attempt at using a made-at-home "steadycam". A device designed so you can run with the camera but not produce as much shake as you would if you were just holding the camera.

..::VIDEO::.. (1.6 megs)
(cam: Sony Handycam DSC-HC20)

The second compilation is just a few clips from recently. Riley chasing a remote-control truck (or being chased by), Riley in the pumpkin for the photo shoot (and whining about it), Riley running around in his halloween costume, and Riley going down the stairs for the first time.

..::VIDEO::.. (3.2 megs)
(cam: Sony Handycam DSC-HC20)

Riley's new vest-harness

I got Riley this really great vest harness today. It's like a harness alternative. It's a vest w/ a clip on the back for a leash. It's srong enough, really well made. It's denim, and it's reversible. The inside is a brightly colored fleece pattern, but that side has no leash clip. Here are some pix of him in his new vest-harness. I still need to take some pix of him with it on in reverse:

..::PHOTOS::..
(cam: Panasonic Lumix FZ1)
((Look how big he's getting!))

P.S. I do still have some video to put online, I just need to find the time to convert it.

Funerals suck

Monday and Tuesday were hard. 2 wakes and then the funeral.

Poor Riley has probably never spent so much time alone in his life. You can't plan ahead for funerals, but if you could, I would have tried to find a doggie day care or something. Although, until he's fully vaccinated (which I think will be at 4 months), I don't think he could go to one anyway. Poor M drove like a bat out of hell to get home to take Riley outside before he messed his pen (folded down to crate size). Riley couldn't hold it though. So today I put a potty pad down even tho everyone tells me that'll just reverse the housetraining. But him going in his crate with no potty pad does the same thing, and one is easier to to clean than the other. My hands were tied in this case. Our house is far from the cemetary and you just can't plan ahead for these things.

Riley is being so good, so quiet in his pen. Alhtough when you take him out he is out of control because he's got two days of pent-up energy. But when he's in his pen, he's a quiet angel, quietly playing or sleeping away.

Sunday night update

I really dread the next two days, Monday and Tuesday, as they are the funeral days.

Riley is doing very good.

I was trying to convert some video to put on the web like I've done before, but the clip just kept not coming out right. I have to work with it some more. I'm clumsy w/ iMovie.

Riley barks in his sleep. It's so funny.

Riley has also learned to go up AND DOWN stairs! He's such a good boy! I got that on video, too, but somehow, after all this funeral stuff, I'll make time to download it and convert it for the website.

Oh yeah, (and I forgot to tell you this, mom) we picked up an inexpensive sewing machine. I'm going to try to make some bandanas for Riley. The dog botiques just charge too much. Then I'm going to learn how to make dog shirts, etc. I also want to make my own dog treats too. It's sick. I'd never do this for a kid, because kid clothes and kid snacks are cheap enough, they have to be, for all the people stuck with kids who have needs. Just look at wal mart. I'd never make clothes or snacks for a kid, it's all ready made and CHEAP. But for a dog, it's all overpriced botique items, because crazy dog parents will pay the price. (Not me, I hit ebay and try to learn to make the stuff myself.)

Crate-tastic!

I've been wanting a second crate. I have one upstairs for overnight and a folding pen downstairs for daytime. I can't carry that crate up and down the stairs, so I've just been using the pen downstairs, but wanted a crate for downstairs too - A crate for the kitchen for when I am gone, and the pen in the family room so Riley can play and nap and be closer to us.

The one we have was almost $90 at Petsmart or someplace like that and they had the same size one at the grocery store for $38 so we figured we'd grab it. We were in line to pay for the crate and this lady comes up to M and says "Hey, I have a crate exactly like that that I'm trying to get rid of for free! Want to come by my house and pick it up?" So we were like heck-yeah! So we followed her to her house and she gave us the crate for free! It is almost exactly the same and it cost us nothing but a little bit of a hose-down before we let Riley use it! Thank you kind lady!

How rare for people to be so nice and giving. It really made my day. :)

Sadness

There has been a death in our family. A sudden and tragic one. I found out Friday morning. I am so numb that I actually have not experienced a single emotion at all yet, despite the fact that he was so very important to me. Family is flying in from all over and there will be funeral arrangements Monday and Tuesday. I may be too busy to post, but I will when I can, because it's good to get my mind off things. One thing is for sure, having a comical, crazy puppy is a wonderful distraction.

Meetup Pix!

Here are some photos from todays pug meetup:

..::PHOTOS::..
(cam: Sony U30)

Thoughts

I was thinking about today's pug meetup.

I think Riley is going to be very small. There were pug puppies his age there and all were much bigger than him. I actually hope he will be small. I got him from a show breeder and from what I understand, show pugs are smaller than most other pugs. But it was amazing to see how an 8-week old puppy was as big as he is at 12 weeks (12 weeks old on Monday). I saw about 3 puppies his age today, and all were much bigger than him.

Also, they were ALL much calmer than him! When I found my breeder, I said I wanted a male fawn. I SHOULD have said "just give me the calmest one you can find!", lol. Oh well. I love my crazy wild Riley, he'll just have to get into puppy training ASAP. He actually SCARES some the other pugs.

Saturday Fun

Today we took Riley to a Pug Meetup today. Go to http://pug.meetup.com and find one in your area! Despite the death in our family, we went anyway, because it was a fun thing to do and distraction is good at a time like this, especially since there's nothing really for me to do until the funeral.

I had wanted to go to PugsGiving today, but it was quite a road-trip away and we need to be close to home right now w/ all that is going on.

Riley met many pugs and we met many pug lovers.

Riley was by far the most rambunctious. I'm afraid he's TOO wild. Some tell me he's just being a normal pug, others seem surprised by his craziness- lunging at the face of other dogs and trying to bite them. He's just playing, but I don't feel that this is good behavior even if it is just playful. He bites hands, fingers (which I don't allow at home, but I can't control everyone at a pug meetup) and other pugs. I need to get him into training, like NOW! I just have to get through the upcoming funeral days and then I can concentrate on other things.

After that we went to Juicy Lucy's cuz you can sit outside and I don't know if dogs are allowed, but nobody said anything. Riley loves french fries!

Then we went by the dog bakery and got him some all-yogurt treats, he LOVES those!!! Actually, they taste good to me too, lol.

Now Riley is konked out in his pen like a rag doll.

Of course we took photos today, but I have not gone thru them yet. I'm sure I will, although I have to clean the house in case any of the people flying in for the funeral ask to stay here.

YELP!

Poor Riley. We came home from the vet and he felt fine. Then after his nap, I picked him up and he YELPED real loud in pain. I put him on the counter and when I needed to move him away from the edge, I touched him (gently) near his shoulders and he yelped again. Anytime I touched him ANYwhere, even far from where he got his shot, he yelped out loud, and then started breathing REALLY fast.

I called the vet and they said that's normal for tiny dogs after a vaccine. It just hurts them all over after a while, and that can last for a few days. They said I could take him in and, ironically enough, they would give him a shot for the pain. I said that if this is normal, I'll wait it out.

After a trip to potty, I put him on the couch w/ me where he normally loves to play. He had no interest in his toys but just wanted to STAND. He stood for probably 45 minutes next to me on the couch. He was sleepy, his eyes closing, and he just stood there, on all fours, afraid to sit down or move. He stared at me the whole time, too. Kinda... creepy. Just STARED at me.

At one point I got a phone call and was distracted, but still sitting on the couch. I needed to write down a phone number and realized that I couldn't move (I mean, I felt his little body on mine). I looked down and he was still STANDING on all fours, but he had rested his tiny head on my leg. IT WAS SO ADORABLY CUTE! I felt so bad for him that he felt pain.

He's much better now, it's late at night. Tonight on the couch he played and played. He still will squeal if you pick him up, but he doesn't seem to be as sensitive. Poor lil' guy.

Vet Yet Again

Riley went to the vet, AGAIN, today. His cold is all gone, he got a vaccination, and was given a years worth of heartworm treatment to take home.

Here he is in the car, chewing on a dog biscuit that the staff of the Chick-Fil-A drive thru gave him:


(camera phone: Nokia 3650)

Playtime Pix

Some fun playtime pix:

..::PHOTOS::..
(cam: Panasonic Lumix FZ1)

Pen

Riley's been driving me crazy w/ housetraining issues. One of the many things he's been doing is tearing up (and eating parts of) the potty pads I use when I am going to be gone longer than he can hold it. Sometimes he tears them up and then pees on the floor.

(Thanks to the helpful people on the many pug boards who had suggestions.)

So, I think my mistake is leaving him in a large pen while gone for longer periods of time. So tonight when we went out to dinner, I folded his pen down real small, so that he only had a small 4-panel area, like so:


(cam: Sony U30)

For those familiar w/ the 'crate training' process, you'll understand that this small area should make him want to try harder to hold it. He did hold it, but we weren't gone long. But I plan to do this from now on when I have to leave for longer than I think he can hold it. I think this'll help.

Coat changes

It's interesting to see how Riley's coat is changing over time.

This was taken the day he came home, at 8 weeks old. Even though M's hand is in the way, you can really see how dark Riley's chest was:

(cam: Canon D60)

... and this is his chest now, at 11 weeks. Much lighter:


(cam: Sony U30)

The breeder said that his coat would lighten, and that it would happen in patches.

This photo shows how dark he was all over. You can see his dark chest, and even the top of his head was dark:


(cam: Panasonic Lumix FZ1)

... and here you can see that part of his head has lightened:


(cam: Sony U30)