Opening Christmas Gifts Doggy Style

Hi everyone! Sorry we haven't posted in a while... We're on our way to posting about the past 4 months, but for now, we are starting with today. We'll work backwards. Merry Christmas for starters! Ranger and Abby celebrated their first Christmas with us today. Their grandparents (Mike's mom and dad- Rick and Mary) love the doggies so much that now, everytime we go to their house, we MUST bring the dogs. Christmas was no exception. The doggies were even spoiled with their very own presents. Here is our adorable Ranger opening his very first gift. 

A Few Updates

As if the bathroom wasn't small enough already?!!? Ranger and Abby now have a new place they like to lay when mommy or daddy is taking a shower. It's always a challenge to figure out where to put your feet when you get out though. The bath mat is no longer an option. 

Since this picture was taken, Ranger has gotten his stitches removed and his lampshade taken off. He really did love his lampshade though. Michael took it off of him to practice the 'down' command. In the middle of the practice session, the phone rang. Mike left the room to go answer the phone. You would think that Ranger would have run around the house, free from his impediment. Not our dog. He picked it up and carried it to Michael in the other room, as if to say, "Wait a minute dad! You forgot to put my lampshade back on me." Too cute

We bought the babies a few new things this weekend. We purchased some rope from Lowes and made two ropes for them to play tug-o-war with. They love to play together in the backyard.

We also bought them doggie beds. We've figured out that Abby loves to lay on soft things. She goes into the dining room because the rug is softer to lay on than the hard wood floors. So instead of constantly going in to check on her and make sure she isn't eating the rug, we bought them new fluffy egg crate beds. 

Abby's thoughts on her new bed: Thank you...thank you....thank you.... I love my new bed. I'll lay on it forever and ever and roll around and snuggle with it.

Ranger's thoughts on the new bed: Who needs a bed when you can lay on mommy?! Notice where the dog is and where the bed is. Funny! 

At night, we now let them sleep in the hallway and move their beds in there for "night nights." They were sleeping in their kennel in the kitchen, but Abby would cry at 3:30 every night because she was lonely. Now they are nice and quiet and don't wake up until 4:30 for their morning run. :)

Our dog trainer has completed her three in-home sessions, and we have learned lots of new techniques. In 3 weeks, we have learned how to walk the dogs so they don't pull, but heel. We have learned how to keep them within the boundaries of our backyard, even when the gate is open. They have learned "come," "leave it," "back," "wait," and a few other commands. They still need lots of practice though. They have also learned how to play together nicely and chew their rawhides without fighting. The trainer was a great investment. We are still going to take group dog obedience classes however. We think the dogs need to be able to perform commands even with distractions. Those classes will start in the end of September.  

Check out their new dog motel!

We decided it would be best to keep the babies in a kennel during the day when I go back to work. Our dog trainer said they are happier in smaller spaces and it reduces their anxiety and urges to get into trouble. We bought a 10 foot by 5 foot kennel from Lowes, complete with a shade tarp roof. Mike and his friend Noe put down cement pavers for the floor so it would stay cool and they wouldn't be able to dig. Michael also found a really neat water bowl that continuously refills itself. It's hooked up to the hose and senses when the water level is low, and automatically refills itself. Having enough water for the day was a big worry for us- not because they drink a lot of water, but because Abby has a quirky little habit of splashing all of the water out of her bowl so she has a puddle to lay in when she's hot. Not with this handy device- she can splash herself a swimming pool and they'll still have plenty to drink.

Isn't this a cute picture of Michael and Ranger? He's smiling! He's showing off his pearly canines. He likes his new hotel room.

Life Without Nuts

Friday was the big day! I took Ranger into the vet at 8:00 A.M. and Michael picked him up at 4:30. He's been doped up and sedated ever since. Everything is going fine, other than maneuverability throughout the house with a giant satellite around his head. His pills have kept him sleepy and mellow, but he still likes to follow us everywhere we go. This only poses a problem when we go through the NARROW baby gate into the kitchen. He undoubtedly hits his cone on the railing every time, and his poor little head ricochets from left to right. Then he shakes it off and goes about his business. I take him back to the vet in 10 days to get his stitches removed, and we will hopefully have our Ranger back. It's much harder to snuggle with him when he plows over everything in sight. Abby has found a way though, as evidenced in the photo above. As long as the plastic Easter bonnet doesn't get in her way, she's fine.

Things We Like to Chew

This only a short list of the things that Ranger and Abby have discovered that they like to chew. The list begins with the pictures above.

1.) Pier 1 Rug on all 4 corners and center

2.) Cheap black sweater with belt from Kohls- They only liked the belt.

3.) Free Angels fleece blanket- we donated this one to the dogs.

4.) Crayola crayons- Abby prefers magenta while Ranger enjoys blue green and brown

5.) Water bottles- Ranger prefers to pull the entire case down from the top of the washing machine. Who needs just one when you can have 24?

6.) Kitchen towels

7.) Bath towels

8.) Hand towels

9.) Bath mats

10.) Toilet Paper

11.) Mr. Clean Erasers

12.) The box of hot tea we gave grandma for her birthday

13.) Mexican Food leftover containers

14.) grass- only the long weedy kind with lots of prickly pieces

15.) mommy's purse and the advil bottle and victoria's secret lotion inside. Luckily the advil bottle is not only child proof but doggy proof as well

16.) thong underwear

17.) socks

18.) Their own chew toys- Abby prefers the Kong stuffed with peanut butter and dog food while Ranger seems to like it stuffed with sliced turkey and melted cheese. They also like their rope toys, but Abby ate hers up in about 20 minutes. Even though they eat everything, we love them to pieces and are working on guiding them in the right direction. :)

"Heel Ranger. Heel Abby." Good Heel!!!

We traveled this weekend to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Menifee. They did well during the car ride, and all of the family loved meeting the babies. We brought their kennel and they slept in the backyard while we went to an early dinner at Red Lobster. We walked and fed them at grandma's and they watched "Deal or No Deal" with us.

Michael and I decided last week to hire an obedience trainer to make in-home visits. We found her on the website, www.dogservicesunlimited.com and she came over for our first lesson on Thursday night. While she is not Caesar Millan, she offered us some very practical tips to get our dogs to be polite and obedient. We started with the walk. She taught us how to teach the command "heel." I had never known what it meant to heel until Thursday night, but to heel means to walk in the position where the dog's body is behind you and its nose is right at your leg. Using your hand in front of the dog and positive reinforcement, you show them with your voice and body where you expect them to walk. When they are in the correct position, you praise with, "good heel." She also showed us how to change direction, to always ensure that you are in the lead and the dog is behind you. Other commands we practiced included "Back," "Come" and what she called an auto sit-stop. When the walker stops, the dog is to automatically sit without hearing the command "sit." That way, if the dog wants to lay down, they can without being out of command. After our meeting with her, we also decided what we are going to do with the puppies when we are at work. We are going to purchase a 5 feet by 10 feet dog run to put on the side of the house. We are going to put a raised dog house inside for them to sleep in and they can use the other area to go potty in. We are also going to put pavers down for the floor and a roof for rainy days. Our shopping list has grown!!!! Yikes!!! We just don't feel right about leaving them in the backyard all day, considering our street is so busy so they should really like their up and coming doggy motel. 

Look!!! Ranger and Abby are walking TOGETHER and Ranger isn't pulling. It's a miracle!!!
Good doggies sit when they get ready to cross the street. We must  have some really good doggies!!! 

We're starting to feel like a family!

It's Saturday morning and we're all mellow at home. It was nice to actually sleep in past 4:30 A.M today. Uncle Chris spent the night, and let them out at 6:30 in the morning. We actually slept in for 2 hours today- hooray! Then it was off to walking, rollerblading, bicycling, and playing fetch. Chris took Abby to the park and played fetch, while I was going to rollerblade with Ranger. Mike decided to go with us at the last moment so he rode Ranger on the bike and mommy followed behind on her rollerblades. Ranger is a blast to take rollerblading. Yesterday, we went out and he did really well...until....those pesky bikers and skateboarders rode by. He just takes off to catch up with them. I went flying down the street and thought I was going to die. Luckily, I was able to stop him. 
When daddy comes home from work, he likes to roll around with the kids on the floor. They are so happy to see him. Abby is at the top left and Ranger is of course, flopped right on top.
This is Ranger in full blown calm-submissive mode. He'll let you do anything. This is his turkey impersonation. We are all having so much fun! We're all settling into the patterns of life and adjusting well. They are learning to sit and stay when Mike and I are eating at the coffeetable. They sit politely while we are eating... When we finish eating is another story...Ranger is learning that he can't jump up on the counters and steal your peanut butter and jelly sandwich, otherwise he gets in trouble. He also tried to get my pasta leftovers out of the sink and got busted. His entire chin was covered in tomato sauce, until sweet Abby licked it all off. Abby has had her share of mischief as well though- she likes to slide down the hall and land on the rug in the dining room, where she then indulges in chewing bliss. She loves to eat the fringe on the rug, so we're trying to make sure they have plenty of toys to chew on instead of room decor.