Angel and Demon

Nope, it's not the prequel to Dan Brown's novel. I actually got the idea from surfing the web about "puppy biting" and came across the phrase "angel days and devil days". This morning was a devil morning - didn't get any work done, had 3 accidents all in the space of 3 hours, and the biting was just getting....arrgh.

However, in desperation I turned to the Dog Whisperer's site, and I think what I got from it is more often than not, it's the human that has to be trained. Basically, we have to establish ourselves as the leader of the pack, and there are certain things you need to do to establish that. Otherwise, if the dog does not see a leadership role happening, they will step in to fill the void. (Gee, apparently I may have the same problem at work - in both cases I need "subtle assertiveness". The Dog Whisperer calls it "calm assertiveness".)

How to achieve such a state? The leader should not exhibit nervousness, panic, and tension. Calmness, consistency, and confidence (not aggression) is key.....basically I have to get to a Zen place. In the dog's world, this is what projects leadership. Or be more like Oprah.

Anyways, I must do things that the den mother would normally do - if I walk out the door, I have to go out first (and the other way around). On walks, I have to lead and the puppy has to be behind or beside me. If I get bit or nipped, I yelp , walk away and ignore the pup (basically if he doesn't play nice, no one will play with him). At eating time, I eat first, and they must demonstrate "calm-submissiveness" before I give food.

The only thing I haven't done is do the 45-minute power-walk in the morning before they eat. Tricky, given the weather around here. But you know what? I've tried all of the above when he woke up from his morning nap, and I think it's been an angel afternoon. The biting has gone down, no accidents (yet), and best of all.....he's sleeping right now in the den!

Gotcha!

Day 7 - so far the "good poo"/"good pee" praise plus treat is working okay. He had a couple of accidents today but because we were not looking. And he's learned to go up and down *all* of the stairs...just not down them yet. And it was a good night - he had gone to bed with no fuss at 11:45 pm and woke up at 6:15-ish (he just sat there looking)....no whining this time! And only pee on the paper too!

I moved the pen to my den, but he's not taking to it as well as he did when it was in the hall. He doesn't want to stay in it at all....now he's asleep and I put him in with the door open. Let's see if he will stay in this time. He normally stays a couple of hours on end in the pen before I moved it.

I've also started to keep a log of when he woke up, what time he eats, and what time he goes. Maybe I'll see a pattern to his biological clock.

Speaking of clocks, I have a 2:00 meeting to get ready for. In the meantime, I managed to snag a photo just before he fell asleep. Gotcha!

Puppy training - Day 6

Today the puppy is training me to give him treats when he is quiet....oh, I'm sorry - is it meant to be the other way around?

Finnegan seems to have developed a little aversion to responding to "outside" since yesterday. He also had a couple of "accidents" indoors, esp. when we are not looking. That tells me that he is not enjoying his trips outdoors. So this morning, I'm developing a new routine:

- Make sure I always have treats in my pocket.
- Say "outside" while putting on leash.
- Carry him to one specific spot outside....this will be the very same spot I will take him to every time.
- *While* he is piddling/pooing, I will say "good poop!" over and over again, and *immediately* give him a treat and make a big happy fuss no more than 2 seconds after he is done.
- Go immediately back inside and play with him for a few minutes.

Overall, the above will help him associate "good times" when he does things outside. Hopefully this will help him get used to the leash and he will soon walk to that spot on his own without having to carry him.

What all the websites says are true - constant vigilance is the key here. Let's see over the next few days if the situation improves. Now I have to read up on all that biting stuff.....

Finnegan!

Boy, has it been a hectic 4 days! We finally got our baby, Finnegan the beagle! No pics yet 'coz the stooopid network wizard still won't let me connect to my hubby's 'puter. Oh well. Here's a little rundown of things that had happened:

Day 1 (Dec 8) - Picked baby up from the breeder. Was a tough choice with all the cute pups but boiled it down to two. Our Finny won the lottery 'coz he seemed to come back to us more often. Also, he looks more like the classic beagle. On way home, he was good for 1 hour but started throwing up in the next. But he saw the paper on the floor and made a poo there....which means he's retained his paper training! He was all trembly the first night, and pretty much kept us awake all night. Finally.....

Day 2 - ....got up at 5 am to take him out. He went 5 times in an hour (3 were successfully done outside). Crate training formally begun! He seemed less tense and cuddled with us a lot. There were a couple of "accidents" but then again we were also starting to learn to how to read the signs. Auntie Junn paid a visit. More whining at bed time.

Day 3 - More 5 am madness. There was poo this time around in the crate. We tried to put him back right after he did his business so we can grab one more hour, but then he poo'd some more! So we decided to stay up. More crate training, but he was good the whole day! Auntie M. (Mike) and the rest of the aunties (Errick and Abel) came by. I think poor Finny was wiped out after 'coz he was so quiet the rest of the night....although a bit of nipping has begun....We also tried the breeder's suggestion of putting paper in the back half of the crate overnight so he won't be as whiny. But we kept the crate at half-size during the day.

Day 4 - So far the paper-in-crate-overnight thing worked....we got more sleep! We also got an e-mail from the breeder today saying that it will be a while that the pup will eliminate at night...and to wake up when *we* need to (not when the pup whines at 5 am). Today we tried out the pen on the second floor for the first time since we were working from home. He seemed to be okay with it - stayed for at least a couple of hours without a fuss. Crate training was somewhat done since the pen kinda made up for it (I guess). But he was more quiet at night. He peed on the couch though....maybe we misread the signs again. But the good news is that he slept longer! We also started using the leash 'coz he almost got away through a gap in the fence. Humping also started....the battle for dominance begins!

Day 5 - Which brings us to day. We got up at 6 am....he whined maybe twice overnight but overall the paper-in-crate-overnight thing seems to be a good method for now. He's also taken to the pen today, except one time I got downstairs too late when he woke up and he peed as I was putting my shoes on. When he is in the pen upstairs, it is *absolutely key* to take him outside as soon as he wakes up (by this I mean he actually gets up as opposed to just opening his eyes). He peed every single time.

*whew* We love him lots though :) I kinda feel out-of-sorts today 'coz I'm just consumed by worry....worry about what he steps on outside, what he eats, etc. etc.....I just hope we're doing right by him.

Oh, how the mighty.....

There was a time when I had lead roles in community theatre (one of which was a musical to boot!)......but now, I can see it on my resume: "Professional Plant". I've done this once for a certain awards show and now for a play (both of which will remain unnamed or else it will spoil the illusion should people google them on the web). Oh well, I'm still waiting for that McDonald's moment...you know, like when this famous Filipino actor was discovered working in McDonald's and has since catapaulted into Filipino superstardom. (Of course, granted I'll never have the looks or the body to go with it, but I'm sure there must be a role for an average-looking Filipino guy somewhere!).

I've finally finished putting up our Christmas decorations! Someday I'll be able to post pictures but suffice it to say it looks nice. Take my word for it. Finally got the two things I really wanted - a Filipino parol (lantern) and reindeer! Yes - one of them moves!!

Puppy comes in one week. One week!!! I can't wait to for Finnegan to make himself at home. I just feel bad for those nice leather slippers that my hubby gave me a few Christmases ago......

Well, it's a lazy Saturday. I'm gonna do some comic book sorting then head on out for my coz Alvin's birthday and my niece Valerie as well. My, has she grown. Check this link out: www.valerie-rodriguez.com.

On more materialistic matters:
- Sold some anime box sets on eBay
- Saved $100 on the Six Feet Under box set by getting it from deepdiscoutdvd.com, so I returned my box to HMV and spent the savings on.....
- A limited edition Da Vinci Code DVD box set from Amazon Japan (I know, Mr. Hanks was somewhat wooden in this one, but at least I get the extended edition for 25 more minutes for Tom Hanks fun)
- And finally spent the remainder of my mad money and gift cards I got for my birthday on the limited edition Alias DVD box set.
- Oh, yeah...I spent the last of my Chapters gift cards (thank you Air Miles!!!) on the 14-disc Superman Ultimate DVD box set....which sadly they tell me is still ETA TBD from the vendor. Oh well.

Okay...now on to my comic book retreat.....