Long bit of silence

My computer at home broke so that explains the bit of silence from me. Daphne is doing okay. She has been having a few accidents at night and she was very very very close to getting a crate. But fate stepped in, broke my computer and gave me a flat tire so I don't have the money right now for a crate but the idea is still there and I have been looking around. But to sort of help the situation and to determine if a crate is necessary I have begun a water regime. She now has limited access to water. She get's her bowl of water after breakfast until I leave for work and then after dinner until around 8pm. During the day she gets a bowl with two ice cubes and after 8 pm she gets one ice cube. Of course if we go on any long walks or to the dog park she is able to drink when we get home. The fact that her accidents were very clear, almost like water sort of seemed like she was drinking too much. I have also begun taking her out more at night, so she goes out at 5pm, 8/9pm and again right before bed around 11pm. So far this seems to be working, but sadly I have lost a lot of trust in her. When I'm falling asleep if she jumps off the bed, I roll over and turn on the light to see what she is up to. The fact that she peed right in front of my one night has just made me learn to not trust her but I'm slowly gaining trust back.

In other news she is doing pretty well in doggie class. We learned tricks this week and she is finally getting shake though roll over has been near impossible. I think now that I know the techniques we can practice things and eventually get to the point where she'll do it without food. She is really listening to me well at the dog park when I say things in a commanding voice. She doesn't seem to understand come but we have barely practiced that one since it involves me remembering to bring treats on walks. But when she is barking or snarling at dogs through the fence, she'll stop when I tell her. I'm not sure I'll ever get to the point where I trust her off leash but then again I've only had her for 3 months so our relationship is still new. Perhaps in a few years she'll be the perfect dog ;)

Oh she really doesn't seem to like cats, well she likes them in that she loves to chase after them . . .

Too smart for her own good . . .

Well class was fun last night as I was the only person there so it was a private lesson. We actually spent so much time talking that we didn't even realize the time until it was already 30 minutes into the scheduled time. We learned leave it and take it which she is rather good at as she does a similar thing with dinner. She learned quickly and Tisha kept commenting how smart she is, which she really is. I think she will be amazing at agility but I wonder if I have the stamina to run around the course with her ;)

It amazes me what she can get into and she has a knack of knowing what is my favorite food/splurge food. First it was the can of pringles which I rarely get and had gotten as a treat, she ate the remainder of the can or about half of it. Today I get home and first notice a plastic bag on the ground completely eaten. I realize it was her treat bag which I forgot on the coffee table. My fault then I turn the corner and seem my loaf of sourdough on the floor and half gone. I'm pissed! This was on the kitchen counter and some how she got into it. I've been craving this bread and the grilled cheeses it was gonna make me all week. I guess the good part is there was still 1/3 to a half left and it was salvagable. But how she got it and this knack for knowing what I'm craving is a bit crazy. I must say I got rather mad at her and talked sternly to her. I know she had no idea what she did but still I had to vent. She got locked in the bedroom for a short time.

This is really making me think I either need to keep her in my bedroom when I leave the house or worse yet a crate. I really don't want to crate her but she's not giving me much of a choice. She really enjoys laying by the sliding glass door and looking out as this is where I normally find her when I come home. I don't want to take that away from her but I don't want her to keep getting into my stuff. I mean what happens if it's another pack of gum but this time it makes her seize? I don't know perhaps I just need to clean up more and put things away.

Another thing this brings up is the fact that I wish I could be a little more like a dog. They are able to let go of thing so easily. They live in the moment and if something bad happens it's forgotten 10 minutes later. I wish I could be like that. Like 2 hours later and I'm still a bit upset with her for the bread. If it was just the treats that's one thing but something off the counters is not good. And I really wanted to enjoy that whole loaf all week long. I need to try and be like a dog and let it go. Being angry isn't going to change anything . . .

She's chipped!

After standing in line for an hour where she got to sniff the mystery moving boxing (cat crate) and 5 seconds of pain (resulting in a ton of shedding), Daphne is now microchipped. She has a home again chip and her number (in case I lose the paperwork which is very possible) is 4A2E6D205B. I'm glad she's chipped. Though it did present something interesting. Apparently I picked a difficult to spell name. Both the trainer when signing her up and the lady who chipped her both spelled her name wrong. Daffone? Huh? I didn't think DAPHNE was so hard to figure out but oh well.

In other news we tried compressed rawhide this week on the advise of the trainer. I think we both liked it until a minute or so ago when having a piece large enough to fit in her mouth, she decided to swallow it whole. This stuff doesn't digest so she has a large piece going through her. Should be interesting to see what happens ;) I think I'll get her another one but they get tossed once they become mouth sized!