Commando and the Dog Door

Last night Commando figured out how to come IN the dog door, and this morning he figured out how to go OUT the dog door. I'm still waiting to see if he can figure out WHEN he needs to go in or out because I still can't trust him not to use the living room carpet as his own personal bathroom. Last night he had another little accident. Oops.

Commando and Cesar Millan

That Cesar guy is really good. I've been walking Commando in the morning and in the evening. He's reasonably good on the leash, and I generally let him roam around freely. We do "wait" at curbs though and he's very good at that.

I was practicing heeling with him and he was sort of getting it but there was a lot of lunging and "NO"ing and correction. Then I did the tap with the back foot on his hind end and made the "Tcchh" noise and with 2 repetitions Commando was heeling beautifully and walking very calmly at my side. I swear I could have dropped the leash completely!

I now generally let him run around on the leash and then about 3 blocks from home he heels. I also have him heel when we encounter other dogs.

So far he's been delighted to meet other dogs and immediately does the play bow.

Good dog Commando!

We're still working on getting him to use the dog door.

Commando and Bridget Redux

We went on a longer bike ride today and I didn't want to take Commando. As I was walking him in the morning, Jodi brought Bridget by and we let them go off leash in my backyard. They seemed to enjoy chasing each other around the yard with lots of play bowing and tail wagging. We brought Commando over to Jodi's and let him hang out with Bridget in the back yard while we rode the bikes.

We rode from Sac State to Old Sac and then on up to the Cornerstone for breakfast. We then called Mom to come pick us up. The dogs did great together and Commando is now happily sacked out on the floor.

I also got some potty training in with him and was able to give him treats in the back yard for going there instead of in the living room.

Biking with the Dog

Went to Goethe Park with Commando to test out biking with him. Jodi had a great tip to speed up, and hold him out and to the side. It was a little dicey, but after a bit (maybe a 10th of a mile) he seemed to catch on and we got some good exercise.

I shoved the bike in the car and Commando and I then walked around a little. We followed a deer trail and startled a doe and a buck.

We also introduced Commando and Bridget. They got along just fine and played happily on the front lawn. I think they will do well together in the back yard too.

It's nice to know that we can hang out with our dogs and not have a big fight.

2nd Day with Commando

He was great during T-giving dinner. We kept him on the leash and tied him to a table near the dining room (it's all open) and he was calm and relaxed and lied down and napped during dinner. He enjoyed a few bits of turkey and some gravy and even about 2 pieces of bread from the stuffing in his dinner.

Walked him in the morning around the neighborhood and then Andy and I headed up to Echo Summit to snowshoe. Commando sacked out on the back seat of the car. Unfortunately, when we got the the twisty mountain roads, he got car sick and hurled his breakfast. We drove slower after that and stopped a few times to give him a rest. He seemed a little uncomfortable a few times, but otherwise okay.

He really enjoyed the hike and the snow. He pranced around and sniffed every scent he could get near his nose. At one point, he even rolled little snow balls with his nose and then licked them up. He likes to toss stuff in the air when playing and he enjoyed the snow. He definitely frightened the little mousies and other " Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beasties" by sticking his nose in a variety of downed tree holes and snuffling deeply.

Great day, lots of fun and it's good to know that Commando will be a good companion on the hikes.

1st Morning with Commando

I kept him in my room for the night and it was a bit of a chore, but we worked it out. At first, he sacked out on the carpet on a towel I put down for him and I dropped off to sleep thinking all was going to be good.

After about 45 minutes, he woke up and wanted to play. He tossed his toys around and paced around my room, occasionally putting his forepaws up on the bed. I tried letting him go outside, which he loved as long as I was with him. Then he started LEAPING onto my bed and I would have to drag him off saying, "NO." This went on for a while. I could keep him off the bed only by staying up and saying, "No" everytime he would jump up.

I wasn't getting much sleep this way. Finally he settled back down on the carpet and tried to drop off. Within about 15 minutes he had leaped up on the bed and snuggled right down. I thought, he's quiet, I can sleep, so I just him be. I got most of a good night's sleep this way and so did Commando.

When morning came, we went in the backyard and I tried to encourage him to "do his business" but to no avail. I left him out there (checking on him) and went inside to make coffee. Then I got dressed and we went out for a little walk. He enjoyed the walk, didn't do any marking or any "business." We got back and I left him in the back yard for a while (checking on him).

I was doing some cleaning and tidying and after a while I let him back in. He followed me around, very curious and playful. I checked in the backyard and---success---he did his business!

Now I'm relaxing and he's lying under the feet of my recliner relaxing himself.

So far so good.

I can hear the helicopters overhead for the "Run to Feed the Hungry."

New Dog -- Commando

I finally bit the bullet and got a dog from the SPCA. His name is Commando as you might have noticed from the title. He's a shepherd mix, about 1 year and a few month's old.

Plus: He's trainable, sensitive to verbal correction, curious, and interested in being a companion. We went for a walk and he seemed to enjoy it although he needs leash training. We saw some deer and he stood up on his hind feet (like a human) perhaps to get their scent. He's definitely a sceny hound, sniffing everything thoroughly.

Minus: He's very, very active. He's been on several walks today and he's been exploring the house and rarely sitting or lying down. I assume that eventually he'll calm down. He also may not be house trained. He's already had some accidents in the house. I hope it's just nerves and that he's in an unfamiliar place. Alternatively, I hope he learns quickly.

So far so good.

New Gate in Progress

When I replaced most of my fence a few years ago I also put in a new gate to my backyard. It was a cheap, pre-fab, stapled together gate and although it has served its purpose well, it is time to replace it. The stapled boards have fallen off and the replacement screws now tear out of the worn cross pieces. The hinge is bent and buckled.

This picture is me preparing to load the raw materials into my Jetta after a shopping trip at Home Depot. You'll see other pictures later as I put the gate together.

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New Fone Phinally

I'd been checking my cell phone company fairly often for new phones and they just started selling the Samsung Blackjack. It seems to have all of the features I need (although it looks like I might want a bigger screen) so I ordered it. Will update this when the phone arrives.

Update: Well, the phone arrived last night. It's very small, I almost feel like I might lose it. It's not hooked up to my service yet and I'll be calling today on my old phone. It's got a nice feel and I like the keyboard layout very much. I'm not so sure that I like that it doesn't have a touch screen. I wasn't sure if I would miss it, but touch screen is an easier interface. I added some dog mobiles to the calendar. So far so good.

Day 3 of the Desert Adventure

We made reservations at the fabulous Furnace Creek Inn for brunch so spent most of the day mooching around the Valley taking in a variety of the roadside attractions. We gazed at the Borax works from the parking lot and drove through the aptly named Mustard Canyo (formed of yellow mud). We strolled to Natural Bridge, although not all the way to the end of the canyon. We drove through Artist's Palette (colored rocks) and got out once to stroll around. We toured Zabriskie Point.

The brunch was outstanding! The highlight of the meal was the smoked salmon, lightly seared ahi tuna sashimi, and mounds of delicious caviar with all the fixin's. They also had blueberries and blackberries. I'm sorry to say I gorged. Well, there was one mishap. I started eating the blackberries and noticed that one had smashed. I scooped it up with my spoon and added another whole blackberry. Oops, bad taste, that was caviar, not smashed blackberry! They also had petit fours, a rare treat. The service was impeccable, although, the waiter did chuff Petra for not finishing her profiterole.

We then drove all the way to Wildrose Peak and the Charcoal Kilns. The kilns are very interesting. It was late in the day so we didn't hike very far up the trail and stayed mainly on the level bits.

Our last stop was the best and I wish we'd had more time there. We hiked up Mosaic Canyon for a bit but just ran out of daylight. I will definitely do this hike again.

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Day 2 of the Desert Adventure

We drove, biked (or coasted), and walked down through Titus canyon. It's quite interesting and about everything you can imagine being done with rock has been done. It's colored, folded, melted, torn, dissected, pressed, stacked, tortured, and riven.

We briefly visited Scotty's Castle and ate some taste flavored eating substances. Skip the snack bar unless you're starving.

We hiked all around Ubehebe crater. It was a great way to see it. Your perspective changes as you round the circle. We interrupted a raven enjoying the beauty and testing echo properties of the crater.

Lastly we drove to the racetrack. This is really a whole day trip and best made when everyone is fresh. The road is bad, but I've been on much, much worse. All of the roads we took were rated 4x4 only, but all could be driven with a regular passenger car. Of course, conditions change!

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Day 1 of the Desert Adventure

The first day was a long driving day. Started out by walking Moose in the morning at the ranch. Reached the superb train station in Wasco just as Petra's train pulled in. It's a new station in a poor Valley town. The bathrooms are particularly nice with motion sensors on everything.

Dr0ve over 155 to 395 to 190 and over Daylight pass to Beatty. We stopped for lunch at the above "Koffee Shop" in Lake Isabella.

I'm a bit disappointed in the El Portal as it looks like a dump and may cost the same as the Stagecoach and Motel 6. The woman who checked us in was very frazzled and said she had just woken up.

There's not much in Beatty so next time it might be prudent to bring food and a camp stove because I'm not sure we're within 50 miles of diners or even a grocery.

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Petsmart Stockton Blvd Mobile

This is Taylor, an 11 month old white german sheperd mix. He's quite charming and should be easily adopted from the shelter. He enjoys treats and is learning to sit and walk on the leash. He's pretty much mastered sit, and needs more leash work.

We also had Chevy, a 10 year old border collie who was well trained and quite clever. He knew sit, down, and roll over...he also knew that he would get a treat whether or not he performed the trick so he got sloppier and sloppier with the tricks as the day went on.

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