A Tired Dog is a Good Dog!

Real Quick

Bodie is back home.  He seems fine; so much so that it might be difficult to keep him quiet!  It was so strange last night not to have him in the house.  We haven't had him for long but he has become a vital member of the family.  

More Surgery

Well, today is the day for Bodie to get neutered.  RB is planning on taking the puppy to the vet between 7:30 and 8:00.  They will keep him overnight.  It will seem so strange not to have him rampaging through the house.  I am starting to worry already.

Challenge

Bodie is much more of a challenge than any of my other dogs.  He is as stubborn as Georgie (Corgi), as destructive as Heather (Sheltie), as noisy as Tammy (Sheltie), as selective at following commands as Mingo (Belgian Shepherd) but as intelligent as Willie (German Shepherd).  What a combination!

One special challenge we have is just walking around the house.  Bodie likes to hold a toy and put his head between our feet.  If we don't play, he pushes his way between our legs.  Try and walk away, and he keeps pace walking between our legs.  It is really hard to walk with a German Shepherd under your skirt!

Cliché

"You don't get what you want, you get what you need."

I always thought that was an annoying saying.  It seemed to trivialize a situation when things didn't turn out the way you wanted by slapping a happy face on it.  But the Bodie experience is changing my mind on that.  He was supposed to be a calm and quiet puppy.  Instead, he is stubborn and rambunctious!  He can be a real challenge.

So, what do I mean?  I think Bodie is perfect for RB.  Since she remains home with Bodie while I go to work, the job of training our puppy has fallen into her hands.  That challenge has made her more assertive than anything else could have.  And I think her self-confidence has increased dramatically also!  I am so proud of her!  As for Bodie... well, that is another question. :)

Tabasco

Sometimes I wonder if Bodie's taste buds are off.  He chews a lot so we have tried Bitter Apple to deter him.  But it failed - he liked it!  Anything we sprayed with the Bitter Apple, he paid more attention to and chewed a lot more.  ::shakes head::  We read on some training blog about trying Tabasco Sauce.  We discusssed it and RB decided to try it on one item - a box of records that Bodie keeps trying to chew his way into.  I continued to research the topic and was just reading this one article about how cruel it was when RB said that Bodie was licking the box.  I looked over at him and he was licking his lips as if there was peanut butter on them.  My heart sank as I wondered if we had done the wrong thing.  And what does Bodie do next?  He goes back to the box and licks at the same area again!  It turns out that Bodie loves Tabasco Sauce!  He kept licking that box until all the Tabasco was gone.  Oh, what a puppy!

Surgery

I was going to post a new blog last week but we ended up having to take Bodie to the vet.  It really got me upset and I didn't feel like writing anything.  He has been having a difficult time with teething and his mouth has been really bloody lately.  Then his face got very swollen.  I originally thought it was just a problem with a new tooth coming in before the baby tooth fell out.  But there was just too much swelling so we took him to the vet and he had to have surgery right then and there.  Our poor little puppy had an infection!  The wound was left open so it could drain, so we had to keep him penned up so he wouldn't get blood all over the house.  He is feeling much better now and so I am feeling better.  RB took him to the park and got some new pictures. You can't even tell he had surgery.