Devil in Disguise

Don't be fooled, this might look like a well-behaved German Shepherd but it is not!  Bodie is the devil in disguise.  Now, don't get me wrong - Bodie is smart, probably too smart for his own good.  But he doesn't want to anything we want him to do. 

 



For example: if he is inside and he wants to go out, he will hit the door knob with his nose.  We open the door and he looks out, looks at us, looks out and he will just stand there not moving.  We close the door and he hits the door knob again.  If we try to force him out, he will turn it into a game.  The same occurs when he wants to come in.  What an obnoxious brat!  But we love him.

Fart Boy!

I don't know what is up with the puppy but he has been soooo stinky lately!  It is time to pull out the candles.  Wait!  It is time to pull out the candles and the tart melts!

 

Of course, I get the stinky end! :)

 

Broken Jolly Ball

Bodie loves his Jolly Ball.  It didn't even matter when it lost its rope.

 

 

German Shepherd and Fireworks II

Well, this is Bodie's second 4th of July and it was not nearly as successful as last year.  This evening, Bodie freaked out at the really loud, booming fireworks.  I was surprised because he was so good last year.  I tried to associate fireworks with positive things by using treats.

 

I took his favorite treat, Beggin' Strips, and broke one into 10-20 little pieces.  Then each time there was the sound of a firecracker he got one.  It worked to a certain extent.  Bodie quit freaking out, and with each firework he looked to see if he would get a piece of Beggin' Strip.  After a while, he only got a piece with the really loud ones.  But he did not go potty before putting him to bed. 

 

I thought I would stay up late and try to take him out after it quieted down.  When I hadn't heard any fireworks for about 20 minutes, I tried to take him outside but a really loud firecracker went off right then and I couldn't get him to even take one step out back.  Oh, well...  I will try again after midnight.

A German Shepherd's Jolly Ball

We have had this Jolly Ball for a year now.  I guess it says a lot about the toughness of the toy that in spite of being Bodie's favorite toy, it still looks good!

German Shepherd with his Jolly Ball

Bodie plays with this ball all the time.  He acts like he wants you to throw it.  He shoves it at you as if he is asking you to toss it but if you grab for it, he suddenly turns it into a game of tug of war! 

How Much Energy Does a German Shepherd Has?

A lot!!  Bodie has so much energy that he could power up a small town!  The trails behind the house keep him energized.  The puppy has made a real race track in the backyard from the middle of the yard around to the back fence, and he runs it all day long.  He goes out in the morning and chases birds and squirrels.  As the trails get busy, Bodie takes to the racetrack.  We bring the puppy in for lunch and keep him in the house for a couple of hours.  Then he goes back outside and runs until dinner time.  Sometimes, we can get his attention for a little time with one of his Jolly Balls, but he takes off as soon as he hears a bike or a horse.  Dinner is around 7 to 8 o'clock, and finally, Bodie crashes for the night.  Of course with it being Memorial Day weekend, the trails are getting a lot of use despite the rain so he has been especially active.  It can be difficult to get a picture of the puppy, so this is the best we could get...

Action Shot!

 

Bodie is Unique

I have had quite a few dogs in my life.  My most recent was another German Shepherd.  Previously, I have had Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Shetland sheepdogs, and Belgian Shepherds but none like Bodie.  Most of my dogs started to calm down by the age of two.  By that, I mean that they could relax around the house.  With Bodie, when he is not in his pen you need to keep your eye on him constantly.  He will cruise the countertops looking for things to grab, mainly paper items but also shoes and clothing.  He takes a lot of energy.

 

I guess he keeps me young.

Terror of the Trails

The terror of the trails is at it again!  Now that our spring weather has finally arrived, the activity on the trails behind our house is picking up.  Which means that Bodie’s backyard patrols are going into full gear.  I don’t know what it is but certain people get him all riled up!  Usually, he is content running his racetrack around the back third of the property with just an occasional bark or two but then something winds him up and he barks furiously at the fence.  I haven't figured out what gets it started, if it is the sound of a person's voice or the kind of bicycle the person is riding, but the puppy needs to make his presence known.  He would take a wide loop around the yard, get a running start, and uses a berm about five feet from the fence as a launching pad.  I was shocked at how high he was getting!   He was managing to get where he could plant his front paws on the upper cross support of a six foot fence.  Bodie could easily have managed to go completely over if he wanted to but he was content to hang there and bark at the offending parties.  Of course, I couldn't have that so we had to block off that part of the yard.

German Shepherd Pointer?

I don't know if I have shared this here since this is the Bodie Blog but Willie was a wonderful dog.  He was calm and gentle and sweet.  My vet said that Willie changed her mind about German Shepherds; she joked that he was really a Golden Retriever in a German Shepherd coat.  So many other people said the same thing, that Willie was not really a German Shepherd.

 

It seems like the same thing is happening with Bodie.  Oh, no, he is not calm and gentle but he is fascinated by birds.  We have a large backyard with lots of trees and bushes.  He runs around chasing birds.  Lately, he has actually started pointing!  He stands there, staring at the bird with one front leg raised.  Just like the pictures you have seen of pointers!  

Maturing

Bodie’s second birthday is coming up in a few months.  He won't be a puppy for much longer!  It occurred to me yesterday how much Bodie has matured in the past few months.

 

I’ve mentioned before how it has been difficult to get the puppy to eat his dinner.  We tried everything we could think of to get him to eat.  We changed his dog food, played with toppings, and tried canned food.  In addition, we changed the size and number of his meals, the time he was fed as well as the location of where he ate.

 

We finally figured out what works for him: one meal in the evenings of a good quality dry dog food with a supplement for itchy skin served in his puppy pen.  Now, at dinnertime we ask Bodie if he wants his dinner and he starts to drool, then he runs back and forth between the kitchen and his pen, and, best of all, he finishes his entire meal!

Toy Redo - Kong Wobbler

As Bodie is getting older he is becoming more food motivated.  So we thought we would pull out his old toy/treat dispenser.  We had purchased a Kong Wobbler when Bodie was a young puppy.  But it didn't keep his attention for long - he just wasn't interested in dog treats.  So we put the Wobbler away in his old puppy crate (which we use it as his toy box).  He has quite a few toys but only a couple are out at a time.  We pulled out the Wobbler a week ago and put some training treats in it.  He will play with it for a loooong time - knocking it, pawing at it, biting it.  It is funny to watch, especially when he tries to bite it - it is big!  I am glad we just put it away and didn't get rid of it.

 

Happy New Year!!!

Bodie has barked in the new year - in accompaniment to all the fireworks set off in our area!  I think we had more fireworks tonight than we had on the 4th of July.  We wish everyone a prosperous new year.