March 19 — Our first night at puppy kindergarten class was…mellow. Truman had just had his nine-week puppy shot, so he was deceptively calm and gave no resistance when I cradled him.
No resistance whatsoever. Nighty-night, little man.
Category Archives: TRUMAN
Since You Asked…
Here are a few more photos. This first one shows Truman in his Happy Place by the door, on the blue rug, snoozing contentedly in modified belly-up position. This is a great showcase for his fancy collar, by the way; Denise made matching collars for Truman and Tai. The collars also perfectly match their GDA jackets. And as soon as Denise gets her website up, we’ll be sure to link here so EVERYONE can wear such attractive accessories!
This is the bunny that came home with Truman as part of his “puppy kit.” A stuffed animal meant as a little comfort item to snuggle with on his first night away from his littermates, the bunny quickly became a target for The Teeth That Know No Rest. He once wore a cute little bow around his neck. A mere two weeks later, it may now be said of bunny that he also once wore a cute little nose.
And this seems to be one of Truman’s favorite toys — a tiny, smiling stuffed carrot (perhaps he is taunting the bunny with it?). It’s one of my favorites as well, so I took a picture of it for posterity, before it is inevitably Trumanated. He’s figured out that it squeaks, and loves to carry it around the house. He’s almost too big for it these days….
The First Few Days
Because I’ve been so remiss in blogging — and because puppies grow so quickly — I’ll catch you up with some photos from our first few days together.
Truman on the balcony, on a sunny SoCal day:
Truman in his Happy Place, near said balcony:
And Truman in his toy basket, looking a bit like a catalog model:
Posted in TRUMAN
Catching Up Is Hard to Do
As if the new puppy weren’t enough of a time filler, I’ve also been experiencing technical difficulties that have precluded me from regular blogging. Technical difficulties of the “re-installation of operating system” kind. And while it’s been a fine opportunity to re-organize the ol’ hard drive, the systematic re-installations of said OS and the rest of my software have proven time-consuming to the point of…well, I’m tired.
The sleep deprivation that comes with a whiny infant pee machine is also unhelpful in this regard.
That having been said, I have finally been able to download a few more photos and find a few moments to blog (special thanks to Wrio’s people, who are hosting wee Truman at their home for an overnight visit, that I may sleep in past the unholy hour of 5:30 A.M. tomorrow). Watch this space over the next few days for some catch-up posts.
Meanwhile, I leave you with this:
Posted in TRUMAN
Otherwise Known As
I love my little Truman. He’s a great dog, truly he is. Smart, aware, terrific with kenneling and cradling and all sorts of things, as if he’d been preprogrammed to do them. But there are a couple of areas that have proven…challenging.
And those challenging areas have inspired nicknames.
The Piddler (It’s like he’s a Batman villain!)
Piddler on the Roof
Stinky PiddlePaws
The Trumanator
Devil Dog
Bitey McBiteBite
My Little Snapping Turtle
OW, DAMMIT! &*$%!!!
Lockjaw
Pierce
Amazing photo courtesy of Tina and Ron, who were kind enough to puppysit the little man while I was away at a fancy gala. Thanks, guys!
Posted in Bad Dog NO, TRUMAN
A Truman Sing-Along
(To the tune of “My Favorite Things”)
Pebbles and asphalt chunks when I “get busy”
Dead leaves and bird poop and slugs gross and fizzy
Rusty old hardware like screws, nails and springs
These are a few of my favorite things
Crunchy wood products like baskets and paper
Clamping my mouth shut to save them for later
Chewing your fingers and denting your rings
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites
When the bee…bites
When I’m feeling like biting
I simply remember my favorite things
That I want to biiiiiiite so baaaaaaaaad
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
Too young to drink beer, and he won’t be having any of the corned beef that’s currently in the crock pot, but Truman gets in the spirit nonetheless.
Tru-ru-roo-ROOOOOOO-man
Looks like I got myself a howler.
He’s definitely…how did Amy put it? “Opinionated.” Truman is a vocal little guy, which is apparently a trait (like many others) he and his brother Tai share. When Truman has to piddle, he whines, which is helpful. When he’s dissatisfied with something, like the amount of attention I’m paying to him, he whines, which is less helpful. Then, when he’s truly upset, he’ll throw back his tiny head and let out the silliest little howl…it sounds like a rooster.
Tempting as it is to try to get a picture of it, I know it’s behavior I’m *supposed* to be correcting….
Posted in TRUMAN
So Far, So Cute
The day went more quickly than I thought it would. After meeting Matt & Amy for lunch at Denny’s — where we were seated at the same table where we ate breakfast before our boys’ graduation a month ago, by the way — we headed to the school for puppy pickup. Because I had received Lomax as a year-old re-homed dog, this was my first pickup day. I was anticipating the works: an hour of fidgeting through Louise’s orientation, drumming my fingers and thumbs on my lap as I stared at the “puppy kits” full of leash/collar/food/bowl/brush and fuzzy comfort toys.
Since everyone picking up a puppy this time was an experienced puppy raiser, however, Louise cut things short. Mercifully short? Perhaps, for most people. I suppose there was a part of me that wanted to go through the whole painful process this time, just for the ceremony, if nothing else. Still, whatever brings the puppies out faster….
Then suddenly someone was handing me the little man, whose tiny tail was already wagging. It didn’t stop.
After putting some littermate scent on the blanket I brought for him, and taking some photos, and trying unsuccessfully to get him to “get busy” on the grass before our 30-mile trip home in Friday afternoon Los Angeles traffic, Amy and I put little Truman in the car for his first ride. He seemed up for the adventure:
After about five minutes, he stopped squirming and settled in for the trip. No car sickness, no piddling… good stuff.
The only thing that was a little rough the rest of the day was potty time. Poor Truman, who had had quite a big day, was a bit lost on the concept of peeing *outside*. Or, at first, peeing at all. For a few hours after we got home, he’d squat and leave a drop or two before I grabbed him and took him out, then he’d refuse to go. Then, when I assume he could stand it no longer, I managed to get him to go on the busy command and he let loose a torrent. As I write this, not quite 48 hours into our association, little Truman is totally down with the concept that going out that particular door, and hearing those particular words, means it’s go time. Good dog!
Of course, he has also decided that peeing in the soft crate in the living room, right on top of the towel/blanket/toy/leash/what-have-you, is also perfectly acceptable (so much for the theory that they won’t soil their beds). I could hardly give him less room in there, so I don’t know what he’s up to, but it’s not about being trapped in a crate that’s too big when you have to go potty. He loves that crate and will willingly trot right in there whenever he feels like it…including when he has to pee. But we’re working on that.
He was pretty tired Friday night, but still eager to play and explore and play the “name game” back and forth between Amy and me, to great comic effect. He wanted to chase his tail and chew his leash and scratch at his collar and eat every molecule of inappropriate material off the surface of the floor, like most puppies do. And by bedtime, we were both ready to crash.
Posted in Pick-Up Day, TRUMAN
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