Bosco Dog Blog

Any other dogs like the bump? You know what I'm talking about ... when you take your head or snout and put it under your human's arm (especially when they are working on a computer) and then push up, bumping their arm up? It is so cool and works everytime for me. I usually start bumping around 3:30 because I'm getting ready for my afternoon walk and I like to start reminding her of it around 3:30 - in case she might forget about it (though she has never forgotten - probably b/c I bump her).

Humans don't seem to really like the bump, though. Joan usually has her hand on something called a mouse or she's typing and then my bump messes up whatever she's doing. Ha! That's the point: do what I want and I'll leave you in peace. She doesn't like it. And doesn't buy it. She tells me to "go lie down on your bed" and then I gotta go lie down for a while UNTIL I bump again. hee hee.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Hey Joan and I went to the dog park this morning which was very nice - though a bit icy and crunchy due to all the dogs and people who walk on it. When we got back to the car, Joan pulled out that funny yellow drink cup thing that her mom bought for me. This time, I really loved it. And I drank almost the whole container of water. It seemed so fresh - and I was thirsty! I'm sold now on it even though I was a little afraid of it at first.

At the park, Joan pulled a "dog whisperer" move. We watch that show a lot so I know all the moves. Some little yippy dog was barking and yipping at me and I was getting annoyed. Joan pointed her finger at the dog and said "shh, shh" like she does to me when I walk too fast or go after squirrels. The yippy dog immediately stopped making any sounds or bothering me. It was incredible. Way to go, Joan! Joan wonders if the dog's people would be mad at her for "disciplining" their dog but who cares - they were not close to us - and it got the dog off my back.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Joan has started to give me stuff to do again, which is good since I really like work! I'm a work dog and sitting on the couch and writing this blog just isn't enough to keep me happy. I mean it is okay but I really like other tasks. So recently she's been making me practice tasks such as: SIT, DOWN, STAND (that is a new one that I only kind of know), STAY, COME. I already knew these but we weren't really using them all that much. The best part is that I get treats for doing them which makes me wag my tail a lot!

Right now, I have a hard time remembering how to go from a DOWN to a SIT. We never did that before, so it is hard to remember that it is even possible. The other one that is new is STAND. This usually happens when I'm sitting and then Joan says STAND and I should stand up but not really move.

Joan was getting sick of me licking the dishes in the dishwasher (the dirty ones - the clean ones are not interesting to me). So she already was making me go DOWN and STAY while she loaded the dishwasher. It doesn't work well when there are others in the house though because I get distracted. I can work on that.

Later on, I'll show some pictures of our walk around Lake Calhoun last Saturday and all those funny people on skates with sticks (they scare me) on the icy lake.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Today much to my horror, Joan cut my toenails. They have gotten very long and I guess she felt the need to cut them. She always tries and manages to cut one toenail and then I freak out and start fidgeting and licking and just getting in the way preventing her from cutting any more nails. But today she surprised me with a new tactic....
First she brushed me - I love that! It is like a massage for people, I bet. Then, she brought several things over to the rug - the nail cutter, some treats, the leash (I got really excited when I saw that!), and another device I did not remember. So since she had been brushing me, she first put my collar back on - I was so excited because sometimes that means we are going to the dog park. But then, she put on the special device - called a muzzle! Geez - the last time I had this on was last summer when another dog I did not like very much came over to my house. She put that on and I was very sad. I just kind of stood there very disappointed in Joan. Then she put on the leash and then, egads, she bent over and started cutting my nails while stepping on the leash which prevented me from moving very much. Generally, it went okay - she managed to cut my front 8 nails and then she gave me 3 treats after taking off that horrible muzzle.

True to my generous spirit, I was not any worse for the wear. I ate my treats and was happy with Joan. Then she took me on a walk. She's been working with me to stop pulling and today I did a longer walk and was pretty good with not pulling. Of course, I still need the lure of food to keep me in check.

That's it from the city of Minneapolis for today. The only other thing is that I really wish all those homeowners would clear the ice off their sidewalks! Both Joan, and I keep slipping and it is no fun.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Oh, boy, I ended up getting shocked yesterday again. This was just a day after the neighbor asked Joan if the ultimate goal was to be able to take off the shock collar after I had learned the boundaries of the invisible fence. She said that theoretically you could do that, but if the dog went into the area and did not get a shock, it would be confusing to the dog.
And then, last night, I was bouncing at the back door because I saw several squirrels outside on the wall of the garage. Joan let me out, and I ran down the stairs and ran through the grassy "no-dog" zone and as I neared the garage, ready to jump up after the squirrel, I cried out, "errr owww, errr" and ran into the rest of the yard. Eeks - I learned my lesson yet once again!
I have, though, demonstrated that I know where the invisible fence is. Like when Tim, the neighbor comes over to give me a treat. I used to run down to the gate and jump up, wagging my tail. Now, I have to wait on the stoop for him to come inside the gate. I've been very good about waiting for him and, of course, then he usually has a tasty treat, too.
I also nearly, seriously, nearly got a squirrel the other day. Joan said she could see my teeth and mouth open ready to dig in. But the squirrel (smartly) ran into the raspberry bushes (the no-dog zone), so I just stopped and was a little bummed that I could not follow.
Joan tells me that tomorrow we are going to a state park to walk through the beautiful trees. My dog friend, Bailey, is coming along too so I'm super happy - that is as long as I remember him (I do sometimes forget people or dog friends that I've already met.) And next week Joan is having visitors, so I'm looking forward to the full house - more people to pet me!!!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 2:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, somehow on Monday, I was able to run through the invisible fence area and jump over the low fence to the neighbor's yard without getting shocked. I must have done it in less than 2 seconds (when the shock starts). Then Joan yelled for me to come back and I did, but before she got the gate open, I got shocked because I was standing there and the gate area is wired. I hated that! Then she moved me away from the area and took the collar off so I could walk back into the yard. That freaked me out, so now I am again walking cautiously around the yard. I don't want to get shocked again.

Yesterday, though, progress was made. Joan walked to the alley area to water a plant. I wanted to follow her, but she told me no and to stay several times. I went over and laid down and waited. She walked all the way to the alley, watered the plant, and then returned along the invisible fence area and I was still laying there, waiting like a very good dog!!!! She gave me a treat and a lot of praise. I love that.

Meanwhile, the neighbors next-door kept yelling at their new puppy and saying "no". Quite a difference in training approaches, I'd say.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Today, I got to go on a picnic. Well, Joan only gave me a tortilla chip so she got most of the food. I was let off leash and was very good to only fetch a stick and not run away after squirrels. We then went all along the M. River along the western bank. There are many "beaches" along there so I went swimming and retrieved sticks from the water, like a good labrador retriever. I saw two other dogs - a polka dotted mix and another brown dog like myself. There were also people fishing and sunning themselves as well along the river. I saw a big, dead fish and was just about to roll myself all over it when Joan saw what I was about to do and called me vehemently to move away from it. So I did - no problem - I was just as happy to run and jump in the water.
I'm also being trained on an invisible electric fence. So far, I gotten 3 shocks - none since last Sunday night. Today, Joan let me off leash in the yard and I haven't gone beyond the flags yet, even when I see a squirrel in the neighbor's yard. I think I know what I'm doing, but Joan doesn't trust me totally yet.

Well, I'm bushed. I'm going to take a little nap...

Posted by Joan Hughes at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)