Wackies: September 2006

BIg Apple...Here We Come!

We're going to NYC! Main reason for going there is because it is my parent's 35th Wedding anniversary and we asked them where they wanted to go. After some thought, mom wanted to head to NYC and check things out there. Other options were a cruise, Hawaii, Mexico.

We will be there from October 24-November 05 and will be staying in New Jersey because we have relatives there. It will be nice because there are relatives that I have not seen in over a decade! Plus it will be nice for our immediate family to get together again.

Now comes to planning the trip and what we want to do. Of course we will be doing family stuff and the obvious tourist things! We will also try to catch a Broadway show and maybe even Letterman! So many things so little time!

So if anyone has any suggestions of what to do, let us know!

Wackie

Dog Park: Mud, Water and Drool = 1st Wash

This pass Sunday, we decided to take Kona out to the Tewilleger dog park to socialize with others and to test to see if he would like the water. Turns out, Kona loves big dogs. He sniffs little ones, then just goes on to chase and play with the big dogs. And I mean Big dogs! He barely keeps up, but he's happy running along with them. One thing we found out though, is that we need to practice his "come". No troubles though. Along the river bank, we came across and lab and a Doberman that were swimming in the river. After a few toe tips, Kona decided to try it out. He walked in the water, and then must of hit a deeper section as he went under. It was quite funny. After that, he didn't attempt again, but he kept watching the big dogs swim. I think in time, he'll join in on the fun.
After a good hour of playing, Kona was a mess. So once home, it was our first attempt in washing him down. He actually did really well until we got to the rinsing the soap off. He decided he wanted to start running. Sigh... None the less, the dog is clean. Lets just hope he stays clean for awhile.

Improvements!

Okay, not home improvements, but Kona improvements. The one problem we had was trying to get Kona to go into his crate and sleep at night. In the past week, we pretty much had to calm him down and pick him up and place him in the crate. Now for the past few days he's been going in there himself!

It pretty much started when I picked him up and placed him inside. I kept the door open and just let him lay there, pet him, and comfort him with "Good Kona, you're such a good boy Kona" and the like (plus feeding him treats helped too). He eventually fell asleep and I just left it open for him. He slept for about 15 mins and got out. Since then, he pretty much goes inside himself and sleeps! Pretty cool...

Oh and speaking of improvements (home that is), the contractors are not very organized. We had to pick out our vanity (which we did) and they were to order it. They never did it until they were going to install it and lo and behold it was not in stock so we had to wait a few weeks. Now the same goes for out flooring. I informed them a month ago what we wanted and again they just went to pick it up and again, it had to be ordered! Getting a little cheezed with everything!

But on the other hand, I have done most of the insulation and still working on the vapour barrier, then it is good to go with the drywalling.

Anyways, guess I should get bakc to work!

Wackie

Puppy Training = Owner Training

Whew, it's been just over 1 week since we brought home our bundle of joy. It's already been a journey. After bringing him home last week, Kona decided to stop eating. Turns out, our pup is a very emotional puppy. With all the sudden changes, it was too much for him. After a few days of this, we decided to bring him to the Vet to ensure all was okay. Vet suggested that we start cooking him boiled rice and chicken breast. This pup is eating better than his owners! He won't be on this diet for too much longer, we just hope, he'll actually eat his puppy food.
What has Kona taught us so far... he has taught us to always keep an eye on him. You just never know what he'll get into next. Also, leave toys in every area so that if he has an urge to chew, you have something to hand him right away. And the biggest thing he has taught us, or still is trying to teach us is Patience! Kona is one smart puppy, and in many ways, I wish he wasn't so darn smart. But I guess the lesson is, be careful what you wish for. Smart dogs may be easy to train, but they can also train you.

Today, I'll be bringing our little Kona to Petsmart for his first potty training session. He'll soon be enrolled in Puppy classes. Hopefully I can train him out of talking back. I don't know where he learned that, but I'm sure my mom would be pleased to hear that Kona is talking back to me. After all, she always said, "Oh wait till you have kids!"

God, give us Patience.