Monday Mischief #6 - Trouble is Brewing

When Mr. N makes up his mind to do something, there is no stopping him. 

Mr. N has no concept of his size. 

Mr. N is brave in the face of adversity.

Mr. N fears nothing. Not even a grumble of pugs.

Mr. N is excellent at camouflage and blending in.

In short, Mr. N = trouble.

Puppy Eyes

FitDog Friday #6 - When a Walk isn't Just a Walk

How to intensify walks:

• Practice various obedience and agility skills: Mr. N naturally wants to jump on top of everything. If I see stairs, I have him run up and down them. I have him in a "stay" and tell him to "watch me" for photos. We also practice "leave it" with food and squirrels and cats. People who come over and want to pet him are given treats and have him "dance" or "high five."

• Mental stimulation and new places: I usually take Mr. N with me on errands and around the city so he gets exposure to a wide variety of things. He has ridden in elevators, hopped aboard a trolley and posed for pictures for a Japanese tourist in downtown Portland. I think his favorite store may still be the taxidermy store though. For people who live in less dog-friendly places, going to different streets and places for walks will stimulate your dog as well. 

• Have your dog wear a backpack: Give your dog a job. Make him carry his own water and bags. I'll probably have to settle for Mr. N carrying my keys if I ever find one small enough for him.

Wordless Wednesday #7 - Captive

Tasty Tuesday #1 - Waiting is so Hard

Mr. N kept trying to lick his paws afterwards. I guess they still smelled like liver.

Monday Mischief #5 - Being the Obstacle

I dropped Mr. N off at his former foster family's house so he could play for a few hours while I went to work. They always have a household full of dogs including foster dogs. The new addition to the household: The-Chihuahua Formerly Known As Prince. He's an older Chihuahua mix. Possibly Pomeranian. He's a very sweet and calm dog. Low maintenance (unlike some dogs who I could name). Happy to be where you are and content with short walks.

When I came to pick him up, a potential adopter had come to see TCFKAP. Or she thought she was anyway.

Mr. N thinks attention and adoration from everyone is his rightful due. Apparently, he was putting on quite the show for the adopter prancing about and showing off how cute he is. He probably pulled out his bag of tricks too.

Mr. N making new friends at the park. 

His foster finally had to pick him up to let TCFKAP get some attention. Mr. N tried to stop another dog's adoption!

So what do you say? Worst mischief of this week's blog hop?

In other news, Mr. N:

• Turned off Netflix twice. Someone wants attention.

• Was trying to play with a stuffed toy attached to a balloon at a friend's store. Got tangled and it took me about five minutes to untangle him, the leash and the toy. Sadly, there is no video evidence.

• Suddenly nudged me as we were walking. I look over at him puzzled then notice the dog sticking its head out of the car window. He was telling to tell me hey, I noticed the dog and I was good and didn't bark. Where's my treat?

BW Sunday #6 - Coin-operated Dog

FitDog Friday #5 - Dog Food Saga

Wag 'N Woof Pets asked some questions about Mr. N's diet after reading about his refusal to eat premium kibble.

So what does he eat now? Do you cook for him or feed him canned food? Just curious! :)
Jan, Wag 'N Woof Pets 

Refuses to get out of bed for just kibble.

Mr. N is a finicky wee beastie with decided opinions. After he refused to eat kibble to the point of starving himself, we tried pre-made raw that is locally made. He liked that and he ate that for a few months until he had an attack of acute pancreatitis.

The vet recommended prescription canned dog food but after looking at the ingredients, I just couldn't do it. He wasn't particularly fond of it either. I consulted with a nutritionist and she came up with a diet for him that included pre-made raw (rabbit), rice, white fish and green beans. That did not work well. Mr. N was constantly hungry and hung around the kitchen silently begging for more food. This is a dog that didn't beg while sitting on my lap while I ate a bacon-and-egg sandwich at a cafe.

So once again we switched foods. Now he eats prey model raw. It works for us in a variety of ways. He's always happy to eat and doesn't act starved. His digestion seems better. His coat is shiny and his teeth are in good shape (although I still brush his teeth). It's a little time-consuming especially at first.

For us at least, it is not cheaper than feeding kibble. And this is with the occasional free food from neighbors. We could feed him high quality kibble for about five dollars/month. I'm not quite sure what it averages out to because I don't always buy food every month. I buy food from Asian markets and the raw food co-op.

Mr. N "helps" with the raw food delivery.

Last Friday, I wrote about how I discovered that Mr. N needs to drop a few ounces. Well he lost the majority of that weight already. Over the weekend, he had an upset stomach. Three days of some fasting then a bland diet made those extra ounces disappear. This method is not recommended as a sustainable weight loss method.

Someone was one unhappy dog for a few days. He is very fond of his meals and the bland diet wasn't quite up to his usual standards.

Wordless Wednesday #6 - A Terrier Went to Sea

A terrier went to sea, sea, sea to see what he could see, see, see. 

But all that he could see, see, see was the deep, dark bottom of the sea, sea, sea.

Monday Mischief #4 - No court in the land would convict me

Big dog  people often exclaim that Mr. N is not afraid of anything when they see him playing with bigger dogs. Which isn't technically true but he is overflowing with self-esteem. I took this photo after he frightened a Doberman into hiding behind her owner and tried to eat two pieces of fried chicken and a grape. 

He only tries to eat food objects and will leave it when told. It gets problematic when he finds something before I do and I have to pry it out of his mouth. He has an excellent nose for finding food on the sidewalk. So far he has found a strip of bacon, a chocolate doughnut, and chicken bones about a half dozen times.

I told him to sit in the box and think about his sins but he doesn't look very repentant.  

BW Sunday #5 - By the Sea

FitDog Friday #4 - Weigh-In

Normally people gauge their dog's fitness by their waistline and ribs. I do it by using Mr. N as a dumbbell. Not really but I do pick him up multiple times a day and I felt a difference.

I asked the significant other if he thought Mr. N had gained any weight and he replied in the negative. I still thought something was off so I took Mr. N to the vet and had him weighed. The vet tech told me that he was borderline fit/slightly fat and he should lose half a pound or so. Which means that he should probably lose another half pound on top of that to reach sport dog weight. 

It's a hard balance between leaving enough body fat so that he has a reserve for when he gets sick and keeping him slightly underweight for health and sport purposes. 

I blame the weather. We've still been going on walks everyday but it's so hot and humid that our walks have been shorter (Portland broke a heat record!). I cut back his food slightly and I've tried to up his exercise. So far he has lost three ounces in about two weeks. His next grooming should also help. I weighed him once after a grooming and he was a third pound lighter! 

I taught him during our shaping exercises how to weigh himself. So now when he sees me pulling out the scale, he will go sit on it.

He made a new friend today and the two of them spent a half hour wrestling. I wonder how many calories were burned during wrestling. 

A good dog will...

A good dog will help you hide crumbs but a great dog will help you hide the evidence.

I am not a pest (Visiting the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden for Children)

Beverly Cleary grew up in Portland and based many of her books in her childhood neighborhood in Northeast Portland. Grant Park in particular makes an appearance in many of her books. A group of teachers, librarians and business people raised money to create the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden for Children with three life-sized sculptures of Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Henry's dog Ribsy. I have to admit my sympathies were often with Beezus due to having younger sisters of my own.

We ventured over to Grant Park to visit the sculptures on Sunday. We managed to take a few photos during a quiet moment when the endless stream of children who came to play in the water were elsewhere.

Mr. N behaved himself and took Beezus as a role model rather than Ramona. He didn't beg and waited patiently (for him) while we ate our picnic snacks. He didn't bark at any dogs (except in play) and posed nicely for the photos while trying his best not to get wet. He was not a pest unlike the toddler who kept trying to chase Mr. N around the off-leash area.

Do you have a favorite Beverly Cleary book?

BW Sunday #4 - Swing

Mr. N must look really sad in this photo... I showed it to his former foster family and she said she was going to try to take some photos of her foster dogs in swings to up the adoption appeal!

Canine Dream Job

The New York Times recently did a story on dogs who chase off wildlife at golf courses. I have heard of Border Collies who chase off geese at parks and golf courses before but I didn't know that there were small dogs who do the same thing.

The article mentions Pinki, a four-and-a-half pound Chihuahua and Yorkie mix who works on a golf course in Deleware. She is also a therapy dog.

He added, “She does a great job of chasing off the geese, even though they are bigger than she is.”
Pinki was once held by the boxer Oscar De La Hoya when Di Giorgio still lived in the Caribbean. At Fieldstone, a private club where chemical and pharmaceutical executives play, Pinki has met Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
But Pinki is ready to work when she and Di Giorgio arrive at the course each day about 6 a.m. She runs as many as three miles beside her owner’s cart.
Pinki runs after flocks of geese but carefully avoids the water. She also chases deer and foxes.

Pinki definitely earns her dinner! I love seeing small dogs who prove that they are just as capable as big dogs (in most respects. Mr. N is not going to pull me around in a cart anytime soon).

Mr. N would like to know where he can sign up. He is willing to work for the satisfaction of a job well done. He would like potential employers to know that he has:

• Been accused of trying to herd Border Collies.
• Previous experience chasing geese and ducks away at parks and gardens. 
• Outruns his canine best friend who weighs 70-something pounds.
• High energy + endurance. 

Wordless Wednesday #4 - Waterfall

Think before you leap at Multnomah Falls

We were visiting Multnomah Falls and decided we wanted to hike to the viewpoint.  On the way there, Mr. N spots something moving in the bushes and wants to dive after it. Natural dog behavior right? Well it gets problematic when said bushes are a hundred feet down a steep slope. I could see that he was getting ready to jump so I held onto the leash tight and told him not to even think about it.

This is how high he wants to jump down from.

He always wants to walk on the ledge and look down at things. We passed by a blind dog whose owner said that he likes to walk on the side opposite the ledge so that he knows he is not going to fall. I replied that Mr. N likes to do the opposite because he has no sense of self-preservation. 

We ran into a very brave chipmunk that was nibbling on some Cheetos on the path who didn't move. Mr. N was three or four feet away and about to pounce. A sharp leave it stopped him in time but it was a near call for that chipmunk. Somehow I do not think it will survive to raise many offspring. 

As we walk by this woman, she says, "don't bite me, don't bite me." Mr. N is walking on a loose leash, a couple of feet away from her. He is not barking, growling, lunging or even looking in the woman's direction. 

What was up with that? He showed no interest in her at all. And he was clearly on leash and under control.

Poor Mr. N. Getting blamed for mischief he didn't even do!

Mr. N is not impressed by scenery. He prefers the sight of rodents.