Wacky Weimaraner Wednesday

The other day I came across this great captioned photo and thank goodness I did because I needed a good laugh that day.

 Because we live in the South, this next one makes me giggle, as well.

I came across a photo of Heidi from about three years ago. The picture quality is horrible but it captures Heidi's goof-ball personality nicely!

Frisbee, anyone?

One of these days, I'm going to get a picture of Heidi's bucked teeth! Have you ever seen a dog with bucked teeth? It is very funny! Because of this little cosmetic flaw, we would never have been able to show Heidi in the ring...so, we got her for a discount! I don't think she would be the same dog without her bucked teeth.

 Of course, there are days when Heidi drives me bat-crap crazy, but there's nothing like cuddling up on the couch with her at the end of a long day. Her personality, dog-ality?, hound-ality? can be a little over-bearing for some, myself included some days, but just like any other family-member, we love her anyway. She is who she is! Obnoxious, hyper, goofy, protective, persistent, stubborn, and incredibly LOYAL! That last part is more than many humans can say for themselves, unfortunately.

Keep an eye out for our upcoming give-away! I'm so excited to introduce to you to a great friend, awesome mom, creative business-owner, and fellow dog lover very soon.

Lady of the Flies

Spring in North Carolina has arrived! Well, it actually (unofficially) arrived a few weeks ago with temperatures

in the 70s-80s. Flowers and trees are blooming. The grass needs to be mowed. Birds are singing and bees are buzzing.

With Spring comes a few nuisances. First, the pollen. Here in the South, it is disgusting. It literally will turn you white, silver, black, or Pepto-Bismal pink car (yes, there is such a car driving around my town) a bright yellow. Gross! What looks like yellow sidewalk chalk coating everyone's driveway is, you guessed it, pollen. I remember our first Spring here; mid to upper 70 degree temperatures was perfect weather for wide open windows in the house. A yellow dusting started to form on my white window sills and because I am from Michigan, I had absolutely no idea where this yellow stuff was coming from. Sure, there is pollen in Michigan but nowhere near the amount we experience here in NC. Slowly, yes I am blonde, I put two and two together. Thankfully, no one in my immediate family suffers from seasonal allergies to the point of needing to keep the windows closed all spring.

When I'm home, my car is in the garage. This car is not mine. http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/healthteam/story/1261521/

The other thing that is a bit of an annoyance is the flies. Because Heidi is constantly knocking at the knob to go out and jumping on the door to come back in (two seconds after going out), the door is continuously being opened and closed allowing a fly or two in the house. There really isn't much Heidi is afraid of but flies are definitely one of them. When there is a fly in the house, Heidi is such a WEENY! She becomes incredibly clingy, I guess they are called "Velcro-Dogs" for a reason.

Velcro-Dog

A few weeks ago I was painting the kitchen. It was a beautiful day out, mid-70s, a gently breeze stirring the pollen around a bit more to torture the poor, allergy stricken people. Hence, Heidi in and out...ALL. DAY. LONG. A particularly large fly made it's way into the house. This scaredy-dog was constantly under my feet. When I was standing on the ladder, she was laying at the foot of it. Our kitchen is not that big but every time I moved, even if it was to move the ladder two feet over, there she was at my hip. It didn't matter that the fly was not even in the kitchen. She knew it was somewhere in the house and she was worried!

Hiding under the table. The fly won't find her there!

She never lays on a hard surface. Desperate times call for desperate measures!

I guess I can't really blame her, though. Dogs have an incredible sense of hearing...when they want to, I should note. She may not hear me tell her to "leave it" eighteen times but she can hear a fly buzzing on the other side of the house. Truly, the sound of a fly buzzing by my head is annoying enough and my sense of hearing is no where near Heidi's. However, for a dog her size, with tremendous speed and agility, it is beyond me as to why she is so afraid of a harmless fly. Nonetheless, my ego is slightly elevated every time she seeks my protection! What's more baffling to me is that when a bee, hornet, or anything else with a stinger is around, she will jump up to try to catch it in her mouth! Really, Heidi? Weimaraners are smart dogs but if Heidi were a real girl, she would be the one in class with a ton of book smarts but really lacking in the street smarts department.

What silly something is your dog afraid of?

The Instigator

The other day, I was repeatedly chastising Heidi for "stealing" Logan's stuffed mountain lion. It wasn't until I saw him actually holding it out for Heidi to take, did I realize she was not at fault. Logan was clearly being an instigator! In true Little Brother fashion, he gave her the stuffed animal and then started whining when she took it from him. Because I had not originally seen him do this, my first thought was that Heidi, hater of all things stuffed, stole the toy from his room and was not giving it to him which led to his whining. Nope! What a little stinker! Poor Heidi, I felt so terrible. If that dog could talk, I can only imagine what she would have said to me. "He started it!". "But MOM, he said I could have it!". "Blame the dog, it's ALWAYS my fault!".

Here's another example of my son, the 16 month old rabble-rouser. At each meal, Logan sits in his high-chair and Heidi lays a foot or two from it. Gosh forbid she is any further than that and a bit of food falls from his tray giving me time to scoop it up before she can inhale it. Logan has started placing a bit of food on the edge of his tray just for Heidi. He'll slide it over to the far edge, tap on the tray and say, "Ha-di, Ha-di". Of course, if I don't get 18 "Leave-it" commands out before she sees the food, it's gone in a flash. At this point, I can't scold one without scolding the other. Truly, Logan started it...again! Heidi didn't have to follow through but in her mind she is absolutely starving, going to wilt away at any moment, only gets fed twice a day. Don't you feel pity for her?

One last example. Heidi is minding her own business (for once), chewing on her bone. Out of nowhere comes the tyrant toddler and snatches the bone right out of her paws. He scurries away giggling and waving it wildly in the air. Heidi catches up with Logan and attempts to grab it back, with me yelling "EASY! EASY!" after her. She is able to get her teeth on 1/16th of the bone, the only part not wrapped in chubby, baby fingers and gently (shocking, I know!) pulls it out of his hands. Logan is no longer giggling...he's whining. This scenario usually repeats itself for a good five minutes until Heidi just gives up and lays on the couch...defeated by a toddler. Now don't you feel pity for her?

Heidi's bone is in Logan's left hand on the end table. He just looks at her saying, "Come and get it!".

Heidi has taught Logan how to play fetch. She brings him a toy, literally drops it either at his feet or right next to him, for him to throw for her. Unfortunately at 16 months old, Logan is no Roger Clemens so the toy usually lands within a few inches of him. For Heidi, that's fine. After she drops the toy near him, she will run around behind our living room chair and wait for the toy to be throw down the hallway. Hmm, maybe that's not such a great habit to teaching our toddler. Oh well! Anyway, she waits patiently there until the toy is thrown. Because Logan's throws don't go too far, Heidi still has to run around the chair to fetch it, all the while burning a teensy bit of built up energy with each toss. Then, Logan will run up to her, grab the toy, and a fun game of keep-away ensues.  

Heidi is ready to play fetch!

Logan threw the toy and is now trying to get it back.

Such a good little brother.

Now time to rest! :-)

 I apologize for being behind the past few weeks updating this. There's plenty more to update you on before we leave for Orlando next Friday! Thanks for stopping by; feel free to leave us some Wiggle-Butt love below! :-)

Recipe Review: Rachel Ray's Pupkin Biscuits

Heidi has been out of treats for about a week now. To her, that is an eternity! I usually pick up Old Mother Hubbard peanut butter biscuits while buying her dog food. Well, the past few times I have been at the store, I forgot to pick up the treats. I know, I am a terrible doggy mommy. Thankfully, for her, she hasn't needed to be crated much this past week. Logan and I haven't been out much lately because the poor little man contracted croup from one of his grubby, germy friends at daycare. Last Tuesday, I walked in to pick Logan up from daycare to see another child (grubby, germy friend) hacking up a lung within inches of my son's face. GROSS! But what can I do, they are toddlers, they don't know to cough into their sleeves yet. Okay, now that I am a touch off topic, let's get back to my Wiggle Butt.

In every issue of Everyday With Rachel Ray magazine, Rachel Ray ends with a dish specifically for your dog. Issue after issue, I say to myself, "I think I'll make that for Heidi." Do I ever? Sadly, no..no, I don't. Well, that all changed today. I held on to the October 2011 issue just so that I could make the Pupkin Biscuits for Heidi. Click here for the recipe. Just in case Rachel is reading (a girl can dream), thanks for including every family member, even the four-legged ones, when creating your recipes!

These biscuits are super easy to make, requiring only 4 ingredients. I followed the recipe exactly as is...for the most part. Because the 2 1/2 cups of flour REALLY dried the dough out, to the point of crumbling in my hands and under a rolling pin, I added another 1/2 of pumpkin puree. The dough was much easier to work with after adding the extra pumpkin. Yesterday being Valentine's Day, I wanted to use my heart cookie cutters but they were no where to be found. My star cookie cutters were sitting happily in the drawer, waiting eagerly to be used. The recipe also says to bake the biscuits for 20 minutes, flip, and then bake for another 20 or until the biscuits were hard. After flipping, I only put them in for another 10 minutes, pulled them out and they were plenty hard. I know dog biscuits are typically quite hard, but I have been known to overcook (blackened grilled cheese anyone?) and over bake (care for a chocolate chip hockey puck?) a few things, I didn't want to disappoint Heidi.

Ready for the oven.

An hour later (30 minutes baking time + cooling time) it's taste testing time!

The verdict is in:

She gobbled it right up!

Logan was upset that he couldn't have a sample!

I think this is an easy recipe to play around with, too. Next time, I might use natural, unsweetened apple sauce, mashed bananas and peanut butter, or grated cheese in place of the pumpkin. Either way, I think Heidi will love them.

Heidi's treat jar is full once again!

In other news, a friend sent me this story on Facebook and I just HAD to share it! This is a story about Maverick, a rescued Weimaraner, who showed at Westminster. It's a truly touching story and I hope you like it as much I as do. Read Maverick's story here! Thanks for sharing it with me, Jessica!

Do you make treats for your pups? Feel free to share your recipe. If you decide to make these biscuits, I would love to hear how yours turned out. Now, do me a favor, will you? Leave a comment and/or share my blog! Thanks for reading!

Crate Training

Crate training a pup is one of those issues that many people are whole heartedly for or against. In my not-so-professional opinion, crate training is fantastic when done correctly and used for the right reasons. A crate is very useful for potty training, transporting, feeding times, and to keep the pet safe while the owner isn't home. The crate should not be used for punishment and the poor pup should not be left in there for EXTENDED periods of time. When I say an EXTENDED period of time, I mean for 3/4 of the day. In my opinion, that is not fair to the dog. Think of it this way, how would you like to be confined to a tight spot while holding your bladder for 16+ hours a day?! Not fair! Also, the crate should NOT be used as punishment for your children. Have you seen the news lately? Seriously, there are people who have been using their dog crates to punish their children. I'm not making this up! It's awful! So remember, dog crates are for dogs...not people. ;-)

There are a few things to think about when purchasing a crate for your dog: 1) Size. The dog should be able to stand-up, turn around, and lay down comfortably in the crate. Think about how large the dog will be once it is full grown. Buy a crate to accommodate that size. Heidi's crate is HUGE and it takes up quite a bit of space. This is the same crate we have used with her since the day we brought her home at 8 weeks old. We didn't find it necessary to buy one for her puppy size because like weeds...and kids, puppies grow so quickly. 2) Wire versus plastic versus decorative. There are quite a few styles to choose from. Most pet stores only carry the wire and plastic crates. The nice decorative ones can be found online, for a pretty penny. One of the things I like about Heidi's wire crate is that we can fold it up to transport or to store. You can't do that with a plastic one. It also has a removable plastic tray which makes clean up very easy.  The plastic ones, on the other hand are great to use if you need to fly with your dog.

Heidi's large wire crate. 

There is plenty of information out there on how to properly crate train your pup. It's not rocket science, really. Pick a command that is short and easy to remember. For example, my parents have always used, "Kennel up!". Jeff and I tell Heidi to "Go to bed!". Every time you want the pup to go in the crate, give the dog the command and once the dog is in the crate, whether you picked the pup up and placed them in the crate or they walked in on their own, give him/her a treat, praise, and/or pat on the head. My parents dogs always get a treat and so does Heidi. We have used this same command, followed with a treat for over three years. This is one command that I can give Heidi ONE time and she listens. She's very driven by food.

Heidi modeling her crate. She is able to stand and turn around in it.

What else do we put in Heidi's crate? Not much! When she was a little pup, she had a little bed, blanket from the breeder, and a stuffed bunny which also came from the breeder. Now, she only has a wool blanket ($10 from Wal-Mart). Because Heidi HATES anything poly-fiber filled, it wouldn't last an hour in her crate. We'll also put a toy, such as a Kong in the crate with her when we leave.

She even did her "hair" for the photo shoot. One ear back is the style these days!

We only crate Heidi when we leave the house. It's not that we can't trust her, because we have left her numerous times in the house when we have left and she has been great; no accidents and nothing destroyed. However, now that we have an alarm system in our house, I have to crate her so that I can set the alarm. Heidi loves her crate! She will go in there on her own some days, just to get away and have some peace and quiet. Logan likes to pester her while she's napping on the couch, so it's also a place to get away from the toddler that keeps touching her feet and leaning in for wide-open mouth kisses.

Will do anything for a treat!

What are your thoughts on crate training? We love to hear about your dogs!

Our Favorite Dog Park

Last Saturday, Logan, Heidi, and I met our friends, Mike, Kim and their dog, Friday out at Martin Dog Park. Martin Dog Park in Aberdeen, North Carolina is the most beautiful dog park we have ever been to. Granted, we have not been to all that many, three in total, but this park is by far a gem. Even though it takes us about 45 minutes to drive there, it is well worth it. To me, a tired Weimaraner is a good Weimaraner. When Heidi is able to run, sniff, and play until her four legs can barely hold her up any longer, that is a great day! It is also a great place to wear out an active 15 month old. More on that in a bit.

Success! Heidi is tired from our afternoon at the dog park!

The park is approximately 5 acres, with trails, and a cool, fresh water creek running through it. It is not entirely fenced so there are times when an owner doesn't feel confident enough in their dog's recall to let them off leash, especially if it is their first time at the park. Thankfully, Heidi's recall is pretty darn good. Much of the time, we don't need to call her back. She runs ahead to scope things out for us and then comes back around. Hey, the more energy she burns with the back and forth running, the better in my book. During the summer, the fresh water creek is the place to be. The dogs can cool off, get a drink, and run wild through the water. Heck, even on a cool January afternoon, they love it! It's great to see some of the shaggy breeds meander into the creek and just lay down in the middle of it. You can just hear their sigh of relief.

The paws are starting to drag a bit.

The people are all really nice, as well. Most people don't know each other's first names, only their dog's name. "Oh, you're Heidi's mom, right?" I get that a lot. Every now and then, Heidi is confused for another female Weim, named Mickey. We usually run in to many of the same people, which is great. However, there is one guy that I try to avoid if I can. He always asks me what our dog's name is. When I tell him, "Heidi", he always responds with, "You know Heidi wasn't from Germany, don't you?" He's referring to the movie, Heidi. Really? I had no idea! That's what I would like to tell him. Anyway...It is always nice to meet other Weim owners. They just seem to really GET us.

Logan, loves going to the dog park, too. It really is no wonder why his first word, other than Mama and Dada, was dog. Every dog that came by us, he would say, "Dog, Dog". Because the park wasn't too busy when we were there, I let Logan walk much of the time. He got a few noses to the face, a lick here and there, and knocked over once, but he loved every minute of it. Seriously, he giggled when he was knocked over. Silly kid. There was one dog, a Dachshund, that came within a few feet of Logan and just started barking at him. So, I picked Logan up right away. As I was doing so, the owner came over, grabbed his dog, apologized and told me that his dog wasn't good with kids. That is something I am completely aware of when we are at the dog park. Not all dogs do well with children. If Logan is walking, he is always within arms reach of me, otherwise, he is on my back in the Ergo Baby Carrier.

 Sorry for the lack of pictures in this post. It is a little difficult to manage a dog, toddler, and camera all at once. If you are ever around Aberdeen, NC with your pooch, check out Martin Dog Park. Feel free to leave a comment about a great dog park in your area or ways in which you burn your dog's energy. I love reading comments! :-)

A Boy and His Weim

Heidi getting a hug from Logan.

We have been asked a few times from random people how our crazy dog is with the baby. In all honesty, she is pretty good around him. When Logan was days old, whenever he would cry, Heidi would check on him, see that he was being taken care of and then go back to whatever she was doing. When Logan learned to laugh, Heidi got more laughs out of him than Jeff and I combined! Of course, she has her moments where her sights are set on something or she doesn't realize her wiggle butt is as big as it is and he inevitably gets knocked down. Those moments are not very often and when Heidi realizes she has knocked him over, she will go over to him and apologize by nudging him with her nose or giving him a small lick.

Checking each other out.

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

Heidi and Logan are beginning to be great buddies. Now that Logan is getting bigger, he is able to throw Heidi's toys for her, ride her like a small horse...even though that is "frowned upon" in our house, and she lets him give her hugs and kisses. It really is hysterical when Logan goes to give Heidi a kiss because he is still a wide open-mouth kisser and he always comes up with a few bits of dog hair around his mouth. Once he gets the pucker down, I think that will help. Every morning when Logan wakes up, he walks out into the living room waving and yelling "Ha-da". Right before bed each night, Logan waves good-night to Heidi, as well. Most of the time, she isn't paying attention to him waving good-night but it is really sweet to see him waving at her.

Heidi is very good about sharing her toys with Logan...most of the time.

Probably because she knows he will give them back.

Now she may just be incredibly patient with him because she knows he will give her his food. At each meal, Logan takes a bite, offers me a bite, and then throws a bite Heidi's way. Of course, he never has to throw it very far, as she is within inches of his high-chair. So annoying, to me at least. Logan doesn't seem to mind one bit. I'm not worried about Heidi gaining weight because of the table scraps she's been receiving from her little bro; however, the dog toots almost every time she sits down. Logan thinks it's funny. He recently heard one of her toots and started giggling. Well, how could I NOT laugh, then.

Not a recent photo but that's where Heidi is at meal-time.

Having a pet will help Logan learn responsibility, compassion, and how to pick up poop in the backyard. It's a skill, really...it is! I cannot wait to see how Logan and Heidi's relationship flourishes as he gets older.

Notice the bag of carrots in Logan's hand. He knows the way to her heart!

Please feel free to share a story about your childhood pet or your kids growing up with a pet! They really are great companions, don't you think?