Sick puppy

Dragon's been constipated and then having diarrhea on and off for a couple of days. Today he turned up his nose at both of his regular foods, though he did eat some small treats. He threw up bile and mucus (fortunately that happened in the bathtub while I was washing his butt off). We skipped agility class and he slept most of the day. In the evening I made him a most delicious dinner of brown rice and boiled chicken.



His brother would have stolen it if I hadn't been there to intervene.





I hope this illness passes soon.

Another barometer

Dragon and Jasper just played for the first time since immediately after his eye injury in mid-October! I am over the moon! I've said it before but now it feels more true than ever: I have my puppy back!

Cameo by Jasper: begging in kitchen

This video shows some behavior modification I've done with Dragon's brother, Jasper Fforde.

It's playtime!

Last week, Dragon wanted to wrestle with me for the first time in about a month.

Last night and one time last week, he muzzle-punched the cat and tried to get him to play.

This morning after chasing a thrown food-stuffable toy a few times, he grabbed it as I was holding it and started tugging.

My puppy is feeling better!! I am over the moon.

This is the food toy I made, by the way:



It's made of fleece. The flap has a magnetic close.

playtime videos

Wrestling with my hand. Look how aggressive he is!!

(Denise Fenzi would be proud.)

Playing with Jasper Fforde:

They get along very well now. I just have to make sure that Dragon doesn't pester him when Jasper is done playing.

Take your dog to someone else's work day, and DIY agility

I work at a doggie daycare/boarding center, and usually Dragon comes to work with me. Unfortunately when we're in a busy season and filling up, as we do in August, staff dogs are not allowed to come in for free. I've been recruiting my roommate and neighbors to take Dragon out for a potty break midway through my shift. Today none of them were available, but my landlord offered to take Dragon to work with him. This was a brand new adventure -- being taken away from Momma and spending all day in a new place with people he doesn't know very well. I was very nervous as I watched them driving away with my pup. All went well, though, and this was the text I received at the end of the day:

"Dragon was an angel. He never seemed bothered by anything and was very attentive to my wishes. I put him back inside your place."



Good dog! He was even loose in the house for an hour between that text and my coming home, and nothing was chewed up, and Jasper did not seem stressed out by possibly being chased around the entire hour. I don't usually leave him out of his crate when I'm out but it's good to know that (sometimes) he can behave himself.

Since I had a couple dog-free hours between seeing Dragon off and going to work myself, I took a trip to Urban Ore, a center for buying all kinds of used household construction/remodeling stuff. I purchased six cabinet doors, two thin, rectangular wooden boards, three door hinges, nails, a stack of long and thin wooden slats, and PVC. Then I went to OSH to buy more PVC and a foam tube.



This stuff is going to become my low-cost, small-sized agility practice equipment! After I get some paint and sand and one metal tube, I'll be able to turn this stuff into a pause table, wobble board, a-frame, dog-walk, teeter, and jumps! Once again the advantage of Tiny Dog is that his practice equipment can be much smaller and less sturdy compared to competition equipment.

Sharing is caring.

On Thursday I was able to witness Jasper and Dragon sharing a sleeping spot for the first time. Jasper had tried to lie down by Dragon a couple of times before, but each time, Dragon had shot up from his spot and run away. This time he stayed, and I was lucky enough to have my camera on hand.



This was immediately after Jasper settled down. Dragon has raised his head and is looking at Jasper with his ears pulled back, expressing mild concern at their proximity. Note that he is not looking directly at Jasper's face -- his gaze is directed past his face and slightly to the right. Looking right at another animal's face would be at best impolite in dog language, and at worst a threat.



Jasper turned his head to look at Dragon, and Dragon immediately turned his head away. This is a polite social signal to keep the peace, and an expression of mild discomfort (note that his ears are still pulled back and his face is tense), and a check-in with me to make sure that I have his back and everything's okay.



The moment passes. Jasper has laid his head down to sleep. Dragon starts to relax and also lays his head down. The mirrored body language is an acceptance of sharing the small space, though his ears aren't back to neutral position yet (though it's possible that that's just because he's listening to the clicks and whirrs from the camera).



Finally, after the "conversation" is complete, Dragon truly relaxes and stretches out as he's most comfortable. Honestly I think that Jasper was oblivious to the whole thing. Then again I'm not as familiar with cat body language so perhaps I am the oblivious one!

Camera outtake

Sometimes when I'm training Dragon, Jasper provides a useful distraction to work through. Sometimes he gets in the way. And sometimes he provides comedic value.