Happy 4th Birthday Momo!

I'm late posting, but we celebrated Mokey's 4th birthday a week or so ago. She enjoyed some hamburger with a sprinkle of parmesian. Yum yum.

Mokey's Top Ten (in this exact order)
1. Water Hose
2. Family (now starring my brother's fiance! yay! another win for us - she was awesome by the way - super patient and very good at not looking at the 85lb dog kissing her). 
3. Chasing Squirrels
4. Clicker training & Nose works (Duck treats!)
5. Watching us cut up chicken/smelling chicken/eating chicken
6. Car Rides
7. Belly Rubs
8. Hanging out in yard
9. Tackling anyone who lies/sits on the floor
10. Playing with Chase

Still Hates: 
1. First and foremost the possum! 
2. Vets office
3. Harnesses
4. The words 'go tub' and then the resulting bath (but bless her for actually going to the tub - even if she does hang her head and pout while she does it)
5. Hand sanitizer (not kidding - she sneezes 5-6 times every time anyone sprays it, even if you're trying to be super careful and hold it far away from her).

Some Unhappy Adventures

So about a month ago, just before July 4th, Mokey decided to get a bladder infection. We went to the vet on Wednesday thinking vaginitis because she lacked several symptoms that would indicate an infection. So we came home with a medicine that ended up being completely useless and Mokeys symptoms got worse. I have to say, Mo has never been more pathetic than she was that week. She was restless and panting heavily and demanding attention and if she weren't crazy I would have just rushed her in to any vet.

But since she is crazy, we were trying to hold out until the next available appointment with our regular vet. Of course, she also decided to do this over the July 4th weekend - which makes sense, since it is Momo and she can't do anything the easy way. Anyway, Friday night arrives and I literally cannot go to sleep because the only thing that seems to make her feel more comfortable is for me to let her sit right next to me while I pet her. Obviously, after that, we mutually sucked it up and went to the emergency vet on Saturday.

While she may have completely lost her cookies outside when the very tall and male emergency doctor came outside to see us and even though she insisted on climbing up on the bench and hiding behind mom and I for the entirety of the visit - she did beautifully. We were there for 6 hours - I'm not exaggerating. If you get nothing else from this then make sure you keep your pets inside and safe around July 4th because if you end up at the emergency vet - you'll be there a VERY long time (I won't even mention the bill!). Anyway Mokey survived and we went home with a powerful antibiotic that helped within 24 hours. We may have also stopped and gotten a hamburger on the way home to help brighten everyone's spirits. ;)


Last week, we ended up back at the vet with similar symptoms and Mokey again suffered through a battery of tests. This time she came up clean so we're playing a familiar game called: watch and see/seasonal allergies anyone?

Part of last weeks exam was to address a limp that has recently appeared. Since Mokey greets family and chases squirrels with unbridled enthusiasm it's hard to know for sure how she hurt her left front leg. But the vets recommendation was rest and on-leash walks. I groaned as soon as she said it and if Mokey could understand English - she probably would have cursed. This week we've been trying our very best to stay quiet and not strain muscles but I kind of feel like Mokey is that little kid in kindergarten who's supposed to sit still and literally cannot physically do it.We're trying all the same. Wish us luck!

Eureka!

Today, we have made an accomplishment! I know most people will think I'm insane for being so happy about it, but I don't care - it's a win and I'm taking it! Mokey has always been terrified of the basement stairs. As in won't go near them, and will give you the worried, furrowed brow if you choose to go near them. This normally isn't a problem since she never goes down there. Until tornado season. Every year we've had the worry - how are we going to get Mokey down the stairs? I drug her during tornado weather and we still end up forcing her down the stairs to the basement. She shakes and shivers the whole way and I've never felt more cruel in my life. Of course I know it's to keep her safe, and because we can't bear the thought of leaving her upstairs to fend for herself if a tornado hits the house - but it's been torture for everyone. So this year, for Christmas, I asked for carpet covers for the basement stairs thinking that would help her overcome the worst part of her fear (the wooden stairs are slippery and they make it even scarier for a big dog when she slips or falls. Also, on a separate note, carpet covers are expensive! I mean, really? That much? for some carpet you stick on with adhesive? Sheesh. Also, thank you mom!!).

Today, in preparation for tornado weather, I installed the stair covers and Mokey has gone up and down the stairs several times! We are proud! And accomplished! My three year old dog can finally do the stairs! ... please don't judge ;)

Initially, it looked rather bleak, I thought the carpet wasn't going to help us at all because Mokey took one look at the new and improved stairs and went running. But, I pulled out my clicker and her favorite treats and we started with just looking at the scary stairs. And then she had to move towards the stairs. Then we did one step and two steps and the top section of the stairs and pretty soon we were all the way at the bottom! Of course, it took all day. Short little, very positive sessions where she was rewarded for moving closer by getting to move away to find a yummy treat. But to make all of that progress in one day was incredibly fast for Mokey! Now I just have to ensure we practice it over the next few days so that she remembers it's not scary. But it's so relieving to know she can do it on her own now and in a true emergency I won't have to traumatize her anymore. Anyway, since I'm a nerd and I had high hopes for her success and we've been trying to accomplish this for awhile, I took pictures. of course.

If you ever wondered what Mokey looks like when she's very very worried then here is a perfect example. Note the furrowed brow, the whites of her eyes, the upturned eyebrows and tight lips. Oh yes, she's worried. Sooo worried. She had to do the first step numerous times before we were ready to do the second step.

We made it to the middle landing! We enjoyed a nice break here to de-stress a little and we did just the first half of the stairs several times before moving on.  ;)

The bottom - we made it! We also have very large crazy eyes! She got to have a giant party at the bottom and she's accomplished the task several times since with very few signs of stress so I'm calling this one a win. It's nice to have them every now and then. 

2014 Collage

Mokey, at 3 1/2 years old has definitely become an adult. She's lost her high maintenance puppy demands and has settled in to be an obedient and nice family dog. Of course she still flips out if she sees a stranger, or dog, or weird object, or any number of new and scary items but we've got a routine down and it's working for us. I've come to accept that she will never be a dog I can just take out and greet the world with. But with some hard work (and some very obedient and patient people) she is able to accept a stranger - it may take 3 solid days of playing hard to get and high value food rewards - but she is capable of it. And once she's gotten over the fear of that particular person, that human is in the Momo Club for life. So, when it's desired we work on getting her to accept certain strangers and when it's just the delivery man with the pizza, Mokey knows that the door bell ringing means she runs to the back door and goes outside. It's safe and effective for everyone. The hardest part actually isn't training Mokey, it's finding acceptable people to use. You'd be surprised how hard it is for people to follow a set of rules - don't look at the dog, don't touch the dog, don't talk to the dog. People just can't resist - or they think, surely this dog has had enough time to adjust, let me just try . . . which defeats the purpose of course. The whole goal of the training is to keep the environment and situations so safe that Mokey never feels the need to react. Pushing the boundaries usually induces reactivity, so I don't push. Mokey tells me with her body language when she's ready and eventually, she'll be ready. So I don't use people unless I know I can trust them 100% to follow the rules.

Anyway, my original point was that we've established a routine now and our life with Mo has settled. She no longer has tons of puppy energy and she's not running around the house getting into everything. She knows the rules, she loves the family and life is good. Which means I forget about blogging. It's easier to remember when we're meeting goals or achieving new things all the time but we've reached that equally enjoyable point where she's just an enjoyable member of the family. But since my sister moved away and would like her own Momo fix, here's a series of collages of Mokeys past/recent activities.

Mokey has actually started to cuddle this year. As in, lying right next to me (or sometimes on me) and requiring face rubs and slight affection (though she frequently gives me the 'don't over do it' look). It doesn't usually last long, but when she was younger she never cuddled. She has always come in to 'check' on her people and get an occasional face rub, but to actually sit up close to you and cuddle - not until this year!

October - She loves pumpkin. And playing with Chase.

Christmas - Family time! And Leahs home! Mokey enjoyed lots of Leah time and went in to lie on her bed when Leah was getting ready to leave. She wuvs her people.

At Christmas Mokey also went and did a Christmas themed Nose Works Search. She did really good with all the new items and found the birch in all of the areas except vehicles - which was partly my fault for not calling it when she alerted and partly because there were scary strangers in the parking lot which made her signal much shorter and less certain than usual.

January - Snow! Beautiful snow! I particularly love the Mokey shaped outline she left in the grass when I finally made her come inside.

Mokey's 3rd Birthday

 Mokey turned 3 years old this week! In celebration, we went out and did a few of her favorite things...

This year Mokey got a new water toy (mostly because it was on sale the day before her birthday) - turns out, there was a reason it was on sale. The picture on the packaging shows the water shooting up and going in all kinds of crazy directions (it aught to have been great Momo fun). But it was a complete and utter birthday flop. The water sprayed upwards about a foot in a slight drizzle - it was so pathetic even Mokey looked at it like 'what's this for?'. Oh well, we promptly put it away and got out her metal sprinkler.

The above is a series of pictures that accurately displays the water hose play cycle. Initial play involves chasing the water around like a lunatic. After the initial frenzy has worn off, taking a break over the cooling spray is appropriate and beneficial for rejuvenation. Then more crazy play is required. Finally, after exhaustion has been reached a thorough face drying is appreciated. This having been concluded and the hose having been put away, a search for any lingering water sprayers is implemented. After which time, the play cycle is concluded with an invigorating roll in the grass.

We've also been practicing Mokey's search skills. She's now doing pretty well at cars and is even able to practice in parking lots. Of course, we're in the back of the lot and she goes back into the car if any people come near, but at least she's able to work in an environment that she normally finds stressful/scary.

 Mokey also had a very disgusting looking birthday dinner (the above picture is mostly posted for my sisters benefit). She had a chicken, liver, sweet potato/peach mixture that the entire family agreed was disgusting, but of course she loved it.

So, here's to three years with the big baby. Mokey still loves to have her morning face rubs, people greetings and toy sucking sessions. She's obviously still an avid fan of the water hose, people glompings, duck treats, and prefers going for a 'ride' over being left at home. Squirrels still run in terror and she still loses her brain whenever she sees a dog or stranger. She's a work in progress even at 3 but I suppose, she's our work in progress and we smile more because of her. Right now she's playing with Chase, racing from the living room to the sun room and then up the stairs to jump on my bed before galumphing back down the stairs to undoubtedly begin the process all over again. She's also the reason my garden fountain needs constant refillings (as seen below). Silly baby!

Mokeys Spring Love

I think my sister nailed it on the head last week when she reminded me that I'm a terrible 'blogger'. I guess that's pretty much true since it's been five months since the last post, but hey, life happens. Moving on...

This spring Mokey has discovered a new love. Our latest garden addition - A fountain. It's not an impressive fountain (it was a DIY project, come on, how impressive could it be) but nevertheless it is a working fountain! My first attempt at this water feature went horribly awry when Mokey expressed her undying devotion by pulling the entire pot over (rocks and all) - the pot cracked and split and crumbled into pieces - much like my heart after I realized what she'd done. That fountain had been up for maybe twenty minutes. All that work.... anyways, we tried again. This time with a larger pot and more rocks (lots of rocks) and eureka! Success was mine! And Mokey's blissfully back in love. Of course I should have guessed she wouldn't be able to leave it alone - it's running water and it even bubbles a little! Now at least she contents herself with head dunking instead of pot dumping.

Mokey's also a little spoiled. Last year Mokey discovered the joy of rotating sprinklers; but like most things that Mo loves - she promptly broke it and sent it up to plastic sprinkler heaven. So this year, as Mom and I were shopping, we happened to pass by a rack of metal sprinklers. Let it be known that I was not the one who caved and bought it. Mokey's grandma was. So today Mokey spent a wonderful half an hour outside with just her and her sprinkler. Ah, doggy bliss. Of course I should mention that while ridiculous, her love of water has come in handy. Our fence connects to the neighbors fence in back and the neighbor has a little, yippy dog who likes to come up to the fence and smack talk with Mokey. Mo isn't allowed to do that (yet dearly loves it), so when she hears the jingle of little tags and her heart races at the first high pitched yip I can tell her to 'Leave it' and then reward her with some water. She loves the water so much she'll come away from the fence. A win for everyone. Of course, she doesn't get water every time, but Mokey lives on the edge and is always hoping for that one time when I'll get her water pitcher and sprinkle some wonderful wetness around the yard.

 It should be noted however that bath time is horrible. Completely horrible. And usually results in cuddling on the couch with blankets.

Merry Christmas '13

Holiday Greetings from Mokey & Chase. Wishing you all lots of family, smelly trees, bouncy balls & tasty cookies!