"Down"

Toby FINALLY learned the "Down" command last night! We were so excited and proud (and a little pathetic!).

We started teaching him commands right away when we got him. He learned "Sit", "Stay" and "Come" pretty well, but he was always bad at "Down" so we gave up for a while. I remember Mindy never really got that command, so I started thinking maybe little dogs just don't do well at it. But, yesterday, Craig and I took some time to try and teach him together and WOW! he actually did it! Way to go, Toby!! :)

...then this morning he was a total spaz (ugh!), so we'll see if he will still be able to do it tonight... :)

Drowned Rat!

Toby has finally had his first bath with us! Actually, Sunday was a Toby Spa Day! :) We clipped the fur around the pads of his feet, brushed him, removed another tick (yuck!), cleaned out his ears and clipped his nails...but the highlight was his bath! It's amazing how tiny he looks when his fluffy hair is all wet! Amazingly, he did VERY well for his bath. Of course he tried to get out of the tub a couple times, but after a couple attempts, he learned it was useless. I even used the blowdryer to get him dry as quick as possible. Actually, the blow dry experience was the worst for him. He was shaking like crazy! I just held him on my lap while I dried him off. After a couple minutes he stopped shaking. He kept burying his head in the bend of my elbow to "hide". It all went well, and we now have a clean, soft, fluffy, and happy puppy again! :)

More Milestones!

(this was from 4/25 - for some reason it didn't post...)

Toby has had so many more milestones, I wish I had more pictures to show for them! I did get the camera out to catch him climbing up the stairs, though. Those pictures are from a few days ago when he figured out how to get UP the stairs, but was too scared to come DOWN the stairs! :)

Just last night, Craig noticed that Toby was up on the second floor peering down at us through the stair railings (so cute...I wish I had the camera close by!). After about 10 minutes he started whimpering to come back down. I started up after him, but Craig said to wait and see if he could figure it out on his own. He kept whimpering, but the whimpers got closer and closer to the main level as the minutes passed. He had made it half way down the stairs all by himself! So, I stayed at the bottom and coaxed him the rest of the way. Way to go, Toby!! Now, if he'll just get the nerve to go down stairs made of wood or brick...

Here are some more milestones:

1) He has discovered his bark! He started barking a little when Craig's parents were here. Usually he barks when he's playing by himself with his toys or his blanket, and it's really cute. Sometimes he barks to get our attention, but if we're eating, we quickly put a stop to that. I hope he learns to bark when he wants to go outside...he hasn't quite figured that out yet.

2) He finally figured out how to make his toys squeak on his own. That also happened while Craig's parents were in town. It's like he has a whole new batch of toys now!

3) He discovered his reflection in the window of the living room. That one was funny! I went to bed a little early one night and Craig was watching Toby. Then he just started barking and barking - which was very strange for him. Craig wasn't stopping him, instead, he was laughing! I walked out into the living room and saw him on the arm of the couch staring at the back window. He likes that perch now...especially at night when his reflection is the clearest.

4) He had to get 4 shots and a microchip implanted this last Saturday. Poor Toby. He took them all like a champ, including the huge needle that needed to put in the microchip. But, one of the shots must have really burned because he was just wailing after he got it! :( So, now he's up-to-date on all his vaccinations and he's all ready to start school!!! And, with the microchip, if he ever wanders off and ends up at a shelter, they can scan him and contact us so we can get him back. :)

5) Last night, Craig learned that Toby LOVES riding in the back of his convertible when the top is down. I was having dinner with Courtney, so Craig decided to have a "guy's night out" and took Toby to eat outside at a local Irish/Sports Bar. Toby made all kinds of friends! :)

Crate training is not easy...

We've read that Crate Training is a wonderful thing for a dog, and we
wanted to give it a try. So far, Toby has been great sleeping in his crate
at night, but that's because it's in our bedroom and he's close to us.
Plus, we keep his crate elevated so we have to put him in it at night and
take him out of it. But, during the day, the crate is kept in the Kitchen
so he can have access to his "bed" any time he wants. Until this weekend,
we doubted he ever put his paws in his crate when he wasn't sleeping
because we'd never seen him do it. With all the commotion in the kitchen
with Craig's parents in town, Toby finally realized that his crate is a
"safe place" for him. I was so proud to see him in there that I couldn't
help but take a picture (I know, I'm pathetic)! And, for the remainder of
the weekend, every time we couldn't find Toby, there he was, peaceful in
his crate. What an accomplishment! :) I hope he continues to use it -
we'll need him comfortable in it if we ever travel with him.

(See attached file: IMG_4113.JPG)(See attached file: IMG_4117.JPG)

Toby's "Lazy Day" with Grandpa Pelletier

Craig's parents were here visiting for a long weekend on their way back up
to Michigan from Florida. This was the first time any of our family has
met Toby. Boy was he spoiled all weekend long! I can't believe I didn't
get any pictures of Toby and Lori playing together because they were at it
ALL THE TIME! He absolutely adored playing with her on the living room
floor. Toby was loving the attention.

We all took a walk through the neighborhood on Saturday and we're pretty
sure we really pooped Toby out - it was the longest walk he'd been on so
far, and he even ran a lot of the time because he was so excited to be
chasing after Craig, Lori and Terry. So, on Sunday he was pretty much a
lazy waste of space! ha ha! Poor little guy was probably sore from his
"work-out" the day before. That worked out well, though, because Craig
smoked some of his "World Famous Ribs" and we all just hung around outside
while they cooked. Toby took turns sitting on laps and snoozing (which is
where these pictures came from).

Toby already misses Grandma and Grandpa Pelletier...

(See attached file: IMG_4118.JPG)(See attached file: IMG_4119.JPG)(See
attached file: IMG_4120.JPG)(See attached file: IMG_4121.JPG)(See attached
file: IMG_4122.JPG)

I can't help but laugh!

This was what I came home to one day last week! :)
Usually when I walk in the door through the garage, little Toby is greeting
me at the door full of wiggles and squeaks. But, this day, there was no
Toby at the door and my stomach flipped when I didn't see him running
around the kitchen. Right about the time I noticed the gate all askew, our
little escape artist crawled his way back under the angled gate to greet
me. I then spent the next 20-30 minutes investigating the main floor of
the house for any "surprises" and was shocked to see the house in perfect
order. So, even though Toby got out of his "pen" he was very well behaved
while he was out...which leads me to believe that he only recently figured
out how to get out! What a funny sight to see! :)

(See attached file: IMG_4108.JPG)

Two Road Trips in One Week!

If you read our earlier postings about the car drama we had when we picked
up Toby, you've probably been wondering what happened since then. We're
happy to say that my car was fixed on Monday, in Virginia, and it was a LOT
less expensive than we had feared. However, we still needed to make the 4
hour drive to pick it up and another 4 hours to drive back! It didn't make
any sense to take time off work to get it, so we had another Saturday Road
Trip!

Of course we brought our fluffy baby along for another trip. I wonder if
he thought we were taking him back since we were only about an hour away
from his original home?! :) He was even better on this trip than when we
picked him up. He slept most of the time and sat on the back seat just
watching us in the front seat and watch what was going on outside. He
ventured over to Craig during part of the trip and sniffed around. It'll
be fun when he wants to stick his nose out the window during car trips like
Mindy did! :)

As usual, Toby was a big hit when we came upon strangers. All of the rest
areas we stopped at were filled with people saying how cute he is and
wanting to pet him. His tail was wagging a mile a minute. :) When they'd
all ask what kind of dog he is, they all had that blank look on their face
when we said, "Havanese". I swear...NO ONE has heard of a Havanese! ha
ha! Maybe we're trend setters... Anyway, the weather wasn't the best
during our trip, and some of Toby's potty breaks were in the rain, but we
did get a couple cute shots of him at a scenic overlook in the mountains.
:)

(See attached file: IMG_4079.JPG)(See attached file: IMG_4081.JPG)(See
attached file: IMG_4083.JPG)(See attached file: IMG_4087.JPG)(See attached
file: IMG_4091.JPG)

Our brave little "Escape Artist"

Since we brought Toby home, we have seriously underestimated his
intelligence and courage!! Within days he had figured out how to get up
onto the couch (with a little help of some throw pillows Craig
strategically placed in front of the couch!). Once he gets up onto the
couch, it's like he's on his own personal Jungle Gym! He climes all over
the couch and from the chair, to the couch and back again. He's fearless!
He's slipped off a couple times, fortunately it was a slide off and not a
total fall. But, it doesn't deter him from getting right back up there
again!!

The Monday after we got Toby, we left him in the kitchen (blocked off by
baby gates) while we were getting ready for work. He whined quite a bit
because he wanted to be near us. Then we started thinking that the whining
sounded awfully close! So, we opened up the bedroom door, and sure enough,
there was our cute little Toby sitting outside our bedroom door wagging his
tail, happy to have found us! ha ha!! He had figured out how to crawl
between the baby gate and the small toe gap under the kitchen cupboards.
What a smart little guy. So, we put a 3-ring binder up in front of the
hole to keep him in. I came home later that day and found that he was not
in the kitchen where we had left him! He had figured how to slide the
binder out of the way, crawled through the same gap and roamed the house
freely. ~Fortunately, there weren't any accidents.~ It was funny because
once he got out he couldn't figure out how to get back in again. Another
day he snuck out because we didn't put the baby gate down low enough to the
ground and he managed to squeeze his way through the bottom. :)

He is learning how to spend time alone in the Kitchen behind the gates, but
he still has his whining moments. He will try to get as close to outside
as possible by sticking his nose through the openings in the gate and along
the bottom. It's pathetic...but so cute!

(See attached file: IMG_4069.JPG)(See attached file: IMG_4101.JPG)(See
attached file: IMG_4103.JPG)

Play Time!

Just as much as Toby loves his nap time, he really enjoys play time! I
absolutely love playing with this puppy! He's so happy and lively! He
loves to roll over and let you rub his belly. It's so funny when he does
that because he's all white on his underside and he just looks like an
adorable fluff-ball!! He loves playing with people's hair. My hair is cut
short these days, and he never hesitates to take the chance to lunge at it
and try and get a taste. Of course we're trying to break him of this, but
it's just really cute right now. I got a couple pictures of him attacking
Craig's hair on the couch. He's so funny! Toby loves other people and
dogs, too. He's a HUGE fan of our neighbor Madeleine. Every time he sees
her outside, Toby starts running for her. Last night they were he was
chasing her around our front yard until he was to exhausted to move any
more. Madeleine was sweet enough to bring Toby three awesome puppy toys
when she first met him. He loves playing with those toys. See how nice he
is with her in the picture. He's just sitting patiently waiting to play!
:)

(See attached file: IMG_4047.JPG)(See attached file: IMG_4049.JPG)(See
attached file: IMG_4074.JPG)

Nap Time!

Toby loves his naps! He especially loves when he can curl up with me or
Craig while he snoozes. It amazes me the strange positions he gets himself
into while he's sleeping. Sometimes he ends up completely on his back with
his white tummy fully exposed (super cute!). And other times he will crick
his neck in the strangest positions. It can't be comfortable to sleep that
way, but he does it! It makes us laugh every time. In a way, it's amazing
how a dog can look comfortable and at peace while sleeping in any crazy
position. Don't these pictures just make you want to snuggle up with
him!?! What a cuddle-bug! :)

(See attached file: IMG_4044.JPG)(See attached file: IMG_4057.JPG)(See
attached file: IMG_4062.JPG)

"All Puppies Bite - It's Natural" ...great...

It's amazing to watch our little puppy do so well with the basic commands,
be a good eater, and cuddle up on us like a little warm furball. It's
almost as amazing to watch the transformation from that puppy to the overly
excited puppy who WON'T STOP BITING! Yesterday was not the best day for
us...

Craig was working late last night, so it was just me and our little buddy.
Of course he was excited when I came home, and I immediately took him
outside. It was cold and rainy and he didn't do anything. :( About 20
minutes later I took him outside for another try...again...nothing. :( I
figured, oh well, he left a little surprise for me in the kitchen anyway,
so maybe he just doesn't have to go. Then we started playing...but he
started biting. Now, we thought we were doing well with the biting
problem. Every time he would start to gnaw on our fingers or clothes, we'd
quickly swap his object of desire for one of his chew toys (mental note:
keep more chew toys around the house!). I put him in the kitchen for him
to calm down. After a few minutes of whining, he quieted down. A short
while later, I got him back out of the kitchen to see if he wanted to sit
with me or play again. He started zooming around the house at record speed
and it made me laugh! :) Then he took off into the dining room. By the
time I came around the corner to find him, he had already started squatting
and leaving ANOTHER stinky surprise for me! Geez! At least we know this
dog's digestive system is working well! So, he was put back in the kitchen
again...he whined...he calmed down...and a while after I went to get him
again. This time he just cuddled up on me and we both took a nap. :)
That was the good part of our evening together...

We're learning that we need to let him know that he's hurting us when he
bits (even if he isn't hurting) by letting out a loud "Ouch!" and then just
up and leave him alone for a little while. Eventually he'll realize that
if he bites, he will lose his playmate. That will be a challenge for me.
I like to spend time with him first thing in the morning and when we come
home from work because he's been all alone during the day. Unfortunately,
that's also when he's the most excited and tends to bite the most. I guess
we'll have to realize that this won't be solved over night...neither will
the housetraining...

Patience, Amy...patience...

Healthy milestones..

Our little puppy has had some fun and some not-so-fun experiences since he
first arrived at our home. The first weekend we had him, we devoted all
our time to him to make him comfortable. It definitely worked, because he
seems completely happy with us! He's not the biggest fan of being left
alone in his crate all night long, but we're working on making that better!

Monday was his first Vet visit. He was quite a hit with all of the vets,
assistants and other customers! But, who wouldn't let out an audible
"Awwww!" when seeing him? The Vet gave him a clean bill of health and said
that he's a great looking puppy. He was very well behaved! I felt so bad
when they had to take a stool sample! He yelped like I haven't heard him
yelp before! If I had known they were going to do that, we could've
brought one of his "morning surprises" as a sample instead and spare him
the embarrassment! ha ha! He also had to get a shot, which he didn't
enjoy either. But, afterwards, he was as calm an cool as can be. I was so
proud! What a great start...

The house training is coming along, but it's pretty sporadic. The first
day he used his puppy pad and we were thrilled...then as time continued, we
realized it was only a coincidence! :) But, he does go to the back door
when he needs to go out, and we're impressed he figured that out already.
I just have to get a bell for the back door so he can ring it when he wants
to go out.

Even though house-training is a slow process, he's learning commands like a
Champ! He's already flawless on "Sit" and "Stay". He's great at "Come",
and I know that will only get better when we can actually use his name! :)
We're working on "Down" now, and he get's it maybe 20% of the time. When
he does get it, he looks so cute! :) He's just so smart, it completely
amazes me. It will be fun to have him learn other tricks that are more fun
and not just necessary. I think he really likes the Jerky Treats I bought
for him. I knew Mindy loved doing tricks for Jerky Treats, and I figured
he would too.

I've taken him on a couple walks in front of our house and the neighbors'.
He's great on a leash and rarely tugs on it. He just walks next to me or a
step behind me and sniffs around. It takes us a while to get around with
his little legs and his curious sniffing, but at least he's getting his
exercise and meeting the neighbors (who all love him!). We're pretty proud
of our pooch. And, he constantly brings a smile to our faces!

I'm so glad Craig finally agreed to let me have a dog...and I think he is,
too!