Fangs for the Memories...

We have quite a collection of little teeth. It's been clear for the last few weeks that something dental's going on. And it was certainly time for it to happen. Big teeth started to erupt alongside little teeth. Chews tinged pink. And Chilly Bone (the sponge-like toy we freeze for Charlie) never had such a workout!

Then suddenly, it seemed, the little teeth were gone. But where? Outside? Down the hatch? The answer lay in front of us - all around the house. Wherever Charlie normally spends time chewing - there were found little teeth. Little canine fangs, little incisors, even little molars. So small - it's hard to believe they were so sharp and effective!

For now they live in a little box. A remembrance of puppy days.


Charlie & Harley compare teeth

Puppy Treats!

Charlie demonstrates incredible focus... on puppy treats! With treat motivation, he learned "sit" in record time. "Down" came quickly too (although we don't practice it as much so it's not that solid).

But where his focus is most evident is in the "puppy treat" game. It starts by saying "Charlie, want a puppy treat?" or crying "Puppy drumsticks!" Charlie immediately sits down and gazes intently at your hands to find the treat. Then, with a "one-two" swing so he can see the trajectory, the treat is thrown and Charlie catches it in mid-air.


Chomp!

During the game, any activity in the house can go on, safe from Charlie's attention and assistance. Harley can be fed or go outside. Jessie can saunter around. People can dress. The "food closet" can be opened. And Charlie will wait and watch, never taking his eyes off the treat hands.

It took 5 or 6 tries to get the picture above (which we both enjoyed), and through it, I think the house could have fallen down around us and Charlie would have continued to sit and focus and catch as long as I stayed there with treat in hand!

Sometimes One Ball is Just Not Enough...

Two at once!

Play Ball!

Charlie likes to play ball, especially in the house. In addition to 'Retrieve the ball', he is learning 'Retrieve one ball and dribble another' and 'Catch the ball'.

I almost didn't believe 'Catch the ball' when I first saw it - - I half expected the ball to bounce off his nose. But he catches it! Well... he tries. And sometimes succeeds, as you can see (no, this was not staged; this is Charlie in action).


Eye on the ball...


Got it!

Thank Goodness for Chews!

The inventor of the braided chew is our hero! It is the perfect size for big puppy mouths. It has the right give and squeak to keep little puppies interested. And it's strong enough to last a while, yet not so hard that a puppy can't get somewhere with it. From the moment he first saw one, Charlie was taken with the braided chew.


Charlie & chew

The retriever roll didn't do it for him - too hard. The knotted chew was somewhat interesting, but he couldn't really get his mouth around the knot for chewing. He thought the pressed chew was great - but he's such a strong chewer it hardly lasted a day. And anything small was likely to just go 'down the hatch' with no chewing at all.

Often we can distract Charlie from more vulnerable targets (like Harley, cat or human) with a braided chew. Sometimes when he's being impossibly bitey and all teeth, we even stuff it in.

Chew stuffed in

What's your favorite chew?

Charlie Say's 'No'

Charlie had to go to the vet's this week for his puppy booster shots. He's been there before - - a few times for puppy shots and once for the mouse extraction. Everyone's always very nice to him, there are other dogs to see and bark at (if not nose around yet), and there's always a treat at the end.

This time, however, Charlie decided that enough was enough, and he refused to go in. Flat out refused. And no amount of leash tugging or cajoling or commanding made a bit of difference. So the 38 lb. pup had to be carried in.

I can't wait till he grows out of this, because at his 2 lbs a week rate of growth, there isn't going to be much more Charlie-carrying!


Charlie Angel

Charlie the Wild Dingo

Deep in the outback
Where things run wild
Lives little Charlie
The dingo child

Charlie in the out back

With teeth so sharp
And dingo growl
And eyes so wild
As he chews a towel

Chewing and redecorating

Over his family
Watches dingo Charlie
Over humans and cats
And his best bud Harley

Let's go in here, Jessie...

As fast as a 'roo
Charlie hunts his prey
And knocks it down
On the ground to lay

Down and pinned!

And chew its tail
And bite its feet
And never its food
To let it eat

Leave that kitty alone!

I can only hope
We survive these years
With dingo Charlie
And all our ears

Rrrrrrr!!!

Sixteen Candles

Charlie is sixteen weeks old today and getting sooooo big! It's hard to call him a puppy anymore; in many ways he's become a little dog.

Charlie at 16 weeks


Charlie and Bear at 8 weeks

He couldn't begin to fit under an airplane seat today, as we pondered doing 8 weeks ago. Now he would need the whole row! No more to worry about a person or dog rolling over on him in their sleep and hurting him. To the contrary - - it's getting pretty crowded on Harley's dog bed, and if he should lie on Harley's face...

Charley and Harley - now



Charlie & Harley - 8 weeks ago

Puppy breath is gone, having disappeared suddenly sometime in the last 2 weeks. Chewing is still Charlie's passion though, and he practices it on dog and human and toy alike; sometimes even on himself!

He can chew his own ears, as well as his tail...

Charlie's legs have grown long, and he's able to jump on a human bed. He doesn't even need a running start; just a little sit and a spring will do it.

Long-legged pup!

He's learning words, and we're learning to spell. Charlie knows 'let's go for a walk' and 'no' and 'sit' and can sometimes follow these commands... if he wants to and especially if a treat's involved. In fact, he'll always sit to catch treats, focusing oh so intently on the activity.

Catching treats (click on the image to view a movie)

"Happy Birthweek, sweet sixteen! We've known you half your life, now, and can't imagine a world without your little hurricane self. Sit and Stay awhile, and we'll have lots more fun together!"

Don't Fence Me In...

When no human's home to watch him, Charlie stays in the bathroom, babygated. He doesn't like it, though, and makes his feelings known. Barking pointedly at first - then less and less as he becomes resigned and accustomed to the situation. And as he's gotten older, he's seemed to quiet more quickly.

The moment you set foot in the house, however, he explodes. "Let me out! Let me OUT!!," he barks!


I know you can do it, get me OUT of here!

And then he's soooo happy and grateful! Jumping for joy and ear nuzzling - all past sins and incarcerations forgotten.


Yippee!

Back to Normal

There is balance in the universe. After 2 extra-special good dinner days, Charlie the Wild Dingo Dog emerged to test all the boundaries.

Cornering Jessie in the bathroom and doing who knows what to make her hiss and scream. Knocking down Harley and sitting on his head, then trying to drag him by his paw. And chewing on the humans who try to restrain or quiet him!

Charlie has more energy than the rest of the household combined. What a little hurricane!


Who me?

Through the Looking Glass

Twice we have been transported to a wonderful place at human dinnertime. A land where Harley is not being bugged and the cat is not subject to blitz attack (ok, maybe Jessie got jumped once, but once hardly counts). One where humans aren't constantly bleeding from the laying on of sharp little puppy teeth. A land where 'no' is used only in casual dinner conversation, as in "No, I don't care for any more pot roast" or "No, I think we stopped the dvd at the previous scene last night". A land where Charlie is independent, polite and well behaved.


Being good.

Perhaps it's because we were watching Star Captain at the time and Charlie wanted to help create a fantasy atmosphere. Perhaps it's one of those quantum theory situations, like molecules of air all migrating to one place in a room and leaving the rest in vacuum, that are very unlikely but possible.

Could he be sick? I don't think so, he's our playful Charlie in all other ways! And last night he went back to wild dog briefly between dinner and bedtime.

Maybe, just maybe, Charlie's growing up!


Charlie and legal fun

Fetch

Charlie is learning to fetch a ball. Unlike a previous dog, Husker, who was a "run after the stick, grab it and run off with it, never let mom get close to it again" kind of Golden, Charlie thinks it's fun to bring the ball back. Now we just have to work on the "give it to mom" part.


Charlie, the Golden Retriever, in action (click on the image to play a movie)

Charlie Hams it Up

Charlie seems to know when the camera is on and that it's time to be extra cute.

Moose (Charlie) and squirrel

He runs around.

Prancing.

And rolls on his back.

I'm cute!

Finding his Voice

Charlie has begun to bark. At anything. At everything. He barked at me coming in the front door. On his night walk the tiniest little noise across the street set him off. At the vets (where btw he weighed 27.4 lb), he entered a barking contest with a huge 107lb yellow lab. If not for mom's intervention, he might have won.

The least little noise is worth a bark. In the house. Out of the house. It doesn't matter. If he hears it and he doesn't recognize it, it's worth a bark.


Charlie watches over his kingdom, ready and alert.

Woof!

Ragtime Puppy Charles

Out in California where the bad cats are
Nothin' there to guide you but the evening star
Roughest toughest pup by far
Is Ragtime Puppy Charles



He got his name a singin' to the kitties when they sleep
Every night up to their beds he'd creep
Trying not to use his teeth
But growlin' soft and low...

He always barks
Ragged music to the kittens
As he parks
Near the place where they're sittin'

With his bud, a pretty good golden
Who is syncopated gaited
What a funny meter
To the barking that's repeated

How they run
When they hear this puppy come
Because the Western cats he gnarls



Know he's a rootin' tootin' high falutin'
Son-of-a-pup from Indiana
Ragtime Puppy
Talk about your puppy
Ragtime Puppy Charles

Entering the Teen Weeks - Taking Stock

Today Charlie is 13 weeks old. He's grown as well as grown up a lot in the last 5 weeks. He's learned to do all his business outside (and we take him out often to ensure success), to walk on a leash, and to come when he hears the special whistle.

Charlie loves to bite and chew. Sometimes he's able to control his urges and bite legal things

Legal chewing

but often those devil urges get the better of him.

Uh oh ... something bitey this way comes


Giving in to temptation

Even though he loves to chew, he doesn't waste time on it when he eats. Consuming calories is a very serious matter to Charlie!

Charlie is somewhat trustworthy for short periods by himself, although never with Harley, who won't protect himself

Charlie v. Harley

or Jessie, who would but has no front claws with which to do so

Supervised visit

or, for Charlie's sake, Pouncer, who has what it takes and the will to use it

Pouncer & Charlie

or food on a table he can reach.

There must be calories here somewhere...

When he's at home unsupervised, Charlie stays puppygated in the bathroom. He doesn't like it, though, and barks his head off. Fortunately, unlike his sister Sophie, he still can't get over the gate.

In the slammer

So, Happy Birthweek, Charlie! May your teens be even more fun and educational!!

Charlie and the Treat Whistle

When Charlie first arrived, he loved to play in the backyard. So much so that it was hard to get him to come back in. And he quickly learned that big people can't catch determined little puppies.


Playing in the yard

So the treat whistle was invented. This had worked successfully with cats previously. Pouncer, for example, is an outdoor cat and loved to mooch at the neighbors. To get her to come home at night, I taught her to associate a special whistle with food in her dish. Being a ravenous little creature (not unlike Charlie) she began coming when "called".

At wits end trying to get Charlie back in the house, I turned to the whistle. At first I whistled the special tune and gave him a treat. Then when we played and I clapped my hands for him to run to me, I'd also whistle it. When he came, he got a treat.

In no time, Charlie was running to me whenever I whistled those notes - even if he was having fun outdoors and I wanted him to come inside! Now he comes reliably. Even if I don't have a treat. In fact, as they say, 'intermittent reinforcement is the most difficult to extinguish'.

Here's an example of Charlie first ignoring me and then coming to the treat whistle.

Here he comes! (click on the image to play a movie; and make sure to turn your speakers on)

I worry that Cal the Wonderdog and Sam the Beautiful All-black German Shepherd will not approve of such shameless manipulation, but I submit that dogs program people all the time. Sitting by the door to go outside, barking for food... who really trains who?

And if I ever have to go searching the neighborhood for his little royal highness, it would be good to have a special way to find him. Anyway, that's my defense. And I'm sticking to it.

Busted!

Charlie has discovered the coffee table. Source of newspapers and remote controls, sometimes food. Yesterday I caught him square in the act...


You are so busted!

Of course, after being chastised he is so sweet and angelic. How could anyone ever think this dog would do anything wrong!?


Who me?

Charlie's New Legal Toy

Charlie has a new legal toy. One that he likes even better than his ex-mouse - a basted braided chew! Ymmm!


Charlie and braid

He is completely engrossed by this yummy treat - a very rare thing for Charlie who is almost always on the move. It's better than bugging Harley. It's better than chasing Jessie. It's even better than going for a walk! Obviously he's attracted to its potential food value. Now if he can just keep mom busy while he devours the whole thing.

I can see already that he's only going to have limited visits with the chew. Within an hour he's really made progress. But then, what else to expect from a 12-week old who's chewed one end off a puppy nylabone in just 2 weeks. That boy's got teeth!!

No More Mice!

Today Charlie spent the day at the vet's.

It started so innocently. Jessie was on the bed with her catnip mouse. It's a fluffier clone of Pouncer's (the one Charlie took over) and blue and Jessie loves it! Loved it, that is.


The mouse

Anyway, Charlie came in and ran over to see Jessie. Remembering the mouse, I headed over for a rescue - but the mouse was already gone!

Charlie had it and was going to town with it. I tried to get him to drop it, but the more I tried, the harder he worked to keep it away from me. He was careful not to let any little bit hang out of his mouth for me to grab, so I started working on his jaws. He nipped me and I let go, thinking I'd get a better angle on the mouse anyway. He'd surely have to adjust it in his mouth and then I'd have it.

I had him pinned and was going in for the mouse regardless of teeth when, gulp, he swallowed it! Swallowed it!! Down the hatch! I couldn't believe it, but I felt the lump in his throat momentarily. I got his mouth open and reached in, but there was nothing but tongue and teeth. I stuck my fingers down his throat, but to no avail.

So off to the vet we rushed. With Charlie and the mouse clone. Dr. O couldn't believe it, "Are you sure he ate it?" He smiled and shook his head, "Better leave him here; this could take a while." Within a half hour, they had gotten him to throw it up. Then they kept him until 3 to make sure he was ok. As usual, I think they just wanted to pet and play with him more.

At 3 pm we retrieved Charlie and mouse.


The mouse - after

"He's just fine. He's been back there barking his head off all day," Dr. O said. And he was fine. But Jessie needs a new mouse. And she's not going to get one until Charlie can be trusted not to eat it. And Pouncer's ex-mouse - that's history too; confiscated for the foreseeable future. Maybe 2010.