6 Months Old

 

Biscuit's Notes:  Look at me!  I am making that pillow shrink.  I have been going to school, no not just Susan's school......but I get to go to classes where I learn too!  I like to see all the other dogs there and show off all the stuff I am really good at like sit and stay.  I have even mastered DOWN! I don't like that they are teaching my human so much though, she keeps asking me to do more, and now I have to lay down and wait up to 5 minutes for my food!  It is tough, but I am getting pretty good at being more and more patient with her.  I also love that we are getting outside more, playing, walking and going new places.  But then there are my favorite times when we get to "play" inside....my favorite games are under and hide and go seek....I am really really good at those two!  I will even play when I am not asked to.  I am so smart.

 

Lia's Notes:  Ok, it's not fair.  Biscuit gets to go everywhere.  I have started giving my human my saddest looks when they leave, and after the door shuts, I run outside to sit at the gate and watch them, just in case they forgot me.  It's not fair. I like it better when they are both home, then I can sit on the furniture and show Biscuit who is boss, or run him over in the grass and show him who is boss or steal his toys and show him who is boss.  Who's the boss, is MY favorite game.

 

Susan's Notes:  Ok I know this month's post is a little late but my only excuse is that I have been BUSY (and that is an understatement).  Luckily I can take Biscuit almost everywhere with me, and he has been so good.....no matter where we go.  He went to the hair salon and braved the hair dryer, he went to McTeacher night and braved the kids and all the people, he went to Bingo at school and he has been going to school a LOT (he knows that routine well, as I have been putting in a lot of extra hours).  He has gone to restaurants, shopping and to professional events and I am always very proud of how well he behaves.  I have gotten better about saying "Sorry, no you can't pet him" and have received many compliments about how good he is.  I hope he can keep improving, and we will have to keep working on him because he is far from ready yet!

Special THANKS to the 'Wonderful Teacher' who was willing to take Biscuit on!  Unfortunately there are times when I have to leave him behind .....my little sister got married in Aruba and Biscuit got to stay with a wonderful teacher friend, her two little girls and a CAT!   She tells me that he was well behaved, BUT I know he is a 6 month old puppy that is almost as big as her littlest one!  I am sure that the combination of those two at times lead to a LOT of energy in the room.  I also love to see him with the cat.....you can see he thought that the cat wanted to play hide and seek too!  That is something we will have to work on with him.  Thank you wonderful teacher friend!

 

5 Months Old

 

Biscuit's Notes:  Will you check out how BIG I am?!  I don't even fit on that little pillow anymore, but I still love it.  It is MY spot.  I am a busy guy.  I have plans almost every day and I get to go to the best places.  I find meetings boring, but I can sit through them (unless I REALLY need to go and then I make a fuss :-P)  I do like to go to the store and if I look at Susan instead of following my nose I get lots of treats.  I like treats.  Check me out playing the "leave it" game,  I get to eat those treats when Susan says "free!"  I like that game but it seems to be getting longer and longer the more we play.  I also like to go places like Pittsburgh because everyone LOVES me!  I am the best dog around.  I even went to a class with other dogs and I was the best!
 

Lia's Notes:  I am here too you know.  Anything that puppy can do, I can do better.  I am not eating the treats either in the "leave it" game and I know I am better at it because I can get to the treats faster.  He really is not a bad dog to have around but I do not like that he gets to leave the house and I am stuck at home.

 Susan's Notes:  I think he is doing pretty well.....but I am not sure because I am not sure what to compare him to.  We went to our first "puppy class" and I really do think he was the best in the room (though I have to admit all we learned was sit and look at me, I THINK he should have these down by now!), but then I fill out his information for PAWS and I worry that he barks when he is scared (and he is scared of the dark, fog, certain dogs, people with brooms, and things that flap in the night), he does not like his nails trimmed, is my constant shadow....except when he is not and most of all he has a personality.  He is VERY smart but he is also stubborn.  If he does not want to do something he sometimes will chose not to do it.  However, I am smarter and this is not often an issue because I won't let it be.  Does he chase things?  No, but maybe I am not giving him a chance to chase things?  Does he get along with cats?  No idea!  Does he have free run of the house?  Yes...is this wrong?  I learned that I need to learn more about the rules for PAWS Dogs.

However, he is great when we go to the store, or out to a restaurant and I was really proud of him yesterday.  Saturdays are our BUSY days and we started at Eat N Park where he was great and then traveled to Pittsburgh for a long fundraising walk.  He was pretty good (I won't say he did not have a few moments that need improvement, but overall good) and proved to be a special treat for a really special little girl (pictured above).  Then we ran to the mall where other than being to tired to move was well behaved.  He went on to do well at a restaurant and then grocery shopping and back home.  He is doing so well I am going to take him to the salon...for MY appointment this week and hope he does equally well.  

I think we are ready to start working on the hard stuff.  I need to learn, what is that and how? 

Biscuit goes to the Store

Biscuit's Notes:  I found a new favorite place!  It has moving doors, carts with wheels, lots of people to love me and SMELLS!  Lots of fun smells.  I want to go back and explore all the smells!  I know I shouldn't but I tried to follow them a few times until I got tugged back in place.  I am also not sure about that big black wheeled monster.  He was quiet and did not attack me but I was still a little wary of him.

Lia's Notes:  They left me behind.  Again.  Oh well, time to get caught up on my reading!

Susan's Notes:  He was soooo good, the picture is worth posting twice.  I was a little nervous about taking him to the grocery store, but he did so well.  He walked at a heal (until smells distracted him and that really was not that bad), paid attention to me, sat on command and was overall on his best behavior and this was AFTER I took him to the doctor with me and he was on his best behavior there too.  The only problem we had was when it was time to check out.  I don't know if it was the sounds, the people, the cart or just too much but he lost focus and wanted to leave before I was ready to.  Something we will have to work on, but isn't attention span something every little one needs to work on?  :-)  We hope to continue the good work and next time try a busier time of the day or maybe even a bigger cart.....though I need to learn and practice how to juggle a puppy AND a cart....it takes some skills.  Something to learn for next time......

4 Months Old

Biscuit's Notes:  Can you tell I am everyone's best friend?  Everyone I meet loves me because I am such a great little puppy.  That big soft pillowy dog absolutely LOVED me, he let me just sleep right on him!  That little dog loved me too!  She let me chase her all over the house and loved to play hide and seek.  That baby loves me too.  He even knows how to say my name and screams it all the time:  NO!  No! No. 

 

Lia's Notes:  Ok I know everyone thinks the puppy is SO special, and I admit he was cute for a while but look at how BIG that furball is!  It has gotten old, believe me when he plays his favorite game:  walk Lia (grabbing on to my collar and tugging) he does not look little or cute.  I am busy busy busy teaching him all my tricks.  I have taught him how to give ME the bones, how to dig in the yard and be the one that gets in trouble and how to switch food (so I get the yummy puppy stuff!).  I also steal all the treats when I can lie down on command.  The silly puppy just sits there, no treats for him!   Yep, I am still the queen of this house.  That is until he gets to go on all the fun outings and I get left behind and can't decide if I am really sad and jealous or just grateful for a few minutes peace and quiet. 

Susan's Notes:  This puppy sure has grown.  I look at him and I don't see much of a puppy any more.  He is almost ready to be a dog and all his learning and training is really starting to show.  All of that little stuff we have been working on is starting to add up.  He is almost 100% completely house-trained, crate-trained and working on being obedience trained.  Working on it.  He went to the vet and was a little bit of an embarrassment showing off only his ENERGY.  Since then we have been working harder and harder to get that energy out in more productive ways like long walks including the mall.  He also gets to run errands with me, go out to eat and for real treats: go back to work!  I think he prefers my babysitting, to going to the library and sitting quietly: can you believe that?  Both prove to be a challenge for ME because I have to teach him to be on his best behavior no matter where we are.  He LOVES attention and sometimes keeping his attention on me is a great battle.  We are also fighting his fears of:  the dark, other dogs, brooms, garbage cans, and a few other things.  We are also fighting against his stubbornness, I don't know why but he HATES to lie down!  He can do it, but this one is harder to train and we will have to keep working.  Even though he may look like a young dog we both have a lot of learning left to do and can always keep getting better.

3 Months Old

Biscuit's Notes:  I am such an awesome, smart little guy and everyone loves me! That is why I prance around and get to go see everyone! So they can love me and give me attention. And treats. I like the treats I get too. I have been getting out a lot and when I do I draw all kinds of attention. Everyone says what a pretty good dog I am. Then I JUMP on them! All over them! I love people.

Lia's Notes:  That little furball is my new favorite playmate but I am also very jealous. I watch him get to go in the car and go on walks and I want to go too. I like it better when everyone is home together. I am teaching the pup how to play my favorite game of tag. I love to roll him over and run and tag and I always win!

Susan's Notes:  It has been a very busy and hectic and crazy time for me. Since my last post, we had some very long and cold days without heat due to the furnace dying. Then poor Biscuit has had some issues with infections that we hope will quickly clear up. On top of that, I have a lot going on with school, so I have started taking Biscuit with me at night. He has been to a couple of meetings and while he did ok I am learning how to train him to ONLY pay attention to me and to lay quietly for long periods of time. Then when meetings are done we have put in some late nights at school working on the computer and setting up the Book Fair and he has been a champ. Our excellent janitorial staff has been so nice about seeing him and letting him do his job. I am so proud of him staying quiet and trying to behave. He only barked once! There are some monsters in the StoryTime pit at my school because he was very vocal about them! :-) Biscuit has also been accompanying me to my second job as a babysitter and he loved it, and the kids loved him. He and that little guy above are about the same height and both love to chase balls! They got along fabulously until they both crashed. Biscuit is really showing great strides and I can't wait to start him in Puppy Kindergarten soon. Once he settles down he will be great, now I just need to learn how to encourage him to settle down on command! Always something more to learn! :-)

Week 5 and 6

 

Biscuit's Notes:  I am getting big and learning new things every day.  I had a great time playing with the little boys across the street while my human was away but I missed my big dog.  I have mastered sitting and my favorite: JUMP!  I can jump onto the furniture, over those gates in my way and onto big dog, big humans and my favorite: little humans!!!   I also like getting treats so I try to learn a new trick like down or shake and then I JUMP!  I am too cute.  I also have come to love that car, it takes me fun places where I can prance around showing off....but not jumping too much.

 

Lia's Notes:  I will admit it.  I kind of missed that little furball when he was gone.  But not as much as I missed my human!  She left me.  :-(  He still loves to jump and follow me all over but I am showing him our big yard as it starts getting warmer and I am jumping up on the couch and bed because I am allowed up here and he is not.  :-P   He does not like to come when he is called so I have to teach him come.....because when I do, I get treats too.  :-)

Susan's Notes:  I had to leave my pups to travel, and though I had a GREAT conference experience, I learned a lot (including the fact that I should make this blog), and I knew that they were in the best hands with my wonderful neighbors....I admit I missed them, a little.  However, since this "sleeping Biscuit" is rare (especially when I need it), I did enjoy sleeping in and the freedom for a few days.  When I got back I swear my little puppy turned into a teenager!  He must have doubled in size.  I keep working with him to learn new, and master old, tricks but he still has too much of that jumpy puppy in him most days.  What shocks me is I can put his vest on and (most of the time) he turns into the most polite, well behaved dog in public.  This week we were really brave, we visited our first sit down restaurant: Eat n' Park...where he did pretty well..............the second hour when he fell asleep.  Then yesterday we really ran around and did a lot of errands:  we went to Ross Park Mall, Get Go, picked up Chinese food, the post office and Costco.  We also visited my parents where we shared Chinese food, braved sharing the same room with their big scary dog and did taxes.  I will admit Biscuit made it through it all like a CHAMP!  He was great everywhere......I on the other hand need some work.  I need to better work on encouraging heal and down and most of all saying, "No, please let him be.  He is working and can't be pet right now."  I had at least one person in every place try to pet him, and the lady in the Chinese restaurant HAD to hug him and let him adore her.  It is hard to say, no please let him be.  I did say it at Costco, and people were nice about it....but I learned my lesson:  NEVER visit Costco on a weekend again!  That place is crazy, and add a puppy and I should be labeled crazy too.  I am not crazy though, I am learning.

Week 3 and 4

Week 3 and 4

Biscuit's Notes: I am starting to catch on to life in this house.  I have learned to run down to the basement when I want out....which means I have a lot of accidents in the basement :-(  when I sneak down or run too fast.  I love to run, I have so much energy.  I wake up each morning wanting to run, run, run.  I am getting used to that kennel, but I don't like to stay in it too long because I want to run, run, run.  I am also not supposed to chew EVERYTHING, even though EVERYTHING looks like it is for me to chew.  I am getting better at walking on a leash, guess what?  I even went to the mall on one of those snow days and walked and walked and walked.  We saw lots of people.  I was a happy puppy that day, in fact I love ALL snow days becuase then I am not trapped in that kennel, AND there is snow!  Look an extra picture of me playing in the snow:  I mastered the bunny hop because it was so deep!

Lia's Notes:  I can't decide if I love or hate this thing.  I am VERY jelouse of him!  He gets all the good food, the good bones and seems to get all the attention, and the special trips.  I hate being left behind.  However, I do like having a playmate to run around in the snow.  I like to steal his bones (ha ha!!), and then I really don't mind when he just wants to cuddle......so long as I can keep the bone.

 

Susan's Notes:  Wow!  I can't believe that a month has flown by already.  Sitting here looking at his first and newest pictures, he sure has grown.  I wish he was doing better house breaking, but we are getting there.  He is doing pretty well with all other training though.  In fact we met our trainer, Ron, in Cranberry this weekend to learn a few new tricks and get more practice in public and he was doing great.  Ron gave us homework to practice:  heal, sit, attention.  We are also looking into even more classes!  He is a lot of work, but every now and then I will look over and he is doing something silly like watching TV or Reading a book (ok I admit that picture was completely staged, but check out the bonus pic below which IS real: where he just fell asleep on the bookcase!  He has a pillow and soft cushy slippers right there and he falls asleep on the bookshelf!), these are the things that really make me smile.

 Bonus Picture: