Too Undignified to be English! But Is a Truly Rare American Breed!

Well, apparently Heinz is not an English Cocker mix -- or English Cockers are simply too dignified to have "excited urination problems"!  Turns out that the consensus among both the English and American Cocker crowd is that he is an American Cocker -- but a relatively rare Blue Roan and is probably purebred.  (American Cockers are apparently quite well known for their urination problems -- now's a fine time to find that out!). 

Luckily, his handsome good looks and winning personality made up for a little dribble here and there (and the trainer is helping us!)  Wish us luck!

I'm So Excited, I Could Wet My Pants! Oh, I Don't Have Pants!

Nothing makes Heinz more excited than -- well, anything that involves a leash.  Thus, the mere picking up of the leash is liable to elicit a veritable torrent of excitement at our house!  Now we know why the other family couldn't afford to keep him -- it wasn't the food, it was the industrial size barrels of Nature's Miracle they needed to clean the rugs every time they took him out!

But we aren't as dumb as we look either -- so now we keep the leashes outside!  It's a lot easier to hose down the back deck than our rugs!  So we are now in "desensitization training" with Heinz and the leash, where we repeatedly pick up the leash and touch him.  He pees.  We do it again.  He pees.  We continue this until he stops peeing.  Then we touch him with the leash clip.  He pees. We do it again.  You get the picture. 

Luckily, the leash and greeting me or Don, are the only things that set this off.  The trainer said that some dogs have the amazing ability to roll over on their backs and spray everything around them!  He never does this when he meets strangers, so if you run into us on a walk or at the pet store, don't worry -- your shoes are safe!

Drinking from the Porcelain Fountain!

 

Wow -- isn't this great? There's a giant water bowl in that little room downstairs!  But I don't understand why someone is usually sitting on the water bowl when I go in there.  People are weird.

Who Me? I Didn't Make This Mess!

My side of the story -- a lovely little mess awaited me when I got home this afternoon!  Heinz had managed to somehow get his stubby little legs and lardo-butt up onto the counter and pull down a bag of dog toys!  He proceeded to chew up the paper mostly.  When he tired of that, it looks like he found a mousetrap that Don had neglected to retrieve after Mickey thought he'd found a safe refuge in our house this winter. 

Heinz' side of the story -- Yawwwnnn! That was a nice long nap.  Now what can I do?  I've managed to get the treats out of the treat ball.  I've chewed on my bone. Hmm.  What's the black thing stuck way under the stove.  Smells like peanut butter!  Let's rip that apart and see what's in there!  Well that didn't take long.  Hmmm.  What else is there to do around here?  Sniff, sniff.  Something smells like a tennis ball!  Now how in the world am I supposed to play with the tennis ball if it's in a bag on the counter?  Good thing I've got these really big feet!  I can get some good balance going on here, and oh, oh, I can almost reach the bag!  Oh, oh!  I've got it! Rip, shred! 
Life is good when you are surrounded by dog toys! 

Whose Pink Leash is This and Why is Heinz Tied to the Picnic Table with It?

That was my first thought upon opening the back gate last evening and seeing Heinz doing his best to come greet me!  Hmmm, I thought.  Why would Don tie Heinz to the picnic table?  Hmmm.  We don't have a pink leash. I used what was left of my daily allotment of brainpower to conclude that Heinz must have escaped again and our next door neighbor must have brought him back.  So I put Heinz inside and took the leash next door, only to find out that it wasn't his! 

Don came driving up as I was walking home, so, being the nonjudgemental wife that I am, I immediately asked him why he tied Heinz up in the back yard and where he got a pink leash.  As usual, he looked at me like I had completely lost my mind! 

We scoped out the fence, that he had just fixed, and found the escape route and concluded that some very kindly neighbor had returned Houdini.  She later came by to collect her leash, and I saw her this morning when I was out walking Heinz -- so I thanked her profusely again!  Thanks Beth!  She was surprised to learn that Heinz is 7 -- from his behavior, she thought he was a puppy! 

The back fence has been repaired yet again, and the trainer comes on Friday!  Obedience orientation is tonight!  Can't wait!