Not so old dog, new tricks - boxer update

Update on the dog training! I definitley still practice dexter's tricks all the time to keep his brain stimulated and today we were sitting on the couch and he was just staring at me so I held up my hand and thought maybe he'll high 5 me (he's never done this). I started saying "high 5 dexter" and just as I was telling my husband that dexter probably thought I was telling him to stay (thats the same hand gesture) dexter actually gave me a high 5!! I freaked out and he freaked out he got SOOOOO excited. So I sat him on the ground and said "high 5" and he went for it again right away! He picked it up after doing it ONCE!

Seriously, it blows my mind how quickly a dog learns after he/she learns the signs of reward or praise from their owner. He didn't even need a treat to do it he just loved getting the attention.

He's much better in the crate still these days except for today. Brandon came home to find some of the stuffing tore out of the blanket in his crate. I know they reccomend giving him more to chew on in the crate if they do this but I'm afraid that with an agressive chewer it could just lead to unfortunate incidents like him eating a part of toy and choking on it or having it get stuck in his intestines.

I'd rather play safe than sorry and have him in their with just his kong.

I really wish we stuck with ignoring him more when people come over because he goes CRAZY when the doorbell rings or someone knocks. I think I'm going to try and get brandon to practice this with me. I think maybe when I come home from work I'll ring the bell and brandon won't open the door until dexter calms down and retreats from the door.   Maybe it'll work.

Living offline

facebook....best friend...or frenemy?

I have a REAL love hate relationship with facebook scratch that. It has become pretty much just hate at this point.

Remember when pokes....were POKES and comments were actual conversations held in person or on the phone...hell even text messages were prevalent. Now it's comments and instragram photos.

Have you talked to so and so lately?
No but I saw their instagram post.

I miss real conversations, coffee dates, wine nights, game nights, dancing, laughing, having fun and not worrying about whether or not someone I don't like on facebook saw pictures of me having fun.

Let's all chuckle because we've ALL done it! You've added someone you didn't care for because of some stupid reason. Maybe you wanted to see where they are now? You've checked in on an ex to see how horrible you hoped their life was? It's seriously just bad. Well, I'm done with it. If we're not friends you're deleted. If you are on there let's BE friends. REAL LIFE friends. The kind that don't need a phone or computer to talk. Let's go back to the wonder years. I have done a little dabbling here and there on facebook but it's pretty much come to a standstill because it made me realize how much I sometimes hate the things we all do.


I hate the feeling pictures or posts can give you when people try to show how much fun they're having without your or at least how much fun their pictures portray them to supposedly be having without you or what not. It's DEPRESSING people. So why do we do it? Why do we check our facebook accounts multiple times a day? Why do we check our instagram feed to see what someone's eating, drinking, or who they are with or where they are or how great they look today?

Seriously, think back to when none of this existed. You were probably a lot less depressed and maybe a lot more free.

I'm on a move to be free again. Free from "social networking" and into the REAL networking.

My husband is an idol to me. He could care less about what's going on with people on a day to day basis. And those that HE does care what's going on; He calls them!
I want to be more like him in this sense.

I'm not saying facebook or social network is bad. So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE no hate comments.
This is a personal revelation and pursuit of living. I think blogging is a great outlet to get your ideas, memories and thoughts out so I think I'm going to spend more time here and less time elsewhere online.

This is just a personal pursuit of getting back to basics. Or you might think I'm crazy, dumb, or being ridiculous. That's fine too. I'm sure at some point I have been all of these things or perceived that way at one time or another to someone via facebook and I very well may be.

Let's get back to REALity.

<3
and so this is not just text here is a real life moment I LOVED! Getting to spend time with one of those closest to my heart. My sister Jenny (COME BACK ALREADY!!)

 

back from my hiatus

hello Internet world!
I've decided to come back to you after a long hiatus. A lot has happened. My lovely husband and I had our first anniversary :) The first of many many more to come!

Then there was the union of two amazing, kind, beautiful people (inside & out) :)

LOVE YOU TWO!

And of course the marriage of Mr & Mrs Monroe.

LOVE YOU TWO!!



I know I may sound redundant but I really love these people! They make my life an even better place so thank you to you all! AND TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER or I will hunt down the one who's doing wrong haha

So I really just wanted to start off simple and slow with a post congratulation those who have made their relationships "official". Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives.

Lastly, I'll just say on a quick note that I have a new job and I am enjoying coming home each night with NO calls to home and no panic attacks about whats happening at work!

Work should be important to you and you should always want to give your best. but it is STILL a job. Remind yourself to enjoy your time with your loved ones and be present.

Back on the saddle again.

Sheryl

Keepin the tradition or not?

Weddings wedding everywhere! Lately there's been a lot of great people in my life getting married or soon to be getting married! I'm just happy to see the people I love being in love!

There's a lot of traditions that come along with a wedding and everything after. I realized last night that brandon and my anniversary is coming up in less than 2 months and I do not feel even the slightest need to exchange gifts on ANY of our anniversaries. I think it's silly. (personal opinion, so DO NOT be offended if you do).

The day of our wedding and days up to it, I thought about how many couples exchange gifts the day of their wedding. What could Brandon possibly get me the day of our wedding that could even compare to the special day and the gift that he was going to be my husband? Nothing! I'm glad he felt the same way. We didn't exchange gifts the day of our wedding, just vows that meant the world.

So anniversaries... What's your plan?

Well for our one year anniversay we get a whole new cake top from our cake vendor. I plan on spending it drinking champagne or wine and eating cake with my husband of one year. Maybe dinner but no monetary gifts.  I don't care if it's the paper year, the gold year or the diamond year. Every year gets better and better because of love.

I think for as long as our cake place is open, we'll go every year on our anniversary to share a slice of our wedding cake and remember that night over and over again.

But a toast to all my newly wed or soon to be newly wed loved ones! Bre and Zev! and of course my lovely sister Jenny & Ej!

Under Pressure

Good morning good people!!!

I've been on a pretty big hiatus dealing with STRESS. Unfortunately stress is something most of us cannot escape. It does a lot to a person.

-lack of sleep (I found myself waking up EVERY 25-30 minutes the other night)
-high blood pressure (I was too afraid to check mine)
-immune system weakened
-loss of appetite.

The list goes on and on. I simply felt burnt out. You there? Everyone deals with stress in their own way, so I don't expect my words to help everyone but maybe it will help someone.


*Got a dog? go for a walk! EVERY morning. Yes...EVERY morning. It's probably been one of the most helpful things for me. It reminds me that there's more to me than what I do or what is stressing me. Many people joked that buddist monks look and act like little children in their later years. The reason for this is because they keep their mind in a constant state of wonder. Just like a baby.

Do this! Walking dexter every morning helps remind me how nice the summer morning air feels, smells, and how it looks. The other day I spent a good 5 minutes mesmorized in the shower looking at the water as it fell onto my hands. (by now you think i'm crazy) but simply being their and noticing what was going on right then, how it felt and looked was pretty neat. (No....I wans't drunk).

*Exercise. I've been so stressed I havent left myself much time to exercise. Latley I started running and although I dont typically run too far yet, I have learned to control my breath and not get tired early.

*Music in the morning. Turn it up loud, dance and sing while you make breakfast or coffee!


Stress can consume you if you let it. When you feel like its becoming too much talk to someone who makes you laugh or smile, it'll pull you right back to what really matters.

I'm a lover, i'm a liver, i'm a doer, i'm simple, i'm a friend, a dog mom :)

My job is simply what I do not who I am.

Todays morning is brought to you by Neil Young's Heart of Gold. 

Now go take your dog for a walk, Dexter and I are leaving for ours now. Try to focus on nothing else in your life but whats going on in the moment.  Afterall....nextflix, pinterest, and instagram are all down. So go back to living life! http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57464342-71/modern-life-halted-as-netflix-pinterest-instagram-down/

"I'M LIVING IN THE NOW, NOW JERRY. AND I'M LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!"

Have fun! It's healthy!

Did you know that everytime you smile your body releases endorphins?
Fun loving optimistic people also live longer!

So to help contine our healthy happy long endorphin releasing lives haha, we went out last night!

Here's how it went....

It's important to take time out from your busy schedule to unwind...really unwind. Smile, laugh, dance like a fool and not care what anyone around you may be thinking.

To recoup today I think a lot of us spent time in our sweatpants haha. While I felt alright with it for the most part, I always feel lazy and gross after laying around all day. I need to learn to just sit and be haha. "the rock just sits and is....you rock, rock!" (I <3 huckabees).

All in all a great night out and a great reminder of how great people can be if you just let them in. I love you guys!

<3

So you think you want a boxer pup?

Today is a two-fer!...or is it two-for....either way, you get TWO posts today!

Brandon and I (as most of you know) have gotten ourselves a boxer pup back in October, shortly after our wedding. After having the puppy for just a few short days we panicked and took him back. Thankfully, is original owner let us come back less than 24hrs later to pick him up again. :)
Going back there was the BEST decision for us!

I'll tell you, that at this moment Dexter (our pup) is laying down all cute and snuggly on my bed....this is not normal. He's only acting this way because he ran a muck from 11am until about 5 this afternoon.

I decided to maybe provide some personal reflections and opinions to other people out there looking to possibly get themselves a boxer pup or dog.


They say boxers are like three year old children that never grow up. VERY true! Dexter is super playful! He has his sleepy times but for the most part he is an attention seeker.

Let's give you some history!
Boxers were bread from a wild dog in Germany and a mastiff. They were originally bred to hunt wild animals. Their jaws helped them hold onto the game until their owner reached them.

Today's boxers are much more playful and friendly. They make great companion dogs, and are very protective over their family. I cannot agree enough with this when it comes to Dexter. If Brandon so much as looks at me funny, or talks to me in a tone (jokingly) that Dexter does not  like, and especially if he pretends to hit me or even TAP me DEXTER GOES NUTS! He is CRAZY protective over me. If I pretend to hit Brandon Dexter actually jumps in to help ME!  I'm sure Brandon doesn't find it as endearing as I do but it makes my heart melt to know he cares that much about me.

Boxers love to have something to work for or have a task to do, so obedience training is a GREAT idea! Dexter started at about 3 months and was the star of his class! He picked up all the tricks very easily and loves doing them to this day.

Separation anxiety...if you get this GET A TRAINER, read up on it. Start leaving your puppy alone (crated preferably) in small increments. Dexter picked up separation anxiety at about 6 months out of nowhere. It IS possible to overcome if you nip it in the bud early! If you need any helpful tips or advice, I'm not a professional but with the help of one we defeated our puppies poor anxiety problems. Just comment and I will get back to you!

Lastly....get a harness that hooks in the front! Walking a strong boxer can be very difficult. Practice heel (usually taught at obedience classes or puppy training), or try other techniques to train him to walk beside you not lead you. The harness really helped us. I can actually walk him by myself!

Getting any kind of puppy is a big decision. In our family it's just Brandon and I. I think having less people in the family makes having a puppy (particularly a boxer puppy) a LOT like having a kid. They need constant attention, affection, and discipline. I think having more people in a family might make having a puppy easier but its not impossible for a couple. You just have to be ready to sacrifice a little and be PATIENT.

It's worth it! <3

"Life's too short"

I haven't really been on the computer in quite awhile. Busy doing things around the house, making crafts, doing some gardening, and obviously working.
I've been so caught up in work work work that I decided to spend more time on me and who I really am.

I'm not my job. I'm a great friend, possibly a hippy at heart. I'm a yogi, a lover, a dog lover (as dexter licks my face haha). I talk wayyyy to much.

I want to laugh more, be healthier and spend more time with the people I love. I'm going to make the best of every second of every day. I think we all owe it to ourselves. We all get caught up in the hustle and bustle that we forget that life can be taken away at any second. Would you really be satisifed today that you did everything you wanted to? NO regrets?

So as of yesterday, I've been getting up earlier, eating right and doing yoga to start my day. I listen to RIDICULOUS music first thing in the morning to start my day (ie. whitney houston- I wanna dance with somebody)....seriously I challenge you to start your day with that song you'll laugh at yourself but you won't be able to stop dancing haha.


So what sparked this post?

The death of a childhood friend. Tim Berchou was taken away way too early to cancer. The older I get the more kids from my childhood and high school years I see pass away. It's cliche to say life's too short but it really is if you don't live it to the very fullest.

Here's to a year of doing new things and doing more with my time here on this earth.

This year I want to do a lot.

- I want to volunteer more
- I want to run a half marathon
- I want to dance like a fool at my boo's wedding!
- I want to spend time with my sister in ohio
- I want to go to the toronto zoo
- I want to go on my first cruise to europe next year
- I want to pursuse all my dreams and I won't stop at every road block.

keep on keeping on! you're never too old and its never too late!

sights, smell, memories

Well hello new blogger! Or maybe it's just me..... I've been living off the blogger grid for at least a month now.

Busy with work and home. Our bathroom is partially remodeled. There is no longer a hole in the wall serving as a memory of the time dexter busted out of his crate and locked himself in the bathroom!

Speaking of memories, as I was driving home from a coffee date last night I had a band I listened to back in the day come on the old ipod shuffle.
For a second I felt like I was 18 again and sitting in the back seat of my sisters ford tempo rocking out as her, other friends and myself wondered the streets amiously with no destination in mind.


It also reminded me of stealing lawn gnomes and other ornaments.

yes...we stole all these.

Or riding around a campground with a jesus duct taped to the front of our golf cart!

I'm very very very content with my adulthood life but geez....I wanna stayyyyyyyyyyy 18 forevvvvvvver. (ahh...brand new.)

Back to 2012!





http://www.livescience.com/8426-brain-link-sounds-smells-memory-revealed.html

positive results from dexters training!

So It has been one week and one day since we changed the greetings and goings with dexter. We started gradual departures at just 5 minute intervals and had some whining.

Yesterday was the FIRST day we left dexter alone since my vacation for a longer period of time.

We did a couple things differently so its hard to pinpoint exactly what helped or if it was a combination. A few things we did:
-we have a crate in the bedroom for sleep and one in the living for when we leave. we moved his bed into the living room crate and use cozy blankets for his bed time crate. We practiced gradual departures and no dram hellos and goodbyes.

Brandon came home yesterday from work after having dexter in the crate for 5 hours and dexter was LAYING DOWN CALM and absolutely NO drool! Same happened today and when we let him out of his crate he's calm and just stretches.

Before he would drool profusely, be hunched over because he didnt want to lay in his drool, and he was itching to get out of the crate and go crazy.

Needless to say so far it's been a great success! We're still going to keep practicing little departures with him.

Also.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my lovely crazy wonderful husband. Thank you to bre, zev, and brandons parents for coming to celebrate!

It's bed time I'm running on E.

Matthew Good - "Anti-Pop"

\

Everyone needs a feel GOOD anthem (pun intended)

All is full of love

I just have to say unplugging from facebook saved me a lot of wasted time.  My vacation comes to an end today.

We spent a lot of time cooking outside and cleaning up the hard.

Today I practiced a 5 minute departure with dexter in the morning and later in the evening.  He started to whine inside at the 2 minute mark.  Were not sure yet how long he does it.  At the 5 minute mark we came inside and when his body looked relaxed we let him out of the crate. He calmer down fast after and then after another. Few mins we praise him.

That's all we have so far! Back to the daily grind.

Doggy update!

So Brandon and I were about to go get his new shoes and I decided to stay. We had already locked dexter in his crate so I decided to use this as a training opportunity. I stayed outside for 5 minutes and listend to him bark :(. It was SOOOO hard! But I did it!
I went in and he was sitting there uncomfortably so I walked around and took off my purse checked my email and then came back and he was laying in the crate so I let him out and of course he ran around for about 2 minutes and so I did dishes (still ignoring him). Then I realized he wasnt following me so I checked the living room and he was laying on the floor so I praised him and told him what a good boy he was for calming down.

We have been working really hard on the doggy independence. He has not been following us around nearly as much! Ignoring his attention seaking behavior has made him relax alone a bit more than he used to. I was tripping over my feet on him sometimes!

We continue to recognize any and all good behavior to reinforce what a good boy he is. We also have been practicing stay in other rooms with him. I'm going to practice tomorrow with him again.

I'm trying to decide when its best to practice again since it stresses him out I dont want to let him out go through all the motions and put him right back in again. I'm going to have to ask denise about this.

I'm going to take dexter to the doggy barking lot on saturday to let him play with other dogs and just be a dog! Make sure you get your pup socializing so they remember they are a dog. Sometimes spending so much time around me and brandon I think dexter starts to think he's human too haha.

dexter calm after I let him out of his crate and ignored him for a few minutes

independence

Morning everybody!
Denise our "dog whisper" haha or common sense as I call it came over yesterday to sit down with us. I decided to keep a log/blog type entry each day or close to it on our progress.

First let me say that dexter is NOT a bad dog! I know some people may read this and when they hear separation anxiety they think a bad dog or a dog chewing on everything in the house. That is not the case with our dog. But I can tell and feel his anxiety and I want him to keep comfortable and happy while we're gone.

Does your dog have prewarning signs too of separation anxiety? (Every dog is different and has their own personality, its best to get a professional to help. This is not relevant for every dog)

1. Does your dog follow you everywhere? I mean EVERYWHERE.
2. Does your dog seek attention alot? Nudging, whining, barking, staring.
3. Does your dog drool when you're gone?
4. Does your dog try to break out of their crate?

We think it's adoreable that dexter follows us around and he constantly is looking at you placing his head on you and lately he's been finding ways to try and get you to pet him when hes on the upper part of the couch looking out the window. This is ATTENTION SEAKING behaviour....my dog is an attention hog haha.

So first we are ignorning this behaviour all together. We're not going to make eye contact until he gives up and walks away. A few minutes later we're going to say good boy and praise him. We want dexter to become a little more independent. He's already started to wonder around the house without us but he's still very clingy.

The hardest part of the upcoming weeks is going to be the no more big hellos and goodbyes.
Dogs tend to associate the door with a party. Everytime that door opens or closes its a party!

This means everytime brandon and I come home we have to ignore dexter until he calms down once he calms down we'll set a self timer for 5 mins. After 5 mins we'll pet and praise dexter. This teaches them that when you get home you take care of yourself first. If you praise them right after they calm down they'll learn to trick you by being quiet so you'll let them out of their crate right away. This would be teaching them to be quiet, not calm. You want them to learn calm.

The hardest part of this will be getting guest who come over to ingnore him until he's calm.

Denise is also sending us sit and stay exercises. So this way we can also get him to sit and stay when guests come over.

Lastly we're practicing gradual departures starting tomorrow when his new crate gets here.
We spoke with denise and she says it is not bad to put him in the crate while we're at work. Dogs do not have a sense of time whether its 1 hr or 10. The crate does not cause his anxiety, it us leaving that causes it. So I ordered this awesome heavy duty crate thats coming tomorrow. its going in the living room and will be open all the time when we are there to get him comfortable with it. The other crate will be just for sleeping in the bedroom.

We also got him a smaller thunder shirt that fits perfect and looks SO FRICKEN CUTE! We got him wearing it all the time for now. next week we'll take it on and off every couple of hours so he wont associate it with the crate or us leaving.
It's good to put this on at least an hour before you leave. or if your dog doesnt like thunder and it looks iffy that day put it on him/her ALL day not just when the storm starts.

BRE, since i'm not currently on facebook, I was talking to denise about dogs and fireworks. If you want to share this with gretchen. She said that it is best to ignore your dog when they freak out over fireworks. By giving in babying you're teaching them that its ok to be scared. You want to act calm so that they will learn to mimmock your reactions. They eventually learn...shes not coming to my rescue...she's calm....nothings happenings..everythings ok. Its hard to ignore becuase they're our little babies but it will nip his fear of loud noises in the butt fast!

Rugby thundershirt dexter!

And an oldie but goodie <3

In my life, I love you more.

know what you are worth and what you deserve

I was fortunate to spend some time with some great people last night. Self worth and self esteem became a topic on mind.

I think we all struggle with this a little bit and I found some good healthy tips on a website that I couldn't agree more with and I plan to live in action more. I think many of us could benefit from these.

1. Set an intention. (DECIDE what kind of a day you're going to have and remind yourself of this all day...Today is beautiful and perfect!)

2. Be true to yourself, Being a people pleaser is a very frustrating way to live. Get in the habit of pleasing yourself. You are responsible for your own happiness. Your feelings are important. (AMEN!)

3. Change your mental diet.  Avoid debby-downers. Don't let anyone bring you down

4. Be aware of what your monkey mind, the voice in your head, is saying. Keep focus on the great things and disregard or leave the negative.

5. Upgrade your physical diet. Bre will attest to this!!!

6. Stop comparing yourself to others. I think we all struggle with this one, and it can really be a detriment to your health mentally and physically. love what you have and are

7. Create an uplifting environment for yourself. 8. Celebrate your successes.

9. Be grateful.

10. Create a list of accomplishments and review it often. Give yourself credit!

11. Don’t take yourself, or life, too seriously. This one's easy for me!

12. Learn something new. Teach yourself somethign new! I always feel good after trying a new recipe.

13. Do things that stretch your comfort zone.

14. Do something nice for yourself. I'm feeling ice cream today!

15. Do something nice for someone else. (without expectation of getting anything back)

16. Spend time regularly doing things you find joyful.

17. Do something physical. Dog walks!

18. Spend time with supportive, uplifting people.  <3 

19. Create positive affirmations about yourself.

20. Allow yourself to be where you are. Meditation helps

21. Remind yourself often you are a miraculous, sacred, perfect expression of Life.

22. Spend some time just being. Nature!

My furnace wouldnt kick on this morning which wouldnt be a big deal but for some reason it's colder in my house than it is outside!

I missed yoga with my best friend and support bre So I need to make time to get in some yoga and help bre out with some planning for her upcoming big day!

Instead after the furnace got fixed, Dexter and I went for a walk, I vaccummed, did dishes, cleaned floors, I even vaccumed window wills haha.

I'm waiting for brandon to get home so I can finish raking the leaves the last owners left all over the place.

Dexter loves the sun, its the first time I saw him sit and lay on the grass just for fun.

Oh! and the update on my unplugged to facebook week. I haven't logged on since! It was actually easier than I thought it would be.

First I found tiny puppy pictures of dexter!! look how little he was!

 And ...now!

Unplug

I think I'm going to unplug myself more from things like facebook to spend more time in the real world. I think blogging is healthy but facebook can be such a time killer sometimes in a bad way.  So.... Try it! I am starting tomorrow! I won't look at Facebook or be on Facebook.

It's going to be hard since ill be on vacation, but I look forward to new home owner yardwork!

See you all next week!

you're not happy unless you think you're happy.

 “Either once only, or every day. If you do something once it’s exciting, and if you do it every day it’s exciting. But if you do it, say, twice or just almost every day, it’s not good any more.” -Andy Warhol

What's my point? It has to be constant and everyday!

Starting today (with my am yoga burn routine) I am going to get back into doing yoga EVERY day. Whether it be a quick 15 min work out or a full hour of yoga burn or flow.

Everyone should have a morning routine to start their day right. It sets the pace for what the rest of your day is going to be like. I want mine to be full of more energy and happiness.

This is my happiness project.

Yoga everyday, green tea, and puppy walks.
I already eat a good breakfast everyday. I've made that a habit.

There are a lot of negative things in the world and even the happiest of us are constantly fighting them.
Don't kid yourself bad stuff happens. We sometimes feel lost or depressed and you have to acknowledge that first.

I have such few real friends I can count them on one hand. In fact the only three people I converse with on a regular basis = 3. My husband, my sister and my rock bre.

I like to think of myself as an outgoing and friendly person. I like to give everyone a chance, but I can't seem to find people who are the easy going people I hope to find.

I want more good REAL honest people in my life. It sucks wanting to do something like go for a walk or go to a park and then get stuck going alone. Once in a while it's definitely good, but not all the time.

It probably stems back to being an outcast because lets be honest I was never the popular type. I was insecure and I learned to mask that by being loud and outgoing. I never feel smart enough, talented enough, hip enough, or cool enough for half the people out there.

But I know that half of them are probably putting on a show too because they're just as insecure.

Anyways, I want to be proactive about this debby downer issue. I need some friends.
I need to find a new way to make some more real friends.
Any groups out there I can join?
Suggestions?
Friends? haha

Do what's right

So, I emailed denise who did puppy classes with us and she's going to come next Sunday to help us work with dexter and his anxiety.  She thinks we,should be able to nip it in the bud, since overall he's a well mannered dog. 

I want to train my dog right and I want him to be happy and comfortable, so this is our next step and I'm excited!

Reach out for help early on!

rich in love

I just want to say that yesterday was GORGEOUS!
it was almost 60 and sunny with just a bit of wind but it felt so good to walk and feel sun on your face!

So on my day off Brandon and I decided to take dexter for another walk.
He is SO good now on a leash! He never barks at any other dogs. I don't know if its because he's used to socializing with other dogs from the puppy classes and barking lot but he doesnt care to bark at another dog. He does sometimes get distracted and stops to look but doesnt put up a fuss.

He walks by people no problem its just...awesome!

Today I walked him again, and after our walk we did a couple minutes of "stay". We worked on noises. I left him at the bedroom walked down the hall and opened the door to the pantry/doggy treat door and closed it hard. He DID NOT move!  after about 30 seconds i came down the hall to praise him.

I was able to get down the stairs in the kitchen today too NO problems at all! I even touched the bells on the door (for his potty) and then came up the stairs down the hall and he still STAYED! of course after i praised and released him he ran down the hall to the kitchen to the bells to see who was here hahah.

He seems to be retaining this info pretty good even though hes crated. Brandon says when he comes home it doenst appear to be as drooly and last time it did not look like he made any attemps to chew on his crate. Here's hoping today will be the same if not better. He's only going to be in there for less than 2 hrs.


thinking about starting a full on dog blog since thats what this has become haha. I'm not an expert by any means but its a day by day process of retraining yourself more so than your dog.

No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich- Louis Sabin

with that said...I'm out....theres a dog sleeping on my feet ha

Stay day 2

Well, my keys are definitely a trigger for dexter getting anxious to me leaving. So, today I picked up my keys and carried them around jingling while I matched socks and had breakfast. 

I have to keep showing positive recognition also, when he goes outside for me. Right now, half the time its a stare down because he doesn't want to go out in the cold.

So we practiced stay in the bedroom where we keep his crate. I have not done it yet in the crate.  I was fine getting down the hall but once I walked down the kitchen stairs and touched the floor near the door he would come running.  So we went back to the room and tried again 2nd, and third time he stayed!

Alas, I had to go to work so I set his toys in the crate and decided to crack the curtains, when I turned around he was just sitting in his crate haha.

I started reading. The power of positive dog training
By pat miller....read it!

Stay

I really wish we would've worked more on "stay" like our puppy class teacher said.  Now, its harder.

This morning I didn't have much time but a little so I had dexter sit in the bedroom and stay using the word and hand gesture. I took a step back then praised.  I managed to get down the hall and into the kitchen by the end.  I want to start this in his crate later. I work until 5 but brandon gets home by 2 I'm hoping he can play with him then maybe work on stay in the crate .

Dog goneit

Well my puppy has separation anxiety. The first step is admitting!

Now....what to try to fix it.  I'm going to start with diffusing triggers that he associates with me leaving.  I'm going to randomly put my shoes and coat on but sit down to watch tv or have breakfast.  As days go on I'm going to keep mixing it up by picking up my keys and purse and then go do my hair.  

When we get home were going to continue giving little attention at first.

Were going to start practicing putting him in the crate and taking a step back. We'll wait a minute then let him out and praise if he remained calm.  I hope to get to 5 minutes tomorrow.  I just hope he doesn't regress when I have to crate him Sunday for work.  That's my biggest fear.

We're going to keep working on walks and heel to keep establishing alpha position.  I think by also getting him to stay and let me walk up the stairs first will help with alpha position too.

I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.  

We will start by saying his anxiety is a 10 just for scale sake and ill keep track of his progress!

home sweet home

So we finally closed on our house last monday! It's been crazy hectic ever since just working on all the different things in the house. We have spent a good chunk of change on paint, flooring, molding.

It was worth it! It's coming along great and once we officially move in (hopefully next week!) I'll have time to breathe again. So i'm not ignoring anyone, I promise! Just very very very busy. I hope you all understand <3

Here's some pictures of the progress so far :)

home owners!

living room before 

living room after. new paint, floors and railing

bathroom color!

and of course...it wouldn't be complete without dexter <3

I'm so happy :) and we havent done our taxes yet because we're waiting for brandons' w-2 but i started them and lets just say the amount i'm getting back alone is INSANE! stoked :)

Home sweet home project.

Life has been crazy busy!! We finally closed on our house January 25th and brandon and his dad along with some help have been hard at work!
I've taken some before shots and progress shots.

Meditation, anyone?

With the risk of sounding like some new-age hippy...I want to talk about meditation. I have never really been a meditator. In fact...not at all! But I started giving it a try with this 21 day yoga challenge and it makes me feel great!

Today while doing my meditation portion of the yoga challenge, I started feeling really calm after about 5 minutes. Then it got kind of strange. The hair on my arms began to stand up on both arms. It almost felt as if someone was behind me gently touching my arms and I suddenly felt the need to tear up. It made me think of my grandmother for some reason.

I didn't see or hear anyone it was just a feeling.

I still can't believe that I won't ever hear her laugh again. Everytime I picture her in my head, she's laughing and smiling. Every fricken time. I can't seem to picture her any other way, and it doesn't bother me a bit.

so in closing

1) Give yourself some time to meditate. Sit quietly and simply feel.
http://www.freemeditation.com/
http://www.fragrantheart.com/cms/free-audio-meditations
2) Tell your family and friends you love them frequently. You don't know when it will be your last.

Let it all out

Sunday was my first attempt at hot yoga! I felt like I was the only one sweating haha! But you definitely feel cleansed after!

Day 4 of the yoga challenge! Day one was tough because it was a morning routine I didn't get until I was at work and didn't get home until 930 at night. So, I improvised with my own yoga. Since then I've been on track! I followed the meditation they gave me and I know the word "meditation" sounds new-age and weird, but it really makes you relax.

Today I did a search and found a meditation for cleansing your chakras. It made me feel pretty good!

So try something new! Today I had mahi for the first time, and it was delicious.

Still waiting to find out when we close, working a lot, missing my grandma at random times, and recognizing tomorrow maddy will be 1.  There's always a lot on our minds, it feels good to acknowledge it all, accept it, and let it go.

Out of a funk

What can I say... December was like living in a permanent funk. Mostly emotionally.

Lately, I've been feeling like I did a 180. I'm not sure why, I just some up a few days ago feeling very positive! And since then great things have been happening! Nerdy, but great!  I did quotes on our home insurance and also got us new car insurance. We saved $100 a MONTH!  wow...I sound like a commercial haha.  Well have full coverage on two cars, home owners insurance, and life insurance (OY! I feel old) for less than what we were paying for just our cars before.  So, switch to allstate!

We should be closing on the house by the 21st!

My sister will be up here next month!

A bad attitude can way you down just as much as eating poorly. The 21 day yoga challenge starts in 4 days. You in?

http://www.yogajournal.com/21daychallenge/

Bre and I are starting early January 8th with some hot yoga!  Here's hoping we don't die.

Stay positive, breathe in some aroma therapy, eat well, sleep well, smile and laugh! I think it wad game night that knocked me out of my funk. So thank you Bre, Zev and Brandon!  Oh and dexter too!