Toddler Dog

My puppy is almost a year old and still not house trained.  We have to close off all the rooms in the house to keep her from sashaying in and either peeing on the carpet or chewing up a cord.  So far she's hungry for my headphones and has destroyed two pairs. She goes so far as to try to get them out of my ears if I'm lying on the floor stretching. What is that about? She also has a taste for hubby's pillow and will lick it forever if allowed.  Now my pillow holds no such allure for some reason. Sigh..

Izzy has a whole bed full of toys. She doesn't and won't sleep in the bed but it's a repository for her many toys.  She has a real affinity for green toys.  Yeah, I know dogs are color blind but what can I say, she's a "green" dog. All of said toys end up right in the walkway of the family room of course. The nylon bones, squeaky toys, balls, and yarn knots have to be picked up every day and returned to the bed she won't sleep in.  The great thing about Izzy and her toys is that she plays with them by herself. Yes, by herself.  She throws the ball around and runs after it.  She plays hide and squeak with the green spiky thing. I've never seen a dog play with it's own toys before.  I throw the ball for her and she plays with me too but she's nearly as happy playing on her own.

She's uninterested in her dog bed as I said. Instead she likes to drape herself on the corner of the couch where she can look out the window and be nearly as high as we are. Since she has hair instead of fur she often looks like an old mop head thrown on the couch. Boneless also describes her very well.

My biggest problem with her is that she doesn't come when called, ever. In fact the word "come" seems to be dog speak for take off like a shot in the opposite direction. She's always been a little skittish but this goes beyond skittish to just plain ornery.  If she were a kid we'd call it oppositional defiant disorder. Here we just call her a stubborn little bitch and try all manner of tricks to get her sorry butt where we want her to go.  She's sure that something terrible is going to happen if she comes when called. Since she's not too impressed by food, treats don't work.  However, petting Mickey, our other dog, is guaranteed to evoke "sibling rivalry". THEN she wants in on the action.  But you have to be quick and not make eye contact or she'll slip right out from under your fingers. And if she gets out in the front yard....let's just say I look like an idiot trying to corral her as she streaks from one house to another having a grand game of chase with me coming in last.

My neighbors across the street have a dog that's the same breed as Izzy and say they've never been able to teach him to come.  Their saving grace was to teach him to "stay" so they can go get him. I have to admit I used to feel superior watching  their antics as they chased Nick down while my dog never left the yard.  Now I'm the one the neighbors are laughing at. What goes around, comes around I guess.

Next week Izzy and I start obedience training. Not a moment too soon. For either of us.