Check Out My Doggles

We live in an area with a very high UV sunlight rating, so in order to enjoy the long trails and walks we wanted Geordi to get used to Doggles (dog goggles). They come in various sizes and the straps are very flat, stretchy, and flexible. One strap goes behind the ears, and the other under the chin.

Today we tried them on him for the first time, with a lot of special treats we got them on for a minute or two. We'd say "Doggle" in a happy voice, touch them to his forehead lightly, and give him a treat. After doing this 5-10 times, we'd creepy the doggles closer onto his snout and forehead and keep feeding him treats as we eased them on. It worked.

Don't worry, we're going to take those lens stickers off. It looks good on him, no?

Baby Geordi Video 2: Fleece Tug Toy

Baby Geordi Video 1: Whistling

Happy Thanksgiving!

Geordi's first Thanksgiving was a success. He was very excited with all of the hullaballoo and the pots and pans and interesting smells. He received a special topping of canned pumpkin (plain), shredded turkey breast meat (no skin, no bones), and a tiny scoop of stuffing on his usual Blue Buffalo kibble.

We made sure to keep him away from the hot oven and stove while they were in use. Can't be too safe with a soft furry one in the house! It is a lot of hustle and utensils, not to mention us walking around with boiling water. Don't trip over the pup!

He ate all of his meal but did not beg for more, only sniffing around to see what I was carving up now and then. He is a good dog who is happy to be playing rather than begging. We ran him around with his favorite catch game and "hunt the hedgehog" stuffed animal. Now he is quite asleep. It was a nice Thanksgiving with Geordi.

Happy Halloween

Geordi at 5 months

Geordi lost his first puppy tooth today. He is nearly 20 lbs and is a nipping a lot less (but not 100% nip-free just yet). He knows: Sit, Down, Wait, Come, Shake (paw), Fetch, Catch, Go Home (into crate), and Place (onto a designated rug in the kitchen). He loves to be combed, belly-rubbed, and often leans his head and furry warm body against our legs. When he comes out of his crate in the morning, he sleepily arches his back like a cat. He's always ready to play!

He likes to use my lap as a couch. He loves his Nylabone (wolf-version), steals socks and towels, and when he naps he looks like a sea lion on its side. He jumps triumphantly from the couch when we tell him to Get Off and loves to be chased. He is an expert going up and down the stairs at full speed. He has discovered wood and my hair. The dishwasher scared him for a day. He ate a piece off of the exercise bike foot pedal.

He often urinates on the people and/or pets he greets, because they are SOOOO exciting! They don't seem to mind, though. His paws are always active and grabbing and touching and oh so cute.

He smells lightly of corn flakes...Geordi is a good dog.

I Stole a Towel

First Groom...Before and After. Agh Too Short!

Geordi was due for his Frontline treatment soon and was soooo hairy that we decided it was time for a groom (nails were already done at vets a few weeks ago). Every time we went out, people would come from far off and dote on him and pet him and ask what breed he was. He was THAT CUTE! I can't tell you the number of men and women (who already had dogs) whose jaw dropped when they saw Geordi. (They didn't even mind when he excitedly peed on their shoes...)

And then we got him groomed...now mind you, it was OUR first grooming order, so next time we hvae some more ideas on what we want. I give a lot of credit to the groomer for dealing with an active new puppy, but she certainly didn't investigate a whole lot into what we may have wanted and was not very helpful in giving options.

We were pretty clear that we wanted to retain the 'teddy bear' doodle appearance, and that we just wanted a nice, cleaned up look with a sanitary cut in the rear (for poop purposes)...

What we got was a skinny mongrel Geordi who came out looking like a poodle (AGHHH!). Not being fans of poodles in the least, we were shocked and crestfallen, but oh well chalk it up to lack of experience. The positive is that Geordi will be nice and cool in this accursed 100 degrees+ weather. In the meantime, he looks ugly. Hah.

Owch...First Trip to the Emergency Vet!

...ah. So it was quite the adventure this past weekend. We live in a desert preserve area, where the vegetation and wildlife are quite close. Rattlesnakes, scorpions, quails, and the like can all be seen fairly often in the neighborhood. The compromise, however, is that we have to keep a close eye on Geordi (and ourselves) during walks along the trails.

I was in the middle of kneeling down to pick up his latest poop and I heard Geordi yelp in pain and my husband groaning and clutching his leg. Apparently Geordi had decided he wanted to investigate a cactus on the ground (a really nasty-looking bugger, too) and it had spiked him in the face. He panicked and withdrew his head...flinging the cactus (about the size of a baseball) into the hubby's shin.

First things first...I had to 'catch' Geordi, who was running with pain and fear, spikes in his nose and upper lip. Both of them were dripping blood. Once I had the pup, I yanked out the cactus (with permission, of course) from hubby's leg. Then we limped to the car and...straight to the emergency vet. I'm glad we had their number on my cell phone...we asked directions while driving.

At the vet's, they took Geordi to the back room and hubby and I picked out (w/tweezers) all the debris and stubborn spikes from his shin and washed the wound, which had 50+ pinprick holes.

We got a bite to eat and came back to a sleepy Geordi and a huge vet bill. It was an easy extraction and he wasn't seriously injured, but they had had to completely knock him out to fully examine and remove every spine. We took him home with antibiotics (he was swaying and groggy) and watched him for another hour.

Geordi's a good pup. The vet even remarked how full of energy he was, wanting to 'play' with staff even with the cactus spines embedded in his face!

All's well that ends well.

Yay Last Vaccine...DONE!

We had a very pleasant visit to our vet today. Geordi got his last shot and had four older vet employee dogs to play with; he was SO excited to romp with them, it took some help to get him still enough for the checkup!

What surprised us all was also how much he's grown in the last 3 weeks...another THREE pounds. He weighs over 12 pounds now...yipe!

He got his first Heartguard chewy bar tonight and his very first walk down the street in the warm desert night. A motorcycle passed by and he was just fine.

We've been brushing his teeth on and off, and he was a doll for his first nail trim today, so we're confident that next week or so grooming will be a piece of cake for our good boy. He is quite poofy now that sometimes we can't see his eyes.

The Sink and the Door Stopper

It's funny how you get your pets a variety of chew toys and fun toys, yet they get the most enjoyment out of something you'd never expect them to even notice. For weeks now, Geordi has been obsessed with the door stoppers behind every door. He will roll into them, roll around them, teeth on them, and growl on and on. That stopped about this week, but now he has a new focus: the bathroom sink!

Since we're unable to groom him until 1 week after his last (third) set of vaccinations, he's getting quite fluffy and poofy, including his poop area. And since he's being treated for gastrointestinal problems, he occasionally will have diarrhea and lo and behold we need to hand-wash his little anus with warm water to remove...err...remnants.

I let him stand in the sink while I wash, or we let him stand in the bathtub. But he suddenly dove into the sink and rolled around, growling playfully and fitting quite adorably in the tiny space. Hence today's photo.

I Want In!

I Love My Hippo

Swimming Practice

Although we live in the desert, there are many places with swimming pools here. We want Geordi to be able to enjoy water and know how to swim and feel wet/splashed.

While he is small, we fill the big bathroom tub with lukewarm water and a rubber safety mat, then sit on the edges and guide Geordi to paddle and feel the buoyancy. He is remarkably good about it; he's not super scared, but only gets a little quiet and looks at us for direction and/or leverage to cling to with his paws. His paddling is improving, and he enjoys treats when he walks across (his feet always touch the bottom) to either of us.

Since Geordi gets nice and wet, we can end the session with gentle tear-stain cleaning, oatmeal shampoo, and quick look at his skin and nails. He looks incredibly different when wet..with the massive furry poof wetted down, he looks very scrawny indeed! Look at that "rat tail"!

Wetter Geordi

Wet Geordi

Bah!

So...Geordi has been having on and off diarrhea for the past 2 weeks. When we went in for Round 2 vaccinations, we found out that he has some canine parasites. It's depressing, because now he's barred from socializing with other dogs until he's all clear (minimum 1 month from now). Worst of all, we don't know where he got them from, since they are solely transmitted from dog to dog, and he's been quarantined in the house ever since we got him.

The positive is that Geordi is not symptomatic except for occasional diarrhea. The negative is that he keeps trying to eat it (and thus re-infect himself). So our tired vigilance is even tighter. Agh!

He is also very thirsty all the time from the water loss(?), so we give him water in limited sips (to prevent vomiting), Chilly Bone (a frozen wet dog toy), or ice cubes. The hubby also found that rolled up hand towels dipped in water and frozen make fun "ice 'hot dogs'" for Geordi to play with.

Anyway, Round 2 vaccinations went very smoothly; Geordi was incredibly interested in the vet's large and calm cat, which he licked and nosed vigorously while the vet slipped in with all the shots.

We hope Geordi gets all clear and healthy soon, because he has a whole world of walking and meeting to do!

Geordi at 12 Weeks

Cauliflower Head

Geordi's hair is growing really fast! He's developing what we call a "cauliflower head" with all the poofiness. He actually looks like he's fat, but nearly 1.5 inches all around is all fluffy hair! It's too bad we can't get him groomed until he's had all his shots; we want to be very careful that he doesn't get exposed to other dogs or other dog areas just yet.

I'm SO glad he doesn't shed (it's hair not fur). I'm pretty sure I shed a lot more than Geordi will ever will. Is he also getting a bit of hairy beard, too?

Sweet Doggy Cookies

My sister-in-law sent a delightful variety of pup cookies for Geordi. They smell just like a bag full of Nilla Wafers and Oreos...they make our human mouths water!

He only gets them as "jackpot" treats (the highest value) for training (along with grilled chicken), when he's being very good. There are so many shapes that I had to take a cute pic of them.

Dog specialty baked goods like these and bakeries like Three Dog are becoming very popular, and now we know why!