Okay so I took little Bandit in for his second grooming appointment.  Last time he turned out really cute just a little more fluffy that I like it since she told me he was too small for the clippers. This time she told me she could us the clippers and how short did I want it on the body.  I told her to live his hair about an inch long on the body, she then asked me how I wanted the face.   She asked if I wanted it close to the skin.  I told her definitely not!  Leave it about 1/2″ long around the face. 

Well, apparently she wasn’t paying attention.  I have a dog with a fluffly body and she shaved his head down to the skin.  It looks like a poodle head was put on the shih tzu body.  He looks so bad that he was barely recognizable.  Just so awkward looking.  They really have a tiny head when you shave the hair off.  He so out of porportion.  I really wish I could figure how to get some images from my camera on here.  They always end up so big and I can’t seem to reduce the size.

Oh well, it’ll grow out and he’ll look adorable again.  Have a happy holiday! 

Well it’s that time of year when I get the incrediable urge to bake christmas goodies. So far I have managed a gingebread house, gingerbread people, soft ginger cookies, cranberry & nut biscotti, marshmallows with & without toasted coconut.

Then I thought what about the puppies?  Almost all of my co-workers have dogs.  So then I thought I’d bake some puppy treats.  I’ve made peanut butter cookies and some “Puppy chow” and marked the bag People treats!  Then in the other bag I made small “peanut butter cookies” and small dog bones which I plan on dipping in “chocolate”(not really, I use carob chips since I know chocolate is a big no-no for dogs).  I’ll mark that bag Puppy treats!

The recipe is so easy and makes alot.  There are no preservatives in these so plan on sharing the wealth.

Peanut Butter Biscuits

1 c. peanut butter

1 c. milk

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 Tbls. baking powder.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix everything together.  Roll into small balls and press down with tinnes of a fork like normal peanut butter cookies.  You can make them as big or as small as you would like them.  Mine end up being about the size of a quarter.  You can also roll out the dough and use cookie cutters (dog bones are my favorite)  Bake 10-20 minutes depending on the size.  I usually go ten mintues for quarter size biscuits and small bones.

Bandit enjoys them and I hope the other dogs do too! 

Otherwise everything is going great.  We haven’t had any accidents at all for a few weeks, even with the doors open to the carpet sometimes.  We have started something a little new with him.  He now sleeps in bed with our youngest son who is 6 yrs old.  When he first started we would always find him snuggled in at the foot of the bed, now he’s usually snuggled around Josh’s head, sometimes on top of it!

I take him in for another grooming this Wednesday, boy does he need it.  I should have had him in a couple of weeks ago but I wanted to wait as long as I could so he’d look good for Christmas.  I hope they are finally able to shave him down a bit.  They told me they couldn’t do the “puppy cut” since he was too small and there was nothing for her to hang on to.  He’s 4.1 lbs now! He’s doubled his weight since we got him.  Really though, when i put it into perspective it isn’t that much.  I was talking to another co-work who just got a bulldog and she’s gained 6 lbs in 3 weeks!

Hope everyone has a happy holiday! 

Bandit did so well!  There was a perfect spot right under the sink in the bathroom to set up his litter box! I did have to set him in it the first time.  He went pee in there right away!  The poopy thing of course is where we have the problems, I caught him once in the act and quickly put him in it. The next time the dear did make it in there but didn’t quite do the shake thing so it fell off right outside the litter box.  He still got a treat since he had the right idea.  Otherwise he was perfect.  He even woke my DH up to go potty in the middle of the night.  At home he’s in his playarea but since we were at a hotel we let him sleep with us.  New surroundings.  He travels exceptionally.  Loves the zebra purse! I did bring along a T-bone for him while we were inside eating at a restuarant.  He loved it!  When we have T-bone steaks for dinner I always keep the bones for him and if you figure I have a family of five that’s alot of bones.  I just stick them in the freezer and let him have one for a treat every now and then. Maybe once a month.  Keeps him busy for hours.

Once we got home and it was night time he cried for a little bit.  I figure he misses sleeping with us, but I don’t want to make a habit of it so we let him cry and he settled down after 10 minutes or so.  The next night he was fine.  So all and all I think the trip went really well.  I’m glad that setting up the litter box in a new enviroment didn’t confuse him too much and he got the hang of it really quickly.  This gives me hope!  I hope one day to beable to move the litter box into a less noticeable area when he’s finally able to have the run of the house.

Time has been flying by and Bandit is doing so well.  I guess the main thing is the ever vigilant litter training.  He has never had a pee accident.  The poopy accidents are getting less and less.  I still think it’s up to us to watch him though.  He’s still a puppy and I figure it’ll take at least 6 months to fully train him where I’ll feel comfortable letting him have the run of the house.

I really wish I had time to post some pictures of him.  He’s simply adorable and so good.  He’s gotten used to the lovely zebra striped bag I carry him in.  Now when we go somewhere I just set the bag on the floor and he just jumps in!  I don’t believe he likes it all that much he just wants the treats he knows he gets when he’s good in there.  I’ve taken him into alot of stores and he doesn’t try to stick his head out or bark.  He just quietly takes a nap.

This weekend will be another test for him.  We are taking him with us out of town.  My DD has a concert in Duluth and we decided to stay at a hotel up there.  Luckily the place has pet rooms.  So it really shouldn’t be all that bad.  I decided I’m just going to empty the litter box and bring a small bag of litter with us.  Then when we get there I’ll set it up in the bathroom, show him where it is and just watch him like a hawk until he figures it out.  Hopefully it won’t take him to long.  I’m excited and scared. Wondering how well these pet rooms are cleaned.  Is Bandit going to go nuts because he smells someone else?  What about fleas?  I guess I jut need to settle down and go with the flow. 

Litter training is still going on.  I’m finding I’m having a bit of a hard time reminding my kids to make sure all the bedroom doors are closed.  For some reason he will go poopie on the carpet.  I’m not sure why.  Is it because the bedrooms are situated away from his litter box.  Out of sight, out of mind?  Is it the feel of the carpet?  Not sure but he’s done it three times.  Once in my bedroom, once in my WIC, and once in my son’s room. All three times probably could have been avoided with better supervision.  The first time I was doing sit ups and not watching him.  The other times one on the kids “said” they would watch him but didn’t.

So, as long as the bedroom doors are shut he’s fine.  But if the doors are open, you better be beside him.  Hopefully with the constant praise and idiot dance when he uses the litter box will keep him more interested in going there. 

I am a bit miffed at my family though.  We decided as a family to get this puppy yet I feel like I am the only one putting any effort into this.  I have never seen anyone else praise him for using his litter box.  That is something I’ll be talking to them about tonight!  Positive reinforcement!  I’m not around all the time.  He needs to be praised by others not just me!

Sorry about wandering off topic.  Anyway, if anyone has any idea what it is about carpet please let me know.

It’s been so busy and I have been neglecting my blogs.  So I thought I’d update you on Bandit.  I can’t believe how easy litter training him was.  Sometimes I just look at him and think WOW.  Seriously, I was really preparing myself for a battle.  I had been surfing the web and read through puppy training books.  Even bought a couple.  Which now I wish I hadn’t because I don’t think Petco would return a read book.  I can understand that but come on.  $30.00 for a couple of books that I didn’t even end up using, it wasn’t an enjoyable read either.  Oh well. 

 He has had no mistakes this week and only three since we got him!  We are currently working on the puppy biting and barking.  The puppy biting is finally slowing down and now I need to find a spray bottle to help with the barking.  I’ll put everything into seperate pages later on how we trained him and how it’s going along.  My DH took an adorable picture of him and I’ll post it when I get home.  He get’s his first grooming this Saturday so I’ll post another picture of him when he’s not so fuffy.

So this morning when I got up, I was thinking, what am I gonna do when The puppy arrives.  How will I work my morning schedule?  As of now it goes something like this….

• Wake up 6:30am
• Take a shower 6:30 – 6:45am
• Get dressed 6:45 – 7:00am
• Wake up kids 7:00 – 7:05am
• Carry my littlest to the couch and turn on the tv 7:00 – 7:10
• Get him dressed and make him breakfast 7:10 – 7:15
• Brush my teeth & finish getting ready (hair & makeup )7:15 – 7:25
• Eat breakfast myself 7:25 – 7:35(sometime at work)
• Kiss kids and leave to work.7:35am

So I’m thinking it might be like this

• Wake up 5:30am
• Set puppy in litter box to go potty 5:32 – 5:40
• Feed puppy  5:40 – 6:00am
• Take puppy on walk ( hopefully it goes potty again) 6:00 – 6:20am
• If not put puppy in litter box when we get home 6:20 – 6:30am
• Put puppy in play area 6:30 – 6:35am
• Take shower 6:35 – 6:50am
• Get dressed 6:50 – 7:00am
• Wake up kids 7:00 am

  Whoops, I just remembered the kids’ bus schedule has changed.  They actually will leave for the bus before me starting October 1st.  They use to get on the bus at 8:10 now they will need to get on the bus at 7:20.  Our little town can be so backwards!

Okay try again…

• Wake up 5:30am
• Put puppy in litter box 5:30 – 5:40am
• Feed Puppy 5:40 – 6:00am
• Wake up kids while puppy is eating  5:45 – 5:50am
• Get dresses to take puppy for walk 5:50 – 6:00am
• Get littlest dressed & breakfast 6:00 – 6:10 am
• Take Puppy for walk  6:10 – 6:30am (hopefully goes potty outside)
• If not takes puppy to litter box 6:30 – 6:40am
• Leaves puppy in play area while I take a shower 6:40 – 7:00am
• Get myself dressed (hair & make-up) 7:00 – 7:15am
• Take kids & puppy to bus stop 7:15 – 7:20
• Put puppy back into litter box 7:20 -7:30
• Put puppy in crate and leave for work 7:30 (until lunch time)

Hopefully after the puppy gets litter box trained I won’t have to watch him every second.

It’s a pretty tight schedule but I think it’ll work.  I might have to get up a little earlier if I find I’m really crunched. I’m thinking maybe 15 mins earlier already.

I have a hard time getting out of bed as it is.  Need to make it a point to go to bed earlier.  I can skip the news and head in at 10:00pm.  That way I should get at least 7 to 7 1/2 hours of sleep.  Maybe 9:00 pm would be better.  I don’t know.  I guess this will be a learning curve.

Yay!  It’s Wednesday and the weekend is almost here!  I have been so excited about getting the little guy.  Here is the latest news from the breeder. -

 Hello Hue.  9am on Saturday the 29th would work out great.  Bandit is ready and waiting for his new family.  He is such an adorable little guy.  He is still quite small.  I weighed him this morning and he is just over a pound and three quarters.  Yet, he is a very sturdy little guy.  He bosses his littermates around shamelessly! 

Can you believe that?  He’s not even two pounds yet!  He looked so much bigger in the last photo.

I think my cat knows something is afoot.  She has been very vocal and needy lately.  Usually she only talks to us in the morning and when you pet her.  Lately, she’s been talking non stop.  We go and pet her, make sure she is alright and has food and water in her dish.  But she just wants to follow us around and meow.  It’s a little annoying when you are trying to use the bathroom and she’s on the other side of the door trying to talk to you.  Maybe it’s just the weather.  It’s cooling down for fall and I’m sure she would like to go out but she can’t be outside unattended, so I’m hoping that’s just it.

Princess has been a bit of a spoiled cat since we adopted her and only likes to drink fresh water.  Usually out of someone’s glass.  Silly cat won’t drink from a bowl no matter how often we change the water.  She will drink from the faucet though.  So anyway, I saw one of those pet fountains, where the water is continuously moving ( guess cats do prefer moving water) but is was actually kind of ugly and I really can’t keep it on the floor since we have to regulate the puppys water until housetraining is over.  So them I tried to imagine it on one of my coffee tables and that would look worse.  What do you think of this? -

  I think it’s a little more stylish than the pet one and it will match my decor better.  Do you think she’ll drink out of it?  If she does then I would just have to remember to add water everyday so I don’t burn the motor out.

And here are my latest purchases for Bandit. -

He is going to be one spoiled puppy!  My DH thinks I am going through the nesting stage. 

I’ll try to upload some pictures that I took of his area and how I set up the house, unfortunately we are having some computer problems at home.  We may need to invest in a new one.  That will be DH’s little baby!

So I was on the Craigs list petblog the other night, when I came across one that was stating when a person is looking for a pet the coloring should not be a factor. What?!  You have to be kidding me!  I think the physical characteristics are very important.  I mean if your searching for a pet and willing to pay, I think you should get exactly what you want.  Why wouldn’t coloring be as important as size, breed, temperment?

The first pet we got was Milo the rabbit.  He’s a netherland dwarf.  We liked him because we knew he would stay small.  We made sure the cage would be big enough for him to enjoy for the rest of his life (we do let him out on a daily basis to play though).  There where a lot of bunnies to choose from but we decide on a black and white one.

Next was Princess the cat.  We found her at a shelter, she was all black and had the most loving personality.  Apparently black cats  are harder to place due to superstitions.  Well, we weren’t scared off and personally I’m not sure if I would have taken her in if she would have been let’s say white, or tabby mix.  We just feel in love with her and I’m sure her coloring had something to do with it.

Next up is Bandit the Zuchon.  His circumstance is alot like Milo’s.  We did the research, figured out what breed we wanted, searched for reliable breeders and contacted them.  Bandit was from a litter that had black & white or brown & white pups.  They had other younger litters that had more colors and different markings, but again something drew us to the black and white coloring.

So again I wonder why coloring shouldn’t be a factor.  Am I being a snob because I want all my pets the same color?  Coordinating pets?  Maybe the OP was thinking more of a race issue.  That I should love a brown & white pup just as much as a black & white pup.  I’m sure I could if I wanted to but if I’m buying something let’s say a dress why would I buy one in green which I don’t like as much as the same dress in black?  I’d definitely buy the black one for the same amount of money.  Maybe that’s it, maybe the OP was thinking the original OP was thinking of the pet as an accessory.  I don’t know.  If I was thinking of my pets as an accessory I would have gotten all white.  A touch of white can go with anything.  Hey maybe that’s it!  I’ll rehome all my pets to get all white ones.  They would look exceptional running around with my decor.  Picture perfect!

I mean, when we get a chance to choose why not.  I perfer men with dark curly hair.  Some people perfer blondes.  I dated some blondes but deep down I knew I was more physically attracted to dark hair and that attaction is what lead me to my husband.  After being together for nine years I still get weak in the knees running my fingers through he dark curly hair. 

I don’t know, am I being selfish?

So here I am.  Starting another blog because I’m finding it a little hard to write about my weight loss journey.  Don’t get me wrong I’ll still blog about it but since I am getting a new puppy on Saturday, September 29th.  I think that will take up alot of my time. 

I plan on litter training him.  What is that do you ask?  Yep, it’s the same idea as a cat.  Teach the dog to use a littler pan.  There isn’t alot of information on the web.  Maybe three good articles that I have come across.  But I’m going to try it.  Later I hope to have some pictures of the set up and little guy.  Maybe mine can be the first free helpful site.  There were some articles that I would have loved to read but they wanted something like $19.95 to download it.  I hate spending money when I can’t preview something.

So anyway,  here is the first picture of my Bandit.  I fell in love with him from the start.

This is Daisy’s Teddi Bear Male puppy #2.  He is white with black spots.  He is just a little peanut!  If you are looking for a teeny tiny Teddi Bear puppy, then this is your guy!  He is a very happy little fellow with a very “waggy” little tail!

And here he is a little older  I thinks this is when he’s 7 weeks old, since we will be picking him up next weekend.  I love the little Halloween theme!