New Mascot for Sew & Sew

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

I need to take pics and get them uploaded so that I can link some new shots of Joe but he has definitely become Sew & Sew's new mascot.  Maybe 2 years ago we bought the biggest dog bed we could find at PetSmart and put it in Sew & Sew.  We wanted Jimmy to hang out down here on it but it wasn't his recliner so he just hunkered down upstairs and then came down to get me when he felt I had spent enough time down here.  Carly always seemed to prefer the carpet.  One of our cats decided it made a fine bed until we tried to adopt Stevie.  We took it upstairs for Stevie and apparently since it smelled of dog, Michelle never sat foot on it again.

Joe has really started, thankfully, to mellow in the last week or so.  Yesterday, I went upstairs to get a glass of tea and went out to pet the boys as long as I was upstairs.  Could not find Joe anywhere.  Checked outside and he wasn't in the yard.  Finally went downstairs and he was crashed on the pillow.  He came down with me this morning to feed the cats and when I came back into Sew & Sew from the Laundry Room, there was Joe curling up on the pillow.  He beat me down here this morning with his stuffed/squeaky yellow duck in his mouth.  Got into trouble a couple of times (grabbed my pen that fell on the floor out of my reach and then a roll of trim he swiped out of it's place on a low-lying shelf).  Bob was ready to put up the plywood barricade so that I can do some work.  I told him we have a 3 strikes you're out policy and Joe was only on strike 2 for the morning. ; )  Sure enough, 5 minutes later, Joe and his ducky were cutting zzzzz's on his pillow.  It's great to have a dog hanging in Sew & Sew again.  Even though he doesn't talk, like Carly, he will come over and nudge me if he thinks some attention is warranted and then wander off in search of a good sleeping place.

He is definitely house broken.  Yaeh!!!  We had one accident the evening after Mom's Memorial Service (I just either didn't recognize his sign or didn't get up in time) where he whizzed mostly on a comforter and a little on the floor.  That was a week and a half ago and he's been perfect since then.  He now gets very rowdy (where you might think about shaking him silly if it would do any good) and that is his new sign.  Every time he exhibits that behavior and I get him outside, he immediately goes to the bathroom.  Sometimes wants a ball throw or two before we head back in.

It's great to have a mascot.  Even greater for my productivity that he wants to hang down here to sleep, not see how much fabric he can grab and throw on the floor, or how many patterns he can shred or rolls of vinyl he can wrap a paw around and chew on.  And so on and so on.

Virginia

[Darren Henry]

That subject line scared the bejeebies out of me. I'm thinking "She already has two dogs, one is still a pup/2 or is it 3 cats / and what she is going through ----and she's getting another critter??? ".

He now gets very rowdy (where you might think about shaking him silly if it would do any good) and that is his new sign.

Buddy used to do his "dance"; he'd get 3-4 feet in front of whoever he wanted to open the door ---and then run side to side,spin,repeat with is tail wagging at full throttle all the while maintaining eye contact with the "thumbs" that he wanted to open the door for him.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

LOL Darren!

I'd rather do myself bodily harm right now than take in another critter of any size or species.  : )  For the record, we have 2 cats, 1 dog and 1 very hyperactive puppy.  LOL

Joe will grow up to be a great dog.  That's obvious pretty much each week as he starts maturing.  Occasionally he can walk by a cat without getting in their faces.  Really torques them off that they don't have claws to b*tch slap him in place.

There are really 2 issues that we are working on with Joe.  One is a biggie, the other would just be nice.  The biggie is that he jumps all over Jimmie.  It started as wanting to play but may have grown into his becoming the alpha dog.  I could care less who is alpha and who is not.  Jimmy is 12-1/2 now and it is now apparent that his hips suck.  We wouldn't have had a clue were it not for Joe jumping on him as sometimes, Jimmy wipes out.  For the time being, I'm putting Joe on a short lead when they are both out together.  As soon as Jimmy takes care of business, I run him in and they let Joe off the lead.  I'm searching "obedience" sites on the internet for a fix for this issue.  Any ideas anyone?  The other, an irritant, is he lacks manners on the lead when we're walking.  Nylabone has an obedience page that has the training tips for that issue which I will now start working on.  Jumping on Jimmy, I'm clueless.  "Bad", "Off", "No" are all ignored -- part of that is youthful enthusiasm I know but Jimmy deserves not to be knocked to the ground.  I'm hoping his hips will get stronger through the summer as we walk.  If not, we won't let him have a winter of slipping on snow and ice.

Virginia

[Darren Henry]

The biggie is that he jumps all over Jimmie.

Let Jimmie know it's okay to kick the little punks arse and set the parameters for their relationship. You know yourself that if those cats did have claws Joe would be respecting their space more than "occasionally". Dogs horses, humans, what ever animal will "forgive" inappropriate behaviour in youngsters until they decide that the youngsters are "old enough to know better"----then there is an attitude adjustment, as we used to call it in the CF.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Yup, these are the first cats that we've ever declawed.  Just got tired of not being able to have nice furniture.  All of our other cats had the newest puppy respecting then in about 2 smacks of a paw. ; )

We tell Jimmy to kick Joe's butt.  He has actually body slammed Joe a couple of times.  May have been accidental.  Did put Joe aback briefly.  We let them go until Jimmy gives the noise that seems to us to sound like pain, discomfort, whatever and then we step in with bad, down, so forth.  Joe does love Jimmy.  Came out in the living room this morning and the two were wrapped up in each other, both sound asleep.  Just about the cutest thing you could want to see.  But he's also a very boisterous puppy.  So, we intervene.  I haven't been putting him on the short lead outside as it's become a tug of war toy.  I take it out with us.  As soon as Joe sees it, he grabs the other end and we tug each other around the yard.  While we are doing that, Jimmy's taking care of business in peace and quiet.  I've got no problem with that.  Jimmy is much happier getting in and out of the house to TCOB.  Hoping to find a good indoors solution.  I'm also guessing that as Joe gets older, he won't be quite as rambunctious with Jimmy.  Time will tell.

Speaking of the little dorks, it's now walk time.  Always an adventure.  Joe seems to be catching on about heel, maybe 50% of the time.  He is smart, just very hard headed -- most hard headed dog we've ever had.  LOL

Virginia

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Jimmy did get tired of Joe's incessant boisterousness last night and nipped him good.  Joe yelped (no blood or holes that I could see) and then he got very vocal about the indignity of it all.  I had him on the short lead when they went out for "last call".  We've been out twice without putting Joe on the lead either time and he was reasonably respectful.  I doubt that it's a lasting lesson as Joe is very hard headed but it might make Jimmy understand what he needs to do.  Time will tell.

Virginia