Home Again

We were able to pick Radar up at 9:30 am this morning from the boarder. He was so happy! He has a habit of bounding like Tigger when he's excited, but this morning he just made a beeline for me. I was informed that he was a good boy, but inclined to be attention-seeking, manifested through barking. Not only was he the Loud One, he was also the Energetic One. It seems he got a lot of balls thrown for him. And we got zero reports of him being snappy at any of the other dogs, so I guess that's a good thing.

He sat in my lap on the drive home (my husband was driving), and was pretty calm, until we pulled up to the driveway. That sent Radar into another fit of excitement. It seems like he was sitting calmly only in anticipation for the destination, and once he saw we were actually going home and not somewhere else (like the vet), he let himself be truly happy. :)

Results

Well, the vet said that Radar probably has seasonal allergies, since he stopped chewing his bum a week or two ago, after chewing it almost daily for three months. I have to also say, though, Radar was pretty well behaved in the waiting room, other then crying for 5 or 10 minutes. He only barked at two dogs, which is sort of ironic because they were the feeblest dogs of all the ones around. Both were quite large, but one had a seeping stomach wound, and the other was grizzled and grey around the muzzle and missing an eye. He was cordial to two smaller dogs and a seriously massive mix of standard poodle and border collie. He even politely touched noses with and sniffed a cat!!

Of course, as soon as we got into the exam room, he turned timid. Those exam rooms must smell like terrified dog! As the doctor examined him, he cowered into me, leaning as close as he could. After he had calmed down some, interestingly, neither the doctor or the tech assistant had (much) trouble flipping his ear flap and both examining and cleaning/inserting medicine for yet another right side ear infection.

Right after the vet, I took Radar to the boarders. He cried some more once he was taken and left in the back. I could hear him from the front, and it nearly broke my heart! I'm sure he'll be fine (he'll have his own private doggy door which I hope he knows how to use), and besides, we'll only be gone 3 days. He'll be fine, right?

Boarding Guilt

I know I haven't written in about a week. Mostly, I've been feeling kind of guilty. My husband and I are going away for a mini-vacation, a three night stay at a b&b near a state park south of us. That means we have to board Radar. We have to drop him off today, even though we're not leaving until tomorrow, because we can't drop him off on Thanksgiving. We also have to be back by nine on the nose Sunday morning to pick him up, or we can't get him until Monday evening, since we'll be at work all day. I can only hope that he doesn't feel completely abandoned, and has mostly forgotten about the (at least) two previous owners who gave him away. The anticipation is obviously more traumatic for me then him!

Oh, yeah, and he has to go to the vet this afternoon. My husband wants to know why Radar's been chewing his bum so much he made a scab. Interestingly, I made the appointment last week, knowing I had today off, and his bum is pretty much healed with minimal new chewing. I'll still take him though, and at least have his ears checked out. We've been trying really hard over the past few months to make sure they're staying clean and infection free. :)

Holes

I think I've mentioned that Radar is into chewing holes in towels. Fortunately, that is the ONLY thing (beside the corners of his bed) that he has chewed. Still, it's kind of annoying. There's a towel as a cushion in his crate, and if I forget to take it out when I let him out, that's where he can be found when it's a little too quiet around the house: chewing more holes. Two of his designated "Radar Towels" now look like Swiss cheese. Usually we can snag the hole innards from him, but I don't want to know how many he's swallowed. I just have to assume they're all coming out fine, though, as his usual toilet when we walk has not been affected.

Bath Time

I gave Radar a bath this weekend, and it was not completely horrible. :) We don't have a hose on the shower head, so I filled up a monster sized drink container (ah, memories of summer and sun tea), and used that. I think it worked better then if we had the shower hose, because he flinched every time I turned on the water for a refill. The other success: he only succeeded in jumping out of the tub once, and luckily, he wasn't even wet yet.

The upside: a clean dog with super soft fur.

The downside: it took him forever to dry, and I even used the hair dryer a little bit. (Surprising, he didn't totally panic, though I only used the light setting, and only went around his tail/hip region. I'll use it more next time.)

No Veggies

Radar could not survive on a diet of vegetables only. As food-minded as he is, you would think he would eat anything that a person gave him that smelled remotely like food. He is not keen on carrots, though. I tried that one about a week after we got him. Tonight we gave him a fresh green bean, which he stared at and sniffed for several minutes, trying to decide if we were joking when we told him to eat it. He finally, reluctantly, picked it up and took it to the living room. It's still there.

However, he does like pumpkin. I think that is technically a fruit, though. The deer came through and ate our jack-o-lantern over the course of three evenings, breaking it up into manageable pieces, and Radar tried to eat the leftover chunks during the day.

Hunger Pains

If Radar was one of the Seven Deadly Sins, he would be Gluttony, hands down. Even after he has eaten a large meal, he snuffles around looking for more. I've caught him trying to eat a leaf just to prove he should get more food. How much should a 30 lb dog eat a day? I'm guessing we're already feeding him more than he needs: almost 2 cups of kibble a day. He's definitely put on some weight since we've had him.

The point is, Radar is already trying to play us against each other, much like a modified, "If Mom says no, ask Dad." The other morning, I got up a little earlier then usual, fed Radar, then went about my morning routine. About a half hour later, my husband got up and said he was going to feed Radar, who was apparently acting as he does when he knows it's mealtime, that is, standing in the kitchen doorway looking forlorn and hungry. The little bugger thought he could get two breakfasts!

Squatter

Radar does not lift his leg when he goes outside. Instead, he squats like a girl. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining about that at all. I never have to fear "marked" furniture. However, Radar is not dumb either (don't ask my husband that question!). I've seen him sniff trees and lampposts. I've seen him cock his head like he does when he's trying to figure something out, where a noise comes from, or what I mean when I talk to him in a high-pitched "baby" voice. I'm sure one of these days he'll figure out why other dogs can leave calling cards at what amounts to his head level and he can't. I just hope it isn't any time soon.

Doggy Dreams

The other day, Radar was sleeping in one of his many usual places: between the sofa and the legs of the end table. I heard him shift a little and huff, so I glanced down to see if he was awake and getting up. He wasn't. He was dreaming, his back legs twitching for a minute or two, with the occasional twitch from his front legs.

Last night, my husband woke up around midnight and came out to the living room so as not to wake me up. Radar followed like a shadow, wanting to make sure he wasn't suddenly going to go for a walk alone, perhaps. When Radar saw my husband only intended to check his email, he went back to bed. A few minutes later, though, Radar whimpered. Thinking the door had somehow closed and Radar wanted to come out again, my husband got up to investigate.

No, Radar was back in bed, fast asleep. He was having a bad dream, whimpering and crying. I have no idea why this didn't wake me up, since his bed is next to my side, but it didn't. I wish I knew what his doggy dream was.

The Last Word

Even if I didn't know Radar's age (almost two), I would still have been able to identify him as an adolescent. Like the teenagers I teach, Radar always wants to have the last word. After he's been reprimanded, he huffs under his breath. If my husband hears him do it and rebukes him again, Radar will huff again, but quieter. The huff is hard to describe. It's not a bark and not a growl. Sometimes it's a "rrr" sound, but not aggressive at all. It just sounds like he wants to make noise. Sometimes it a humph sound, or urf. Whatever it sounds like in dog, it's easily translated to English. "You can't tell me what to do," or "I'll make noise if I want to," or "I'm going to sulk now," or "Take that, I just disobeyed you when you told me to be quiet!" I have to admit, it's pretty funny as long as I'm not the one he's talking back to! :)

Dust Bunny Magnate

Radar is the dust bunny magnate. He's found dust bunnies the size of Texas by crawling into places I'd have sworn he couldn't fit in, let alone get out of. It started by snuffing under the recliner. He can get about his head underneath in search of fallen crumbs. He can get up to his shoulders beneath the couch, which has significantly more bunny opportunities.

He hit paydirt in the bedroom, though. First, he crawled completely under our bed. By the time he crawled out, he'd found more then dust bunnies. He'd found dust buffalos, and he was hungry for more. His coup de grace was the vanity. I watched him crawl underneath, and I was sure I was going to have to call my husband to help me lift it to get Radar out. The crawl space is not very tall at all. But he made it out, and came out with the prize he'd been seeking: a film canister. Needless to say, these many adventures only cause him (mental) pain, because I then have to brush and comb the fuzzies out of his coat.

Nesting

Radar has had a habit of chewing on the edge of his bed, so we'll often put it up until bedtime. If we forget to put his bed down right away when get get ready for bed, he is very happy sleeping on (small) piles of dirty laundry. This may be a discarded shirt or a collection of socks. On rare occasions, we've even caught Radar carrying a stray sock from the bedroom to the living room. He doesn't chew them, but carries them with great delicacy.

My husband came home early today, and reported catching Radar bringing one of his socks into the living room again. Out of curiosity, he didn't take it away immediately, watching to see what Radar would do next. Radar proceeded to bring out another of my husband's socks, plus a flannel shirt, plus one of my socks. He then lay down on the whole pile to take a nap. How cute! He's nesting! :)

No Water :(

There is a water fountain for drinking in the park we go to, and there is something unusual about it. There are three levels: one for adults to drink, one for children to drink, and one for dogs to drink. Radar quickly figured this out, and he often got a drink whenever we passed. However, after a while he began to lose interest, and no amount of coaxing could get him to drink when there were skateboarders to watch out for.

As soon as the cold weather set in, the water fountain was turned off. Yesterday, Radar stopped at the fountain for the first time in two months! He snuffled the bowl and looked at me, waiting (sort of) patiently for me to turn it on. I tried, but of course the water's been off for weeks now. Still, Radar sniffed the bowl again, just in case doing so would bring him the water of life. I just wish he was that eager to drink the water at home, where there is always fresh water available, but seems to be drunk only after extreme thirst has set in.

Name Proof

I have solid proof now that Radar knows his own name. Sometimes I wonder, is it just my voice, or the fact someone is talking to him? This morning, however, one of the reporters on the Weather Channel was talking a storm system. I wasn't really listening, but I heard the word radar, and Radar immediately looked at the TV! How cute is that?

I Win

I learned after our first visit to the vet a day or two after getting Radar that both cocker spaniels and poodles are prone to getting ear infections. I learned this because Radar had a raging ear infection in his right ear, and only a moderately bad ear infection in his left ear. It would have been nice to know that at the time of adoption, but I digress. The vet told us to keep his ears clean and to keep the hair cleaned out once the infection went away. Getting the infection to go away meant daily ear drops, and after a week with only minor improvement, twice daily drops for another week, which the vet had wanted us to start with anyway, and his assistant had changed without telling him. But I digress again.

The point is that Radar really did not like having his ears handled AT ALL. It took two of us to get the drops in: one to bear-hug him and keep his head still and the other to move as fast as possible to squirt in the medicine. We were never so thankful as the day morning we didn't have to wrestle the dog. Still, wanting to be a good owner, I bought wipes to give his ears regular cleanings and a special powder to use before using also specially bought hemostats to pull ear hair out with.

I've been moderately successful with the wipes, if I spend a great deal of time beforehand petting and soothing. He struggles, but eventually the job gets done.

Tonight, I just wanted to get his right ear clean. Instead of having him lay down on the floor like I usually do, where he can get up and run, I pulled him against me, half in my lap. He fought me. He swung his head, jaw open to catch whatever might land in it. He (unintentionally, I assume) landed a very nice head-butt to my lower lip. But I held on. And all of a sudden, he stopped. I started cleaning his ear, and when I had to stop to rearrange the wipe and start again, he didn't even flinch. It feels good to win.

Next step, hemostat hair-pulling!

Cookies Everywhere!

In addition to occasionally getting treats from the Cookie Man on our walks, Radar also gets cookies when we go to the credit union. The lobby isn't open on Saturdays, so it's the drive through or nothing. When the weather is nice, I'll sometimes walk Radar downtown and go through the drive through window. My husband is slightly embarrassed by this, and refuses to come with. I'll admit though, I did this even before we got Radar.

However, if the weather is bad, sometimes I'll still take Radar in the car to run through the drive through so he can get a cookie. I wonder if that's why he's always sniffing at the door to the garage and wanting to go for rides?

Paper Thief

Radar has a bad habit of stealing little bits of paper. Not necessary the regular size, like a piece of printer paper (not that he hasn't tried, but it's more obvious, so he gets in trouble faster, so he's more inclined to leave bigger stuff alone), but he can often get way with old grocery lists and sticky note reminders. His fascination is not limited to white paper, either. He about goes apoplectic when we have to open something with cardboard packaging. I gave him a paper towel tube once, just to see what he would do. When I realized that he wasn't just shredding, he was actually eating the cardboard, I took it away. I suppose that was a bad idea anyway, since he'd just think he was allowed to eat cardboard.

Usually we notice pretty quick if he's got something he's not supposed to (like paper), because he acts guilty, like he's trying to hide something. Which he is. Fortunately, I've been able to retrieve lots of nasty bits of chewed up paper gunk from his mouth, since apparently it is really hard to swallow chewed up paper gunk. A key sign retrieval is necessary is when he makes those exaggerated facial expressions trying to get the gunk off his tongue and down his throat. Strangely, though, I recently found shredded paper on the floor, no dog in sight, with no obvious parts missing. Maybe he's getting better?

Cuddle Bug

Radar is always open to cuddles! We call him the Love Sponge, because he soaks up every ounce of lovin' he can get. As long as someone is willing to pet him, he is happy to stay in the same place, leaning into you. He's not allowed up on the furniture, but sitting cross-legged on the floor will almost guarantee a little ghost will sneak up and crawl into your lap. :)

Real Snow!

There have been a few snow flurries this October, but nothing much that's stuck around. We should have about a foot by tomorrow evening, so I guess it's more then a flurry tonight! Radar started out uncertainly for his evening walk. He did not seem to like the slush accumulating on the sidewalk or the white grass, and stuck pretty close to my side for about half a block. Then, he ate some snow (on purpose?). Yum, snow! Wow, this stuff is pretty great! He spent the rest of the walk happily frolicking through the snow, snuffling and tracking. I actually saw him track some footprints in the snow for about 10 feet before he smelled something else. Maybe this winter won't consist of dragging him to the corner and running home twice a day! However, I won't deny I'm not still considering buying him little booties. It's going to get a lot more bitter than an almost pleasant just below freezing snow walk.

Votes

One awesome thing about Radar is that he acts as an extra vote and he comes up with a lot of dinner/activity suggestions. It is now very common to hear around our house, "Radar agrees with me that we should watch MythBusters instead of Iron Chef," or "Radar thinks we should have pizza for dinner." While the latter suggestion is sort of ironic considering the fact Radar is not allowed to eat people food, I will swear that he sometimes watches TV with us. Anyway, the extra vote is always hanging out there waiting for one of us to realize Radar will support one of our positions, whoever gets to him first. Plus, it is nice to get home after an extra long day and hear, "Radar told me he missed you and he's glad you're home."

The "Oh, no!" Dance

Yesterday, I took a group of students to compete in a city several hours away, which meant I was up before 3:30 am and not in bed until 10 pm. The point of this information is to explain why I slept in this morning. I didn't even hear Radar whine at 5:30, though I did sort of register my husband coming back to bed a few minutes later. The three of us slept for a few more hours, until my husband got up a quarter after 8, and Radar and I got up a half hour later. We usually try to feed Radar at the same times everyday, 6 am and 6 pm, but that didn't happen this morning. He ate at almost 9, and didn't seem to mind. His walk was also delayed, as no one was dressed or inclined to get dressed soon, in part perhaps due to the overcast, rainy atmosphere outside.

However, around 9:30, Radar whimpered! It was his specially reserved, 5:30 am, "I have to go out!" keen. I've never heard him use that sound during the day. Not only that, I am not joking, he did a poo dance, reminiscent of a potty dance a small child might employ. He looked desperate and circled, keeping his body low to the ground. His hips looked funny. I don't think I've mentioned this, but we do not have a fenced backyard, so anytime Radar has to go out, he goes out on a leash. Needless to say, we both jumped into action. I grabbed his leash and jammed my feet into my snow boots, waiting conveniently by the door, and my husband brought me my parka, complete with poo bag in the pocket. We made it to the end of the driveway and a little ways down the sidewalk in front of the house before he found the grass patch he wanted. From there, I thought, why not continue the walk? Thankfully, I did not meet anyone, as I was still in my flannel jammies, and my long hair hadn't seen a comb yet. I don't count all the people driving by, probably on their way to church.

Morning Monster

I wanted Radar to get into a morning routine when we first got him, in anticipation for the end of summer when I began teaching again. So after a week of sleeping in till 7 or 8 am (okay, maybe 9 some mornings), I started getting him up between 5:30 and 6 am, unsure of how long morning walks would interfere with my pre-Radar mornings. At first, he got up with me, then went back to bed after a few minutes, looking at me like I was out of my mind, and didn't I realize the sun wasn't up yet? After a few weeks of this, however, and with the beginning of school, we settled into a pattern. We got up about a quarter to six, I ate breakfast, fed Radar, got dressed, and we went for a walk. (My husband and I began trading off morning walks once his schedule changed and he didn't have to be at work until 8, instead of 6:30 or 7.)

The problem? Radar used to get up when I got up. However, my alarm went off at 5:30 so I could hit snooze a few times. My alarm also woke up Radar, but he, like me, ignored it. After a few weeks, though, Radar decided he didn't need an alarm (which by that point I had set back, deciding 5:30 was unnecessary). He has a special high-pitched keen that he saves especially for 5:30 in the morning, the time he has decided he needs to go outside every morning, weekday or weekend. What have I created?

Toy Recognition

As long as it is in the same room, Radar knows the word "Rope" refers to his braided toy with fringe :) If you ask him cheerily, "Where's your rope??" he will look around and happily pounce on the rope and bring it to you, which he then may or may not drop in order to be thrown. If, however, the rope is not actually in the room, he will look around the room with confusion, not sure what you are talking about. If you then go into the room the rope IS in, he will follow and then fetch it without any trouble, trotting proudly back out to the living room with the rope hanging rakishly from his mouth.

Play Date :)

Radar has officially had two play dates now. We've met both times at the park near our house, and while Radar has barked the other dog(s) at first, both times have ended well. By the end of Sunday afternoon's walk around, he was too worn out to fuss much! We didn't let the dogs get together and wrestle or anything, but it was a good time walking around and laying near each other. My husband is mystified by my pleasure in setting up times for Radar to get together with other dogs, and, in fact, by the whole concept of play dates!

Deer, Oh, Dear!

Once fall really began, our morning walks became darker and darker. That means, as anyone who has ever lived in a remotely rural area knows, the deer started coming out of the hills and into town. Radar has always been very aware of the deer. They like to hang out at the entrance of the park we often go to. His body always tenses up and starts to move very cautiously. At first, his tail would droop as low as it could go and he would slink past them as quickly as possible. Now, however, he sometimes lurks low and barks or growls at the deer, who then go bounding off, of course. He thinks he's pretty tough stuff! Not only that, I'm pretty sure he thinks the deer leavings are special gifts from the candy fairy left especially for him on the driveway and in the grass. Gross!

Barking dogs!

One issue Radar is slow to resolve is barking at other dogs. Every time we meet a dog out on our walks, Radar barks like there's no tomorrow! For a dog that's only 30 lbs, he has a deep bark, too. It sounds like he's wants to eat the other dog, the way he goes, "rrrr . . . ruff, ruff, grrr!" I'm a little afraid he's getting the Mailman Syndrome, where he barks at the other dog and it walks by us, so he thinks he had something to do with that!

The Shadow

When we first got Radar, he felt the need to follow us everywhere. Anytime one of us left the room, he needed to go along to make sure nothing more exciting was going on somewhere else. He even pawed at the bathroom door! Fortunately, that only lasted a few days! Now, he is more content to continue his nap in the living room if someone needs to go into the kitchen. Not to say he never follows us or gets underfoot! He just doesn't paw at the bathroom door anymore :)

Slowly but surely

When we first got Radar, he was afraid of everything. I mean everything. We had an empty box in the living room, and he sniffed it like it might carry the plague. However, after almost three months, he has settled in and is becoming accustomed regular household objects, such as a running dryer or dishwasher. That is not to say that he has gotten over his fear of everything! It is still very important he tread cautiously around manhole covers and leaves blowing in the breeze.

Gettin' Cold

We've had Radar for almost 3 months now, and it's starting to get cold here in South Dakota. The average high for the middle of October is 63F, and two days ago, October 13, 2009, the high was around 32F. It's a good thing Radar is an indoor dog, because he is not really enjoying our twice-a-day walks, and I can't say I blame him!