SLEEPOVER!!

A very, doggie Hello...Ossi and Sugar

As a loyal reader of Ossi's dog blog, you--no doubt--know that Sugar is one of his best girlfriends. Last week, Sugar's family went out of town overnight and Sugar got to stay overnight at Ossi's house. Yahoo!


These two goofballs couldn't leave each other alone for five seconds. If Sugar was resting, Ossi would "stalk" her and pounce on her. If Ossi was resting, Sugar would jump on his head.
Sugar sampled Ossi's food and Ossi sampled Sugar's food. Sugar found a bone and Ossi took it away. Then Sugar took it back. They both kept stealing the same bone away from each other even though there were three other *identical* bones laying on the floor next to the disputed bone.
Ossi jumped up onto the couch on his blanket (the only place he's allowed on the furniture) and Sugar jumped right up after him. Ossi was APPALLED. He couldn't believe someone had the audacity to crowd him while he was on *his* blanket. Geez.







Finally, we stuffed treats into each bone and gave each dog two to work on. Ossi is on his blanket, on the couch, keeping watch over the scene while gnawing on the bone. Sugar is relaxing on the floor gnawing away, obliviously, on her bone. They both played and wrestled so much they completely exhausted each other.
When it was time for bed, they both seemed extremely grateful to be in their separate crates, able to get some piece and quiet and not *have* to tackle each other.

When Sugar's people came to pick her up the next afternoon, Ossi was so tired, but grateful to have his castle back. However, he was a little pouty for the next day until he was sure he was an only dog again. Of course, when we went for a walk the next day, we walked by Sugar's house and she was outside. Of course the two of them tumbled and played like they hadn't seen each other in years.

Dogs...

Happy Howl-o-ween!

This is about as dressed up as Ossi got on Halloween...


HOT DOG!











CHILLY DOG!

It's Raining, It's Snowing

Ossi, now with extra added rain coat!












It rained and rained for an entire week and now it's "spitting" snow. Poor Ossi loves to take walks and is used to between 3-4 each day. When it's cold and pouring down rain, however, he turns around, runs inside and stares sadly out the window and sighs. B-Dawg and L-Dawg took him for a walk under the giant umbrella and he walked very, very slowly to stay under the umbrella (smart dog!) but he was still miserable because he wanted to go, go, go. So, an embarrassed L-Dawg broke down and bought him a rain coat at the pet store. We thought he'd hate it, but turns out he enjoys strutting his stuff like he's on the runway! He was just dying to see one of his girlfriends--Sugar, Lucy, Molly--or even his buddy Thor so he could show off his new duds. Best of all, he realized right away that he doesn't get wet and now he's happy to go on rain walks. His humans, on the other hand, are not as happy about that.

Fall Gardening with Ossi

Ossi helping L-Dawg pull crab grass roots. He's such a good gardener!

Lately, the weather has been pretty darn nice so Ossi has been pretty darn busy with playdates. In fact, last weekend, Lucy came over to play then just a few short hours later, his girlfriend Sugar walked by and came in to play. He was one pooped out puppy that night!
Ossi likes to be the Ruler of the Yard and/or the Alpha when he's playing with his pals. Thankfully, Thor is a big marshmallow or Ossi could end up as lunch. Also thankfully, when his little friend Molly the Dachshund is out walking when we are, Ossi turns into a big marshmallow or Molly could end up as lunch! Ossi doesn't seem to take much of an interest in "little dogs", but he loooves Molly. He lets her beat up on him and jump up on his chest. She thinks she's tough, but we can tell Ossi is just indulging her.




(left) Andrew Wyeth's "Master Bedroom"
(right) Ossi T. Dawg's "Guest Bedroom"

All those walks around the neighborhood and the park have definitely paid off. Tuesday night, L-Dawg was going to take Ossi for a quick walk before leaving for a meeting. However, Abbie and Sophie--Lucy's human "sisters"-saw Ossi and begged for him to come over and play with Lucy. L-Dawg gave in and Ossi and Lucy ran around Lucy's yard and wrestled and frolicked while the girls watched and giggled and tried to stay out of the way.
As an aside, Ossi *loves* little girls. They give him lots of pats and love and always scratch his ears and tell him he's soooo cute. He loves that.
It was time for L-Dawg to leave which meant it was time for Ossi to leave his buddy Lucy. One of the girls opened Lucy's gate and, in a split second, Ossi realized he was free and bolted. He ran a few laps around the park, Lucy hot on his tail, then he shot off in another direction. After searching for 20 minutes, and not even seeing a tail in the distance, L-Dawg decided to check in the direction of Sugar's yard. Ossi knows where Sugar lives and L-Dawg had a feeling he might visit her and show off his newly discovered freedom.
Just as L-Dawg was walking down the block, the little neighbor boy Matthew, came running toward her holding Ossi by his harness. The kid was totally out of breath and (from what L-Dawg could understand) saw Ossi chasing a garbage truck (Ossi hates the noise they make) and grabbed him before he could be road pizza. Matthew was definitely the hero of the week. Ossi made one more appearance at the front door of Lucy's girls to show he was safe and sound. It's a good thing too...they were just putting the finishing touches on their homemade "Lost Dog" signs, complete with pictures of Ossi drawn in marker.

And, in an effort to show off just what a spoiled baby he is, tonight he showed off his new toys.
A big shout out to Ossi's Jimbo!

A Playdate with Thor

Thor, guarding "his" water bowl and taking a break














The weather has been beautiful around here and Ossi healed up quickly so he got to have a playdate with his buddy Thor, the Great Pyranees from down the street. The boys LOVE to play together, even though Ossi weighs 39 lbs and Thor weighs 130 lbs. Thor is kind of a big marshmallow and lets Ossi pick on him. Whatever. At the end of the playdate, they're both happy and tired...and Ossi needs a sponge bath to clean the Thor drool off his back. Here's to good friends!
Thor and Ossi, taking a break to smile for the camera

Follow The Leader--Ossi's way

Why We Are No Longer Visiting the Eden Prairie Dog Park

Pre-Vet Visit




Post-Vet Visit

Last night we decided to take an impromptu trip to the Eden Prairie dog park (the closest fenced in, off-leash park). We haven't been there for quite awhile because something about that particular dog park makes Ossi very hyper. He LOVES to play at the Fridley dog park and is pretty mellow there, but he gets overstimulated at Eden Prairie. When we got there, there were a few little dogs there and Ossi mainly ignored them. Then a big, furry, black Newfoundland named Bella (?) Belle(?) showed up. Ossi head butted her a few times to get her to run so he could chase her. She wasn't buying. They ignored each other for awhile. Ossi head butted her again, no sale. Then a Husky puppy named Timber showed up and all the dogs ran to sniff/greet him. There was a scuffle that turned into a fight and Ossi was on the losing end of a snarly Newfoundland--who weighed 120 lbs. B-Dawg broke up the group and said, "Ossi is bleeding!" Then Timber the puppy's owners said, "Timber is teething and has been losing teeth. I think the blood came from him." That seemed to be the case. No harm, no foul. We decided to call it a night and load up a slobbered on Ossi into the car.

As L-Dawg was cleaning Ossi up at home, she noticed that he really *was* bleeding and that big, dumb Newfoundland dog had punctured him. As you can see above, it's a nasty looking thing, but he's fine. The vet checked him out, cleaned out the wound, gave him some antibiotics and sent us on our way. So, for the next two weeks Ossi gets "special treats" of cheese-wrapped pills. Yummmmmmm. And that is why we are no longer going to visit the Eden Prairie dog park. Make sure to send Ossi your get-well-soon vibes.

Beat the Heat--Ossi Style

Ossi, taking a dip in the creek behind G-Paw Jimbo's and G-Maw Susie's house











It has been hot--very, very hot--here so we've had to find new ways to help Ossi beat the heat. As you can see above, he enjoys swimming and loved his time in the creek. Even though it wasn't really swimming because the water was so low he could walk all the way across. He would walk to the deepest part of the water, take a few drinks, and keep going to the opposite bank. It was like swimming in a giant water bowl! AND, since it is 95 degrees, Ossi dried off right away so no drippy, stinky, wet dog.



Ossi, in his cool hiding spot














Ossi has found that the bare, wood floors are a delightful place to lay when he's hot but he's been troubled because there's no soft spot to rest his head. Problem solved. His favorite new place to lay down is between the couch and the coffee table--he lays on the bare floor by the couch and sticks his head under the coffee table on the carpet. The effect from above looks like a sleepy, but headless, dog.


when push comes to shove, roll back your ears and pant, pant, pant!

Ossi says Stay Cool!

New Season-New 'Do

Ossi BEFORE "sunning" himself while lying on the cool bathroom floor.





























Ossi AFTER, waiting to be released from "upstairs"
jail.


With summer comes hot weather and with hot weather comes a new 'do for Ossi! The new groomer at Suds 'n Scissors suggested we shave him like a Lab...so that's what we did. He has been *SO* much cooler and is mighty appreciative now that the temperatures have soared into the 90s and 100s. Yikes! Actually, he doesn't much care for the hot weather. We take shorter walks now and even when he's outside he runs back to the patio door pretty quickly, begging to be let in.
However, if it's too hot for Ossi, odds are it's too hot for flies out there too. This has given rise to a new hobby...Ossi Miyagi's Fly Catching. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Karate_Kid (see "Quotes", in case you missed the reference)
It goes something like this:
A fly gets into the house
Ossi notices said fly and tracks it with "stealth"
When fly is buzzing around, banging against patio doors because it thinks it sees freedom Ossi
POUNCES, bouncing off the glass and leaving nose and paw prints on it.
8 times of out 10, Ossi kills the fly and either loses interest or eats it (gross, I know)
There you have it--Ossi Miyagi (just without the chopsticks)

Ossi is missing his new little friends Amya, Olivia and Elaina, but he is eternally thankful they visited for a few reasons.
Reason 1) They are close to the ground and frequently drop the food they are eating resulting in a delicious snack for Ossi.
Reason 2) Once they realized Ossi enjoys delicious snacks, they just started giving him things like potato chips and dog treats.
Reason 3) It helped him get used to being around kids.
In fact, since the girls visited, Ossi has been cuddled, petted, smooched and loved by groups of children from all over the neighborhood and the greater Twin Cities area and he seems to enjoy it! Now that's a big deal!!

Flip Flopper

Ossi, by his sun shade, watching over his territory (aka the backyard)











Ossi was excited to greet B-Dawg when he came home from his trip. However, we think he might have had a little pent up resentment over B-Dawg's "abandoning" he and L-Dawg for two weeks. He was a complete, cuddly angel when B-Dawg was gone but, a few days after "the return", B-Dawg and L-Dawg took Ossi on a long walk on a hot day, brought him inside to cool off and went to dinner and a movie (as humans are wont to do). P.S. I *know* if he'd seen it, Ossi would highly recommend "Thank You For Smoking"...hilarious!
What was not hilarious, however, was coming home to this:


A big, old pile of chewed up flip flops (the photo shows the 'flops' without the mess of foam around them). Hm. This has never happened before. We thought maybe it was because the flip flops had just been busted out for the summer and they were too much like chew toys for Ossi to resist, though he obviously knew he did something wrong. When we got home he was hanging his head and licking hands to "Ossi apologize". It was actually kind of hard not to laugh.

However, a few days later, when B-Dawg and L-Dawg were downstairs watching a movie (hadn't even left the house!) naughty Ossi reared his head again and chewed on L-Dawg's favorite big ol' black clogs. He was busted before he got too far, but boy was he in trouble.

We think we figured it out. As a dog, Ossi has a need to "hunt and destroy" things. We took his rope toys away because he was pulling them apart like puzzles, but as soon as we gave one back he quit showing interest in shoes. He's been "hunting" sticks in the backyard, chewing them up and trotting around with them in his mouth like trophies. I guess we'd rather have him wreak havoc on sticks and $5 rope toys than flip flops and clogs. As B-Dawg likes to say, "Yeah...he's my killa!"

Portrait of a Pooped Out Puppy

This is Ossi, snoozing away after his very busy weekend. When B-Dawg is away, L-Dawg and Ossi will play.

Saturday we visited the Richfield Farmer's Market and took a long walk around the park. Ossi snuck a quick dip into the pond, but dried off in time for the visitors of the Farmer's Market to admire how cute he is. Sunday, Ossi visited G-Paw Jimbo and G-Maw Susie and everyone took a group field trip to the Fridley dog park. Ossi met lots of new friends, notably Doug the Dog and Petey the little dog, but it was Rocco the Whippet/Sheltie mix that made the biggest impression. Rocco came in and took off like a shot with Ossi and Doug chasing him until they all practically collapsed. After Oss came home, he was one pooped out pup.

This week he got to play with his friend Adine, meet his new friend Pam, he'll get to meet Karin and Jon and Michelle are bringing Tucker over for a play date. Busy dog, busy week!

Dog is my co-pilot

Ossi, helping L-Dawg navigate



















Ossi makes a *great* co-pilot. There's nothing like the other drivers on the road looking over and thinking a dog is driving the car next to them because all they can see is floppy ears and a big ol' tongue. He's not so good with reading a map though...
Last week, Ossi went to visit G-Paw Jimbo, G-Maw Susie and Great Doggie G-Maw Frannie. Ossi performed his bag of tricks (Hippo football, shake and roll over...it's a small bag) and introduced Frannie to the world of the dog park where he made some new friends.

Being the most popular dog in the neighborhood, Ossi has been invited on many a playdate. Tonight, L-Dawg decided to bring Lucy over from across the street so she and Ossi could frolic in the backyard. And frolic they did. They ran and ran and played tug of war and wrestled and sniffed each other and were so worn out after 45 minutes they both submitted to a simultaneous belly rub gratefully. So, now Lucy is Ossi's best girlfriend and he was duly impressed that when she drinks water, she sticks her whole face in the bowl. Hey...if you're going to go, go big!

Tomorrow night is Ossi's first vet appointment. The whole "Dawg" clan is going. Why? The public reason is because it's his first appointment and it's important. The non-published reason (until now, of course) is because the second the vet takes out a needle, L-Dawg will lose it and both B-Dawg and Ossi will need to give her moral support.



Ossi and Lucy playing tug of war with the stick toy












Ossi waits in line for his turn at the water bowl

Ossi gets...

...power steering, a hike and a tick



Ossi, wearing his new "power steering"














Power Steering
As you can see above, Ossi finally got a harness. L-Dawg was convinced it would help alleviate the tugging on the leash. B-Dawg was convinced L-Dawg was full of it. L-Dawg prevailed! After just one walk with the new harness, B-Dawg commented that it was, "Like Ossi, but with power steering." We all love the new power steering!

A Hike
Now that spring has sprung here, B-Dawg has been taking Ossi for long hikes in a nearby wilderness area. Ossi absolutely loves this. Not only does he get to spend "guy time" with B-Dawg, but he gets hundreds of new things to sniff and he gets to jump and swim in lakes and ponds. Also, B-Dawg decided to trust Ossi and let him off-leash. Ossi earned that trust by staying close and coming back when he was called. Wow. I think, perhaps, aliens have invaded and this is Bizarro Ossi. We'll take him, though. He loves hiking and more than loves being off his leash so B-Dawg has found a winner of a spring-summer-fall activity.

A Tick
Along with hiking and spending more time outside comes bugs. During a routine belly rub the other day, L-Dawg discovered a tick the size of her pinkie fingernail attached to "the Oss". GROSS. Emergency "surgery" was performed, B-Dawg assisted while L-Dawg pulled the tick off with tweezers. Remarkably, Ossi laid still the entire time like he knew it was for his own good and whatever it was had to go. I wish he'd do this when he gets his nails cut!
The next day, we tried out the flea, tick and mosquito gook that you dribble down a dog's back to repel those bugs. It made Ossi's fur really oily and, since L-Dawg found another (tiny) tick the other day it doesn't seem to work. Next up, flea and tick collar for Ossi and hosing down the yard with Neem oil (natural insect repellent that isn't harmful to pets or people).

On that note...if you're using lawn chemicals and fertilizers STOP IT! L-Dawg is super vigilant about not walking Ossi over chemical lawns because he licks his paws when he gets home and it gets into his system. Would you want your dog, cat or kid crawling all over that then licking themselves (or sucking their thumbs, in the kid case)?!? I didn't think so. Okay. Lecture over.

A Few of Ossi's Favorite Things

'Pig Nose' trying to get a treat from his Kong












Things We Have Discovered About Ossi During His First Five Months
FAVORITE THINGS
- Shredded cheese sprinkled over his food
- Taking walks, no matter what the weather
- Visiting his neighborhood friends Lucy and Thor
- Chasing backyard squirrels
- Treats in the Kong (as you can see above)
- Getting brushed
- Grapes, Tomatoes and meat of any kind
- Special, homemade Ossi Cookies
- Having visitors
- Playing in the backyard
- Drinking water from the clip on bowl in his crate
- Snoozing on his blanket
- Running around in the basement (good carpet traction)
-Picking apart his rope toy like it's a puzzle
- Attacking the giant exercise ball
- Falling asleep on B-Dawg's lap
-Belly rubs
- Ice cubes
- Two words...dog park
- Going visiting to G-Paw Jimbo's and G-Maw Susie's
- Listening to the radio when home alone
- His bed
-People who tell him he's so cute
- The paper shredder
- "The Grinch' slippers

NOT-SO-FAVORITE THINGS
- Having his nails clipped
- Taking a bath
- The oven at dinnertime (it makes scary noises)
- Cats
- Any invaders in the backyard
- Being told not to pull on his leash
- Being bored
- Rainy weather
- Spinach and grocery store pressed rawhide
- Slippery floors when he's trying to play
- Being ignored
-Same food in the old food bowl
- Water bowl in the kitchen...outside and crate bowls are much more fun apparently
- Having his ears cleaned
- The vacuum cleaner



Snoozing under the dining room table in his newly discovered 'Ossi Cave'











Our handsome boy
hanging out in the yard with
the last of the Minnesota snow

Carry a Big Stick

This week it snowed in Minnesota. Blizzard #1 dropped about a foot of snow on Monday. Blizzard #2 dropped about 5-9 inches more on Wednesday. We now have a lot of snow. As you can clearly see from the pictures, Ossi loves the snow even though his stubby little legs disappear into it.
Because the snow was so heavy, branches snapped off trees. Ossi found one and took a liking to it. It didn't seem to matter that the stick was two feet longer than he is. He has truly taken to heart the saying, 'Speak softly and carry a big stick.'

Ossi's New Friends

Chilling out after a long afternoon of "work"
with L-Dawg at the home office HQ.


















Ossi has had a big and busy week of visits from his many new (human) friends. While he enjoyed last weekend's dinner party and all the guests, he particularly enjoyed his new friend Frank. In fact, he curled up on the top of the couch around Frank's neck like a cat. Ossi would like to invite Frank over any time as it not only wears him out and leaves him happily snoozing in his crate...but because it also tires Frank out. No one said playing with the ball was easy!
Ossi also enjoyed meeting Ellen and Andrew and could tell that Ellen "hearted" him a lot. The feeling was mutual as Ossi kept trying to look up Ellen's skirt. Sorry Ellen. Come visit again and next time, wear pants!

We believe Ossi has at least encountered a baby before because he always stops and give the "Curious O" head tilt whenever he hears a baby cry. However, this week he received an extended visit from his new friend Baby Lainey. Though I'm not ready to call them BFF yet--he kept a two-foot "force field" around the baby and wouldn't get any closer than that--I think eventually they'll get along swimmingly. Now, if Ossi could just convince Baby Lainey's mommy and sisters to move back to Minnesota...hmmm. We did notice that Ossi was considerably more snuggly when the baby was around. We think he realized there was a smaller being in the house and he no longer ruled the "hobbit" part of the house.


Fun with the label maker!

Being Ossi

Ossi has been around long enough to have established a pretty regular routine now. Which is both good and bad. The typical daily routine goes like this:
Between 7:30-8am B-Dawg lets Ossi out of his crate. He stretches and yawns and thump-thump-thumps his tail on the wall of his crate and B-Dawg lets him outside.
Upon Coming Inside Follow B-Dawg around while he gets ready for work. Lay under table while B-Dawg eats cereal and reads paper. B-Dawg leaves--Ossi begins a nap.
Between 8:30-9am L-Dawg emerges, Ossi is excited like he hasn't seen L-Dawg in years. Ossi runs to back door and L-Dawg lets him out. Upon coming inside, follow L-Dawg around and/or stare out window. Wait for L-Dawg to play "catch the cereal" in kitchen. The second L-Dawg has put the cereal spoon down, run back and forth between her and the door to indicate it's time to take a walk.
Walk Time
Nap Time
Lunch Time Emerge from nap in crate to follow L-Dawg around. Fall asleep under her desk while she is eating. Wake up long enough to snack on a piece of banana. Ossi LOVES bananas.
Walk Time
Nap Time
Time to Play
Time to Wander Around Aimlessly
Play Time/Nap Time
Dinner Time B-Dawg comes home, Ossi greets him at the door then goes to the kitchen to lay on the floor to be close to food prep...just in case. Ossi does not LOVE carrots, spinach or oranges.
Play Time
Walk Time
Treat Time
Play Time
Phew...what a day. Time to go to bed.

This is great, except when it's the weekend and B-Dawg will take Ossi for his morning walk, they'll come in and, as soon as Ossi sees L-Dawg finish her cereal, he will run to the door because *that* is the signal to take a walk...even though he just had one.
So, we'll work on getting Ossi up to speed with "people time". Until then...Ossi has yet to decide if he is a dog, a cat or a human after all...

A post-bath Ossi air drying and giving himself
another bath, like a cat.

Ossi cozying up in B-Dawg's slippers

Hey...It's the DOG Show!

Yes, this is Ossi riveted to the TV watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Flipping channels, L-Dawg came across the Dog Show and prepared to keep flipping until Ossi jumped up and stared at the television. True couch potato that he is, he ignored the commercials and went on with chewing his bone, but as soon as the Dog Show came back on he sat up and watched the dogs. For their part, B-Dawg and L-Dawg watched Ossi watch the dogs. It was hilarious!
The goofy looking Colored Bull Terrier won and Ossi felt bad for the Rottweiler because his good dog park buddy, Hoss, is a Rottie. L-Dawg felt that Dermot the Pug got robbed.

An Ossi Apology

Ossi would like to issue an apology to the following:

1: To G-Paw Jimbo and G-Maw Susie...sorry for peeing on your chair and carpet. It's just that I felt so much at home that I needed to make my mark there. Thank you for the hospitality and I promise I won't do that again.

2: To my new friend Bella at the Fridley Dog Park...sorry for peeing on your head. We were having lots of fun, you're bigger than I am so I had to "one up" you. Peeing on your head was the only way I could think of to show you I like you. We should play again soon and I promise I won't pee on you anymore.


I'm Sorry.

Level 2 Here We Come!

Our first Level 2 dog class was this week and Ossi showed off some of the talent that helped him graduate out of Level 1. Okay...sort of. He is a pretty consistent sitter and, as long as we score a corner spot in class, he does okay not being too distracted by other dogs. He did get to be the star of the show when the instructer asked for a demonstration dog by saying, "Does anyone have a dog that pulls on his leash all the time?" To which B-Dawg promptly answered, "This one!" And, true to form, Ossi dazzled the class with his leash pulling skills. Gee. We're. So. Proud. Also, one of the skills needed to pass Level 2 is for a dog to come when called. As soon as the instructor lined us up to let the dog go and come when we called I looked at B-Dawg and said, "There's no way he's going to come to us!" and B-Dawg said, "Oh NO WAY." But he did. Of course...we were about 10 feet away, both down on our knees and both calling him in our highest pitched doggie voices. Whatever. He didn't pee on the floor or sniff another dog's butt so we were pretty happy.

Also, we discovered that Ossi is playful with other dogs, but does not seem to understand that rabbits are not other dogs. There was a tussle in the backyard the other night and there was rabbit fur *everywhere*!! Fortunately, it was just fur and no rabbit ears or feet, but B-Dawg kept saying, "Yeah! He's my killa!!" Not really. More accurate would have been, "Yeah! He's my confused dog who thought he had a really great new squeaky toy!" or "Yeah! He's my crazy Corgi/Lab who thought that rabbit needed a haircut."



Ossi showing off his new-found skill...SHAKE!

He's Got Great Skills

Ossi, celebrating victory, at the dog park!














We did it! We passed Level 1 doggie class. Ossi has got great skills! I guess the stars lined up just right and the temperature was perfect and he had just enough to eat and just enough exercise and we had just the right treat combo because he passed!! He sat while the training assistant greeted him, no jumping! He paid attention to both B-Dawg and L-Dawg for five seconds when we said his name and he sat for nearly the entire hour without pulling on his leash. Wow. Now we're nervous about Level 2. Is he ready? Will his mad skills pale in comparison to the well-behaved dogs already acing Level 2? I guess we'll find out. We're very proud of our guy, especially since after last week we were ready to give up!
It was, however, a tiny bit disappointing since we didn't even get a diploma or anything. Geez. There were some serious treats and clicking happening, I think that deserves a certificate. Or at least a free pass to sniff the rear ends of the other dogs in the class.


Ossi, showing off some of his
other skills...or just putting up
with a silly pose his dopey
humans put him in

Big Adventures II

A sad looking Ossi stares
out the window longing to
go out after the "under the
house" incident
















Where to start? Ossi has had a momentous week. Some good moments, some not so good.

Remember...I'm part Yellow Lab too!
L-Dawg took Ossi for a walk at Diamond Lake early last week. As usual, Ossi enjoyed himself immensely. On the way back to the car after the walk, L-Dawg looked down to see Ossi with a new "toy" in his mouth...a dead, frozen squirrel he'd picked up about 100 feet earlier. L-Dawg freaked out (and, I believe, rightfully so...how gross!) and brushed Ossi's teeth as soon as he got home. Ew. Ew. Ew.

Hmmm...I'm Missing Out on Good Stuff Under There
The same day as the "dead squirrel" incident, L-Dawg was off to work and, 15 minutes before scheduled arrival time, let Ossi out to potty before an afternoon of crate napping. Being ready to leave, L-Dawg called outside for Ossi to come in and could hear Ossi, but could not see him anywhere. It quickly became evident that Ossi was hiding out under the house. Before Ossi's adoption, L-Dawg thought she buttoned up this area pretty well, but apparently the little stinker found a way in. But, he couldn't find his way out. After 20 minutes of coaxing with toys and treats, digging so he could see how to get out and reaching into the abyss to pull him out it was finally the jiggling of keys in the garage door and saying "Let's go for a ride!" that got Ossi to squeeze his way out and that lead to the above photo. Because B-Dawg and L-Dawg had to re-button everything with metal fencing, Ossi was not allowed to frolic in the backyard until the next day. This was sorely disappointing to him because he saw his next-door friends (a pair of 12-year-old boys) playing and he desperately wanted to play too. Too bad, so sad.

Dog Class II
Ossi has attended his second dog training class and is not exactly the star player we know he can be. He is *VERY* easily distracted by all the noise and dogs and treats and clicks and people and...and...everything. It takes about 1,500 tries just to get his attention by calling his name. He needs just three things to "graduate" to Level II training: 1) Doesn't jump up on people unless invited 2) We can get Ossi's attention away from something distracting and get him to focus on us for 5 seconds and 3) No pulling on the leash. In other words, we're going to be in Level I dog class *forever*.


Ossi in dog class,
getting a reward for
finally paying attention













All My Doggie Girlfriends
On the upswing, Ossi went to the Eden Prairie dog park the other night. Eden Prairie is totally fenced in and, since it was later at night, there was only one other dog there--Addie the cattle dog/shorthaired pointer mix. The two of them ran and ran and ran for an hour while B-Dawg and L-Dawg became part of the "club" and caught up on the dog park gossip with park regular Katie (Addie's "person"). Ossi was so happy to have a new girlfriend that loves to play and we're pretty sure that every time he gets into the car he thinks he's going back to the dog park.
While on a regular daily walk the other day, he also got to play with his girlfriend Sugar on the next block. They wrestled and tumbled around in Sugar's driveway and L-Dawg felt pretty ridiculous for keeping Ossi away from Sugar the first time they saw her (she's an American Staffordshire Terrier and looks a little scary, but is the sweetest thing as her name would suggest). B-Dawg also, allegedly, let Ossi play with the infamous Lucy through her fence too and said they had a great time. L-Dawg has her doubts about this since Lucy has been very vocal about her dislike of Ossi in the past. But who knows...maybe Lucy is warming up!




Ossi, all curled up and sleeping,
after his busy night at the dog
park with new friend Addie.

The Dog Park

Ossi post-dog park
playing with the Kong
Frisbee












Ossi made his first visit to the dog park today and it was a hit! It was only 75% fenced in, so L-Dawg didn't feel comfortable letting him go "off-leash" like the other dogs, which put Ossi at a little disadvantage. However, he made friends right away and there was sniffing galore. He played with a beautiful Husky named Tasha and a very tall Rottweiler named Max. In fact, Max was so tall that Ossi could run right under his legs...like a Toyota swerving under an 18-wheeler. However, Max's "dad" seemed to have had a "wee nip" or seven and was annoying L-Dawg so that made it easier to cut the visit short when a big, oaf-y German Shepherd puppy named Dante kept "playing" with Ossi and Ossi fought back. Dante didn't seem to understand that Ossi wasn't enjoying him and Dante's "person" was nowhere to be seen, so someone said, "Let Ossi show Dante who's boss and they'll either be best friends or Dante will leave Ossi alone." So Ossi growled and snipped and dopey Dante didn't seem to get it so we left.
But Ossi was fine with that and happily slept the rest of the afternoon dreaming of the new friends he'd made and his next visit to the dog park...next time off the leash.

New Year, New Ossi

A handsome Ossi fresh from
the groomer


















Ossi's first dog training class went okay. The nice trainers at the Golden Valley Humane Society noticed that he was a "leash puller" and insisted on giving the Gentle Leader collar/harness a try. Ossi hated it. That might be putting it mildly. His utter disdain for the Gentle Leader completely distracted him from actually learning anything during the class because he spent the whole time trying to get it off. To make matters worse, it didn't fit properly because his head and neck are weird sizes. So, as much as we were admiring girlfriend Sugar's Gentle Leader collar, we will not be investing in it. He has, of course, behaved very nicely since the class as if to say, "See...I'm not so bad. Please don't make me go back where they put that thing on my head and tried to force feed me treats." Oh yeah...they kept telling us to reward Ossi and give him treats, treats, treats to keep his attention and for positive reinforcement. However much Ossi loves treats (and he does love treats) he is not always a food motivated dog. If something else is catching his attention, no matter what the treat, he'll ignore it and seems to figure it will be there later. B-Dawg and L-Dawg will have to find a nice middle ground with the Humane Society trainers so we can all work together to teach Ossi some manners in a way that works for him so he'll actually do it.

Today, Ossi had his first grooming appointment at the Paw Spa and he looks handsome and smells go-oood! As soon as L-Dawg came to pick him up she could hear his tail thump, thump, thumping against the side of the crate he was hanging out it, so I knew he was okay.

Ossi playing tug with his Booda Velvet Bone
his "I-Was-Good-At-The-Groomer" treat

Happy New Year

Ossi "ringing in"
2006











Ossi has a new trick and he's been working on it for at least a month. After carefully observing B-Dawg and L-Dawg open the lid on the small step trash can (the kind where you step on the pedal and the lid opens) in the bathroom, Ossi has figured out how to open it on his own and is now a "paper product dog". He seems to enjoy nosing around and slinking off with used Kleenex. He's been scolded many times and now the bathroom door is closed all the time. So his new new trick is now lightly head butting the bathroom door and, upon finding it closed, scratching on the door with his paw as if to "knock" to get the trash can to let him in.
I guess if that's the worst trick he's got, we're still pretty darn lucky to have such a good dog. Maybe it will get us to cut back on Kleenex use.

Tonight is Ossi's first dog training class. Keep your fingers (and your paws) crossed that he's at the head of the class!!