25 things... about my dog(s). (facebook spinoff)

Lex -
1 - He was born in Vancouver, Washington on December 24th 2006. His mother is an Airedale, his dad is a pit bull.

2 - He is hands down the smartest dog I have ever owned.

3 - He looks like a completely different dog now that he is all grown up. When I got him at 10 weeks he was jet black, tiny, and had the coat of a lab. How he is really tall, shaggy and has a gray body with black legs, face and tail.

4 - He likes to steal our slippers so he can curl up into a ball on top of them.

5 - I can now say he has a rock solid recall. I love it! That being said he rarely ever is on a leash.

6 - He is an only dog and gets jealous when I cuddle the kitties.

7 - We had a newspaper route when we first got him. DH trained him to carry the paper in his mouth and run along side him to deliver them.

8 - I can tell him things in plain English and he understands. Example - When its time to wash him (he hates it) I just tell him to get in the bath tub and he will. Granted he gives me the stink eye the whole time!

9 - He is allergic to fleas and chicken.

10 - He raised two kittens (You all remember the pictures). They are now healthy adult cats and still insist on cuddling with their "momma" from time to time.

11 - He is in no way food motivated. Sometimes he will skip a meal or even a day. He wont eat if he's not hungry.

12 - He always has toy in his mouth. I mean always. He doesn't drop it to bark. Only to eat or when we ask him too.

13 - His 1st birthday present from me was a Neuter.( HAHA =P)

14 - He barks and wags his tail in his sleep.

15 - He loves to be brushed. It is his moment of Zen.

16 - He knows his toys by name and will retrieve them when we ask.

17 - He drove from Oregon to Oklahoma with me.

18 - He will lay on the bed with us for short periods of time. After 15 minutes or so he will curl up on his blanket or my side of the bed.

19 - His favorite food in the world is apples. If you are eating one he will stare for as long as it takes you to give him some.

20 - I have only heard him growl (not play growling like with his toys) once so far. It was when DH's parents dog tried to steal his cookie!

21 - He loves to ride in the truck with us. He will comfortably sit in the back seat or squeezed in the front between us.

22 - He has ripped through a black indestructible kong. But keeps his orange cuz intact.

23 - I rarely call him "Lex". Its usually pooper, poopy or poopington. He answers to all four.

24 - His favorite game is "find it". We hide whatever toy he has around the room and he has to look for it.

25 - He always seems to know what I'm thinking. He is very in tuned to my feelings. He is definitely the love of my life.

 Jessie;

1. Loves to dig for chipmunks; she dug up one of our bushes trying to get one.

2. Very food motivated; she'll do anything for a treat.

3. Likes kids; when I walk her, there's a girl who kneels and spreads her arms, and Jessie runs to her for a hug.

4. Very smart; she has always learned anything I taught her very quickly.

5. She lays on my feet when I'm watching TV.

6. Very good at the vet. She was at the e-vet with a swollen head and a red nose with blisters. The vet squeezed a blister to see if there was pus and stuck a needle in the side of her head and she never complained.

7. Will eat rabbits and mice when she catches them but won't eat moles. She's never caught a chipmunk or squirrel but I think she would eat them.

8. When we adopted her, she tried to sleep with our daughter but my daughter's twin bed wasn't big enough so we bought Jessie a bed and she sleeps in it next to my daughter's bed.

9. She's 10 but she still gets the zoomies, especially when DH comes home from work.

10. Hates baths and will ask to go outside if she thinks she's getting one.

11. Her favorite game is keep away.

12. She helps find family members on outings. I can tell her "find daddy" and she will track to where DH is when we're fishing in different areas around a lake. She will also find me, or our daughter or son.

13. When we go fishing, she digs in the water to try to find a fish when we release it.

14. She rides in our Jon boats and our canoe and loves the water.

15. She likes other dogs and has many doggy buddies.

16. She came from the shelter and is our first dog.  A shelter worker brought her in; her owners let her run lose and she would play with the shelter worker's dogs through the fence. After numerous warnings to the owners she brought Jessie to the shelter.

17. Her name used to be Cocoa before we adopted her.

18. She often scarfs cat poop when I'm walking her.

19. The only things she's afraid of are fireworks and gunfire.

20. I found out she has a very deep growl. I had went to the kitchen during the night to get a drink of water and heard a loud rumbling noise and didn't know what it was until she started barking. She had been sleeping in my daughter's room and didn't know it was me in the kitchen until I called her name.

21. Her favorite toy is her "duckie".

22. She barks at the UPS truck when it goes by because I often order her treats.

23. Won't back down from a fight with a "critter" even when she's bitten; she's been in fights with raccoons, ground hogs, and possums that get into our yard and I have to yell "leave it" while spraying her with a hose and then grab her collar.

24. She has ridden in a wagon pulled by horses; she's very good about not barking at horses.

25. I love her more as time passes; she's my heart dog.

  I'm adding a few more just to make up for Ron only having 19.  

26. She whines when we pull into the driveway to visit our grandchildren because she loves to see them.

27. My grandkids love to have her jump through a hula hoop but I stop them after 40 times.

28. She can jump on our pool table without a running start.

29. My kids used to raise breeds of pigeons for shows. Sometimes one would escape when the loft door was opened. Jessie caught them a few times and held them in her mouth without hurting them. She also did that with a baby bird.

Lacie

1.   She is a very quiet, dependable, loving dog.

2.   She will sit next to me for hours, just content to be there with me.

3.   She loves her purple, soft plastic squeaky bone.

4.   She loves her stuffed red bone.

5.   Lacie hates having her front legs brushed.

6.   She takes forever to find that perfect spot to pee.

7.   Then she takes forever to find the perfect spot to poop!

8.   When I let her into her outside play area (which is huge) she runs laps over and over and over again, leaping in the air.

9.   Lacie loves to go for car rids.

10.  Lacie loves the outside cats and they love her - she is so gentle with them.

11.  Lacie loves to go for hikes.

12.  She can be leary of strangers.

13.  If we're in the car she growls at people outside the car.

14.  She isn't spayed; we might breed her.

15.  I got her when she was 8 weeks old.

16.  She looks like crushed velvet when I clip her.

17.  Lacie does really well in obedience and seems to enjoy it.

18.  She has her Canine Good Citizenship.

19.  When she jumps up on me (which she only does when I tell her to give me a hug), she's so gentle that I barely feel her paws touch me.

20.  She loves to stand up with her feet on the window sill and look outside.

21.  She loves to play fetch with snowballs.

22.  She loves yogurt mixed in with her food.

23.  When we walk and she's on the expandable leash, if I say 'wait' she slows down and looks back at me.

24.  She will not roll over on command.  In obedience class that was one of the tricks they taught.  She absolutely would have none of it. 

25.  If I had to describe her in one word it would be Sweet.

Rex

1.   He is a very shy dog, scared of strangers. 

2.   He doesn't like strangers to try and pet him.  He needs time to check them out and become comfortable first.

3.   He was not socialized to other dogs or to people when we got him.

4.   He bonded instantly to me.

5.   He was 6 months old when I got him.

6.   Rex excels at obedience and agility and rally.

7.   He has his Canine Good Citizenship.

8.   Rex has trouble with ear infections, although lately (knock on wood) his ears have been good.

9.   He is the fastest one to finish outside - I can let him out and he quickly pees, poops, and runs back to the house.

10.  He LOVES to be outside in the play area.

11.  He runs around like a maniac, barking like crazy, when I let him outside.

12.  He is so excited to see me when I get home that he barks and jumps around and wiggles all over.

13.  He loves yogurt in his food.

14.  He always has his mouth open and looks like he's smiling all the time.

15.  He does everything with pizzazz and style.

16.  He definately has that poodle prance.

17.  His coloring is very unique - he has shades of brown and tan and silver, and some darker spots that almost look black.

18.  He is adorable with his mustache.  Sets him apart from the 3 girls.

19.  He loves to play fetch.

20.  He is leary of new situations.

21.  He wants to go everywhere with me.

22.  He loves to go for car rides but always lays down rather than look out the windows.

23.  He is very gentle with the cats.

24.  When he climbs up on our bed we have to be careful because he likes to bat at us with his paws.

25.  He LOVES to shake hands.

Keisha

1.   She is my sunshine dog.  She is happy-go-lucky all the time.

2.   She does everything at a run and with excess energy.

3.   She is built different from my other poodles - she is shorter and more compact.

4.   She is very easy to bathe and groom - very well behaved.

5.   When she's wet she will not shake until I tell her to.

6.   She loves to go for a car ride but gets sick and throws up every single time.

7.   She loves to play fetch.

8.   She is the most independent of all my poodles.

9.   She is very loving and affectionate.

10.  She has huge soft brown eyes.

11.  She loves to eat.

12.  She is a counter and table surfer - has not qualms about standing up and taking what she wants.

13.  She is the dog the other ones pick on.

14.  She is fearless.

15.  She loves everyone.

16.  I got her when she was 7 weeks old.  She turned 2 this month.

17.  When I say 'crate' she walks over, goes inside, and lays down.

18.  She is extremely smart and learns quickly.

19.  She is considered a light apricot.  When I bathe her she is a shiny yellowy-gold color.

20.  She has the thickest, tightest curl of all the poodles.  Her hair is like wool.

21.  She loves toys - any kind of toys.  She is extrememly playful.

22.  She can amuse herself for hours with her toys.

23.   When I let her out on the run-out, she invariable wraps herself around the tree.  But when I say 'go around' and motion with my hand which direction, she will unwrap herself. 

24.  She loves the cats but is rough with them.  She wants to play.

25.  She is extremely social with other dogs - very friendly.

 

Zoe

1.   Her names fits her - she is full of life!

2.   She is a parti-poodle: black and white.

3.   She came from Tennessee and I got her when she was 7 weeks old.

4.   She turned 1 yr old. in January.

5.   She is very friendly but sometimes will have a little problem with stress incontinence when people come in and pet her.

6.   She still has her puppy coat - very silky and wavy.

7.   She has that poodle prance and it's adorable.

8.   She loves to jump on the furniture.

9.   She likes to 'sing' - she will throw her head back and howl when I tell her to sing.

10.  She loves to play with soft squeaky toys and throw them in the air.

11.  She is a barker outside.

12.  She's very good for bathing and grooming.

13.  She likes to go for car rides and always wants to get up front.

14.  She likes to tear up the garbage if she can get to it.

15.  She will wrap herself around the tree outside but unwraps herself when I say 'go around' and motion which way to go.

16.  She is doing great with obedience.

17.  She is an extremely fast learner and always wants to please.

18.  She loves to jump on my bed and rut around in the covers.

19.  She's very high-energy, very happy go lucky in nature.

20.  She's pretty fearless.

21.  She is terrified of the washing machine.

22.  She bumped her hip and got a big fluid-filled lump there - had to have it drained and put her on antibiotics.  She never even flinched. 

23.  She had an umbilical hernia that we had repaired.

24.  She likes to play with the cats - chases them if they'll run, bats at them a bit, and then lays next to them.

25.  She has an adorable habit of cocking her head as if to really listen when you talk to her.

7. When resting, Shadow will sometimes sigh. Other times, he will groan and he sounds like a man when he does it.

8. Shadow has growl and a sub-gutteral that will make your guts rumble.

9. He can also chain-bark, where they are strung together and almost sound like a woo-woo.

10. He likes to eat outside. In fact, the colder it is, the better he likes it.

11. As I showed in a video once, he likes to chase his kong once or twice and then bring it to the bowl when he eats.

12. When he eats, he usually does not clean the bowl. He will leave some in there.

13. He watches t.v.

14. He will not go in water. His previous owners and our friend tried to acclimate him to it but he would have none of it. He will stand out in the rain and snow but he will not go in water. I know some other dogs might be the same way but with him, I thought it might be a breed trait to not step on a surface that won't hold you. But it could just be an idiosyncracy. Ace's Mom had a dog just like Shadow and he was a nut for the surf.

15. He is double-coated and will shed big chunks of white and gray fur in Spring. It starts at his hindquarters and then his neck gets into the act. He tends to show all four colors in winter. Black, brown, red, and white-gray.

16. He is an expert hunter and has caught and ate cotton rats, what some people think of as field mice.

17. He will kill squirrels by playing too hard but he won't eat them. I'll find one dead, sometimes squished but no puncture marks.

18. His Lab traits include soft mouth, a combo of soft lips and pressure sensitivity to avoid tearing up whatever, unless his desire is to shred it, which he can also do. I've seen him untie the knot of a rope toy.

19. As time has gone by, he has learned to offer behaviors. At first, I lure-trained drop it, with some success. Now, he brings stuff to drop at my feet or in my lap. We're also working on extended stay. To some, it may look like I'm dropping treats to a dog just laying down but there is a reason. The offering of behaviors is another breakthrough. He was originally schooled by a GSD named Bonnie but never really had human training until I got him and I started out with punishment and lure/reward. So, even with the clicker, he started out waiting for a command. Now, he can offer some behaviors and learn it as his own idea, his own motivation. He's even found offering things to drop more rewarding than chasing the cat. This from a breed that predominately was thought of as to find cats as prey. Granted, he grew up with cats and that helped a lot.

20. Related to 19. Shadow is tall, fast, and strong (able to pull at least 4 times his own weight.) And he's a soft dog, so to speak. He responds best to reward and most punishments either mean nothing to him or feel like play.

21. He is also a soft dog because he has inhibition to bite and even inhibition to engage. He would not make it as a K-9 and I'm totally happy with that. I don't want him biting people. I will do the biting. With me, don't worry about the dog, beware of the owner.

22. He completely adores our goddaughter, C. He nearly becomes her dog when they visit. He can be a glutton for attention and she gives him plenty and he will walk in heel with her though they have never trained to do that. And all of that pleases me immensely, as well as her parents, my friends, Tom and Jeanne.

23. Conversely, he can also be shy and until he knows someone, he will likely keep a distance.

24. Conversely to 23, he can sometimes take an instant liking to someone and immediately seek their affection.

25. He can tell the difference between English, Spanish, and German. When I come home, I usually say "Is that my big dog?" And he goes running to the back door. Another time, I said, "Esso mi Pero grande?" He tilted his head trying to figure what the different word shapes were. Another time, I said, "Ist das mein grosse Hund?" He just sat there waiting until I said the English version and then ran to the back door.

 

 Max

1. Barks on his way to his crate, and when he gets in it. He has no problem going in, and actually races to get there, barking the whole way.

2. Likes to sleep between my legs, but if not there, he'll use my legs as his pillow.

3. If he can have the actual pillow, he'll take that. 

4. Often has to be bribed out of bed in the morning.

5. Gets all excited when he hears the word school.

6. goes nuts at the sound of the doorbell

7. Because of this, my friends call when they get here so I can let them in. This has resulted in his getting excited at certain ring tones (I have different ones for different people) if it's someone who comes often.

8. If we pass by a certain fence at the beginning of a walk, he's fine with it, at the end, he tries to drag me up there to check if the dogs are in there anymore. 

9.  His hometown is Trenton, NJ

10. The final decision on him was made by Millie. The humans looked at him first, then she came to make the final determination.

11. He made the final determination on getting Georgie. Though, he gets along with almost every dog, so as long as whoever we picked was good with other dogs, he probably wouldn't have vetoed our decision.

12. He likes soda. He'll take bottles if you don't watch, and once knocked down some glass soda bottles (black cherry flavor, which was a mess).

13. He likes almost all food, fruits, vegetables. He's had wasabi peas, he eats raw pumkin.

14. He especially likes food if it came from my mouth first.

15.  If he wear a regular leash, he will usually try to grab it and chew on it.

16. Because of this, we have had a lupine leash replaced many times. He usually has a chain leash.

17. In the effort to break him of this habit, our trainer tried various bad tasting things, which he liked or tolerated. 

18. He once ate a 6ft leather leash at puppy school.

19. It was also suggested at puppy school, in order to keep our puppies off tables, that we could put those slap trap mouse trap things up. We put a row of them on duct tape. Max learned to pull the edge of the tape so it would fall down, run away a bit as they went off, then he would run back to jump on the table.

20.  When he rides in my car, he prefers to sit on top of my cargo box.

21. He rarely sleeps on the floor.

22.  If someone else sleeps over, he spends the night hopping between my bed and the other person's. He likes to check on everyone around.

23. He gets nervous in the car if he doesn't recognize the route. We went to meet my friend at a dog park a few weeks ago. The part of the trip that was the same as going to the park he was excited, but when we went past that, he wasn't sure about it anymore. 

24. He doesn't like to swim. He will go in the water, but only as far as all his feet can touch. 

25.  After he goes out in the morning, he usually comes back in and goes back to sleep.

Jazzy

1.   She is a black and white mixed breed that we got from the pound when she was 8 weeks old.

2.   She is now 4 years old.

3.   She is very fear aggresssive, something we just can't figure out.

4.   My teenage daughter has been bringing her to 4H obedience and agility for 3 years, and she is doing great.

5.    She is horrible for having her nails trimmed.

6.   She loves to play fetch.

7.   She loves to lay on her back and roll all over the carpet to itch herself.

8.   She loves yogurt in her food.

9.   She loves to go for a car ride and likes to stick her head out the window.

10.  She has exceptional hearing and barks the minute she hears anything or anyone in our driveway.

11.  She loves to chase our Belgian horse up and down the fenceline.

12.  She loves to play in the hay.

13.  She is overweight even though she gets tons of exercise, eats no table scraps at all, and is on a very regimented diet.

14.  She hates going to the vet.

15.  She is very leary of strangers.

16.  We take every chance we can to get her out and about to socialize her.

17.  She likes to be dominant over other dogs.

18.  She loves her soft squeaky purple cow

19.  She is very trustworthy outside and comes back immediately when called.

20.  She loves the outside cats and is gentle with them

21.  She likes her bath and likes to shake all over you - we are now teaching her she can only shake on command and she is catching on fast.

22.  She literally inhales any dog treat you give her - I doubt she ever tastes them

23.  She loves to lay on the couch

24.  She loves her crate

25.  Her favorite person in the world is my 16 year old daugther - she is extrememly protective of her with strangers, used to be a problem in obedience shows because she growled at the judge!  (She has stopped doing that now) :)