Whidbey Island

On Tuesday, Grete, my parents, my aunt, my uncle, and I went to Double Bluff Beach on Whidbey Island. (After you walk past a flagged pole, the remainder of the beach is off leash. Of course, Grete isn't really ready for off leash play, but at least I knew she would be welcome on this beach.) It was a really gorgeous day. The water was actually bathwater warm for the first 10-20 feet from shore. Grete plowed right into the water after me, time after time. She's definitely going to be a water dog.

Now that she's well past her second series of shots, Grete got to meet a couple friendly healthy dogs. Unfortunately, one of her first encounters was with an overly friendly lab mix, and she got a little scared. Thankfully, once she figured out that it was ok to play with a miniature dachshund, she made her first friend. Willow was her name. She was the smallest dog that Grete had met so far.

Later that day, we stopped in Langley and met a 170 lb Mastiff. He was the biggest dog that Grete has met so far. She wasn't too sure about him. Even when he was laying down in front of her, she clung to my legs. However, once he left, she struggled to follow him.

the biggest dog that grete has met so far

the smallest dog that grete has met so far

grete's first time in puget sound

mmm... driftwood is tasty.

peek a boo #2

peek a boo #1

Grete and Gesso #3

Grete and Gesso #2

Grete and Gesso #1

18.5 lbs!

June 28 - 15.1 lbs
July 14 - 18.5 lbs
~ 3.4 oz per day

(I think she's been eating about 8-10 oz of dog food per day.)

Measurements

Grete did not like the tape measure, so here are some fairly quick (and thus probably wildly inaccurate) measurements.

Neck: 10"
Chest: 18" (Near armpits)
Length from collar to start of tail: 20"
Tail: 10.5"
Height: 15-18" (This is a guess. She wouldn't stand still.)

Also, she's definitely getting heavier.

Dogbook!

Grete now has a Dogbook (Facebook) profile.

Check it out.

Treats

Grete doesn't seem to be food motivated yet. This might be problematic for training, and so I set out to find her favorite treat tonight.

Summary:
If I had to force rank the treats into tiers at this point...
Tier I: Zukes Power Bones - Chicken Flavor
Tier II: Wellness - Chicken and Lamb; Zwiki - Lamb
Tier III: Liv-a-Littles - Cod or Chicken; Natural Choice - Lamb and Rice; Cheese or Misc Biscuits
Tier IV: Zukes Mini Naturals - Peanut Butter
Tier V: Uphaus Raw Advantage

Test Elements (Left to Right):

• Bulk Cheese Biscuits (Mud Bay)
  
• Bulk tasty bits of biscuits of multiple colors (Mud Bay)
  
• Whole Life - Salmon flavor
  
• Liv-a-Littles - Cod flavor
  
• Zukes Mini Naturals - Peanut Butter flavor
  
• Zwiki - Lamb flavor
  
• Wellness - Chicken and Lamb flavor
  
• Zukes Power bones - Chicken flavor
  
• Uphaus Raw Advantage
  
• Natural Choice - Lamb and Rice
  
• Liv-a-Littles - Chicken flavor
  

Methodology: I placed them all in bowls in a line while she was in another room. I did this twice.

Results: The first time, she went left to right - eating everything EXCEPT the Zukes Mini Naturals in Peanut Butter flavor and the Uphaus. She seemed particularly interested in the Zukes Power Bone in Chicken, as well as the Cod Live-a-Littles. The second time, she attacked the middle and then worked her way outward. Again, the Uphaus was last, and the Zukes Power Bone in chicken was one of the first. There was a high degree of interest in the empty bowls of the Zukes Chicken as well as the Cod Liv-a-Little. All bowls got a cursory double-check after they were all empty.

Caveats: I should mention that all the treats are new except for the last two (Zukes Mini Naturals and Uphaus) - so perhaps a novelty effect is also present. I will have to continue to test to get statistical significance.

Puppy Classes (a.k.a. The Point Where I Really Start Sounding Like a Crazy Parent)

This weekend I finally registered Grete for puppy classes. Starting July 29th, we will be going to Ahimsa Dog Training in Ballard on Tuesdays and Sundays for six weeks. I also hope to drop in on the Saturday puppy playtime. She's be attending classes from 14 weeks to 20 weeks.

After that, I think it's on to Advanced Puppy and then Better Manners, but it seems to depend on the dog. I really think she'll be an agility superstar, so I'm anxious to give that a try. Unfortunately, it looks like they aren't offering puppy pre-agility currently. I'll know more once we start class.

New Places, New Faces

Jake took Grete to his workplace this morning. As I stood on the front porch watching them drive away, I felt something twinge inside me. It was harder than I expected. I think I finally understand why I used to get "I miss Sadie" SMS messages when I was dog sitting. I was emailing Jake every hour or so to check on Grete.

She was totally a hit at his work. She made friends with everyone, including the founder and CEO of his company. She also soaked in some culture at the Olympic Sculpture Park. As a side note, I think it's funny that Grete has been the sculpture park, but I have not.

No pictures though. Next time I'll be sure to send Jake with a camera.

She's tuckered out from the adventure though. It's 8 pm now -- which is prime time play time -- but she's alseep at my feet.

Held down by The Man

As you can see, Grete is adapting quite well to office life.

We spent Monday in a conference room to avoid the dog that shares my normal office, and she put herself into this position... twice. Being the fretful mom that I am, I got up the first time to move her because it just didn't look comfortable, and she got right back into this position.

Today we spent the day in the corner office of a former VP. Get a dog, get promoted. ;-)

Look, Ma - No hands!

11 am - Grete is soooooo relaxed.

(Apparently Jake is also a dog whisperer as well as a cat whisperer.)

Playtime!