In Which Himself Talks about "Things"

Well, peeps, mommy hears the clamoring of folks who would like to know what the heck Himself has been up to! Lots happening here in Montana... it is finally SPRING and that means we are busy doing a lot of things. Today I helped mommy in the yard... we have a really nice BIG yard that mommy fought hard to keep, but it takes a lot of work! Good thing I'm here to help. I told this metal spikey thing to stop squishing mommy's fingers!

I've been busy learning things! Don't tell mommy, but she's not teaching me. I just DO things, and if mommy likes what I do, she makes a happy noise or she clicks a little thing (I like to carry that little thing around) and SUDDENLY there is a nice thing to eat! So I do that thing again and VOILA! Noise and treat thing! Wow. Magic. And the cool thing... I make it happen. So I can walk around Ace Hardware and do this thing:

And the peeps at Ace Hardware LAUGH and LAUGH (a hint to peeps: we dogs know that laughing is a happy noise, so be careful what you laugh at...) and they give me popcorn things! I'm so swell. 

But funny... sometimes what I'm doing doesn't make mommy make a happy noise. Like here: mommy calls this a clicker training "fail":

I don't know why. I had fun. I gnawed, I climbed, I dug, I humped... where's the FAIL? Oh yeah, I didn't get a cookie. Hmmm. I better think about that.

Editor's note: this is an excerpt from a nearly 10-minute video... Bodhran's "fail" lasted, oh, about 1.5 minutes, then he nailed his little "ta DAH!" bow and has been offering it left, right and center in ALL situations, including to strangers at the hardware store, ever since! The hardest part about shaping behaviors is waiting the persistent little bugger out!

I stayed over at Shateau Sheltie again this week! I sure love my auntie and uncle, they take me to have a fun outside day with my Sheltie cousins Nai'a and Luka when mommy has a long day at work. I'm one lucky puppy. That's a good thing.

In Which Himself Extols the Virtues of the Mani-Pedi

Hello peeps!

Please admire my freshly Dremeled piggies... I thought I was being mutilated when mommy first broke out that suckah, but that was a couple of days ago, and now I create only a token protest, then I sigh and close my eyes and think of England. Then it's done.

Here's what my piggies looked like pre-Dremel. I must say, this look is a wee bit embarrassing, not very manly at all. I'm glad mommy doesn't buy my drama (don't tell her) and does a little mani-pedi on me every day now.

Tuesdays are a favorite around here... mommy has an appointment every Tuesday afternoon so her work day ends early, and we get to go home early. WHEE! Today it was so nice out we spent a little time in the big back yard. I played in a drippy hose. You can hear my silly sissy Bandia trying to convince us to let her out. Neener neener, sissy.

We have a big weekend ahead -- agility trial, right here in our town! I am a pro at agility trials now, this is my THIRD since ever! Mommy is in charge of all the papers and scritching on them and clicking on her computer, so we are going to bed early to save up our sleeps! 

In Which Himself is Mommy's Little Helper

Hello Peeps! I am SO helpful; I don't know WHO supervised things like "laundry" before I was here.

Inspect the dryer for the missing socks.

Certainly, the clothes were not as thoroughly stretched and aerated. This is not a job for amateurs, peeps.

After removing several clothing items from the basket, grasp the jammie leg in your toofies. Pull steadily. Repeat.

The neck of the sweatshirt must be gnawed, taking care to hold one's head at the correct angle.

It sure wasn't my silly sister Bandia; all SHE did while we did laundry was sit on the dryer and take pot shots at me.

.

Also, my sissy Bandia has decided that her job is to provide "distractions" while mommy and me are "training". 

WHAT is a boy to DO with an annoying sister like Bandia??

Color me exasperated. 

In Which Himself Enjoys the Weekend at Home

Gadzooks. SUCH fun I've been having! Yesterday we had an outing... first we went to Ace Hardware, my mommy's favorite hardware store because (1) it is locally owned, (2) the guys who work there know her and help her figure out projects (though sometimes they say to her "is your dad coming over to help you?", which she thinks is (1) cute, that they remember that her dad helps her around the house, and (2) annoying, because she thinks they might think that SHE isn't capable of the project. But, as mommy says, I digress).

Here I am posing in front of a lovely display of Medieval Torture Devices! Mommy bought a little one, and she says we are going to try it out later today. That should be fun, right?  RIGHT??

Another neat thing about Ace Hardware is that they have free popcorn! The peeps carried it around in bags, but as we all know, peeps are MESSY, so there was lots on the floor for me to very tidily Hoover up. Urp.

THEN we got to go to a fun place: Go Fetch! Mommy and some friends meet up there most Saturdays to "train" (ha ha, that's funny, mostly they just talk to each other). There, I got to see some of my favorite people! Here I am with my best uncle Phil, and cousin Bode!

This one shows how Uncle Phil "trains" puppies. He says it is because mommy "trained" Bode a year ago. Mommy sez yes but look how nice cousin Bode is, obviously it worked.

Fancy Pants Pug Tart was there, too, and another little black "pug" (?) named Wee Wee who "schooled me". Hmmm. Still thinking about that one.

Then Auntie Sandy came and brought my buddy SCOTCH! Scotch is really cool, he's a little older than me and I hope we can keep playing. Pretty soon he'll be busy "showing" and then I can't pull on his face hair. Boo. What else is face hair for but pulling??

I think it's funny how Scotch tries to grab my tail!  HA HA!  Fooled YOU, Scotch!

Whew.  All that talking makes mommy and her friends thirsty, so they go have a "social" and drink a beer and talk some more. Which I think may not make much sense, but hey. They have fun.

In Which Himself Posts a Few Pics

Hello peeps! Here are a few shots from this weekend and last...

On the way to Moses Lake, there was something REALLY INTERESTING over THERE!! 

Sigh. I'm so handsome. Am I being tiresome? You'd tell me if I was, right? Right?

It is HARD WORK being cute. I must get my beauty rest. And Mommy must have her Mongoose IPA.

The last thing the camera sees before it all goes black...

This is Izzy, one of my BFFs (she lives in Bozeman with Sami and Warren).

She's prolly going to kick my a** when I see her in two weeks...

Red Solo Yogurt Cup! I fill you up! It's time to pahtee...

In Which Himself Can't Possibly Catch Up

Well, well, well.

It's been quite a week! 

Auntie Emmy and Uncle Dave came over to help Mommy get ready for the weekend... did you know that at these agility trials we go to, EVERY time a team runs, there is a special piece of paper that they scratch on and pass around?? So Mommy needs help to get all those ready, and auntie and uncle are nice to help her. 

And THEN they REALLY helped her (sez Mommy); they knew Mommy wasn't feeling good, so I got to go home with them to Shateau Sheltie for a SLEEPOVER!

Welcome to Shateau Sheltie! C'mon in!

DEEluxe accommodations! Cousin Skye lent her bed to her houseguest...

I was a good boy, auntie sez... my cousins Nai'a and Luka played with me a whole lot and I think we are going to be good friends.

Waiting for lunch at Shateau Sheltie

So this weekend we went to another agility trial! At this one, mommy was REALLY busy, so there were lots of aunties to take care of me! That was fun. AND I got to play with three new BFFs. This one is Harper B; she's not so sure I'm her BFF yet.

Harper B's mommy came to the trial to run with her girl Zoey, even though she is very sad and will be for a long time. But we all did what we could to help her and her little soldiers. Harper B's mommy and and my mommy and all their friends laughed a lot and cried a little.

I also played with a girl named Kicks (who kicked my butt) and another girl named Izzy (she didn't kick my butt but I think she will soon). Bad mommy was too busy to take pictures... sigh. Bad mommy. I will see Kicks and Izzy and Harper B again soon, and I HOPE that SOMEONE will take pictures!

"It Came from North Carolina... and is living under the hotel bed!"