Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

Gunnar and Mallory get Frodo revved up.

Frodo and the Family

My side of the family came over for our yearly reunion. We had about 25 people ranging from 8 months to their 60's, and Frodo was convinced they were all here to see him! I didn't snap a picture, but several times he would come and sit in the center of the family circle and wait for the "Isn't he cute? He's adorable!" comments.

In the pictures, Gunnar, my great-nephew, would give Frodo a belly scratch, and then laugh when Frodo's leg would move. Frodo loved every minute of it. Mallory came to help with Frodo. Gunnar loved Phoenix, too, but Frodo was definitely more fun!

Gentle Giant

Frodo is at the vet for neutering now. He weighed in at a whopping 33.5 pounds! I bet he will match or beat his mother by the time he is done growing. He is the same size as Phoenix now and is bigger than Wallace, a fact he loves to rub in Wallace's face.

He is easily the most mellow puppy I have encountered. His idea of rebellion is to lay down and make himself heavy. He seems surprised every time that I can simply lift him up and make him come or get where I want him to go. "How does she DO that?" is the look on his face.

He is my chore dog. Frodo loves to visit his chicken and goat friends (to eat their poop, of course). He is not smart nor showy like his littermates, rather, he is an inspiration to appreciate the simple life on the farm, where lazy afternoons are meant to be enjoyed in the shade and nothing in life is worth getting worked up over. Fun is being with friends, enjoying a good meal and playing in the sunshine.

Kitty Babysitter

Here is Frodo with a litter of kitties I found in our barn. He sure loves interactive toys!

Let the Games Begin

Frodo has learned that "Fetch" means to run around with the ball in his mouth and play keep away--way more fun than the traditional rules.

Beaver Believer

Apparently, Frodo has taken the fact that my husband and I are Beavers (OSU grads) to heart and has decided he is a Beaver, too. Consider the evidence:






























Frodo is also sporting a new look for when we go out:















Yes, his dirty little secret is that his ears continue to flop at will. I can keep tape on for three or four days, but eventually the dogs work as a team to chew it off. The ears will stay up for sometimes a whole day, then they are flyin' in the breeze again. When I feel them, they are soft and limp. He is still teething, though.




























Taken at an odd moment when his ears were sort of up.

Puppy Wrestling

I finally got the video to load. Here are Terra and Frodo at the end of her visit. Phoenix and Wallace appreciated the extra hand in tag teaming to keep the puppy entertained.

Frodo Update

Frodo continues to grow in both size and temperament. The best word I can come up with to describe Frodo is "simple". Not as in being the village idiot, but in being uncomplicated. Life is simple to Frodo. Twice a day good food appears. He has Phoenix and Wallace to pass the time during the day, and good things just happen, if you wait.

We have been going for walk every day. Wallace turns into a banshee when on lead, and doesn't understand the "gentle" in Gentle Leader. Phoenix is pack leader and makes it her personal mission to warn us on everything: "Look! There's SHEEP!" (Yes, they were there yesterday.) "AUSSIE ALERT!" (Yes, that's the same dog you bark at every day.) "Mom! A CAR!" (Yes, and one passed by 30 seconds ago.). Frodo, however, trots quietly by my side. "Pace is fine, Mom." he grins. I'll look down and he has picked up a stick, and carries the treasure in his mouth for a ways. He looks at the sheep and keeps going. "Whatever" is his response to Phoenix's warnings.

Yesterday I took him into the pasture while I reduced our brush pile to ashes. He explored for awhile, then just sat and watched to chickens and turkeys. Soon one of the chickens came up to him to check him out. They stared at each other from a foot away, then each went on with their own business. I could see the wheels turn in his head. "Chicken." He then went to the back fence and looked into the forest. "Forest," I told him. He looked back into the trees. "Forest."

He takes the same approach with his ears. I thought I had them finally up this week. They stayed up for four days. Then one morning one fell. It was as if he was permanently pointing to the left. Two days later the other fell. All i get from him is a lok that says, "Ears." If I wouldn't be embarrassed to take him out in public as an adult, I'd leave them. They seem to be Frodo's way. They are just "Ears."

"'Village Idiot' is more like it," thinks Phoenix.

"See, they stay up if I lay on my side!"

Auntie Terra Comes to Visit

Auntie Terra (Terra, Phoenix and Frodo are all related to each other) came to visit us while Gwen went to Hawaii. At first Terra was not sure about a puppy ruining her trip to the country, but she quickly warmed to Frodo. Here is a photo sequence showing how the week went. I got everyone as posed as I could, then Frodo attacked Wallace, finally Phoenix broke her downstay and joined in on the melee. (Frodo is underneath her). Note the expression on Terra's face ("Amateurs!").

Also notice how Frodo's and Terra's neck markings are mirror images of each other. I got my Terra dog after all!

Achilles Ears

Sorry the picture isn't very good, but Frodo continues to vex me in the ear department. I tape them up in the evening, and the next day when I come home from work, he has tattered shreds hanging from his ears. I think he is trying out as an extra for Les Miserables while I am at work.

I have finally found a method that works to keep the tape on Frodo for more than a day. I use foam rollers with the hard part taken out. I wrap the ear around the roller and secure it with 2" 3M paper tape. After wrapping the entire ear, I wrap it with athletic tape. I then tape across both ears. This seems to stay on for 2-4 days and his ears don't get irritated. I thought this last time that I had "up" ears, but after a day they wilted again. 

Frodo weighed in at 20 lbs last week at his last-shot vet visit. Just like Clifford, the Big Red Dog, Frodo keeps growing. I suspect he is part moose.

If I Had a Penny....

...for every time Phoenix obsessed over something, I'd be a rich woman.

Rowdy, our friendly POA (Pony of the Americas) has been with us now for two weeks. He's a rather calm and friendly horse, but easily ten times a day, Phoenix HAS to be let outside and the routine is the same: she charges down to the gate, jumps up and barks in her loudest voice, "MOM, THERE IS A HORSE IN THE PASTURE!". Let's see... 10 times a day times 14 days means this has happened 140 times. Maybe more. At least she no longer barks at the cats. Why bother with measly cats when THERE IS A HORSE IN THE PASTURE!

We are looking for a new home for the horse. I know our neighbors will thank us. They may even throw us a party. 

Phoenix will not be invited.

Valedictorian

Phoenix finished her first obedience class on Tuesday. I have mixed emotions about going on. On one hand, when I get her training tub out, she literally runs and hides. If she were human, I'm sure she'd give me a story about having a stomach ache and needing to stay home. On the other hand,  once we get to the armory, she is happy and seems to have fun. 

This week the dogs had to hold a long down stay. It was a dog-wrestling event for the other owners, but Phoenix held her down stay in spite of the instructor squeaking and throwing toys, a boxer invading her space and me being across the room. Whereas the week before she swore she had never heard of such a term as "heel", this week she heeled like a champion, even with me doing inside and outside turns and varying speeds, which we had not practiced. Instead of racing out like a conformation dog, she stuck like glue and nailed every sit when I stopped. 

I have to stop going to classes until I find a full-time job, but I think we will go on. She is much more confident than when we started and she clearly was the best dog there, and I think she knew it. The other people gushed over what a great dog she is. All I could say was, "She's a corgi", and anyone who has a corgi knows exactly what I meant.

The Mark of the Beast

It started as an innocent day. I went to a meeting and left the dogs in the kitchen/laundry room suite, but by mistake I did not put down the myriad of dog toys after washing the kitchen floor the day before (what a wasted effort that was!). I returned to a freshly-chewed chunk missing from our sheetrock by the back door. So, who to blame. Wallace returned my gaze with a look that said, "Don't blame me, I only watched it happen." Phoenix, with her ever-guilty-look pled, "I am a reformed chewer, honestly!" Frodo, however, looked me straight in the eye and gave me the "puppy-defense" of looking cute. Additional evidence (see below) shows that the chewing was puppy-high. Please note the existing hole in the wall contributed by Phoenix shortly after we got her and before we realized that if we maintained a toy density of one toy per square foot, she would not literally eat us out of house and home.

Frodo is also taking after his aunt in the landscaping department. Whereas Phoenix can't stand to let a plant in a pot rest (she drags them all over the yard, chewing the rim and placing them where she thinks they should be planted), Frodo has taken it upon himself to roll up the newly laid sod in our backyard. Everyday I have to roll back the corners. He will roll back over a foot of sod, which is pretty heavy. So we have sod and plants covered, we just need Corgis that can move rock and install water features and we will have a full landscaping crew.


The Look of Innocence

Exhibit A: A puppy-level hole

Phoenix's hole in the wall

Frodo's Defense: I am too cute and you took my toys

Frodo Meets Rowdy

Rowdy, our personable POA (Pony of the Americas), has come back to live with us again after being gone two years. None of my current Corgis have ever met him before, so after putting Rowdy in the back pasture, I let the dogs out to meet him. Phoenix wanted to herd him, Frodo ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could, and Wallace sauntered up to the gate and touched noses with Rowdy through the gate. Those two formed an instant friendship and Wallace would hardly come in to eat because he wanted to hang out with Rowdy at the fence. I lifted up Frodo and let him meet Rowdy a bit closer. Rowdy's head is bigger than Frodo's whole body!

Life's a Stage....

Here is what Frodo is now doing:

1. He barks at EVERYTHING! We are learning "inside voice", which means to stop barking.

2. He knows sit and down, which he does with gusto. He doesn't get his food dish unless he sits, which he can do from midair as he bounces over to his food rug like Tigger. When there is a treat involved, he does the world's fastest down, flattening himself like a runover frog. He is most certainly food-orientated.

3. He learned how to say, "No" this week. He is in the "terrible twos" and wants to see "What happens if I don't do what mamma says?"

4. He's chewing on everything. My dining room table, my computer power charger, my bra, Phoenix, etc.

5. He weighed 14 lbs when he got his shot this week.

6. He continues to be ear challenged, so I am trying the Phi Vestavia (http://www.phi-vestavia.com/EARTAPING.htm) method and will use moleskin to help the ear stand up under the layers of tape.

Lean, Mean, Eating Machine

I started Frodo on a big-boy diet. No more frozen raw cubes--he got real chicken that was well-pulverized. I gave him two wings and a neck, plus a few bits of liver. I turned around and I swear it was no more than 15 seconds and his bowl was empty! He sat expectantly (he has to sit before I will give him food) and in the spirit of Oliver Twist pled, "More, please". Meanwhile, Phoenix, who would prefer her food in a neater format, worked on a half of a back for 10 minutes.

I bought whole fryers on sale and they work out well for the three dogs: Wallace and Phoenix share the back and Frodo gets the wings and neck. Dave and I need to up our chicken consumption since we can't eat two breasts and two thighs in one setting. I also trim the bones off the breasts for future dog consumption.

The Crown Prince Returns

Well, Frodo's ears stayed up for about an hour and he is now back to his "Flying Nun" look. I taped him up again tonight, then he immediately started working on abdicating his throne. I used my camera on my laptop to snap these pictures. As you can tell, he was wiggly, but it was as fun as stepping into a real photo booth and snapping candid pictures.

Do Your Ears Hang High?

Well the tape is off, and on good moments Frodo's ears are up, though I find myself humming "Do Your Ears Hang Low" as they wobble to and fro. His ears really aren't that big in real life, it's the camera angle. Honestly.

Frodo's ears finally got taped and we immediately dubbed him "Prince Caspian", though his expression was more like "Why do I always have to play the fool in this pack?" It's not a very good crown, but I will take it off tomorrow and see if it worked. Phoenix thinks it is a cool "puppy handle".

Phoenix and Frodo Go to School

Phoenix went to her first obedience  class this week. I got her titered (she passed!) and bought yummy treats and tempting toys. A great toy is to take a tennis ball and cut a 2" slit in it. Fill it with treats and throw it. When she brings it back, I squeeze out a treat for her. Boy! Does she ever love fetching the treat ball!

I was nervous about how Phoenix would react to the strange place--an armory with a concrete floor and parked Hummer--but she took it in stride. The other dogs didn't bother her and she had a great time playing and exploring. It was when the instructor took Phoenix's leash that Phoenix got very nervous. We worked on it, with me standing next to the instructor so Phoenix knew she was not being led away. We both gave a lot of praise, but Phoenix was still stressed. Later, Phoenix' performance was obviously affected--she just shut down. Out came the tennis ball and Phoenix was back to her happy self. What I learned is that Phoenix needs a positive distractor, i.e. toy, whenever she stresses because it helps her regain her focus. 

All in all, I am encouraged that working on an obedience title would be doable and fun for both of us.

Frodo also went to school this week, but it was a human one. I took him to work to meet my students, and he was mobbed, petted and kissed by about 100 children (closely supervised, of course). He took it in stride and loved every minute of it! He got a lot of compliments by adults on his calm temperament. Not one person had ever heard of a Cardigan Welsh Corgi and most thought he was a Border Collie, until I put him down and they saw his diminutive stature.

Tonight Frodo gets his ears taped. I was planning on doing it last night, but quickly learned it is a two-person job. 

Back in the Saddle Again

Tonight was my first obedience class and it felt so right to be back in the dog world again. Phoenix stayed home since everyone else were newbies. She will be the oldest dog in the class, which I am excited about since I think this will help her not be so nervous. Mary creates such a safe environment and I think Phoenix will have fun. 

I laughed when Mary said that we needed to find a special toy that our dogs would go nuts over. For Phoenix that would be every toy in the world. Still, this gives me an excuse to go dog toy shopping, which is my favorite thing to do. I was just at Petco yesterday and bought them a cool toy--it looks like a ball made out of colorful chain links. Of course Phoenix ended up with it.

Frodo has found his voice! It is so loud it actually hurt my ears. We are working on 'inside voice', though it hasn't done a bit of good.

A Snapshot in Time

Puppies grow so fast. Already Frodo is noticably bigger. One change I noticed is that his coat is even softer and is much glossier. I attribute that to the raw diet he is on now. We are feeding Northwest Naturals Raw Diet, available in frozen cubes from our local pet health food store, and supplementing with our homegrown eggs, organic yogurt and raw liver. When I fed raw before I would alternate these items so they got each one every third day. Wallace and Phoenix are very glad I am back on feeding raw again. Mealtime is even more exciting than before!

I am waiting to hear back from the trainer, but I  am hoping to get Phoenix started in an obedience class starting on Tuesday. It is time to get back into the dog world and I am hoping that this can be our special time to go have fun. I will be training with Mary Rioux-Forker in Tigard and I took classes from her many years ago. She uses food, toys and praise, and I think this is what Phoenix needs. If she enjoys it, I am hoping we could start showing in obedience. I will only do it if it is fun for her, though. 

As for the promised pix, here they are:

Frodo at 10 weeks.

His favorite toy.

Notice his beautiful brindle markings on his cheeks. He will be a handsome boy.

Phoenix is the best babysitter, though as Owner of All the Toys in the World, she tends to steal and stockpile Frodo's toys.

Wallace is too dignified to play with puppies.

Phoenix's eyes can melt the hardest heart.

Wallace loves to rub his belly on the rugs. I wish he wouldn't, but he does.

Meeting New Friends

Frodo went to visit Erica and play with her roommate's Aussie, Lucy. Lucy was befuddled by such a short dog and Frodo had never experienced a dog so tall. Still, the fighting was fierce, the tails were wagging and Frodo had a new friend. Afterwards, Frodo snuggles with Erica by the fire.

Cousin Terra came over to visit with Gwen.  Here Wallace warns Terra of what a pain puppies are.

Terra smiling in the corner. She likes her Auntie Phoenix and Wallace. Jury's still out on Frodo.