Tunnel?!

Ever since flyball training ended in December, I have been bored out of my mind lately.  Claire finally came up with some new things to challenge my mind!  Plus, it's just nice that she is paying attention to me, and me only, not Gizmo!!!  (Lilo is still a little jealous of Gizmo.)

Ok, this new thing is called tunnel.  All I need to do is run through a tunnel, sounds simple, huh?!  Well, it's really not that simple.  I'm not too fond of going through enclosed area.  Unlike some of my terrier friends, they love going through tunnels in order to dig out rodents and kill them.  I certainly do not have that instinct in me, so it makes the learning process more challenging.  And there is just so much static between my long hair and the tunnel, I simply don't look good with all my hair standing straight up!

So, where this whole tunnel idea come from, you may ask.  I think Claire has been thinking about teaching me to run through a tunnel for a while.  She saw some dog agility shows on TV, did some research on equipments, found out the expensive price tag, and shelved the idea.  But I guess she is always in search for substitutes.  She spotted a play tunnel at the kids section of IKEA, and quickly made the purchase.  It's just a straight popped up tunnel, about the length of a couch.  (The technical term would an open tunnel)  So it's a little shorter than the ones used in agility shows.  But it will do for now until I fully understand the purpose of tunnels.

I'm very much food motivated, so as long as I get a treat, I will do it!
(Claire will do the rest of commenting for this post)




Ok, so I have the tunnel out sitting around for a few days, just to get Lilo used to it.  For the first few days, she didn't really go through it.  I tried to set her up on one end, and gave her a pad on the behind.  But she ran right around the outside to the other end. 

I crawled through the tunnel once myself, just to show Lilo it was fun and caused no harm.
I also set her up in the middle of the tunnel, so she would only have to run through half of it.  Now, she is no longer afraid of the tunnel and I start to perfect her skill.

We put some treats in a small clear tupperware.  We've been using that tiny container to store treats for training related activities during the past year.  So Lilo knows yummy food is inside. 

I know you can't really see the other end of the tunnel (sorry for my poor picture taking skills).  Cameron is holding the container I mentioned above.  See Lilo's undivided attention on that container?

Cameron tossed the container across the tunnel.  You can see the lid of the container on the bottom right hand corner of this pic.  And take a look at Lilo's eyes in this pic, very focused on the container. 

Through the tunnel she ran!  Just to chase after the food :)  Once she came through, I opened the container and gave her a treat and told her "good tunnel" 

I'm using Tunnel as the command for this activity.  This exercise is more effective if you have two people on each end of the tunnel.  It's easier for the dog to understand what is expected of her, since you're not setting her up on one end, running along side so you can get to the other end to reward her - if she runs through that is.  This adds to the distraction while your dog is learning a new skill. 

We do this for about 5-10 minutes a day.  And I always end the training before Lilo loses interest, so then next time I set up the tunnel, she will stay interested.  Lilo is getting better at this.  Our goal is to have her run through without us tossing the treats. 

-Claire

Lilo and Gizmo are getting along

Still remember Lilo and Gizmo's relationship a week ago? Lilo was trying as hard as she could to hide from Gizmo. Now, Lilo and Gizmo seem like they are getting along. They play for a little bit every day. It first looks so scary to me. I always thought that they were fighting, but they were just playing. I now really love watching them play. It's so entertaining.

Gizmo's Progress

Gizmo has been living with us for 2 weeks now, and we still have a lot to work on.  

He is not totally house-broken yet.  He is pretty good on the most part.  He didn't have any accident for the first week we had him.  The rawhide may have upset his stomach, and he started going inside last Sunday.  Good thing it was during the MLK long weekend, so I had more time to attend to him.  We now make sure he is always within sight, and take him out 4 times a day now.  When his tummy feels a little better, we will begin to reduce the frequency.  The vet said everything is fine, and everything tested negative for him.  His sister Lucy (formerly known as Jill) is having trouble as well. 

Gizmo is definitely getting more comfortable about his new home.  He learned to climb the stairs (I taught him by pulling him gently with his leash on), and there was just no return.  Now, every time someone walks upstairs, he follows.  Sometimes I wish he isn't running up and down all the time.  When I first got Lilo, she wasn't allow upstairs.  And now, she doesn't go up except for bed time. 

My New Friend - Gizmo

My family decided that I'm too lonesome for being the only dog, so they got this tiny shih tzu - Gizmo - as my playmate.  It has been a week now, and I'm still adjusting to this little dog.  Ever since Mickey - my mini schnazuer friend left in early December, I have been enjoying being the only dog, getting all the attention.

Gizmo is quite a cute dog, very petite in size...pressuring me to skip a meal here and there so I can keep my body shape in line.  ::sigh::  it's too much competition.  But I think things will get better.  Today, we played some while walking, and chased each other around the house.  At least our play style is similar.  I tried playing with my schnauzer friends before, but they didn't seem to like the way I play.

My family found this funny, and I certainly disagree.  I was hiding underneath a small table, trying to stay away from Gizmo.  They were shocked that I could fit my body in that tiny space.

More not-so-funny picture :-/

Jill and Gizmo (formerly Jack)

We fostered a very cute shih tzu for 2 days.  Jill, along with her brother Jack, were rescued from a kill shelter in South Carolina.  They rode a van from South Carolina into DC on Saturday, Jan 9th.

She is such a cutie!  Her brother is just as cute...and...we decided to adopt him.  We have been thinking about getting another shih tzu for almost a year, but they are pretty hard to find.  (Actually, there is a shih tzu rescue in Virginia, but I don't think they EVER want to adopt their dogs out.  I applied for a one-eyed dog last year, and that dog is still out on petfinder.com today!)

We renamed him Gizmo.   For two days, we were calling him "no name".  The two of them bonded to each other.  They spent the whole day licking and cuddling with each other.  It was very sad to separate them.  Luckily, Jill's new home is really close by, so they can still see each other if both families are ok to meet.

Here's a picture of Jill in our kitchen.  She is TINY!  weighing only 8 pounds.  What a cute monkey-face :)

Lilo and Jill resting on the couch together.  Lilo was excited to meet Jill and wanted to play, but Jill was unsure about this GIANT dog.  lol  (Lilo is only 13-lb)

Gizmo and Jill laying on the same pillow.

The East Coast Snow Storm of 2009

Let's face it, I really do not enjoy snow, especially when it is almost 2 feet tall.
I didn't know what to do for a long time.  It was white everywhere, I couldn't see very far, couldn't smell anything.  I was having such a hard time locating a good bathroom spot.  It was way too cold outside, I froze within a minute of leaving the house.

Claire finally just shoveled out our immediate neighbor's walkway, to connect with the other two neighbors' walkway, to essentially make a small canal.  Then Claire chased after me, back and forth in front of our group of four townhouses to get my exercise in since we couldn't walk very far. 

Lilo is BIG

I would never think Lilo is big before. She is always the smallest dog around other dogs. But my thought has changed since our new foster dog Jill came. Jill is so tiny with only 8 pounds of weight. Compare to Jill, Lilo does look kind of BIG. XD (The little white dog back there is Jill)

The Nice Doctor

Claire found me a very nice vet through her co-worker's recommendation.  Dunloggin Animal Hospital is located less than a 5-minute drive from our house.  Despite the fact that I hate those metal examination tables, everyone treated me very well.  I got all my shots and tests done yesterday without a lot of discomforts.  In the past, I got upset stomach and muscle pains after shots.

The great thing about this vet is that they do everything in front of my family.  No more taking me to the backroom to get blood samples.  Sorry Petsmart, but your pet hospital sucks. Your vets told me not to jump on furniture, or climb the stairs.  I may be a 13-lb shih tzu, but I am fully capable of moving and jumping around.  (I took flyball class and was doing just fine!)  And about my hair, Claire takes good care of me, with regular bathing and brushing.  And I get professionally groomed every few months.  (I don't like those grooming places b/c I always end up being separated from my family for 3-4 hours!)

I highly recommand Dunloggin Animal Hospital if you live in Ellicott City area of Maryland.  And their pricing is on the cheaper side. 

I am a semi-flyball material!

I proved to the world, or rather, my flyball teachers and classmates, that I am a POTENTIAL flyball material!

After a month of intensive training with Claire, I am more willing to chase after the ball and bring it back some...not all the way, just some. In today's class, I ran after the ball and brought it back a few times. Everyone was amazed at my progress. And Claire would no longer be ashamed of my inability to play with a tennis ball in front of everyone. I also did great with the hurdles, jumping two hurdles in a row for a few times. But I was a little out of shape today. After all, I thought flyball classes were over since we haven't been there for a full month.

I'm so proud of myself. I hope people would change their views about toy dogs. We are very capable of doing things if you humans would train us! I'm so thankful that my family values my companionship and tries very hard to keep me active and challenge me to learn new tricks.

Christmas time is here...

Watching the Charlie Brown Christmas every year is becoming a tradition in my household, esp the scene where Snoopy boos Charlie Brown. What a great human-dog relationship?! I wish I can boo Claire sometimes too.

We finally put up and decorated our tree. Underneath the tree is now my favorite spot. I love to lay on the tree skirt, bury my toys there, chew on my Minnie Mouse stocking. I can't wait for Christmas Day. I wonder if I would get anything from my wish list. I know they have it in the house. I see them in the pantry...

The Giant Leaf

With the good weather this past Saturday, we went for a walk around a park. Claire spotted this giant leaf, that was bigger than my head, thought it would be a great idea to take a pic. I think it was the stupidest idea ever. What's so special about this leaf other than its size?? I don't get her sometimes. ::sigh::

BTW, I am glad the HOA finally sent someone to clean up all the fallen leaves in our neighborhood. Makes my neighborhood looks nicer.

I'm sick

I am a sick doggie.  I threw up a few times.
Claire gave me a piece of Kong stuffed treat on Saturday.  But it was so hard to digest.  My tummy has been hurting for two days.  Finally, I threw up a big chuck of the kong ziggie treat this morning, making a mess in Claire's room.  (sorry!!!)  I told Claire not to get this ever again.  No good for my tummy. 

STICKS!

I love sticks!

Flyball

I had my very first flyball lesson today. Claire has been asking me about classes and talking about flyball for the past week, I had no idea what she meant...

So today, I went to the Coventry School for Dogs for my very first class of any kind in my life. (Claire never took me to obedience school. Well, I'm just that great of a dog and love to please. There is no need for a professional to teach Claire how to deal with me.) Anyway, here goes my first class...

There are three students, including myself, in the class. I am the smallest dog in the class. (of course!) When we first arrived, they had to lock me up so they can set up the equipments. I was a little nervous in the pen and I couldn't see Claire or Cameron due to my shortness. So after a good 10-15 minutes, I finally got to come out, and started learning.

There are four stations that we rotate.
The Box:
- At this station, all I had to do was to step onto the mat, and they gave me treats. Easy! Completed without any problem. They said they are going to make this harder in the next few classes, so I will see how they make this more challenging.

The Hurdle:
- At this station, I have to jump over a 8 inch hurdle. It wasn't terribly complicated. Once I jumped over, they gave me a treat. Yum! I think you are suppose to jump over 4 in a row. But they only had me jump over 2. After jumping over the first one, I kinda got distracted and didn't make it to the 2nd one.

The Cone:
- This station is BORING! Like, really, I have to keep circling an orange cone. I don't know what the purpose of this is...

The Other Box:
- This is a sloped box against a wall. You have to go up and come back down. (I think they prefer jump up and down) Claire told me a did a few good moves.

So there goes my first class. It was kinda exhausting. I still don't know what flyball is though. I am loving this for sure. I got so many treats today. Yum!!!! I'm looking forward to my next class in two weeks.

Oh, by the way, you can find out more information about my school here:
http://www.4dognightflyballclub.org/index.htm

My Biggest Fear - Party Blower

Apparently, either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday was Old Navy's 15th Birthday. And they were passing out party blowers along with a coupon when you walked into the store.

So Cameron and Claire came home with two party blowers, and the nightmare began...Both Karen and Claire blew the party blowers at my and Mickey's face. We were scared to death, and jumped and ran away. Of course, everyone was laughing so hard. And I said, "NOT FUNNY!" All day yesterday and today, I kept my distance with the blowers.

Yeah, so there goes my THANKS to OLD NAVY!

Apple Orchard

My family went to an apple orchard in Lisbon, MD this past weekend. That's about 30 minutes drive from our house. Unfortunately, I did not get to go since they don't allow dogs there. (sigh! I really wish I could have gone!)

They had a pretty fun morning picking apples, while I stayed home watching Mickey. Mickey is a temporary resident in our house. He is waiting to be adopted. (So if you want to find out more about him, check out his site here.) So they came home with 14 pounds of apple. Hmmm, YUMMMM! I LOVE APPLES! especially when they are topped with peanut butter.

I get to eat a few pieces of apple every time they cut one up. And since there are so many, I'm looking forward to eat some everyday for the next week or so. ::chomp, chomp, chomp::

Look at all these great looking green apples. Thank you so much for your hard work, Cameron! They are yummy-licious. Next time you go again, please pick more of these mutsu green apples! Thank you.

A few words...

Dear Family,

Thank you so much for keeping up with the daily brushing, allowing my hair to grow long on my body. And you don't let my high maintenance coat limit my outdoor exercises. I get to run on grass fields, get all wet, and you will dry me off with a comfy towel and brush out all the grass I picked up. I'm one lucky dog. Thank you for keeping me pretty.

Your dog,

Grooming

I hate grooming! but Claire loves it.

She sent me to Petco for grooming last Sunday. It took 4 hours! FOUR hours!!! The groomer didn't really give me much of a hair cut. I think Claire was kinda upset about that, after all, that was a lot of money spent on nothing!!!!! So maybe, Claire will cut down these stupid grooming sessions to ZERO every year. That would be nice.

The groomer kept telling me my family did a great job maintaining my coat. I guess it's a good thing I don't get a lot of mats on my body. I saw a few other dogs there, needed to be shaved off b/c of mats. How ugly?!

Anyway, now I smell like chai tea. we shall see how long this scent will last.


Look at my shinny hair. Tail wagging :)


side view. I have such cute nose ;)

My new friend - Raven

This is my new friend Raven. We met once back in June. And she slept over at my place for a week in late August.
She is so big, but don't let her size fool you. I was her boss for a week, yep, me tiny little shih tzu was a lab's boss. muhahahaha! She was very clumsy and destructive! She chewed and shredded all my toys. By the end of the week, my toy basket had nothing left in it. ::Sniffles:: Claire locked up my two favourite toys - namely Pink Sheep and Purple Hippo - so they wouldn't get torn apart by Raven.

We played tug-of-war a lot. I lost every time. Still, I enjoyed playing with her. I tried to put a video up here, but it didn't work, so I will have to send it to you if you want to see it, just leave me a comment.

I'm sure I will see her around some time. Her family likes me a lot.

I'm a guard dog!

Well, not really. But I like to watch the world through the front door. My family doesn't leave the front door open anymore b/c of the summer heat. Sometimes, they leave the door shut but unlock until bed time.


I was able to squeeze my nose through and got the door opened, so I can take a peek of the outside world.



Just enough space to fit my petite body.

Skill Improvement

Ever since Fagan showed me the art of a stick, I have been practicing everyday to perfect my skills. Every time I get out on the deck, I pledge for a stick. Claire is usually pretty good at giving me one when I ask for one. And I would chew, and spit, and chew, and spit. It's pretty awesome! It's best when Claire holds the stick for me. I can chew a little better.

Over Here, Birdy...

I know I wasn't crazy! I HEARD it everywhere!!!


Yesterday, I heard bird chirping over at the fireplace. So I went to investigate but didn't find anything. But I was convinced I could find it!!!! Of course, my family members thought I was just being a weird dog. But Marty was by my side (at least for a little bit).


I spent the whole afternoon staring at the aloe plant. I could hear the bird but it never came out of the aloe plant...BTW, this aloe plant has quite a strong spirit. I rarely see anyone water it ever since I moved into this house in May 2008. It was pushed to the corner b/c it kept tipping over. (probably needs a bigger pot!) But look at it, it grows bigger everyday. Kinda weird.

So today, during lunch time, I heard it again! But this time, it was at the foyer, near the a/c vent. Then I heard it at the door to the basement. Claire finally took me seriously and got Cameron to help with the investigation. So the three of us went to the basement. And THERE WAS THE BIRD!!!! Cameron and Claire were hitting the vent / ceiling with brooms, trying to get the bird to fly out of the backdoor. I was hoping that the bird could come down and play with me for a bit, and then be part of my dinner.

After maybe half an hour...they couldn't hear or see the bird and went back upstairs. AND, made me go up too! What the heck??? I wanted to stay down there with the bird! I knew it was still there. I could hear it!!!! With my access to the basement denied, the only thing I could do was to guard the basement door--for 3 hours.

Thank God, Claire and Cameron decided to look for the bird again in the basement. I was overjoyed! No luck again. As Claire and I were climbing the stairs back up to the first floor, the bird flew out of the door with us.


The bird at the foyer. (Our foyer area opens up to the second floor. So the bird was sitting at the window on the second floor, which means, we couldn't get close to it)


And it started flying. And flew to Karen's room. I was chasing after it from the first floor, up the stairs to the second floor, and into Karen's room. Karen and Cameron were trying to free the bird. I tried so hard to tell them, to catch the bird, so I can have my own pet. (and eventually eat it too!!! hehe)

They said bird flew out the window. I was in despair. I went back to Karen's room a few times just to make sure they didn't lie to me. ugh...so sad :(

Later on, I met Penelope, the guinea pig. But it was in the cage. At least I get to see it close, so I guess that's ok.

My New Hair Style

I got pigtails now! It's less annoying than a topknot. But I think I look less like a shih tzu. What do you think??? Claire likes it, so does Cameron.

Hmm...if I'm going to wear pigtails more often, does that mean I need a new logo?? Karen, how about a cartoon Lilo with pigtails??

New Design!

Thanks to Karen, Lilo's blog got a face lift.

My Age??

Yesterday was Tucker's 4-year-old birthday. Claire was shocked to find out that I'm older than Tucker. So she inquired Nikki (Nikki adopted me before giving me to Claire) about my age...GUESS WHAT??? I am only 3 years old! The entire time I thought I was older than what I actually am.

No wonder I can't stand Grandpa Marty sometimes!

Lilo, the pill popper

Lilo is a very strange dog.
Lilo gets her heartworm pills on 15th of each month. I have completely forgotten about her pill until today. She already had breakfast, and her bowl has been washed. Being such a lazy person, I refused to put her bowl back on the floor. So I dropped her heartworm pill right in front of Lilo. And she ate it right away with joy!

A few weeks ago, we took Lilo to visit Bandit.

Bandit, being a normal dog, ate all her food but her heartworm pill. It's usually not a problem just leaving the pill in the bowl until the next meal since Bandit is the only dog at Cameron's parents' house.

Lilo usually heads towards the water bowl after the 45-minute car ride to Bandit's house. So this visit was no different. She went to get a drink, and spotted the pill right away in the food bowl. She was about to chomp it down but us humans were simply quicker and pulled the bowl from her.

When we had Fagan, he picked out his pill and spited it outside of the bowl, so we would not be able to find evidence of him not taking his medicines. well, too bad, we always put the pill back in the bowl and he unwillingly ate it.

I guess this is one thing that makes Lilo special :) I love you Lilo!

My 4-year-old Birthday Bash

My birthday was back on May 24th. I have been so busy during the past two months, and today, I finally got a chance to reflect on my birthday.

I don't actually know the exact date for my birthday. But I have been in this world for about 4 years according to the vet. I don't really remember much for a majority of my life. Isn't that pretty sad??? I was rescued in North Carolina. Nikki fell in love with me and adopted me in December 2007. She told me I was a breeder's dog. They got no use for me because they said I have genetic defects and my puppies came out blind.

Nikki gave me to Claire in May 2008 (and hence my birthday according to Claire). The past year has been great. Claire taught me many tricks during the first 2 months. Everyone praises me and thinks I'm a great dog. I'm working on growing out my hair, so I look more like a Shih Tzu. I get way too many baths in my opinion. (Claire doesn't like me stinky, but I just LOVE it) But I guess you need that to keep the hair clean...so much for being beautiful...

My family was so loving and organized a birthday party for me. They invited their friends, Fagan and Marty for my birthday party. Cameron is a great guy! He made me a very special cake. See, here's my awesome cake. I shared it with my best friend Fagan, and old man Marty.



The cake was totally nose-licking good. Just look at me and Fagan. We approved!


Cameron, you need to make me another cake for next year. Maybe different type of icing??!