Happy Half Birthday, Otto & Lulu!

Otto & Lulu at Six Months

Our Rottweiler puppies, Otto and Lulu, turned six months old on the 5th, so it seemed like a good time to do another Puppy Update post. 

We finished up our Puppy School one-on-one training sessions with Janine Gauthier of Paws and Order Dog Training a few weeks ago, and Bernie and I both passed our training test on the last day, including the challenge where we had to set a plate of people food in front of the dogs and instruct them to "leave it!"  Otto and Lulu come when called (actually, they come CHARGING AT FULL SPEED when called, since they know there are going to be treats when they get to us), they sit, wait for permission to go in and out the door.  They lay down, they "watch," and will touch our hand on command to get a treat.  Otto has also really taken to soccer, and he and Bernie have a ball (literally) chasing after the soccer ball in the yard almost every day.  The dogs are walking very well on their leash, although Bernie still has not found the elusive Perfect Leash and Perfect Treat/Water/Poop Bag fanny pack contraption.  His search continues.

Miss Lulu in a Rare Moment of Inactivity

Lulu had her spay operation last week, and has been absolutely miserable about having her activities restricted while everything is healing.  The vet said no running, jumping, or climbing stairs for at least seven days post op, but nothing gives Lulu more pleasure than somersaulting into the air.  After a few days of all-around misery, we had to get her some sedatives to prevent her from springing into the air as soon as we open the door to her crate and doing barrel rolls on her leash when we take her out to go potty.

Otto the Snuggle Pup

Otto has not been neutered yet.  He has a pretty mellow personality so far, and I've read a lot about significantly increased bone cancer risk for male Rotties neutered before 2 years.  With Lulu spayed, we have eliminated the possibility of an unintended litter of two-headed inbred pups, so it's not as urgent for Otto to be neutered right away.  I'm not going to permit him to go off roaming on his own in search of lady friends, and of course if his temperament takes a turn for the worse at puberty or if he starts marking all over my house, those would be strong reasons to neuter him sooner rather than later.  We'll see how it goes.  The longer I wait, the more opportunity he has for his bones and muscles to grow and develop under the influence of all those male hormones as nature intended.  

Otto Enjoying a Tasty Kongsicle in My Office

Meanwhile, I'm teaching Otto to help me sing in the shower.  To clarify: I'm in the shower, and the dogs are laying on the bathroom floor with tasty bones to chew on, where I can keep an eye on them.  Otto likes to howl along with the chorus of the Whitney Houston song, "I Will Always Love You."  Apparently when I sing this, I sound like a howling wolf and this awakens Otto's pack instincts.  This may not say much about my pop singing abilities, but it sure is fun.  So far, Otto only joins in with that particular song, and only in the bathroom.  Must be the accoustics or something.  Lulu-belle hasn't joined in with us yet, but I will try to encourage her to sing along as well.

We have a week at the beach planned for next month, and the house we're renting does not allow pets.  I'm currently in the process of vetting potential boarding kennels and/or pet sitters.  The problem with hiring a pet sitter, for us, is that our dogs do not run free in the house when we aren't home, and they are definitely not ready for that much independence.  Even if I hired a pet sitter to take them on two hour-long walks every day, they would still have to be crated up for the other 22 hours, and that's way too long.  If I had a large, tiled utility room or something where the dogs could be confined together without the potential for destructive mischief, I'd consider a pet sitter (and I actually sketched out a fabulous imaginary laundry/dog room addition to the house that would be perfect for this scenario, but my husband looked at me like I was crazy when I suggested building an addition for the dogs).  Most likely, then, we're going to have to board the dogs while we're away.  If you're local to Charlotte and you can recommend a dog boarding facility, please let me know in the comments section.

Extra-Special Kongsicles for Spoiled Rotten Rotties

A long time ago, when I was a newlywed with no children, I used to bake bread and cook things like boeuf bourgignonne -- from homemade beef stock -- when I was feeling particularly domestic and industrious. Fast forward a decade and a "from scratch" crock pot roast and Bake & Serve rolls from the grocery was the pinnacle of my culinary achievements. No more bread from scratch (do I even remember how to do that anymore?), but I'd still bake scones from time to time. But these days, I'm rolling up my sleeves in the kitchen on a regular basis to make Extra-Specially-Good-Puppy Kongsicles. Sometimes I think my dogs are eating better than we are!

I remember seeing these Kong things in the dog toy aisle at the pet store years ago when I had a Golden Retriever. I think I might have even purchased one, but I never put anything in it and Byron Fussy the Golden completely ignored his empty Kong. Our awesome dog trainer, Janine Gauthier of Paws & Order Dog Training, suggested stocking up on Kongs and filling them with all kinds of food goodies for our dogs, and they are really working well. Anytime the dogs have to be crated, they get one of these filled Kongs to keep them happy and busy until we return. If we'll be gone longer than an hour or so, or for bed time, I like to give them frozen Kongsicles like the ones I made today because it takes longer for the puppies to get all the food out if the Kongs are frozen. The dogs L-O-V-E their Kong treats, and they have been known to race into their crates so fast to get the Kong that the whole crate skids across the floor.

So, what goes in our Kongs? Well, every Kong gets a smear of either all-natural peanut butter or organic nonfat cream cheese on the small end, with a little freeze dried training treat stuck in the little hole. I like Tricky Trainers treats for this (I get them from a local holistic pet shop, but you can also find them online), because they fit perfectly in the little hole at the end of the Kong. I put about an eighth of a cup of their kibble in each Kong (they're eating Orijen Large Breed Puppy kibble). Then I vary what else goes in the Kongs: organic carrot or banana baby food, hunks of fresh banana or fresh blueberries, canned unsalted green beans, and plain organic nonfat yogurt are typical Kong fillings. Sometimes I putted a canned sardine or a scoop of canned salmon in there, too -- stinky fishies are great for developing puppies' brains, and we're all about raising healthy little smarty dogs! Then, when the Kong is almost full, I stick a grain-free dog biscuit in the large opening like a little popsicle stick and smear peanut butter, cream cheese, or more yogurt around the biscuit. I pack the filled Kongs up in gallon-sized Zip-Lock bags and pop them in the freezer until they're needed. 

NOTE: I'm limiting my Kong ingredients to food items that I know are good for the dogs and safe for them to eat. Some of my Kongsicle ingredients were suggested by our dog trainer, and others came from an article in the Whole Dog Journal about healthy supplements to commercial dog food diets. Certain seemingly innocuous people food items, like raisins, grapes, or chocolate, are actually toxic to dogs, so it's not a good idea to just give your dog some of whatever your family happens to be eating. SECOND NOTE: Obesity is a big problem for American pets, so it's important to be mindful of how much your dog is eating. Our puppies get one or two filled Kongs per day, and I deduct what's in the Kongs from what would have been in their food bowls. A good rule of thumb is that you want to be able to just barely feel your dog's ribs when you pet him or her, but you shouldn't be able to see their ribs through their fur. If in doubt about how much to feed your pet, consult your veterinarian.

While I was making Kongsicles, Otto and Lulu were busy playing their favorite game, Chomp Your Sibling In the Face. This game is very closely related to one of Lars's and Anders' favorite games, Whack Your Brother With a Stick. Dogs and humans are not that dissimilar, after all.

Otto at 4 1/2 months

All that rough-housing really tuckers a puppy out! Otto's favorite place to rest is in front of this air conditioning vent, near the kitchen sink, and Lulu-Belle likes to snooze near another vent behind the kitchen table. I am sure this is because she has fabulous taste in fabric, and really appreciates the Vervain drapery fabric. Yes, there is black dog fur all over the bottom of my drapery panels -- and frankly, I couldn't possibly care less!

Lulu at 4 1/2 months

These dogs are the sweetest, most loving, eager-to-please creatures imaginable. When they come running to greet me with their tails wagging 90 mph and their puppy kisses, any stress or anxiety just instantly melts away. We spoil these Rotties rotten, and they deserve every bit of it!