Chix-A-Lot Friday: A Contest and a Giveaway!!

June 15, 2012 By in Uncategorized 122 Comments

Gosh you guys, for the past few weeks Doodlebug and I have been SO EXCITED we could just squeal. And the pressure of keeping our BIG EXCITING SECRET under wraps has been so intense that we’ve been huddled up squeezing each other’s paws to keep it together. Just look how determined we have been!!

But today’s the day. We have a double — no — a triple — no — a quadruple — no a FIVE-DUPPLE whammy for you.

I already thought that Chix-A-Lot Fridays are just about the funnest thing on the planet, but a Chix-A-Lot Friday with a fun contest, a few big reveals, and an amazing give-away?? This one really takes the cake!

The first big surprise is this: our Doodlebug’s custom portrait by our very talented friend Kim at Yellow Brick Home has arrived! Just look at the Dude in all his beautiful glory:

Isn’t he just almost as perfect as me?

To be totally for reals with you, friends, it’s hard to describe how cool these little paintings are. The photos don’t do them justice at all. Kim paints them with these tiny little paint brushes the size of one of my whiskers, and you can tell how much love, talent, and perfectionism goes into each one. There is so much detail. There must be 4 million different shades in Doodlebug’s beautiful red furs!

Ok, now for our second surprise. Kim’s gorgeous custom pet paintings business has just gone under a giant makeover — both in real life and online! We have loved tracking the progress of the beautiful little hand-crafted room where she creates these beautiful 4″ and 6″ square works of art.

And in conjunction with the new online shop, Kim is launching a new painting size — a glorious 8-inch piece. We have chosen six-inch paintings for both me and the Dude and four-inch pieces for each of our fosters (still in progress), but boy oh boy are we drooling over this new giant option. Mama is thinking of adopting more animals just so she can justify buying one for herself. Oh no!

On to surprise number three. To celebrate the new shop and our completed portraits, Kim is sponsoring a give-away of a custom pet painting in the new 8×8 size, only on our blog!! That’s right, all of your lovely folks are eligible for a FREE Pet Shop painting of your own. Pretty amazing, right? I mean, just look at this painting of handsome, handsome me. You could have one like this of your own favorite pet. He will never be as handsome as me, but he will be bigger in an 8×8 size!

Curious how you can win?

Just leave a comment on this blog post with your guess at the answer to surprise number four: Doodlebug’s DNA Test results! The Dude has had his Wisdom Panel DNA Test done, and the results are in. What kinds of dogs do you think he’s made of? The person who comes closest to guessing Doodlebug’s genetic composition from the breeds tested on the Wisdom Panel Insights test will win the painting. If there is a tie for closest, we will do a lottery among those clever folks. Submit your guess by Monday at 8pm Central. We’ll be announcing the winner — and Doodlebug’s breed composition — on Tuesday!

Jeepers, I’m just about exhausted from revealing just the first four surprises of our Five-dupple Whammy, but I’ve taken a short nap and now I’m ready to tell you the exciting fifth whammy: an exclusive, just-for-our-readers discount code! Yep, you’ve got it — Kim has generously created a special discount code, which will give the first 20 people who use it a 15 percent discount on anything in the Yellow Brick Home Pet Shop. That means all custom paintings — 4×4, 6×6, and the new 8×8 — as well as original paintings and gift certificates — are 15 percent off! Naturally, our special code is CHICKERDOODLE. And remember — it’s only good for the first 20 people to buy, so scurry along and make your purchase!

Ok, so a quick recap of how to take advantage of my every exciting Chix-A-Lot news:

1. Leave a comment on this post with your guess on Doodlebug’s DNA. You must do this by 8pm Central on Monday! Whoever guesses the closest to his real test results wins the 8×8 custom pet painting.

2. Visit Kim’s Pet Shop and drool, drool, drool over it’s magnificent glory.

3. Pick the item(s) you can’t live without, and enter code CHICKERDOODLE at checkout for a 15% discount on anything you wish to buy. But hurry — this is only available to the first 20 people who use the code.

Happy Friday, everyone!

What we’ve been up to

June 13, 2012 By in Uncategorized 26 Comments

Wondering what we’ve been up to over here at Casa Chickerdoodle since we all-but-disappeared from the blogosphere? The answer is: plenty!

Naturally, the #1 activity for the boys has been sleeping on the job:

But they’ve also been out on the town, test-riding their new car . . .

sightseeing in Austin . . .

and helping out with home projects . . .

Our A/C broke down for a few days, and the boys declared it officially too hot to go running outside . . .

Instead, they took up Stand-Up Paddleboarding, which left them equally happy and tired, but much cooler and damper.

Doodlebug also signed up for his Canine Good Citizen class, which was very hard work . . .

And he graduated! Now he needs to keep practicing his meet-and-greets before he can take the test. Any Austinite humans and dogs want to help?

They’ve also been preparing a VERY EXCITING SURPRISE for everyone, which Chick will tell you about on Friday! Without giving away too much, we can tell you this: you’d better have your breed books ready and start selecting your favorite photo of your favorite pet — if you win our contest, your snapshot will become art!

As you can imagine, this busy and active life leaves the boys exhausted most evenings, and ready to fall onto The Dora in a sweet pit bull snuggle-pile. Sweet dreams, everyone!

 

Chix-A-Lot Friday: How play changed my life

June 8, 2012 By in training 23 Comments

Oh, hello friends! Is it Friday again? I’m so glad, because I have a secret to share: playing with toys changed my life.

And I’m not saying that lightly, either. As a young chap, I was a very nervous dog. I didn’t usually know what I was supposed to do, and I had a lot of energy. I would often use it on chewing up things, baking, or redecorating mama’s apartment in my own Chicklet style. Mama thought it was because I was a very naughty boy, but in reality? I just didn’t know how to be calm!

Then we went to training, and mama and dad were shocked that their first assignment was to play with me as much as possible. It was music to my ears! Mister Lee told mama that we should play as much as we can, but that she had to make the rules. She decided when it was time to play, when it was time to quit, and what the “terminal penalties” were.

There were a bunch of reasons that Lee wanted us to play. It was good for our relationship and for me being able to trust mama, it was a good way to burn off some of my energy and help me be calm, and it was a positive outlet for my natural inclination to chase, catch, and bite things. By teaching me to play fetch or run a lure course, mama could say “here is your opportunity to chase and catch,” and “chase this ball, not that squirrel.”  Mama says she can’t healthily control whether I chase and catch, but she can control when, how often, and what the subject is.

I adore playing fetch and tug almost as much as I adore my mama and dad and brother Doodlebug, and that’s saying a lot. And lately I’ve discovered a brand new love that may be my most naturalest expression of my instincts: running the lure. The lure is a simluated rabbit chase course using a series of pulleys, a motor, some thin chord, and a real rabbit (although they say it’s fake, I just don’t believe them). For dogs who love to chase small animals, it’s healthy, positive, controlled, rules-based, and awesome!

photo: Jim Isbell

photo: Jim Isbell

photo: Jim Isbell

photo: Jim Isbell

Dude and I have also been participating in some water sports with mama and dad lately. Water sports are different than chase and fetch games. They sure do tucker us out physically, but in a very different way. Kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding are balance games for dogs. They force us to be aware of the placement of our bodies, be careful how we sit or stand, and pay attention to the little muscles that we normally don’t notice — especially those of us who are anxious or reactive and normally focused on everything BUT our own bodies. Obviously, I make this look easy. But just try standing on a balance board for an hour and a half and see if you don’t need a nap afterward! A dog like me can run 10 miles and still be ready to party afterward, but put me on a kayak or SUP for an hour and I’m done for the day. The mix of physical and mental concentration and focus will wear me out like little else can.

photo: Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine

photo: Jim Isbell

And there are so many other dog sports that folks in the know participate in with their dogs. Sure they’re fun for the owners and the dogs, but they provide a lot more than just something to do for a couple of hours every Saturday. Ever wonder why you see so many border collies on the agility field? Because they are very smart, high-energy dogs that need more than just a jog around the lake to help them chill out. Sports like agility, weight pull, air scenting, and tracking are amazing for building dogs’ confidence, channeling their energy, exhausting them mentally, and helping them to relax around people and dogs – especially those who are worried or anxious, like me.

Mama knows lots of dogs who are reactive, destructive, hyper, and irritable because they don’t know what to do with themselves. There is nothing wrong with them, they just need a job. Once they start to channel all of that energy into something challenging and positive, other things can fall into place!

Have any of you had a transformative experience involving play or dog sports? Tell us about it!

 

Chix-A-Lot Monday: We’re Illin’

June 4, 2012 By in Uncategorized 20 Comments

The Dude and I, we are illin’.

Or, I should say, I am formerly illin’ and he is still and always illin’.

Remember when we told you about Doodlebug’s ringworms? Well, they seem to be gone, but mama still has to keep covering him in this icky yellow smelly stuff every week! So whether he’s illin’ from the ringworm or illin’ from the yellow stuff, he certainly is ill, poor Dude. When he went to see the allergy dogtor about his balding in patches, she told him it was the ringworm. And the best way to treat the ringworm on a dog is a weekly bath — and it gets worse — followed by a “dip” in something mama calls sulfur-hated lime. I don’t know what that means except that mama mixes some nasty stuff with water to make some watery nasty stuff that’s bright yellow, smells like rotten eggs, and gets poured over my poor little brother every week. Can you imagine? And it gets worse still! After he is poured over (they call it dipping although the only parts of Dude that actually get dipped are his poor little white paws), he has to drip dry. This means no toweling off, no rolling around in the grass, and no zoomies all over the yard with me! And the pourage turns his beautiful white furs totally yellow while it dries. It’s so embarassing. Just look at him:

Only two more weeks, mama says.

As for me, I shouldn’t complain much. While Dude has been dealing with allergitchies, heartworms, ringworms, bacterias in his poo poo hole, and a scary seizure a few weeks ago, all I have had to complain about is a little yeasties in my ears.

When mama took me to the vet for my checkup, the vet told her that one of my lovely Chick ears was a little red and in flames (which is a silly thing to say because there was no fire in my ear), and had some yeasty buildup. I asked mama if we could use my yeasties to brew beer or bake bread, but unfortunately I grew the wrong kind. The doc said that she should swab out my ears with a 50/50 white vinegar and water solution for a few days, and it would clear right up. I do NOT like having q-tips stuck in my ears but I let mama do it because I love her so, and guess what?! My yeasties are all gone! So now the only time I’m shaking my head funny and sideways is when mama gives me a bath with the evil outdoor spitting snake:

Wish us well, and I’ll see you on Friday!

Weekend in review!

May 31, 2012 By in Uncategorized 21 Comments

The boys have been in a bit of a “fun hangover” the past few days.

They’ve been so busy re-living the great visit they had with their special guests, that they haven’t even had time to blog. Eep!

Most folks have already found out about our special guest from her blog posts this week — we had a great visit with our pal Juliana from Peace, Love, and Fostering and her hunny Mark. Chick had met Juliana before, and was excited to introduce her to his brother, Doodlebug. Immediately, both boys knew that Juliana was their very best friend in the whole world.

And once we dressed our visitors up in cowboy boots that match our boys’ beautiful brown-and-white furs, they decided that Mark could join their elite club, too.

Having dog-lover visitors is always such a treat, but having dog-lovers who also carry cameras wherever they go is extra special. Those who are always behind the lens are familiar with the bittersweet feeling of having great photos of things going on around them, but never being in the photos. So we were thrilled that Juliana kindly showered us with her photojournalistic splendor and reminded us of what our life looks like when mama’s not behind the lens:

photo courtesy Juliana Willems

photo courtesy Juliana Willems

photo courtesy Juliana Willems

As much lovin’ as the boys had, us humans snuck off for some fun of our own too — primarily in the form of eating, drinking, and splashing around in Austin’s many swimming spots.

Thanks for the great visit, friends! Come back soon!

 

 

 

 

Chix-A-Lot Friday: getting ready for a special visitor!

May 25, 2012 By in Uncategorized 13 Comments

Hey guys, I’m so excited I’d almost pee in my pants, if I were wearing any pants. I’ve been bouncing and bouncing about, and peeping out the window every few minutes. Mama says I’m being silly because my special visitor isn’t coming until tomorrow, but I want to be good and ready!

I’ve prepared the Dora B&B and have told Doodlebug all about how to charm our special visitor’s socks off so she’ll love him forever. I already am not too worried about her loving me forever, charming as I am.

I can’t wait to tell you all about her visit, but for now I have to run — I need to be on lookout at the door, and there are pillows to fluff!

Love, Chickster

Treats: how NOT to win over a shy dog

May 24, 2012 By in training 71 Comments

You encounter a shy, nervous, or fearful dog at the shelter or at an adoption event. You squat down, try to make eye contact, and encourage the dog to come to you. The dog doesn’t. She stays still, licks her lips, turns her head up and away, as though catching a scent in the air. She licks her lips.

You move a little closer, thinking she’s just shy and maybe you should approach her instead of waiting for her to come to you. You scoot forward a step. She yawns.

You pull out your baggie of treats, thinking that if she is worried about you, maybe you giving her a treat — a peace offering — will show her that you are friend, not foe. You hold the treat out on your hand. She stands up tentatively and creeps forward slowly, with a tiny, low wag to her tail. She grabs the treat and retreats.

You offer another treat, she comes to you more quickly. The third time, she doesn’t retreat as far. You smile as you feel a little rush of adrenaline — You’ve won her over! Breakthrough!

We’ve all been there, right? Offered super-delicious treats to frightened dogs, and then felt like a dog charmer when the dogs approach us instead of cowering at the back of their kennels? Of course. It seems natural and is so tempting to do, but could we be setting them up for failure?

When we bribe a fearful dog to approach using treats, we are creating conflict in the dog. We are saying: Come to me even though you are scared of me. When this request is repeated over and over by different people, it creates a new habit in the dog — approaching people it is scared of in exchange for a food reward. The dog learns that it can approach, get a cookie, and then retreat. It’s when something unexpected happens — this particular stranger doesn’t have a cookie, and happens to sneeze, shuffle his feet, or stare directly into the dog’s eyes — the dog might bite.

We can do fearful dogs a BIG favor by teaching them to stay safe when they are frightened: If you’re scared, don’t approach me. Stay where you are. If a dog understands that he has the choice of whether to approach a new person or not, that dog is much less likely to end up in conflict and in trouble.

We want so badly to win fearful dogs over with food and love, but instead, let’s win them over on their own schedule. Some dogs warm up right away; others will never warm up. Some are somewhere in the middle.

When meeting a new dog, pay careful attention to the dog’s body language. If the dog does not approach or seems worried as it approaches, just be cool and ignore it. Wait and observe. Look for calming signals (yawning, lip licking, sniffing the ground, blinking), and offer them in return. Take the dog for a walk or offer a toy, but don’t use treats or pet it before it is begging for your touch. Many dogs will eat or freeze for petting when they are nervous, but a dog is unlikely to play or actively solicit petting while it’s worried. After that barrier is broken, the treat bag comes out and a world of new possibilities opens up.

But rather than using treats to win the dog’s trust initially, use casual indifference and patience. Teach it: You don’t have to come to me if you are worried. It’ll be the biggest favor you can do.

DISCLAIMER: Author is a student of dog training at the Canine Center in Austin, not licensed professional dog trainer. Contents are one person’s observations, not written-in-stone best practice. Use at your own discretion!

Chix-A-Lot Friday: I am Malaysian

May 18, 2012 By in Uncategorized 18 Comments

Ok, maybe I’m not really. I am actually a Texan. But, I do have the malaise today, and I heard mama say I was Malaysian (or was it malaisin’?).

You see, mama gave me a bath the other day, after she saw a flea taking a joyride on my belly. She said it must be joyride season and whisked me off for some dampening and some scrubbing! Now, I don’t mind the scrubbing so much, but the dampening is not my favorite. Still, I took it like the brave boy that I am, and only gave her the malaisin’ looks a few times:

And then she whisked me out and dried me off, which is very nice but NOT nice enough to make up for all the malaisin’ that the evil spitting snake causes when he spits water at me and makes me dampened.

Well as though taking baths wasn’t malaise-inducing enough, I got a little bit of yeasties in my ear! They make my ear ouchy and a little itchy, and they make me want to shake it all crooked. And, they give me even more of the malaise. Mama says I already had the yeastie malaise before my bath, but I think it’s her fault for putting me in the tub. Don’t dogs get their ears invaded by yeasties after they go swimming or have evil baths?

So Doodlebug and I are laying low this weekend. He is nursing his bald patches and I am nursing my ear, which is now not only yeasty, but gets a vinegar solution swabbed in it twice a day by mama. Yuck!

Worms of all kinds. And carving new features.

May 15, 2012 By in Uncategorized 34 Comments

Mama wanted me to tell you about my new feature on my face.

But I’ll just show it to you instead:

I carved it myself, with my back toenails!

Why, you ask?

So many reasons.

I’m itchy.

Because of allergies.

And my toenails stop the itching.

For a minute.

Plus, everybody loves my cute scar on my face . . .

so I thought I’d make another!

Oh, and also: I have a new set of worms.

They are ringworms.

Which aren’t worms at all!

They’re just a fungus pretending to be worms!

Sneaky bastards!

The ringworm funguses make me itchy too

and make my skin dry out and flake up

and my beautiful red and white furs fall out in patches all over.

Even on my darling Doodlebug face and ears:

Mama says there’s an end in sight

(to the worms, not the allergies)

but I don’t see it.

Maybe once I do see it, I won’t have to carve new features for myself anymore.

So there you have it.

Back to the e-collar for me!

Chix-A-Lot Friday: The month I made the rain come

May 11, 2012 By in Uncategorized 8 Comments

Mama adopted me in November 2004, and it didn’t rain that day. It didn’t rain the following day either. But the next day, and every day after that for more than a month, it rained. Here’s a tiny photo of brave little me and my mama out in the rain during that wonderful but soggy first month together.

She’s been joking lately that if we get another terrible drought spell in Texas this summer she’s going to have to adopt another dog . . . uh oh. She and I have our paws super full enough with Doodlebug already. I hope she’s not serious!