Cesar's Way

Ok, so I got a dog, and I'm obsessed. exhibit a:

(yes, i look disgusting, and yes, he's allowed on the couch now, but he sleeps on me like that!! how could i say no??)

Anyways, for those of you who are like I used to be, and don't have a dog, or like dogs but are just not crazy crazy about them, you can skip this... because I'll admit, I've turned into a crazy dog lady.

So my dad got me this book:

And I read it in 2 days. Oh.my.goodness. Talk about an EDUCATION. If there were ever to be Cesar Millan flavored kool-aid, I would be chugging it. I will admit, I ate every syllable of this book right up. And learned so, so much. I know there are professionals out there that don't agree with him, but after reading this, that seems a bit dificil. The bottom line is we all love our dogs, and want them to be happy. And this book helps you to do that.

"Cesar's Way" isn't what you would call a "dog training" book. It doesn't give you any specific steps, per se, but instead focuses on broad concepts and generally changing American dog-owning thought. To me, it was all completely logical, but pretty much the opposite (sorta) of how I and most dog owners view our dogs and the relationship we have with them. It starts out with Cesar Millan's own personal history, which is an absolutely amazing story. (Did you know that one of biggest reasons he became so well known and successful was due to Jada Pinkett Smith?) It then moves on to describe his day to day life as the owner of the Dog Psychology Center in L.A., with tons of anecdotes about the rescued dogs he has rehabilitated. The last half of the book tackles common dog problems (agression, fear, phobias, fixations - i.e. going nuts over squirrels and people on walks) and how they are pretty much human created. Dogs live in the moment, and aren't obsessing/dreaming/flipping out about negative past experiences like humans do. So these problems we attribute to their "personalities" really aren't so. We encourage them, and we can also change them.

Ok, it's really obvious that this book had a huge effect on me. I can't stop talking or thinking about it. And I can attest to the fact that Shamus is literally a different dog on our "cesar calm-assertive" walks now. He walks right next to me, doesn't chase squirrels, leaves, or people.

READ this book! Anyone who has a dog or wants to get a dog, it's a perspective that I don't think many of us have, but should. Es magnifico. $8.99 at Costco.

first video

we've been waiting for shamus to turn 13 weeks so we could enroll him in this puppy class that came highly recommended, especially for his breed. well, that came, and we weren't able to do it. we're hoping to start one soon though. in the meantime, we had our own improvised obedience class in the living room last night. here is our little man on his first try at tricks! he's surely not perfect yet, but he picked all this up in about 10 minutes!! (braggy mom much?)

(i couldn't get the video to upload on blogger - anyone know why? so i posted on youtube instead....

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GYPDUYEyY0

and since i wouldn't click the link if i were you(but it is so cute!!), here are some pics to enjoy from taylor's new iphone SINCE I CAN'T FIND MY CAMERA! major bummer.

he's so cute it's sick!

his ears are so perky! haha.

regal profile.

"leave it!"

well, i have been sick since last saturday, but am finally feeling ok. the highlight of my week, however, has been reading 'to kill a mockingbird' for the first time since it was assigned in 9th grade. it's such an extraordinary book, i can't get enough of it. i will be so sad when i'm done!

in puppy news, shamus has a nipping/biting problem.     :)         (that smiley face was sarcastic.)
i know he'll grow out of it, but we are in a constant battle, and i think he might be winning. those teeth are sharp.

and don't worry, if he can't be chewing on ME, he sneaks in our room to snatch the next best thing!

pointless post about shamus

so, other than going pee in his kennel, refusing to "come", refusing to walk on his leash, jumping, biting, etc. etc. etc., shamus is still getting cuter and sweeter every day!
i know this is all to be expected and more, i just can't wait until he's old enough for real obedience lessons. i'm exhausted!

new collar and new toy!

ok. i promise these boring blog posts about my dog will not become a habit :)

life with shamus

sooo....this is the first time i've been able to sit down and write about my adorable, sweet, smart, hellion of a puppy!
taylor and i had been looking at miniature australian shepherds for about a year off and on, but after an awesome weekend in denver with adam, jamie, liz, and the smith's dog luna, we both decided we were 100% ready. we got home from denver last monday, immediately got on the net to 'seriously' look for our dog, and just couldn't find the perfect one....but pretty much at the same time we both perked up at the thought of getting a full size aussie instead of a mini. it was sort of a 'duh' moment for both of us. since we were so ready to be pet parents, that extra 15-20 pounds really wasn't an issue anymore, and regular aussies seemed like the better choice for a number of other reasons. so i googled australian shepherd breeders in kansas and missouri, and ran across our man! the perfect color, ready the next day at eight weeks old, male, about $400 less than most of the other breeders we were looking at and only 3 hours away! everything on our list! we called and arranged to meet in macon, missouri the next day. i skipped class for the second day in a row, got in the car, and came home 5 and a half hours later with a dog! it all happened so fast but it was just too good to be true! and when we saw him, it was even better. Shamus O'Toole McCue Hartley rode home on my lap, sweetly endured the longest, most indecisive trip to petsmart ever, met my mom and dad, slept through the night in his kennel, and became the love of our lives!!

over the six days we have had him, he has:
 - been taken outside probably 100+ times, and pees EVERY time
- visited three vets to pick out his fave, then made his parents extremely happy by deciding to be painfully tired during his actual vet visit so that he seemed like the best dog ever but really he was just half passed out
- been dragged on about eight walks where his herding instincts run rampant so he runs right into your ankles....and me being the paranoid first time puppy owner seriously thought he was blind....thank god i was just dumb.
- been the pickiest little dude ever with treats, we had to go through four kinds to get it right. snob. :)
- made his mom talk to people in her "dog praise" voice on accident...
- had two play dates with gus, my family's 11 year old moron of a dog who is scared shitless of this 9 pound puppy who herds him around the back yard and steals his kong.
- made an appearance at the UMKC law softball tournament, therefore making taylor and i the most popular people there
- visibly grown. a lot. he won't be small for long at all!
- been liking me and taylor equally!! yes! i was so nervous i'd be second in line to my dog whisperer of a husband :)

he's a TON of work but so worth it!

posing for the camera. really, he does it!

please ignore my strange bang-thang.

p.s. my name is pronounced "shay-miss" or "shay-mus". i'm not a female orca whale named "shamoo". it is an alternate spelling of the irish name seamus, the gaelic equivalent of james. yeah, i'm a bad ass.