Wow, long day. Past twelve already, I suppose the deadline is gone and I’m glad- it was painful. Some things that are good for us sometimes hurt a bit, usually if it’s motivating us to get stronger in some other way. I’ve typed a lot, just over four hundred thousand words over the last ten months, give or take. Wow, one day, I’m going to read this book. This, these, the series, the collection.. well, I suppose for now it’s still just one-
College, is putting damper on my free time. Two more manuscripts ready to go, I just need to export the content into Pages and do the final typesetting and page layouts, then the upload process- covers, title, ISBN’s. What did it take me last time when I finally did it? A day or two maybe, ten hours or less I bet if I tried to hurry- I’ll need to look at my schedule and see when I can plan it in.
Of course, that part is easy, let’s plan for Saturday. The question of course will be with what happens when Saturday comes. Will I execute or be distracted, will I allow some other higher priority (of which, lets say my prioritization process currently resembles one of those impossible 3D drawings,) arise that demands my focus?
Pushing out the homework at the last minute last night, again, was not good. Neither was doing the same thing tonight, yet this was the first time I had all day to make two forum posts for Psychology. After I finished writing last night, I got Soulless out of his kennel one last time and he was quick to sit to get his leash clipped on (he’s getting very good at that already, yet we’ve gone “outside” ten times at least already,) and followed me outside and peed, nearly on demand and just as quick he followed me back inside and more easily went back into his kennel for the night. As I turned off the light and walked upstairs, he was already quiet.
I’ve been waking while the ocean plays and usually I’ve stayed in bed- well, the last month or two that I’ve been developing this habit- at least ensuring I get rest if not sleep. I think I’ve caught up on the backlog a bit, yet I need to make sure I get back to my previous writing deadline, so I can get back in bed at midnight again.. anyway.
I woke shortly after seven this morning and laid in bed for a few minutes as I rolled this way and that for a few minutes, and after checking the time with Alexa, I got up and dressed quickly with my ‘weekend’ shorts, went to the bathroom myself, then went down to get Soulless out of his kennel. I don’t want to have an accident.
I, not him, he’ll never have an accident in his life. When he needs to poo, he’ll poo, when he need to pee, he’ll pee, that’s not an accident, it’s natural normal predictable behavior. If I make sure he’s outside on the grass when he needs to poo, he’ll poo there. If I leave him in a kennel too long, he might poo there. If I let that happen, even once, it may start to break his natural desire for a nice clean den of his own. So far, I’ve not had an accident yet.
This morning he was slow to get out of his kennel when I opened it, he was pretty comfortable and kinda half sleeping still while looking at me. I had thought he’d be rushing the gate and I had the leash in hand, yet he just laid there, so I went to put on the water for tea and then as soon as I sat down in my chair, he pulled himself out of his bed and came over to try to jump up into my lap- he’s not close to reaching yet, so he just extends his paws up as far as they’ll go. Rather, as soon as I saw him exit the cage, I was ready with the leash and he followed me to the door and sat down to get clipped on.
Outside he was quick down the steps and peed- a good long morning go. Then I told him what a good boy he was for going potty as I lavished him with praise. We started to play a bit and we started to walk around the yard, I’m working on teaching him “come” and eventually get to heel one day. He was doing well so we ended up going all around our small block, a quarter mile lap- that will be nice daily thing for me too.
We snuck back through the bank parking lot and made it back to our yard again, and he was excited to see the grass. With a circle or two to find the right spot, he got his morning business done. Then back in the house- I want him to be outside a lot, but he’s not an outside dog, and I’m surely not going to leave him outside unsupervised, he’s way to cute, someone could easily walk away with him. With the business done, we went back inside and played on the floor for a while (I know he needs some high heart rate activity,) then I finished making my tea and sat and right to my lap he came.
A few minutes later I got us both breakfast, preparing both bowls at the same time, bring them both in for myself (on my ottoman table- also, starting to teach him “down”,) then sharing his bowl with him a moment or two after he realized all the food was mine. After breakfast, I wanted him to stay down for while (not that I don’t like to cuddle, yet he needs a bit of independence too.) Eventually he went around exploring a little bit, and at one point wandered into to kennel and laid down in his bed. Not for long, a few seconds perhaps; maybe it took that long for him to realize that he’d just voluntary walked into it. (Really glad I got the bed he’s already used to.)
He whined a bit when I crated him to head to Humanities at 10 (to note, he has received an invitation to attend Humanities next Monday,) and by time I got home he was quiet and quick to come out, sit and be clipped, follow my outside, peed on demand, then just as quickly follow me up the stairs and back inside- he’s getting really good at that. I only had about twenty five minutes until I had to return for Government at 1.
Enough time for a boost and a few fruit snacks for me and to top up his bowl (feeding two cups a day to start, offering his bowl to eat whenever I eat- and/or making sure I eat every time I know I need to feed him.) We finished eating, then I did let him back up into my lap until I had to go. He went into the kennel a bit more smoothly. Then I headed back to the college for Government and English at 3, there wouldn’t be time to get between these classes, yet nothing else I could do (except wash out his bed and kennel if needed,) yet I made it home and he was doing just fine. Sit, clip, outside and back in- very routine already.
Again, not much time only an hour or so until I’d have to leave for Intro to Film at 6 (we watched A Hard Day’s Night.) Yet more than enough time for me to heat up a plate of spaghetti and I poured the last of his ration into his bowl. Afterwards, we had our first official training session and twenty minutes later, he would sit with minimal assistance to the “sit” command (without being by the door with leash in hand,) in order to earn a crumb of sausage from my plate.
This first challenge was just to get him to calm down once he knew I was holding sausage- yet, I had to let him know I was holding sausage to really command his attention with ease. He’ll need some more work, yet his motivation is strong (to get the sausage,) to please me. Outside, peed, inside and again back into the kennel (gladly Monday’s only come once a week,) as I went to class.
An interesting movie- I loved it cinematically, apparently I like ‘French New Wave’ kind of stuff as far as camera angles, close ups, long reels, motion effects, and ‘anti-chronological’ storytelling. However, I’m still not a fan of music videos, and most certainly not a fan of full length musicals either. Even if it is the Beatles. Having said that, the movie did pick up a plot towards the end (or, towards the end I started to pick up the thin plot it had been laying down,) however it was no thicker than anything written for The Three Stooges.
It’s nice to have a reason to go home. Also a reason with a bit of patience (I figure I can trust my second bladder for five hours easily.)
Okay- details are time consuming, it’s 1:23 am…
Most importantly of the night, after I had taken Soulless out one last time I was going to put him to bed in his kennel as I finished my homework (it may sound sad, yet I want him to know it’s okay to be crated even when I’m home and in the same room.) Once he was in there (still not a fan of being told to go into his kennel,) he whined a bit as I lowered the blanket, then once he heard me sit in the desk chair, he starting whining more.
I decided I couldn’t win this battle, so I wouldn’t let it bother me- I won’t shout “quiet” for the next fifteen years- I ignored it. After a few minutes he seemed to settle down and I heard him drinking some water, then thump into his bed. Happy, I went to work on my homework on my way to getting to this post.
It didn’t last long, a few minutes later he starting whining again- no worries, I’ll ignore it some more… I think this animal has patience, if not, it at least has persistence. A minute later, he barked, a second later, he barked with force (for a puppy-) this was new. Realizing I couldn’t ignore everything, I asked if he wanted to go “outside” (asked, not commanded, it’s a tone thing,) as I got up to get the leash (asking means we’re doing it.)
I opened the kennel and he was right out and sat down, clipped on and followed me right outside and down to the grass, at first he just dove in chasing some tuffs of dried grass yet I didn’t move to give him any distance, it took him two or three tries to see that he couldn’t move me with all of his force. He started to roll around near my feet, trying to invoke me into play and I stood cold, we’re here to potty. Once he stood again, I adjusted my grip on the leash so he couldn’t lay down again, and used to to direct him in walking around in the small area allotted.
Can it really be, that I’m actually — just hold on, right now I’m about to say the most important thing was my dog shit — happy my dog barked at me? Yes, I’m darn happy. He knew he needed to poo, he knew he did not want to poo in his kennel, and he knew he needed my help. Bark if you need me?
If I expect him to learn my commands, why wouldn’t I want to learn his too? Coming back in, I knew he would not like the kennel, and I wanted to continue praising him after his bark and poo combo, so, although I still had to do my homework, I let him stay out. See on my desk chair, there just isn’t room for him on my lap, we already tried, so he has to stay on the ground. Not happy with that, we compromised with folded blanket for a napping spot right next to me. Apart from a thousand puppy rolls and circles and adjustments, he was still- that is, he hasn’t left the blanket. Okay, it’s too late. A doctors appointment tomorrow, then as much homework as I can get done.
Time to rest.