Taking your human to Home Depot

Have you been to this place? It's amazing!!! Mom calls it the Home Depot but for me it's a wonderful adventure full of new smells, sounds and lots of nice people. This has been a great place to really test my training (and give me a chance to show off). The employees are very nice, giving me lots of love and attention. Of course everyone points out my silly ear! 

Sometimes people are surprised to hear that you can take your dog to Home Depot but it's true! They welcome me with open arms paws!

Hmm what's that noise?

No really mom, what's that noise?

We have so much fun exploring the store but I do have to be watched in the garden section. Apparently you're not supposed to pee on those plants? I'm still not sure exactly how they're different than the ones outside but judging by mom's reaction they are very different. 

So have you taken your human to Home Depot? How did it go?

Have you heard the news?

I'm going to be a big brother!!! To a human!!!

 

That's right ... Mom is getting a little fatter every day and she says that is a good thing this time. I'm just hoping this new one likes to chase tennis balls as much as I do so we can be the best of friends!

Visiting Aunt Chelsea

Mom has visited Aunt Chelsea in Orange before but she's never taken me for an overnight visit. I finally got my chance a few weeks ago and I had such a great time. We helped her hang a shelf in the dining room then Mom and A.C. shared some wine and laughs. I mainly just laid...well, and smelled every inch of the house!

Sunday morning we got breakfast at this cool place called Kimmie's Coffee Cup. They had cute little tables outside for us and Mom even ordered me some bacon. YUM!!

These nice people let me lay under their table when I was full and sleepy.

I hope we get to see Aunt Chelsea again soon!

Bring your dog to work day!

About two weeks ago I was lucky enough to go to work with mom on Bring Your Dog to Work Day. She works in such a fun place!

Mostly I just laid in the corner and watched Mom work but I also got to meet lots of fun people and even run down the hall chasing my ball! It was a great day.

Have you ever gone to work with your human? 

How to: De-Skunk a Dog

Yep, it happened. Mom's actually surprised it took as long as it did. I learned a very valuable lesson tonight: never chase the skunk in the yard. Mom learned an important one too: how to de-skunk a dog!

It started as such a simple night...Mom came home and picked me up to go hang out at Grandma and Grandpa's. I came in the house, ran right over to the backyard, and went outside to investigate the scratching I heard on the other side of the yard. I ran over there REALLY fast and Grandpa started yelling at me but I was just trying to get there as quick as possible so I could play with the furry black and white thing in the corner. Unfortunately that guy was NOT very nice and I ended up smelling...a lot. Whoopsie!

A quick Google search came up with the idea to use tomato juice to get rid of the smell and I quickly went into the bath.

My eyes were stinging really bad, as you can see in the picture above. I think maybe the little stinker sprayed me in my right eye and boy did that hurt! Luckily the tomato juice tasted good as it dripped off my face :) Oh and yes,  that's my grandmother on the floor drying me with a blow-dryer. Even when I do silly stuff like this they still take such good care of me!

I laid in my bed for a while and then Mom realized...the tomato juice only masked the smell for a little bit. Uh oh... back to Google we went. A little more digging and we found Paul Krebaum's recipe here. Perhaps the best way to remove skunk smell from dogs, it was a lifesaver! Here's the basic recipe:

16 oz. hydrogen peroxide
1/8 cup baking soda
1 tbsp liquid soap
About 12 oz. warm water

We used this all over my body but avoided my eyes because the hydrogen peroxide burns. We put it on and let it sit, lathered it up, and finally rinsed it off. I got dried...again!

Don't I look thrilled? Gee if I'd known what was going to come of this little adventure maybe I would have thought twice about it.

The new recipe really helped a lot and I'm finally starting to lose the smell. Mom thinks we may need to give me another bath tomorrow to really get rid of it completely but it's already soooo much better. I still smell a little funky but it's already a million times better. What's weird about the skunk smell is that it's different on your skin than in the air...it almost smells like oil and burning gasoline. Let's just say it's not good.

I hope you learned something valuable from my latest crazy adventure. I sure did!

Canine Good Citizen Classes: Weeks 1 & 2

My faithful blog readers know I have been in training pretty much my whole three years of life. First we did two rounds of Petco puppy classes, then Mom taught me all kinds of fun tricks at home, and finally we worked with  my trainer Jessica. Well Mom decided it was time to really kick it into high gear and put my knowledge to the test. 

Literally. There is a test. 

We started preparing, studying, and practicing for our Canine Good Citizen Test and this thing is no joke! Thanks to our wonderful trainers at Leap Dog Training we are coming along nicely so far (I think...)

A lot of what we've done so far is reinforcing what I already know (sit, stay, lay) but some of it has been very new. For example, I have to be able to sit and wait patiently while Mom shakes someone's hand and I can't get up until she tells me it's ok. I CAN'T GET UP AT ALL!! I'm slowly getting a hang of it but man, by the end of our hour-long classes, I'm pooped! I sleep all day Saturday!

Today we're at our third class in the series, of six, so I'm sharing pictures with you all from the first two weeks. Here I am sitting and laying oh so nicely, watching Mom closely for my treats.

I have to listen very closely to what Mom tells me to do and but it sure does make it easier that she has a whole pouch full of treats. Mmmmm I love treats! The only thing is that on the test she won't be able to treat me for good behavior, I will have to do it just because I want to. Hmm I'm not so keen on that idea yet but I'll keep it under consideration.

See? I love training!

I'm not alone in this adventure either, I have a few friends along for the journey.

Desmond really prefers to lay down. Sitting is just not his thing.

Koji is focusing very well and his owner Sandra is so proud of all he's learned already!

Max is a BIG boy but he's super calm and relaxed. 

Peach is a little sweetheart.

All of the dogs above were rescued through Pit Bull Rescue San Diego - man they sure know how to pick 'em! I'm looking forward to learning more in the next couple of weeks and making Mom really proud on the test. Keep your paws crossed for me! Oh and if you need any training and are in the San Diego area please check out Leap Dog Training, they have my stamp of approval :)

Coffee with a Canine

Just this week, Mom and I were lucky enough to be featured on Coffee with a Canine! If you haven't checked out this blog yet you should definitely cruise over there and give it a looksy. It was a perfect outlet for Mom to get to tell about how she adopted me, my goofy nicknames and share some adorable pictures of yours truly. Then again, which pictures of me are not adorable???

We loved our day at Cafe 1134, particularly the yummy snacks and very friendly crowd. We will definitely be back!

 

 Coronado is certainly a place to dream about. Someday we will be lucky enough to call it home but for now, we'll just enjoy the coffee shops and walks on the beach!

BEST DAY EVER!!!

My first day in the snow needs little explanation. It was perfect.

Happy New Year! I hope 2012 is just as fun!

Little Italy Farmer's Market

It's a little known fact but my full name is actually Giacomo (pronounced JAWK-a-mo), I just go by Jack for short. Mom was taking Italian courses and fell in love with the name but Dad quickly shot down the idea of ever naming their human child a long, complicated first name especially given the long, complicated last name we all share. Oh well, their loss! I wear the Italian name proudly!

I like to think it helped me blend in a bit at the Little Italy Farmer's Market a few weeks back. When Mom agreed to take Lilah for the day, we knew that an adventure was necessary so we called Grandma and Uncle Matt to make a day of it! In the car I wasn't too sure of where we were going but Lilah was ready to take the wheel.

We had a blast! Plenty of fresh produce, breads, juices and flowers. From Little Italy Association of San Diego site, "The Little Italy Mercato is the city market for downtown San Diego residents and visitors with more than 100 booths lining Date Street from Kettner to Union offering farm fresh produce, artisan foods and specialty items."

It was very busy at about 11am. I'd recommend going earlier for a smaller crowd (or if your dog isn't friendly with others...) The market opens at 9am and they're there until 1:30pm!

Oh c'mon Mom, leave me alone...we're in public!!

It was a great way to spend the morning and I'd highly recommend you head down there one Saturday morning with your pups too. You can find more info about the market here, hope to see you there!