I met Santa!!!!

Whooo hooo!!! Mommy did it, she finally did it!!! She took me to meet Santa for the first time in my entire 11 years on this earth and I was over the moon happy to meet him!!! He liked me too, he said I was a good boy, does that mean I am getting lots of presents this year?? I think so, mommy tells me I have been a good boy this year too.

Now, just because my sister, Mandy is not in the picture don't fret. She had no desire to venture out into the cold to meet Santa. She is a rather bah humbug king of gal. poor baby, but I am going to buy her something very special this year. I still can not get over meeting Santa. Mommy found out where he was going to be and showed up with me in tow and voila it was done. Mommy has a way of making things happen. I think she carries around magic dust from time to time just to make my life exciting.

She also took me to see the festival of lights and it was amazing!!!! I will have to put that experience in another blog, she actually allowed me for the first time ever to sit in the front seat of her car to see the lights better!!! It was fun. Tomorrow night we are going to the training facility where I endured book camp and we are going to use my paws to paint a card and Christmas wrapping paper. Mommy finds the funniest things to do with me.

Here is a funny note though, she has spent over 100 dollars since Sept in bathing me at the Mutts and Company pet store. She I know loves me dearly and allows me to swim or play at the dog park knowing i will get dirty and then she bathes me. We actually received a discount the last time we went as mommy spent 100. They said she is a valued customer, hee heeee. We were looking at a house, an old converted 130 yr old farm house with a beautiful river behind it and she took me with her, needless to say I found the river and jumped in and got dirty.....well, that might be a driving point not to get that house!! She would never be able to let me out unsupervised for fear I will run and jump in.

Rightfully so as I would do this, just like I did last January when she took me to the frozen lake in VA and I ran and jumped in, ice did not bother me and I had so much fun rolling in the mud. My first post talks of that. I guess being named Outlaw fits me, although when people meet me they say I am not an Outlaw at all but an angle. Nice knowing I have people fooled. Not mommy of course but others yes. Mommy is my biggest love in my life, we are best buds and really does take great care of me and I am so glad she has me, my life is filled with constant love and warmth and protection and not to mention a very nice life.......

Acme Canine Training, move over Dog Whisperer

Mommy pulled a fast one on me recently. After our move I became a little more clingy than normal, lets just go ahead and call it separation anxiety OK. When mommy would leave me to do errands I would bark and bark and bark and bark until she came home. Perplexed with my new habit she actually tried to find out if the dog whisperer could come and help me, but not able to wait she did what Cesar Milan's website said to do, enlist the help of a professional dog trainer in your area and that she did. She contacted Acme Canine and they came to our home and met me and spoke with my mom to find out what was going on, they explained that I had separation anxiety all along but it had become more intense with the move and training could help with this.

Mommy learned so much during just that first hour visit and quickly realized she had contributed to the separation anxiety big time by spending so much time with me and letting me sleep with her every night and cuddling together, we both like that and I am a lab so I really like it but when mommy would leave me I still wanted that close feeling and well, I began barking to soothe myself because mommy would spend so much time rubbing my ears and belly and back and we were inseparable so it was hard for her when they presented her with the best option for my situation. 2 weeks at their facility where they would train me and work with me all day and help me build my confidence to be alone.

Mommy had a hard time with not seeing me for two weeks but she was told this was the best plan as I needed behavior modification and having me at the facility with training all day to work on my issues and re-learn the sit position and lay and come and wait position ( OK so I had re-defined those to meet my likes) it would help me greatly and they had the time where mommy did not have the time to spend all day working with me, plus they knew how to train and mommy did not.

So I went to boot camp!!!! I learned how to walk on the cat walk!! That was fun, I was so afraid at first but my trainer was patient and gentle with me and encouraged me to do it because she knew I could do it, and I DID IT!! And then I even sat down while at the very top! We had many fun exercises and activities and I learned how to be quite in my crate and not bark when someone came in the door. I did re-learn the sit position and come and wait and down, they even taught me how to leave the treats until I was told I could take it. And that was hard for me as I LOVE my treats. Mommy was able to see me twice during my time, to work with me and learn how to continue the training. I had so much fun seeing mommy and she was so happy and I was so proud to show her my new tricks and how well I followed commands. She saw me as more confident and happy. And mommy almost cried when she saw me so happy.

Mommy said that the Acme Canine trainers were just as good if not better ( they are local) than the Dog Whisperer, it was truly as if Cesar Milan had trained me himself, she saw a new dog and oh get this, I even walk so much better with mommy now, I learned how to heal!!!! mommy loves this new learned behavior and when we walk now mommy is so happy as I walk so nicely with her and we are able to window shop and explore together because I am not pulling the leash so hard that mommy's hand turns red from all the rubbing and so forth. And I am happier too because I am more confident in myself and I am proud of all the things I have learned to do and because it makes mommy happy too as she is so proud of me and does not have to worry about me barking all day while she is away and getting myself worked up and freaked out.

The other great thing about Acme Canine is they have fun social activities for pets and their owners!!!! This is in my next blog!!