Crazy

Rudy has the shits

He shat once in the kitchen last night and 3 times this morning (they were more like shit puddles). His appetite is good and he's drinking plenty of water, so I'm not alarmed. I'm not even that upset that he shat on the kitchen floor since linoleum is easier to clean than carpet and he was kind enough to spare me that sort of living hell. Still, I spanked him lightly to show my disapproval and off he ran through the doggie door like he always does when he's been corrected. He'll sit on the patio at look at me through the glass door with those puppy dog eyes and before I know it, I'm calling him back inside so that I can give him hugs. Damn him.

His playmate went home last night after a 2 week dogsitting visit. He'll be missed. Rudy now just has the Keeks to play with. She's an old mastiff but will play like a puppy with him every now and then. It's good for her..

I read a comment on a catchdog forum yesterday and it got me thinking..

"Like my hunting partner always told me when I first got started and we were about to turn lose on a big boar hog track, you better rub fido on his head before you turn him loose because once you let go of his collar you may never see him again."-Broncobilly

As much as I've said I wanted an American Bulldog to hunt hog oneday, am I really willing to risk his life? I had to laugh at myself when last night after giving Rudy a beef basted pig ear I couldn't keep my eyes off of him, afraid he would swallow it whole and get a bowel obstruction or choke. I finally had to take it away from him before he could eat half of it. And I want him to tackle a 300 lb plus boar with enormous razor sharp tusks? Sure, I can let go of the lead.. riiiiight.

I'm so crazy.

A Proud Day

Rudy has got the "down" command!! WOOHOOO!!! See, he's smaht. Not dumb like people say.

To celebrate, we spent the day by the pool.

Doggie lifejacket- check
Sunscreen- check
Camera- checkity check, check!

Good times were had! Not only did Rudy avoid falling in the pool, he swam beautifully with the jacket on. I still had to push him in but he didn't freak out and swam more like a dog and less like a cat this time!

Look at that mug! Who could be mad at a face like that?! Only a monster, I tell you.


My niece really liked him. And Rudy was very good around the kids today. He behaved himself wonderfully.



I'm proud of my boy.

Rudy the Retard

Last night Rudy and I went to my parent's house for a visit and to help my Mom out with a few computer related issues. Soon after we arrived, the dogs went outside to play by the pool while my Dad watched them to make sure no one fell in. Well... Rudy fell in not long after we got there, right by the rock waterfall. His nose was barely above the surface and he was flailing his paws around wildly, much like a lead pencil about to sink at any moment! My Dad had to rush over and pull him out. You would think Rudy would learn a lesson but no. He did it twice more, falling in the pool in the same spot and each time requiring immediate rescue. He swam fine the other day with my help but when he falls in, he panics. I can understand that but why would he fall in 3 times in the same spot? My parents question his mental competence, now. "You know, dogs can be retarded too," my Dad said to me. It was agreed that Rudy will need to wear a doggie life jacket whenever he is near the pool (or any body of water)... and possibly a helmet.

After the third rescue, we all went inside. Rudy found the beagle's treat stash and gorged on pig ears and chewy bones. The beagle still wanted to play and when he got too close, Rudy would growl at him! This is a first for Rudy and I was surprised at his show of food aggression with the beagle. I corrected his behavior but he did it once more. Oy, what am I gunna do about this puppy? Make no mistake, if he should ever growl at me the punishment would be both impressive and violent. However, he has such a great temperament that I can't imagine him going there. He's a happy dog.. almost retardedly happy now that I think about it.

At lunch today I ordered an American Bulldog book at B&N titled "The Working American Bulldog" by Dave Putnam. It has great reviews and it should be a good read. I'm very interested in hog hunting and I've got the perfect American Bulldog for that task. Rudy is an Old Southern White bred for performance work. This was my intention- I wanted a dog that could do some amazing things. I can not wait until he is old enough to try him out on a wild hog. I just can't.

I like dogs that have a sporting or working purpose. I think it can make for a healthier dog genetically not to mention a much happier dog. But that's just me. I know there are Pug and Bichon Frise fans out there that would vehemently disagree. To them I say, I'm right and you're wrong. Thanks for stopping by.

Collar/Bling Planning

Yesterday was uneventful. I went to bed early intending on just a nap with Rudy. When he jumped off the bed at around 7 pm, I asked my husband to put him back with the others. I didn't wake up again until 6 am.

I like to feed Rudy twice a day and he eats Iams dry small chunks. I don't want to spoil him by adding canned food mostly because I think it makes feeding a dog a little more of a pain in the ass. I do give him lots of treats when he does a good job, like following me to my office and doing his business outside. He is almost always successful at both. We're still working on the down command.

I've been searching for the perfect collar for him even though I won't buy it until he's full grown and I have a collar size. It's unsure whether his size will be extra large (over 22" collar) or large (over 16"). I'm leaning more toward a black coach collar with a matching lead. At first I thought he would look best in a baby blue coach to bring out his eye, but after seeing him in black I've changed that opinion entirely. The black collar coordinates with his nose marvelously. However coach is expected to come out with their fall line soon so I may find something I like better. Here's the black collar. Isn't the bone charm perfect?!

For his bling I'm actively searching for a military shaped sterling silver dog tag that I can get engraved. After looking at several thousand dog tags, I decided on something a little classier than your average aluminum piece of shit tag. I called the jeweler I use on occasion to see what he had in stock and he quoted 55.00 for a dog tag that was thick enough to engrave. The engraving fee would cost extra. On ebay, I can find one for much cheaper. Well, you can't blame the guy for trying to make a living..

This morning after I fed Rudy, we went upstairs and played for a little bit before I had to get ready for work. He seems like his old self again. After I got dressed, I found him back under my desk. He really likes it under there. You would think he would enjoy my bed more (it does have an extra soft serta mattress and 600 count sheets) but the answer would be no.

My husband promised to fix the shed so that Rudy won't have access under it anymore. I'm drawing up the eviction notice to those freeloading rabbits now. Hop along rabbits, hop along or be trapped.

Bad Mood

Something was different about Rudy today. It was a subtle change but it hurt my feelings nonetheless. When I got home from work he seemed to be the same old Rudy Roo I know and love, but when I put him on the couch with me he jumped off! Now, Rudy has never ever done that. He has always been content to lay next to me on his spot on the couch. I figured he was just unusually restless and put him with the rest of the dogs in the back den for an hour. But when I offered him some cut up ham slices for a special treat, I was shocked to see Rudy unimpressed with swine. Hrm. He just didn't seem like his happy self at all and he acted dare I say.... spoiled! Later on in the evening, I went upstairs to my office and Rudy followed me as usual. However, he was very restless and instead of chewing on his bone or falling asleep under my desk, he paced the floors. And when my husband came in with one of the other dogs, he left me! He's never left my side before. Okay, I figured he wanted to be with canines tonight and tried not to let it hurt my feelings but when I came downstairs to the kitchen and discovered his piss on my kitchen floor not 8 feet away from the doggie door, I lost it! A few spanks on the ass and in the crate he went to think about his poor attitude and defiance. An hour later I let him out, gave him a treat and cuddled him. I just can't stay mad at him for long. He's too damn cute.

We have been working on the down position. I tell you, it's not that easy to train; "the paw" was far, far easier. I have to push down on his shoulders while saying the command "down". He doesn't seem to get it but to be fair this is only day 2 of the training. I also noticed that Rudy has regressed a bit on the "come" command. It seemed like it was a natural reaction for him to come to my voice (not necessarily because of the come command) but today... he stared at me like a cat! I will admit that I got up toward him and yanked him quickly toward me when not even a treat got the cat act out of him. Now I'm in the market for a long training lead so that I can pull him to me when he doesn't react to my command. I just have to praise like he did it on his own and have patience. Most importantly, I just can't take it personal. That's the hard part!

Perhaps he just wasn't feeling well today? I have a feeling he has been going under the shed where a colony of wild snaggly rabbits live. I sure hope not. Rabies shot next week for sure.
At any rate, I really think that one hour in the crate helped his mood. As I type this, he is asleep by my feet. And isn't everyone allowed a bad day once in awhile? Why not.

In other news, I called the Animal Companion Recovery costumer service and inquired about the expired microchip (July 00). The rep said not to worry, that it was guaranteed to last the lifetime of my dog and that the expiration date is meaningless. That's good to know since it's already embedded in my dogs neck.

The Pool

The pool party was a blast! Rudy played with my parent's beagle and everyone seemed to like him, especially my brother.

He hung out by the grill for part of the day:


And he got in the pool a few times. I can't say he liked it, but either my brother or I would hold him to relax him a bit.


He swam,


Hung out by the pool,


Played with the beagle,


And after all that action, he found a good spot to pee


He was one tired boy! He fell fast asleep when we got home!


I noticed he was pink on his face and butt. I will HAVE TO remember to put sunscreen on him next time for sure.

Rudy's Fall

Last night while I was at work, a strange thing happened. Rudy was laying on the couch next to my husband when suddenly he fell onto the floor. When my husband reached down to pick him up, he yelped! His eyes were open but he was unresponsive for a few moments. Then he got up and was normal again. Perhaps it was the shock of the fall? He is perfectly fine now.

Today we are going to my parents house and maybe Rudy will swim. It will be interesting how he plays with their beagle. Rudy can play a little too rough, and I don't want my parents commenting that he is a pit bull. But I have a feeling they will think that's what he is when I bring him over.

Rudy is trained to sit and give the paw. Next lesson is the down position. I really believe he will be a natural on the stay command but I'll wait until he is much older to begin training that command.

I also want to note that before the fall last night, Rudy went upstairs into my dark office and fell asleep under my desk. I wouldn't have thought he would go into my office without me but he does spend a great deal of time at my feet under my desk. Perhaps he was missing me? He seems to enjoy being under there with the fan's slight breeze on him.

One more thing, it has been discovered by my husband what Rudy has been doing in his water pail. He puts his paws into it and digs at the bottom of the pail, splashing water all over the floor while he does it. I think it's adorable but my husband doesn't like the mess he makes one bit. When he yelled at Rudy, Rudy took off for the yard and didn't come in for some time. Poor thing. I really need to get him a small childrens pool for the yard since he likes water so much. He doesn't like baths, but today he will be getting one for sure, he smells like earth!

A vet visit

Today Rudy went to see Dr. Moore to be microchipped and for his 3rd series of shots. The microchipped expiration says 2000, so I'll inquire tomorrow about that. He weighs 32 lbs at 16 weeks. The vet also said that his hair should grow back in a few months where the spider bite has healed. I could have gotten the rabies shot along with the parvo and it was included, but I told my husband not to let them give him a rabies with the parvo. I don't think it's good for the dog. I'll just bring him back in 2 weeks, he'll need some heartworm medicine by then anyway. The bill was $111.00

Rudy- 3 months old