Saturday, October 11, 2014

Ketchup Shampoo

Everyone gets dirty and being clean is important. Dogs may not have this particular sense of hygiene (unlike cats) and rely on us to clean them up when necessary. 

As a puppy Apollo was fairly tiny and his first baths were in the kitchen sink. Why? Short answer: he fit and it made rinsing him easy. As time went on we eventually graduated to the bathtub. It's funny when I think about the progression of Apollo's attitude towards baths as he's gotten older. He started out not knowing what exactly was going on and made a slight fuss - not unlike human children who tend to share those same behaviors. Once he got used to it, it became more of a routine and he accepted it with full cooperation. Him and I have gotten to the point where it is more of a chore and I'm sure we're both thinking "let's just get this over with as quickly as possible." Isn't that how we all perceive our shower routines these days?

I can't help but laugh at myself when it comes time to put dog shampoo on Apollo's back and I squeeze the soap onto his back in a zig-zag pattern. The first time I did it, it was completely unintended and when I realized I might as well have been squirting ketchup onto a hot dog, I busted out laughing like a maniac (the ironic pun of him being a wiener-dog) and snapped a picture. Apollo looked up at me with a face that embodied a few sentiments: I'm not amused, hurry up, and you suck.


Friday, October 10, 2014

Happy Shoves

Being a Doxen, I've never had issues with Apollo being rude to people that we encounter. That's because he's small (around 20 pounds) so he's probably not as threatening as say, a medium to larger sized 50-lb dog if one were to come barreling down the sidewalk at you. Thus I've never felt the need to really teach him how to engage strangers in public. Also throw in the fact that he's no longer an inquisitive puppy who loves to play and sees everyone through rainbow colored vision, he's well-behaved enough to not require manner lessons.

I think we've all seen dogs who like to jump up on people when they are either excited or curious. This is obviously not something that a well-behaved dog should be allowed to do to strangers (even less acceptable for a mature dog, younger pups get a bit of leeway). Apollo doesn't do this to people purely because of his physical attributes not really allowing him to get above human knees at best.

But when he does get excited - he will jump up and give you a nice, undeniable 'shove' with his two front paws. Trust me, it's enough to throw most people off and surprise them with his force. From time to time, he continues to exhibit brief moments of young puppy energy in his eyes and behavior. I hope he never loses that.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Excuse Me, Waiter?

Dogs love to eat. Apollo is no exception. Whether it is his snacks or his daily meals - he's always ready to chow down. Growing up, we've typically been on the one-meal-a-day program. But around the time he turned 7 was when I started giving him a more regular breakfast. Nevertheless the morning feeding is only about 1/5 the amount that he typically gets for dinner.

Apollo has quickly (and I would imagine very happily) learned and accepted his morning breakfast. These days I typically see him sluggishly walking out into the living room where I've been up for some time going about my day. The routine is more or less engraved in his head as the following:

A.) Walk from bedroom to living room
B.) Say "good morning" to Dad
C.) Go outside to go potty
D.) Fetch the blue toy for Dad to receive a Greenie treat
E.) Breakfast
F.) Morning nap in doggy bed under Dad's work desk

This morning I forgot his breakfast as I was distracted by work emails. Apollo kindly reminded me by standing next to his food dish and let out a whine. I quickly apologized and gave him his morning kibble so that we could both proceed with our day (work and nap).

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Proud Burps

People often say that pets take after their owners. Not online in terms of looks (which tends to be quite humorous) but also personality. That makes a lot of sense logically when you think about it. You raise your pets - in my case a dog - and condition them the way you live various aspects of your life. The way you interact socially, the way you go about your daily lives and activities, and the way that you carry yourself.

I'll preface my following comments with the proclamation that I am a very courteous and well-behaved member of society when in public and also around other people (friends or strangers alike). But...I've always found burping and farting fairly funny, especially in the comfort of my own home. And thus when Apollo lets out a very audible and loud burp after he wolfs down his dinner every night - it puts a huge smile on my face and frequently makes me laugh. I know that's 100% a bodily function/reaction but I can't help but want to believe that he learned that from me.

It makes me quite proud of my boy. Doggy farts on the other hand - just as funny but not as pleasant (or predictable).

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Magical (Sometimes Scary) Rides

Have you ever been inside a magical box that transported you from one place to another? How did you feel? Were you scared? Were you intrigued and curious about what had happened? As humans we are thinking organisms that have the capacity to seek out these types of answers using empirical evidence, logic of deduction/reasoning, and complex thought processes.

If you look close (and frequently) enough - you'll notice that dogs can be just as inquisitive. Unfortunately, they may never get the possibility to figure out how some things work or why things happen the way that they do. Take my dog for example: he has been riding in elevators for nearly three years. But still to this very day he can't predict what is going to be on the other side of the door when it opens. Nearly every unexpected sight or sound will surprise him and make him jump.

The mysterious carriage that transports him from one place to another. I don't think he wants to figure out how it works...he just wishes for a familiar sight when the doors re-open (which would hopefully lead to the tree that he pees on or the front door to our apartment).

Monday, October 6, 2014

Pick Me Up

Dachshunds by breed have a very identifiable body structure - they're long. They were bred throughout history into that shape and size for particular functions. The name itself is German and translates into "badger hound" as they were bred for chasing and fighting those ferocious pests). They are small enough to squeeze into tight places and wiggle through holes in pursuit of their prey.

Due to the nature of their body shape, it's particularly interesting to pick one of these dogs up in your arms. Most people would likely find it awkward and unsure of how exactly to hold them unless they're experienced (probably similar to picking up a human baby and knowing how to prop/cradle certain parts of their body against yourself). The proper method to hold Doxens is such a way that your arm ends up underneath their chest and runs along their belly to support their long body. You'd most likely be using both arms - one for the bulk of the weight and the other one for support and cradling.

Apollo knows our routine for getting picked up (at least when he's willing to oblige) and the process is second nature. I first lower my left forearm low enough for him to rise up and put his two front paws on it. My right arm would then come down and scoop him up by his hind legs to support his weight. At that point, I have the ability to shift him to "one-arm mode" which is basically the same position that parents use to burp their babies. In other words, he ends up on my left shoulder (his butt and back legs on my left hand) and he is looking backwards - this frees up my right hand.

Yes, sometimes I pretend to burp him like a baby...and maybe sometimes I talk to him like he's a baby.


Sunday, October 5, 2014

We're Cool (Unless You're a Giant)

Apollo gets along with almost everyone. In general, he warms up to people and other dogs fairly quickly. Don't get me wrong, he's not careless - he's cautious. It takes a good few minutes for him to figure out if you're friend or foe, but once you're on his "nice" list... be prepared to have him sitting right up against you like best friends.

I'd like to claim responsibility and say that I'm proud to attribute his behavior to the conditioning he received while young. I did go out of my way to expose and socialize him with people - which is very important during those impressionable puppy years. He got a healthy dose of all shapes, sizes, breeds/races, and genders of both humans and dogs.

Now, he does have his "preferences" as do all of us. He dislikes Boxers and will bark at any that he sees as if they had just walked in his house and ate food right out of his dish. He also dislikes tall people. I can only imagine it's most likely because being only a foot off the ground, seeing someone that's 6-feet tall is the ratio/equivalent of us looking up at someone who stands 30-feet tall.

Wouldn't you be scared if a giant creature that stands three stories tall attempts to reach down and pet you on the head?