New things

It's been a while since I last blogged, and there have been several new firsts for Dieter. He's gotten to experience his first 90-degree day. He says it's tough to have to wear a fur coat in this kind of weather. But he's learned that there's an AC vent that shoots cold air out from under the old Hoosier cupboard in the kitchen. After a walk or a romp in the yard, Dieter flops down in front of it to cool off. We put ice cubes in his water bowl (they make a neat crackly sound), and he's learned to sit and worship the ice dispenser in the refrigerator. "It's magic. That wonderful cold stuff comes out and I get to crunch it up and get a brain freeze."

Dieter also is learning to stop and smell the roses. Or flowers. Or hosta. He walks along and sniffs. All plant life is new to him, being a November puppy. The plants are nice, but they're growing in some of his favorite potty spots, so we are having to be a bit more careful where we step in the back yard. Plants also are good for stashing frisbees. Dieter has a whole army of frisbees squirreled away in the yard. Hope he remembers where they all are.

Just the right height for me!

Lloyd and Dieter were out for a walk and Dieter was sniffing the vegetation when two cabbage moths flew up. "Wha? What the? Whoa! Cool." And about a month ago Lloyd found a bullfrog in our back yard. Lloyd kept trying to point it out. "Dieter, Dieter, look. A frog." Dieter was doing his usual: "Do de do do do..I'm gonna look at the sky and everything except what you want me to look at..." Lloyd finally picked up the frog, which let out a loud croak, and Dieter nearly jumped out of his skin. "Oh my, that's the coolest thing ever. Can I has it?' The frog was escorted to our tiny little pond and was seen one other time. It's either taken off for a larger pond or was somebody's supper.

Thursday in our Manners class, they taught the puppies how to properly meet another dog. Ok, been there, done that with Dieter--he's met tons of dog pals on his walks and at the Riverwalk. Just the other day he met a long-haired Dachshund named Zeus. They got along great and I think they were maybe speaking German. I swear I heard "Mein Name ist Dieter." "Ja, und Mein Name ist Zeus." Anyway, at class, we wanted to see how Dieter did with the meet and greet. They brought out a stuffed dog that looks like a Basset and is about the size of a Corgi. They told us: walk your dog over, make him sit, then tell him to greet the "dog." The trainer said: they'll either sniff the butt and head or figure out it's a toy and try to chew it up. They went around the room and all the dogs did the curious sniff approach. Then it was Dieter's turn. He walked over, sat, walked up to the dog and tried to pick it up by the head. "This ain't no dog. It's a toy. Whaddya take me for, a dummy?"

I'm a Mensa dog, except when I forget to turn my brain on.

I don't know if this is true or not, but Lloyd and I have decided Dieter's reaction to the fake dog just proves how smart our son the German Shepherd is. He's a Mensa dog, no doubt about it. Now if only we were Mensa material, the training might be going a little faster and better...