Episode 15: 22 weeks: Choose Your Own Adventure

Amy Shackelford
Jun 7, 2021
8 min read

Updated: Jul 4, 2021

Bonnie

Staffordshire Terrior

Color: white with brown spots

Red Nose

Expected size: about 70-80 lbs

Current weight: 41.5 lbs

Clyde

Staffordshire Terrior

Color: Lilac

Red Nose

Expected size: about 80 lbs

Current Weight 50.5 lbs

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

Do you remember the "Choose your own Adventure" book craze? Well, we lived it this week at the puppies choose!

This week I was worried bout an adventure for them. The week has come and gone before I knew it and Bonnie and Clyde, although they had a good week, didn’t have what I would call an “adventure.” As we drove, I thought about what I would write about.

We helped our oldest son, Canaan, move into his apartment. Being good dog parents, we made sure the puppies were totally taken care of before we left. I put them in the bed (the crate), locked the top and bottom latches, said goodbye to all four dogs, and headed on our five-hour day. But when we came home, we discovered that they “chose their own adventure” and boy did they have fun.

When we came in the front door, we were greeted by all four dogs. Right away, we knew something was up. Evidently, I didn’t get the locks latched all the way and the puppies took full advantage of it. They had been out all day.

We began our walk though and surveyed our house, looking for pee spots and we envisioned what they had been doing all day. I hooked them up to take them outside, just in case (and to see who held their bladder till now). But nothing! No pee, no poop. That just means it is in the house somewhere.

They know that they are not allowed on the furniture, but who was going to stop them? The throw pillows were on the floor, so they must’ve had a great wrestling match on the couch. There were a few shoes that had become chew toys and a few bits of chewed paper towel cardboard. Nothing to bad. Ok, so far, so good.

As we walked on, we saw the living room. This is the room where they spend most of their time and are the most comfortable. Here, they brought of or their “treasures” they had found while exploring the house. Every toy had been pulled out of their toybox, shoes brought to their lair for their enjoyment, dirty laundry dragged from the laundry room, and random toilet paper pieces- but NO PEE!!! Is it possible that they played all this time with no accidents? It’s got to be here somewhere! Ah-ha, the upstairs!

I ventured up the stairs where the carnage started on the top few steps. Here I found more toilet paper, a half-emptied garbage bag, and some dirty laundry. Again, NO PEE!!! I went on to the master bedroom. I saw some wads of hair that had come from the trash (originally, my brush). Again, NO PEE (amidst the mess, I’m hopeful)!

Continuing my search, into the master bath. My hopes crushed, there is the pee! Two spots, but otherwise not too bad. I came out announcing that I had found it when, I stopped in my tracks. Further down the hall was a pile of poo, stacked up against the wall (Bonnie’s signature move). “Gross Bonnie, come on girl.”

Then the piece de resistance, the room affectionately called the kids bathroom, the upstairs bathroom had been hit by a tornado! Trash cans turned over and emptied, toilet paper snot rags everywhere, dirty laundry, oh yeah, a huge pile of poo! “Come on, Clyde!” It was disgusting.

Later after everything was cleaned up, I came back downstairs to learn that they had both vomited on the carpet after consuming God only knows what and how much. I saw the dog blankets and the toybox had been set up high so the pups couldn’t reach them. I guess they had enjoyed everything else in the house that day and didn’t need those toys! Fair enough!

Later that night, Clyde (Mr. Sensitive stomach), threw up twice and five more times the next morning. The sheer volume of garbage that he held in his stomach all night was mind-bloggling (and don’t even get me started on the contents). He laid around the whole next day in between his regurgitating and sleeping. As nasty as the vomit is, I’d rather him do that then let it pass through his system.

YUM YUM?!?

Clyde has slowly been chipping away at Bonnie’s dog tags. The small clip that holds the on is hard plastic. I guess this is a challenge to Clyde, too hard to resist. We stop him when we catch him but that is a hard one to do since they play together so much. But he finally won, in the mix of the “Choose your own adventure” debacle, he ripped them off. Rotten thing!

BIG HARNESS

They have grown so much, so fast. I have 5 kids and I don’t know if it’s just been to long, but it seems like they grow faster than babies. We had to order them larger harnesses because they are at the very end of the adjustable lengths. They are not quite ready for them yet but I’m sure if I blink, they will need them.

MOMENT TO REMEMBER:

Super sensitive Clyde got fussed at one day for being “under foot.” He didn’t get yelled at or touched; he just got his name called firmly. He tucked tail and ran. I was preparing their food bowls, so I called them to eat. Bonnie was fine, but Clyde sheepishly snuck into the room. Bradley, noticing his internal terror, stretched his hand down to console him (like we have done numerous times). Immediately, Clyde started squirting. Shocked by Clyde’s reaction, Bradley pulled his arm back, Clyde stopped. Bradley went in again, “Ah, Buddy, it’s ok.” As soon as his hand got close, Clyde started peeing again. In the interest of our floor and the cleanup, he stopped trying to console him.

Bradley still doesn’t know what he did that would have constituted that severe a reaction, but he tip-toed around him for a few hours. Clyde walked over and climbed in Bradley’s lap. (Talk about your mixed signals) Whatever was going through Clyde’s mind, he was over it and Bradley was back in the Clyde Club.

POTTY TRAINING UPDATE:

We still find surprises every so often, but that happens when we drop the ball. They are doing great. We keep them pinned in their two-room area most of the time to keep the accidents (and temptation) down.

We our excited to be getting our breakfast nook back. The puppy pad hasn’t been touched in a week or more so “IT’S GONE!!!” We will move our table back but still keep the pinned area for the pups.

TRAINING

I’m not a professional trainer but I thought I would share what I learn while trying to train these pups. Some of them work well, but you will also hear the things that do not work! Many of the skills, I have picked up living life, having children, researching, or just trial and error. But I would say that as you learn your dog, and how they learn and respond, it gets easier.

Most dogs love training. Let’s see: treats, pleasing their owner, and a break from sleeping and looking out the window. Why wouldn’t they love it? It's stimulating and rewarding!

WATCH COMMAND

Hold one finger up toward nose, pointing to eyes. Make noises with mouth or snap fingers until the pup makes eye contact with you for two seconds. Praise them with affection when they do this, then use a clicker or treats as a reward.

Step 1: Make eye contact, praise, reward

Step 2: Increase length of eye contact

Step 3: Add distraction in their peripheral vision

Step 4: Outside mastery

REASON

This demands that they learn, from a young age, to focus on you whenever the command is given. It comes in handy to keep them from getting focused on un-wanted movement or potentially negative surroundings.

PROGRESS

They “watch” and on command very well. We are still working on the distraction additions. They only get that about 50%.

CUTEST MOMENT

Every time Moxie and Penny come over, Ashley comes also. As soon as we brought them home, Ashley was waiting at the door. She has been incredibly involved in their lives. She even said, “I want them to love me the most.” It was said playfully, but still said.

She sits in the floor daily and gives them attention. She feeds and walks them when needed, grooms them, practices “upside down” time and buys them treats. She comments that she misses them when she is at work and goes out of her way to dote on them. The scoops love her, and this week Bonnie (and Clyde) were watching her and her crew leaving, Bonnie started whining and stayed at the window waiting for them to come back. Bonnie is a love bug; she is affectionate with everyone, but she doesn’t do that for anyone else. Ashley may have gotten her wish.

This commitment has not gone unnoticed. Bonnie and Clyde lavish love on her in return and are AMAZINGLY comfortable around her. But Bonnie has continually gotten more and more attached. As soon as Ashley begins to squat to sit in the floor, Bonnie wants in her lap. She whines at the window when Ashley leaves and she stares out the door waiting for her to return. It is so sweet to see.

WHY... JUST WHY MOMENT

I came home from work, both dogs greeted me like normal, then we all sat in the living room. When there was a noise outside; Clyde ran to see but Bonnie stayed at my feet. She didn’t leave my side, except for small walks to the other side of the room, for the next 45 minutes. At one point, I had to encourage her to come. She just stood still. When I sat down to pet her, she kept her head hung down. I would lift it and she would submit but then put it right back down.

This was not the Bonnie that we knew. She is a spit fire, full of energy and life. She loves to run and run and run some more! Something had to e going on to make her act this way. I mentioned her behavior and Bradley recounted her high activity level early that afternoon with Moxie.

Suddenly, it all became clear (well, brown…) as Bonnie revealed why she was acting subdued. She loves raw hide bones and will chew until her teeth bleed. But she likes to swallow them before they are small enough to safely swallow. In the past, she has swallowed the small raw hide sticks, so we have learned to only give them the full-size raw hides and then take them away when they get small. Well, as it turned out, she must have been especially determined because she swallowed an entire huge bone, as we witnessed it making its way back out along with dirt and stomach fluid.

It was pretty nasty, but it could have ended worse. We kept an eye on her just in case it hurt her as it came up. She ate dinner fine and played like normal, so we assumed that she was feeling better. Bradley immediately shampooed the carpet but why Bonnie…just why?

MOXIE AND PENNY

Moxie comes in the door ready to play. As soon as Bonnie and Clyde hear the door unlock, they are ready, too. She had instant playmates who never tire. She is in heaven.