Tag Archives: weimaraner training

Hands Free Leash

IMG_2320Hello Folks,

Like always life continues and on really good weeks funny things happen that cause us to laugh and so here’s one that’s really FUNNY!

The parentals occasionally receive a product from companies who want them to try things out and blog about it or give feed back. Since Mom is the queen of blogging, tweeting and instragramming we get a few items here and there.

This week it was about a leash. I was excited because that means I can push Dad to the limit and he like me does not like to have his routine messed up. We were getting ready for our walk and I heard Mom yell out, “don’t forget to try out the Hands Free Leash.”

Of course Dad grumbled something along the lines with “you try out the leash” and I knew I had him, ready, set, match.

He looked at the box and opened up this bright green package. I could see from his expression he was not pleased one bit.

  • It had a big strap with zippers, pouches and a clasp.
  • I saw him really search in the small box for instruction and there were none.
  • In his confusion he tried to put the fanny pack belt on me.

The absolute best part was when you realized he was supposed to wear the fanny pack belts and I was to be hooked up with the leash part. It was hilarious, as I know how much Dad has an aversion to fanny packs.

Next we stepped outside attached literally at the hip. Boy it was AWESOME People he had no control over me and I took off, next thing I looked back and he was using his outside voice.  I then saw a nice family walking by our yards and I just stood perfect. (You see when people are around I am flawless for the compliments).

Dad on the other hand was embarrassed, tangled up and definitely not having a good exercise moment. I knew the walk was over before we hit the end of the driveway so I ran back to the house. My swiftness whipped Dad around and this made the veins stick out in his neck.

Once inside and untangled I heard him share his thoughts with Mom about the Hand Free Leash…

“ This would have been perfect during months 7-12 when he had to be tethered to us in the house all the time”. (You see I was always getting into stuff so they kept me on the inside leash).

“This would work well for a little purse dog”

and my favorite…NOT

“The leash would be PERFECT (he gave me a glance of frustration) if the dog walked nice and doesn’t PULL”.

Who cares what he thinks, it was really cool pulling Dad up and down the driveway.

Perry 1 – Dad big fat zero!

So the verdict on the Hands Free Leash…

Works great if you have a dog that enjoys to leisurely walk or if you run. Also, nice compartments for a water bottle and a well sized pouch for keys, phone or money. Finally, it is made with quality materials and is apparently self instructional unless my Dad is trying it on.  And perfect for puppies who need to be tethered all the time while inside like I was when I was of course MUCH younger.

OK, people as you can see I am tired and there was no way I was trying that thing on again.

Oh – almost forgot.  It was a beautiful fall day in Santa Monica.

Perry

Bromance

IMG_2298This week was pretty cool and awesome. One of Dad’s friends of many years moved back to town and I got to hang out with him. The last time he was here I jumped up into his lap and just soaked up the attention and affections that I so require. Don’t tell anyone but I have a little man crush on him.

Michael is pretty important to the parentals’ as he was in their wedding many years ago and was Dad’s roommate at one time. They have been buddies for 15 years and now he is mine. He is a surfer and doctor for young kids so he is cool in my books. Check out our picture!

Besides the Michael visit this week has been a little challenging for me. You know how I was bragging and all about my growing up and being good about not door dashing? Well, I had a few party fouls and got Mom and Dad all worked up.

I don’t get why they get all upset. I mean come on – I would never run away! I have it way too easy. Every once in a while I just need to stretch my legs a little. It is so ridiculously cool to run and Dad says I look like a gazelle prancing to and fro.

And it’s almost Christmas and didn’t Santa have something named Prancer? OR was it that lady who did the prancercise exercise, which is called funky Punky prancercise program.  What?  That girl stole my name?

Regardless, Dad keeps telling me I do not have automobile consciousness…whatever that means. Parent’s can be so frustrating and they need to get over themselves.

Well that is the update, oh yeah I forgot it rained pretty hard 2 nights ago and that was cool because I tracked mud into the house. Love the mud and enjoy it so much more when I can play chase in the house leaving my prints everywhere…they call that a weimcrime in my town.  Regardless we REALLY needed the rain since we’ve had NO rain.

Today’s temp is a moderate 68 degrees in Santa Monica and don’t forget to vote in the elections this Tuesday it is your Constitutional Right?

News Report from Santa Monica

IMG_9552Hello People!

What a crazy week and boy am I glad it is over. So many things happened and I want to share it all so I will try to be brief.

The weather in Santa Monica was so hot, it broke records and it made me crazy. I am blessed that I have no hair compared to other canines but this was even a bit much for me.

It was especially challenging this week because I had to spend extra time at my club while the parentals worked away. Little did they know I just lounged and did not exert myself too much until I got home, and then expected Dad to play with me.

It’s mostly Mom’s fault since she had to do a Motivational Interviewing Workshop in Long Beach for Memorial Care and Dad went with her so I was at my club for 11 hours and that made me crazy. I let Dad know once we got into the house by running and grabbing him to come outside and play.

On a serious note the Boles fire in Weed California this last week was very sad and lots of people lost their homes, churches, and businesses.  I know I am narcissistic so my little whines are nothing compared to these people’s tragedies. Please continue to pray for the victims and donate to help. They have nothing left but it is a strong community and they will endure.

However, that brings us to this weekend, which was totally awesome. There was a moment of time out as I was not as perfect as I should be.

The parental units are now recipe testing, and you know what that means? Yeah to more scooby snacks! I get way excited when I see food come into the house.

This weekend was really fun because cousin Barbara came over to help and she brought me a gift from “Mama Tooter.” But before I could have my gift I got into trouble because I chewed on the cousin’s purse while she had it on. Come on she was not giving me sufficient attention and I was selfish. I did get a long time out so I guess I had better be on my bestest behavior the next time she comes.

IMG_9617But, then I got let out and was good and got my cool gift. And guess what it was? My very own handmade afghan made with love. I know it is the bomb because I heard the parental units admire the color and wanted it for themselves, especially since I always steal the one that was made for them.

Rest assured that was not going to happen as I took control of the situation. I would not let them even help me untie it. I took off and ran around the yard with it in my mouth for a while so they would know not to take it away.

Also, my little buddy Zade came over to hang out today. I just love him…he has that new baby smell still …maybe I will even share my blankie with him, but that remains to be seen.  I’m a bit jealous since the parentals got asked to be his godparents but I guess I’ll have to get over myself since it means I will have a little playmate as he gets older.

OK, stay out of trouble or at least don’t get caught like I did.

Love,

Perry the Troublemaker

Perry Patrol

photoYou know I am all about a good laugh. Seriously though, I work the parentals until they break and end up laughing. OK, Dad is much easier to do this with especially during our standoffs. He tries to stare me down and ends up laughing because I am a comic at heart. Here I am at one of our standoffs yesterday in the yard. I have enough ego strength to see how regal I’m looking, so I shared this SELFIE

Of course I am not nearly as good as the late Joan Rivers who passed this last week but I do try and be fashionable and make people laugh. RIP, late red carpet lady…

As for news in general we have been clearing the clutter, cleaning out drawers and closets. Even though it is not spring time we are trying to purge and donate stuff we do not need. Dad is always saying to his clients they need to do a mass purge before 65. I do not quite understand that because no one in this house is even close to that age, especially me in dog years.

I have been so good that I got to the office a few times last week. It is exciting to go in and see the interns and clients. However, I do get a little bored and want to go when there is not enough people coming and going. Dad said it is a goal to stay there for more then 4 hours so I’m working up to that.

Something really cool happened on Friday – the washing machine broke and poured tons of water out on the kitchen floor. It was awesome because I made muddy dog prints all over the floor while Dad was trying to clean up the mess. At one point I wanted to play tug of war with the wet towels and that went over like a lead balloon.

OK, I need to get back to the weekend and starring down my favorite friend and squirrel PITA . The days are becoming shorter which means less summer fun but it is a pleasant 82 degrees in Santa Monica.

Peace,

Punky

72 Hours of CRAZINESS…

photo-3Hello People!

As always I love reporting to you the good, challenging and odd things that I encounter, and here is a report of the last 72 hours of my life.

On Thursday Dad picked me up late from my club and we got home around 6:30.  Of course I was STARVING, but then again I am always hunger, so nothing new here.

For the next 3 hours it was phone calls and problem solving because a transmitter had a problem in our neighborhood and it blew out everything – and that is not even an exaggeration.

photo-2The circuit box was blown, the cable box got fried, other appliances in our home were damaged beyond repair and even the outlets needed fixing. It was so bad that people lost large appliances, and smoke was coming out of their outlets. That happened to us also when the electrician man came to help Dad fix our house.

The next day got even crazier: the computer man had to come, the cable people were here and the electricity man. The cable people had to come two days in a row because we had problems and were cut off from the world.

PEOPLE do you understand the severity? I was NOT able to communicate with all of my fans and that was beyond disappointing.

Finally, we had to go to the office to do some computer work. It was great because I love Mom’s office and I got to see lots of folks, but I did get a little bored as you can see from the photo.

Our associate and Mom’s fellow nutritionist friend Victoria Sonoda was there with her new baby Zade. As you can see Dad was giving that little thing much more attention than me and I admit I was more than a bit jealous. But I know I have the parental units hearts so I had to get over myself.

photoOK, hopefully there will be no more challenges as we are all spent and the holiday weekend seems more like a labor weekend. But we all must remember our most challenging day is perhaps another person’s best day.  I figured that out and dug out the advent calendar tonight and decided to take a nap from my long day.

Please continue to be thoughtful of those serving in the world for our freedom.

Peace!

Punky

PS – it’s been quite warm in Santa Monica and the Weather Weimaraner reports 80 degrees today. Please pray for rain as we are in a drought and soon my yard will be completely brown.

From Morning Squirrels to Wedding Photos

perry_bride_grmHello People!

Yep it was a challenging start today!

It started off on the wrong side of the bed as Dad put it. My little nemesis PITA the squirrel got me all wound up first thing. The parentals were snoozing away and I heard him calling me from outside the window. He just continued to screech which made me agitated and I knew that I needed to get outside without parental interference. You know there was no way Dad would let me chase PITA and bark at 5:45 AM on a Sunday.

I kept my cool, waited and pretended I needed to go outside. I worked the Mom angle by nosing her and getting her to let me go outside. She loves me so she obliged and I took off jumping 3 steps and the PITA race was on. It was full on barking and I knew I was going to get screamed at but who cares when you can wreak havoc in the backyard before the sun is fully out.

Don’t get too excited folks as Dad came flying out the back door, robe flying open and whispering “stop it,” kind of like that Bob Newhart video Mom shows at all her Motivational Interviewing trainings. If you haven’t seen it, it’s pretty funny!

Of course, this sort of calming voice just made it worse because PITA started to scream at Dad! I was galloping to and fro dirt flying everywhere as I was chasing nature’s alarm clock on the fence.

Now let me tell you…a timeout before breakfast is not that fun. However, it was so worth it because it was all about me as usual.

After this, we all went on a walk since Dad thought it best to try to get me some exercise before his wedding shoot today. Of course it was a walk with lots of birds and squirrels and that just made me crazy hyper and Mom said, “he is off the chain.”

I heard them talk about how I needed to surround myself with healthy friends that would not cause me to get into too much trouble. Yeah right, like they can choose my friends.  Then they said maybe I needed a session with Auntie Chris about choosing safe friends who don’t taunt me.  Like canine therapy could really work? I’m not sure dogs can individuate anyway since they always need their owners for everything.

Anyway the fun was just starting because the bride and groom showed up and it was Uncle Andrew and Sonja. Of course I was banished to Mom’s office while Dad and the crew took photos.

I was irritated because I was not allowed to participate. I don’t understand why? When Dad and Andrew are shooting they let me run and hang with the guys. Now that there were flowers, cake, dress and fancy stuff I was on a tight leash.

Dad said I could be in one of the photos but I needed to pose like a Walter Wegman dog. Not happening as I was frustrated and thought I would do it my way. As you can see by the attached photo – sitting pretty was not happening since lying in the dirt is more my style.

Remember folks I am a country dog and beat to my own drum.  And by the way – the heat wave is gone thank goodness. It’s still pretty warm here but today it’s a beautiful sunny 73 degrees in Santa Monica! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

Perry

The Country Does Me Good

photo-2So I had a fabulous time in the country – after all, I really am a country dog at heart although I live in the city. I got to RUN and RUN and RUN and it did my heart good, especially since the parentals were a bit tired after their trip. I’ll never get heart disease, although it is rampant in our country.

I made sure Mom gave me my fish oil this week since I had been missing it. I love the Carlson lemon flavor and love to lick it off the spoon. It gives my coat that great shine and ensures I’ll be free of Alzheimer’s disease, and lubricates my joints to help avoid hip dysplasia, which is common in my breed.

Dad is a bit cranky as he is has lots of papers and projects to finish in his last 4 weeks of school so he can graduate with his degree in photography to help with all our books.

Mom is crazy busy with her Motivational Interviewing trainings and had 2 this past week. I wonder whether her participants get treats like I do when I get trained?

I’ve been a bit disappointed as no new recipes to sample this week although Mom gave me a good portion of cheese while she was cutting up some for her afternoon snack.

We all missed the heat wave last week thank goodness and it is a crisp sunny 68 degrees in Santa Monica today. I have to admit we do have the best weather, although the drought here is getting serious. I think my relatives back east should share their water supply.

Peace till next week!

Perry

I’m in Training to be a Service Dog

photoI’m not all that happy.  There are clothes and suitcases flying everywhere and the land of Perry is being disrupted.  Mom is going to a Menopause conference which does not sound fun AT ALL – who in the world would want to go to conference about ladies having hot flashes and gaining weight?  Somehow she’s excited about it since there are going to people from all over the world talking about Women’s Health.  I think she should go to a conference about Canine Health – right?

Remember it’s all about ME!!

Speaking of ME I was playing a little too hard with the puppies at daycare – they are my favorite since the older dogs are old stick in the muds, and got an owie on my underside.  Dad has been a bit concerned but I should be fine.  I am excited since I get to go to the country again for a few days while Mom is gone and run with the horses.  Santa Monica is fine but not enough land here for my long legs that need running and stretching.  I would be thrilled if I could run a marathon every day since that is what my legs were built for.

Dad says that’s not an option since I would cost him too much food.  He doesn’t ever let me run or walk as fast as I want to on our walks – I think he should learn to run like me but he says his legs were not built for it.  We all know who is the better species here, do we not?

I was happy I got to go the office a few times this week (remember I’m in “training” to be a service dog so one day I can go to work with Mom) and I actually got to help her put away her food for lunches in her little refrigerator.  I was VERY good and got to have my favorite treat – a few squares of cheese.  Remember that is one of my favorite foods besides peanut butter, pumpkin, broccoli, and apples.  I guess that’s why I have such a great physique – all that fresh healthy food.  I supposed I could eat processed food but then my coat wouldn’t shine and I wouldn’t be able to outsmart the parentals as much as I already do.

Anyway, although we had a LITTLE bit of rain this week, it is still a drought and of course a beautiful 68 degrees in Santa Monica.

Until next week people – Perry wishing you a Peaceful Spring!

Easter Egg Hunt for Perry

photo-4Hello People!

It’s been a whirlwind week with Dad being gone every day and ME being tired of daycare. I do like my friends there but sometimes I just like to hang out at home and this was NOT an option this week.

I tried one day to hide in my crate and Dad was not going for it – he said I wouldn’t like being at home all day by myself, which was actually not quite right.

I would LOVE to be at home all day by myself but I believe the parentals think I would get into too much trouble – I have been called a troublemaker at times. I’m not sure exactly what that is but I think it’s something close to me being curious and exploring everything in the house. I keep reminding them that curiosity is a sign of intelligence.

photo-3Mom had another Motivational Interviewing training yesterday and this time I got to help with set-up, which was VERY fun. I even got to go say goodbye to the participants yesterday which was great fun given all the loves, hugs and pets I got.

Before Mom left for the workshop she was packing her lunch and cut up a little bag of cheese which is one of my FAVORITE foods. Rather than my usual thievery I decided on a different plan and took the bag to her while she was brushing her teeth in the bathroom.  I plopped it down in front of her and thought she would give me some for bringing it to her.

I’m not sure why but she wasn’t all that thrilled and took the cheese and was out the door.

photo-2Today was great fun in that I finally had my first Easter egg hunt. Mom took me to the front of the house while the Bunny  was hiding the big Easter eggs. When they brought me outside I wasn’t quite sure what to do but with a little help I found this to be quite lucrative and you know what that means? SNACKS! There were quite a few snacks in each egg so once I found one I was keen on finding the others.  As you can see I finally found the one in the pot and then moved onto the one in the bush.

I was a little disappointed there were not more but Dad said I’d had enough snacks for one day. I think he is just referring to himself since he’s the one trying to lose weight. Since I’m insulin sensitive I can eat most anything I want and stay trim.

photoAnd the best part was I got to crunch the eggs after I ate the snacks – crunching plastic is my favorite, which drives Dad crazy. I’ve been trying to quit crunching the pens I steal and have only crunched one or two this month so I guess that’s celebration for improvement, right?

Oh – I almost forgot it is a beautiful sunny 70 degree Easter Sunday in Santa Monica.

Later people!

Perry

Hartnell Wear and Spring Fitness

photo-2I’ve had a bump in my traffic fans this week and that makes me VERY happy!  It’s been another action packed week in Casa de Perry.

Mom finally got me to take a picture with my first ever made just for me outfit by Hanna Hartnell.  I love to wear it at night since it keeps me snuggly and warm but Mom said she needed me to go in the backyard for a picture – I’m not too happy about taking this picture as you see since I wanted to stay in the chair all warm.  However, it is a sunny, crisp 65 degrees in Santa Monica today so I have nothing to complain about.

Dad was very busy this morning getting ready for class and he was NOT paying enough attention to me so I decided to steal one of each of his shoes as you can see – that made him late for class and he had to run after me to get his transportation back again.  Hopefully that will make him realize that even though he has been taking me on multiple walks per day I still need my backyard playtime.

IMG-20140405-00074Speaking of walks, we broke our 10,000 steps per day this week since Dad is really trying to get fit.  I could easily go for 20,000 so I’m not sure why he’s so excited about that.

The most fun I had this week was when I got to meet my first ever 5 pound baby at Harvest Home.  I was so good Mom let me go again with her this week and we all got to drink some green tea.  Although I don’t drink it Mom says it’s loaded with an antioxidant called EGCG, which helps lower cholesterol, and risk of heart disease and cancer.  I’m not sure what those are exactly but I guess they are not great for the health so maybe she’ll give me some green tea in my water this week.

The baby was a boy who had LOTS of hair and curls and I so wanted to lick its face but Mom just let me look at him.  It’s not fair that he’s only 2 weeks old with all that hair and I’m 2 years and practically bald – what’s that about?

So until next week folks.  Remember although spring is here, summer is coming so it’s time to get in shape so you can all keep up with me!

Later people!