Chores

This morning, Mike was grumbling about having to go grocery shopping.  He said he wished he didn't have to do chores on his days off work.  Yeah, well.  Me, too.

I commented that Isaac likes doing his chores.  Which is true.  Unless you count getting your toenails cut or getting a bath as a chore.  He loves doing laundry, though.  He loves turning on lights for me.  He loves picking up things for me.  He loves bringing me my medication.

He also loves going to the store.  As I explained to Mike, a trip to the store involves a ride in the car, which Isaac loves, the opportunity to pee on a new bush or post before going into the store, the chance to sniff lots of interesting things in the store, and then a second car ride.  What's not to like?  Of course, when Mike goes to the store, he doesn't get to pee on a new bush, but otherwise...

Anyway.  I then added that a trip to store typically involves a few treats for Isaac, as a reward for doing something or other well.  I suggested Mike get a few cookies, break them into bite-sized pieces, and carry them in his pocket.  Then he can reward himself periodically as he does the shopping.  I think he thought I was kidding, but I think it would really work for him.  How about you?

Toys Stuffed with Treats

That green thing used to have a squeaky thing in it.  Isaac ripped it out, naturally.  So I put a crunchy doggie treat in it, wrapped in some cloth scraps, and sewed it shut.  It's driving him crazy, trying to get to the treat.  I'm sure he'll get it out soon, but in the meantime, he's having fun and letting me type!

Notice how he's lying on his beheaded bear while he's chewing on the green thing?  I think it's so cute when he can't decide what he wants to play with and lies on one or more toys while playing with another.

Are You Training that Dog?

I get asked this question a lot.  I guess people assume I must be training a service dog for someone else since I don't look disabled.  I don't get asked that question every time I go somewhere with Isaac, but I bet I do at least half the time.  Probably closer to 75% of the time.  It gets annoying.

The conversation usually goes something like this.

Random Stranger:  Are you training that dog?

Me:  Nope.  He's already trained.

Random Stranger (looking confused):  Oh.  Um... is he your dog then?

Me:  Yes.

Random Stranger:  Oh.  But is he a service dog?

Me:  Yes.

Random Stranger:  He's your service dog?

Me:  Yes.

Random Stranger:  Oh.  Well... what kind of dog is he?

Me:  He's a yellow lab.

Random Stranger:  I meant what kind of service dog.  Like what does he do?

Me (sighing):  He helps me.

Random Stranger:  Oh... well... but how?

Me:  Come on, Isaac.  Time to go!

Seriously.  At least 50% of the time when I go to the grocery store or the library or the thrift store or Applebee's, I have this conversation with a stranger.

I understand people are curious.  But I get tired of it.  Wouldn't you?

Entertaining Your Dog

Does your dog ever seem bored?  Isaac sure does.  Here are some fun activities for entertaining your dog.  Rather, they are things you can give your dog to entertain himself.  Isaac likes them all, and I like them, too, because as much fun as I have with Isaac, sometimes I need to get some work done, or write on this blog, or just relax in front of the television.

• Stuffed toys.  Things like Kongs and Nylabones can be filled with peanut butter, cheese spread, yogurt, or other spreads.  Your dog will spend a long time trying to lick it all out.  Kongs can also be stuffed with treats or pieces of hotdogs.  
• Stuffed socks.  Isaac loves these and they are easy to make.  Take an old sock and stuff it with stuffing (I reuse stuffing that Isaac pulls out of stuffed animals) or scraps of cloth.  Put a crunchy treat or two in the middle.  Then tie the end of the sock closed.  Watch your dog go crazy trying to get the treat out.  You can also stuff crunchy treats into stuffed animals and sew them shut; I do that sometimes after Isaac rips open a stuff toy (which he does regularly).
• Squeaky toys.  Not all dogs like these, but many do.  Since they squeak when chewed, they give your dog feedback that provides entertainment without your involvement.
• Puzzle balls.  These toys are typically balls, but may be other shapes, too.  They have little holes in them and you fill them with treats.  Your dog has to figure out how to roll them around to get the treats to fall out.  Isaac had one and loved it but eventually chewed a hole in it.  I need to buy him another.  He used to bring it to me every morning after he finished eating breakfast, wanting me to fill it for him.  The bigger the treats, the harder it will be for your dog to get them out.  Make sure they aren't too big, though; occasionally I made that mistake and Isaac could not get them out at all and finally he would bring the ball to me, wanting me to get them out for him, which was no easy task.
• Hide the treats.  Hide some doggie treats around the room.  You can tell your dog to sit and stay while you hide them so he sees where you are putting them or you can put him in another room so he can't see where you put the treats.  To make the game easier, let your dog watch you hide them and put them in easy-to-reach places.  To make it harder, don't let him watch you hide the treats and put them in harder-to-get-to places.  Isaac loves this game, but even when he watches me hide them, he tends to forget where I put them all.  He can remember two or three but then gets confused.  However, he will happily spend a very long time searching.
• Hide the toy.  Hide your dog's favorite toy and let him search for it.  If you hide something like a Kong stuffed with peanut butter or hotdogs, he'll be entertained twice as long.  To get your dog to search for a hidden toy, you can teach him the name of the toy and then tell him, "Find the Kong!"  You can also let him see you hide it, then try to distract him for a few minutes, then let him go and see if he remembers to look for it.  If you stuff it with something like hotdogs, he'll probably smell it and start searching frantically without being told to do so; Isaac can smell a hotdog from anywhere in the house.

He Killed the Squeaky Head

Isaac finally destroyed his squeaky head toy.  I rescued the squeaker out of it before he chewed that to bits so I could put it in something else.  I ended up putting it in his tiger's butt.

Yep.  In the tiger's butt.  Isaac has a stuffed tiger that he's had for a couple weeks and has not yet destroyed for some reason.  Stuffed animals usually last him less than one day.  He pulled off the tiger's tail, but that's all.  So I stuck the squeaker in the tiger's butt and sewed it shut.

Isaac loves it.  It took him about two minutes to figure out exactly where to bite it to make it squeak.