Mischief, food & cuteness

Apologies for the strange format & lack of eloquence of this blog post, Molly didn't have enough energy to help me write lots of paragraphs today.

Since my last update I've got up to lots of mischief as usual. Here are a few examples:

- Molly's dad recently had a head injury. He's fine but I've had fun running round the house with his bandages in my mouth.

- I 'helped' Molly's dad when he switched a couple of mattresses.

- I still hate having my harness put on before walks so one day I evaded Molly's mum for half an hour when she wanted to take me out!

- When Molly's younger brother took me on a walk one evening he let me off the lead because he knew there were no other dogs around. But I found an interesting scent so followed it into a field & then ignored his recall attempts before ambling back in my own time & expecting food as a reward!

- On that same walk I decided I didn't like the dog in one of the village pubs so made sure everyone knew it. Apparently I'm no longer welcome in there, oops!

- I turned the TV downstairs on one morning for company.

- I wound Molly's dad up by insisting on playing with him when he wasn't in the mood.

- I tried (yet again) to play with Molly's mum's knitting & when she took it away from me I stole the band off the ball of yarn & chewed it up.

- I chewed up the foam earpiece covers on Molly's younger brother's earphones.

- I was very noisy when I was shut downstairs while Molly's dad cleaned her bedroom floor (apparently he didn't want my 'help') & again when I was shut out of the way of the supermarket delivery man (& accidentally woke Mollly's dad with my barking, oops!). Humph!
- Molly's parents bought some squashes & decided to store them up the stairs. I've had great fun rolling them down the stairs & around the kitchen floor. Sorry for the poor quality of these photos but you get the idea!

I also had fun playing with my flirt pole again.

Lots of things this week seem to have been related to food!

- Regarding the bird we mentioned in my last update, I left the skull on the living room carpet as a present for the people I live with. Luckily Molly's younger brother found it & he wasn't fazed.

- When a neighbour brought some cake round I demonstrated my excellent self control by sitting at her feet & showing her my cute puppy eyes. It didn't work but then when Molly's dad ate a slice he dropped crumbs on the carpet so I cleaned them up.

- I followed the postman down the drive in the hope that he'd give me more biscuits. He didn't.

- And when Molly's mum was topping up the chicken's food I helped myself to a mouthful. Yum!

Molly says I'm very cute so here are a few examples:

- I've got a lovely new collar. Although Mollly hasn't managed to get a good photo of me modelling it yet.

- I still sleep on Molly's bed quite frequently but sometimes I now sleep on the side nearest the wall so if anyone is going to fall out it'll be Molly, not me!

- When Molly had to shuffle to the bathroom on her bottom I was very concerned about her because I know humans are supposed to walk upright on two legs. I kept a very close eye on her & barely left her side til she was safely back in bed.

And finally here are a few photos of me:
 

Finding my own evening meal

A couple of days ago I was sick on Molly's duvet during the night. I was completely fine in myself though so she wasn't worried & knows it's just one of those things. She's never cross at me when that happens.

I was sick again this evening & Molly was really sympathetic - until she realised why! I'd eaten a bird! I didn't think Molly would know but apparently the fleathers all over the carpet & in my beard were a give away. She's not sure though if I found it dead or injured or killed it myself. She said I'm a dog, not a cat, but I'm not sure what that means. Miniature schnauzers were bred to catch rats & I'm a carnivore so it's only natural.

When I was left home alone yesterday Molly's mum didn't make a very good job of "Toto-proofing". She very kindly left a paper bag full of knitting patterns & magazines on the floor for me to play with. That was fun!

Today Molly did too good a job of "Toto-proofing" & didn't leave me anything fun to play with. Humph!

I slept in my own bed downstairs for a couple of hours this afternoon which is a rare occurrence. Usually though I sleep on Molly's bed. She tried a new mattress last night so I had to test it too.

I must go now, it's about an hour & a half since I had my tea & Molly's dad is home from work so that must mean it's nearly time for walkies! Hopefully he'll take me to chase rabbits tonight.

Having fun & plenty of cuddles

Sorry it's been a while since we last updated. This is going to be another bullet pointed post, I hope you don't mind.

- Molly hasn't had chance to go out with me again but hopes she soon have the energy to start teaching me to walk nicely with the scooter. I always pull on the lead & although it's just about manageable if the person who's walking me is on foot, it's a bit more problematic if Molly is on her scooter. So she says we need to work on that.

- When Molly went out once on her scooter without me I waited really well while she put a temporary ramp up to get it over the step out the front door. There weren't any distractions outside though.

- On that trip out Molly got barked at by another miniature schnauzer who was scared of her scooter. That made her realise just how good I am with it!

- I still hate my harness being put on so Molly's dad decided to try to make it more appealing to me, hence everyone else laughing at him crawling around with my harness on his head.

- I went to the groomers again. I really like it there & was well behaved while they cut some big knots out of my beard.

- I was a bit calmer when one of Molly's friends, who I see regularly, came round.

- The supermarket delivery man bought me a packet of food bags to play with. Apologies for the poor quality of these photos but Molly wasn't the photographer & I wouldn't stay still due to my excitement!

Once they were confiscated I discovered a big packet of toilet rolls on the stairs so tried to drag them around. Unfortunately they made quite a noise so Molly worked out what I was up to! After that I entertained myself with stealing a pair of knickers, playing with some sandpaper & attempting to chew the lead of a pair of headphones!

- I still give very enthusiastic welcomes when anyone comes home & cry at the door if someone I want to play with goes out - regardless of who else is left in the house!

- If Molly "Toto-proof"s the house properly before leaving me alone I don't chew anything up.
- I've been driving everyone mad by watching out the window & barking to try to scare away people who are at the other end of the street!

- I was very put out when I discovered someone had closed the curtains so I couldn't watch out the window.

Luckily Molly's mum made a gap for me to look out through.

- Molly & I showed her mum how I understand "Where's Mouse?" as long as there are no other toys nearby for me to get confused with. She was very impressed.

- I won't let Molly's mum knit in peace - I prefer to play with her!

- I accidentally scratched Molly's face when I got a bit too excited & jumped on her in bed.

- I've actually slept in my bed (downstairs) for very short periods during the evening.

- I've become even more cuddly.

One evening I curled up alongside Molly's arm & one morning she woke up with my head just a couple of inches from hers & my paw in her face!

- I've discovered a danger of sleeping on Molly's bed - if either of us wriggles too much I fall off! I think Molly needs a bigger bed.

- I'm getting better at getting "off"' Molly's bed at night when she needs to change position or rearrange her bedding & wait patiently on the floor til I'm allowed back up. Unfortunately though I no longer understand/don't respond to (Molly isn't sure which it is) the command "up" or any similar commands or gestures to get me back up on the bed!

Molly's new scooter

This morning I was bored so had to make my own entertainment. First Molly found me shredding the post. I was chewing up my second piece of junk mail but luckily she stopped me before I chewed up her mum's theatre tickets. Then I played with a pair of Molly's dad's denim shorts & after they were confiscated I started helping myself to used tissues from a bin & pulling them apart, hehe!

To tire me out Molly got the flirt pole out & attached Skunk to the end. I was so excited! We played with that in the garden for about 5 minutes until Skunk's label ripped so he detached from the bungee cord.

After that I spent a few hours dozing in the sun on Molly's parents' bed before doing lots of barking when various delivery men came to the door.

One of the deliveries was Molly's mobility scooter! I was very intrigued when it was being put together, especially when Molly put some pieces of my food on it to make me more comfortable with it. That worked - not that I was scared in the first place!

This afternoon when Molly's dad took me out Molly came with us too! I wasn't fazed by her scooter at all & just took it in my stride. I enjoyed showing her how I chase rabbits & despite still being hit & miss with my recall I did listen when Molly called me back from running to greet some other dogs.

Here are a couple of photos:

Being loved & bad beard days

When the supermarket delivery man came last week I was upstairs with Molly & her dad so they put the door to & started to distract me with food to keep me out of the way. But then we heard that the delivery man missed seeing me so I was allowed to go downstairs & say hello. Everyone loves me!

After my groom a few weeks ago Molly was really happy with the result but noticed that my beard was still knotted. This has got worse (because I like to explore by sticking my nose in everything) but I won't cooperate enough to let Molly work the knots out so I'm going back to the groomers next week to see what they can do.

One night when I was asleep on Molly's bed I heard the front door so ran downstairs excitedly to find out who had come round to see me. When I saw it was just Molly's younger brother I huffed at him & ran back upstairs to reclaim my warm spot on Molly's bed.

The last few times I've been left home alone Molly has been more thorough in her 'Toto proofing' so I haven't been able to get hold of anything I shouldn't. I did help myself to a letter off the washstand one morning (I wasn't home alone but Molly's mum was in the shower & everyone else was still in bed) though which I shredded. I don't think it was important. Molly's dad said that I still have some of my puppy behaviours but then Molly pointed out that I never did this as a young puppy! Hehe!

I was well behaved when we had visitors this morning, including a child. I did lots of barking to start with because I was trying to protect Molly but I also wanted to investigate the new people. I quickly calmed down & they thought I was lovely.

Last time we promised you some more photos so here are a few:

Close escapes, play & being nosey

I've had lots of excitement over the last few days. At the weekend I ate a vitamin supplement capsule (designed for humans) which made Molly panic but after some research she realised I'd be fine. She did keep a close eye on me just in case though.

Talking of being fine, I had a lucky escape today when Molly's laptop nearly squashed me! Molly says I'm exaggerating but I'm not!

I found a big spider in the living room one evening so had great fun chasing it & playing with it. I didn't eat it though.

One morning Molly's dad saw me greet the postman for the first time. He thought I'd run out the door but I just wanted a biscuit which I swallowed without chewing in the hope I'd get another one. I didn't. Molly said I make her laugh because my barking makes it sound like I'm trying to scare the postman off but in fact I love him - & yes, food does play a part in that.

I'm still not great with my commands. Last night I refused to move "off" Molly's bed after stealing her seat when she nipped to the toilet. After asking me twice she picked me up & put me on the floor, then asked me to "wait" while she got into bed. I did that but then when she invited me "up" to join her I refused - until she sat forward to sort her covers out, at which point I stole her space again. Hehe!

I 'helped' Molly's dad when he had to sort some sockets & extension leads out under her bed. I thought he was on the floor to play with me so kept jumping on his head & trying to lick his face. Apparently I just got in the way!

I also thought everyone was playing with me when Molly, her mum & dad all sat down in her room to watch TV. Apparently I was a bit of a nuisance, whoops! I know they love me really despite what they may say ;)

To stop me annoying Molly's mum when she was trying to read one evening me & Molly had great fun playing together. I love it when she has enough energy to play with me, even if it's just for a few minutes. She thought we'd made some progress on giving up toys to play fetch one evening but as soon as we start to get anywhere I get bored & lose interest!

Molly says I'm just too nosey. I like to explore everything but when other people are at home they tend to stop me. BUT when I'm home alone I can do as I please! So last time I was on my own I helped myself to an empty envelope off the desk & shredded it all over the floor. I also found a pair of denim shorts on a chair so had fun dragging them round the house. Molly thought she'd 'Toto proofed' the house before she went out but clearly she hadn't done a very good job!

One day I stole a toilet roll (who put it on top of the radiator especially for me to play with?!) out of the bathroom despite lots of the family being around. It was soon confiscated - not fair!

I've continued to have lots of fun walks with Molly's parents (including lots of rabbit chasing with Molly's dad) & they both took me out for a walk together at the weekend which I enjoyed. Molly hasn't managed to take me out recently though.

Apologies for the lack of photos in this post, hopefully we'll have some to share next time.

Growth

The photo on the left is of me aged 3 weeks old, the photo in the middle was taken when I was 3 months old & the photo on the right is from today, now I'm a year old. You can see how much I've grown. If you click on the collage you can see it a bit bigger.

My birthday!

Happy birthday to me

Happy birthday to me

Happy birthday dear Toto

Happy birthday to me!

I'm 1 year old today!

Molly was planning to sort out a few key photos of me from the last year to illustrate just how much I've grown & changed but she's not had chance (due to being poorly & medical appts) so that's still to come.

Molly's dad cooked me some pigeon today. Yum yum. Here's a photo of me drinking the water it had been cooked in!

Molly insisted on washing my beard after that. Humph!

This evening I had a brilliant time chasing rabbits on my walk with Molly's dad. Molly's younger brother came with us too.

"Up", "off" & looking out the window

Molly says she's so glad I'm small enough (just) for her to pick up & move when I'm being stubborn & won't move of my own accord. Sometimes this happens when we're out on walks but now I've discovered I like sleeping on Molly's bed it happens there too. Apparently it's fine if I sleep at the bottom or side of the bed but sometimes I fall asleep in the middle, leaving no room for Molly. When this happens she picks me up & moves me out the way. Humph!

I'm still very hit & miss with the commands "up" & "off" furniture but Molly got a pleasant surprise when she asked me to move "off" her bed one night & despite being sleepy I did jump off! She then sat up & moved forward slightly to swap her duvet for a sheet so I jumped back on the bed behind her & made myself comfy just below her pillow. Hehe!

Another night I really impressed Molly by listening to her well. When she nipped to the toilet I moved from the bottom of the bed to where she'd been lying. When she returned she wanted her space back so gestured & said "off" (twice because the first time I just moved to the edge of the bed but didn't actually get off) & I jumped off the bed. Then I sat on the floor & listened to her asking me to "wait" while she got comfy & then she said "up" so I rejoined her on the bed. She tried again the next night & after being asked to get "off" twice I only got as far as the edge of the bed so she picked me up & put me on the floor. I didn't want to leave the comfy bed! I've also sat on the floor waiting for Molly to invite me back up on to the bed but ignored her "up" commands. We did some more trainig with "up" & "off" in relation to Molly's bed & I was rewarded with liver cake! She said it still needs some work though.

We forgot to mention in the last post that Molly's younger brother did some training with me. That was fun & I was able to show him how clever I am (when food is on offer!).

Molly's parents watched one of our training sessions & found it very funny when each time I was on the floor & Molly asked me to do a "down" I had to jump up beside her on the sofa & then lay down, rather than just doing it where I was. They were puzzled as to why I do that but if Molly is sitting on the sofa & I'm lying on the floor then she might not be able to get my food reward to my mouth & I can't risk that!

One afternoon the washing on the line caught on the gate of the chicken enclosure & it opened. Molly's mum shut it before I had chance to get in but now I know there's an entrance there! So far I've tried burrowing underneath (my head fits but the rest of me doesn't!) & pulling up the undergrowth to make the gap bigger. I'm determined that I will get in because I think I could be great friends with the chickens.

I've discovered that if I climb onto the back of one of the chairs in the living room I can jump from there on to a cabinet under the window which I can stand on top of & look outside! The first time I was trying to find Molly's dad who was working on his car across the road with a neighbour but I've done it a couple more times since then when I'm home on my own.

When I was home alone one morning I discovered a label from a yoghurt pot on top of the cabinet which had obviously been left there for me to play with.

I've continued to enjoy socialising with the postman, supermarket delivery man, a neighbour, Molly's older brother & Molly's aunt & her partner when they all came round (to see me, I think). I was even given a piece of tripe when the neighbour came round but Molly said that was to distract me because I was being a nuisance. Oops!

Molly has now run out of my favourite liver cake but as she was getting towards the end she discovered lots of crumbs so sprinkled them on the lawn for me. I had great fun finding every little crumb, yum yum!