Day 13: Snaggletooth

Yesterday, we noticed that one of Casey's canine teeth was at an odd angle. It was sticking out of her mouth and was quite humorous looking. Obviously, it was extremely loose and today iit came out. I assume she swallowed it since I never found it, which is a shame since I am sure the doggie tooth fairy would have made a visit tonight. What puppy wouldn't want to find a tasty bone under their pillow in the morning?

I also took her out today for some more leash training. Needless to say, it was a LONG walk to the bus stop! Everytime she pulled on the leash, I would stop, tell her to “heel” and wait until she stood next to me with slack in the leash. Let me tell you, there was a LOT of starting and stopping! But, I am seeing some improvement. She seems a little less aggressive and more willing to wait for me. We did not end up using the reverse direction method when she pulled because she didn't really care which way we were headed. She was pulling in either direction! Apparently, speed trumps destination in the puppy's focused mind.

With regard to housebreaking, we had a little setback today. She had two wet accidents and one poop!! She had not pooped in the house in several days so that was a curious event. Hopefully, this was a one time thing and not indicative of a true relapse in her training. Nothing is quite as refreshing as doggie poo simmering on the porch carpet on a 90 degree day! Gah...

One strange thing she has done a couple times in the evening is attack her dog bed—like it is the vilest of prey. Tonight she frantically scratched, growled and bit at her bed. She looked like she could use a good ol' run outside with “rope” (her knotted rope toy), so we went out for a bit. It was still warm but much more comfortable than earlier today. She ran hard for about 15 minutes, trying to avoid us as we grabbed at her rope as she flew by. She was rewarded with a cool drink of water--despite it being a little late for liquids. She was thirsty and tired. And as they say, "A tired puppy is a good puppy"...and a good puppy leaves her bed in one piece!