Toys & Sharing

Ugh, I hate to share. Is anyone with me on this? I mean, come on. If I have a toy, and my sister really wants it, too, then I just can't give it up...right? I just don't understand sharing. Well, ok, let me be clear. I can share, but only if it is the only way to get my sister to play. For example, I will happily share an end of a tug toy with her, with the understanding we are just going to pull as hard as we can!

However, if she tries to take a prized chew toy from me, she better listen. I give her some of the best "back-off" signals, and MOST of the time, she listens. Sometimes, she won't tolerate my sassiness, and then I might be more deliberate with my signals. My "back-off" signals include: getting very tense, watching her out of the corner of my eye ("whale" eye), moving the toy away from her, tongue flicking (my tongue quickly flicks out and back in my mouth), and possibly showing my teeth ("tooth display"). If she persists, she's going to see more teeth and potentially a high-pitched bark and a snap. Isn't language cool? Oftentimes, I will also get pretty tense if Mom or Dad touches me when I have a fun resource. They usually tell me to "drop it," though, and I'm very polite with letting them have it.

Here is a video Mom took of me "guarding" my toy:

Wow, this is a pretty serious entry! Since Mom recently got this on video, figured I might explain myself :). Other than this, I've been having a LOT of fun with the cold weather! I really enjoyed the few days of the HEAT WAVE, but then it got cold and snowy, and I just love that, too!

Oh, and did I mention Cymry and I destroyed a toy over the weekend? Here is a great photo!:

Wow, we are such hunters! I'm surprised Mom believes we couldn't catch any wildlife. I'm certain I could be a ferocious huntress. Right?

Well, that's all for now! I'll write again soon!

**JIS**

Warmer Weather + Playtimes

Holy moly!!! It's W-A-R-M!!! Mom took us out for a lovely run/walk today, and boy, am I excited for the higher temperatures. It means: (1) more SQUIRRELS, (2) being outside more, and (3) meeting more people! Oh my goodness, I'm so excited.

Ok, I'm going to try to see past this. I wanted to show you a video of my sister and I playing...

Notice how fast and noisy we are? That's pretty typical of us. Mom usually says you need to keep an eye on the faster movements in play, as it can escalate quickly. However, you see I'm often in a "play-bow" (butt high in air, forelegs parallel to floor/ground). This usually signals "play." You can also see our bodies are fairly relaxed, and we are bouncing around pretty dramatically. All good signs that things are flowing well. But still, Mom is watching us, and she does ask us to take breaks frequently. She will simply say, "Ok, that's enough. Go lay down." We break up our play, then go rest for a bit. After a few minutes, we start up our game again! Oh boy, I just LOVE to play!

Ok well, I gotta go! Just wanted to stop in and say HI! :)

**JIS**

Work with Mom and Learning

HAPPY FEBRUARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom said the groundhog isn't very nice, and I'm trying to decide if I agree. It sounds like there will be 6 more weeks of winter, and that kinda sounds nice! I really like the snow! But, on the other hand, it's a lot of fun to chase squirrels on warmer days. Huh, what a mind-bending decision - do I like summer or winter more?

Anywho! On to easier thoughts. Mom took me to work the other day...ALL BY MYSELF! No big sister to hover over me! Well, I got to see a lot of my best friends, and then, I needed a NAP:

I'm ridiculous. Just about as soon as I laid down for this nap, one of my friends arrived to say HI to me! I immediately leapt up, and really tried to maintain a Sit. Eventually, I just got too excited, and I did act a bit naughty (I jumped on her - yikes!). Mom quickly called me away from my friend, and we tried the greeting (this time, in a polite way) again. Oh, Mom!

Later that night, I got to find out WHY I went to work with Mom. I was going to a fun class! I got to see MORE of my best friends (doggy and human), and I even made NEW ones!!!

I just had the BEST time. I am working on my roll-over skill, and slowly but surely, I'm catching on! I'll probably "get" it by summer - that will be FUN to show off!!

Oh, crap! Gotta run...Mom is about to make dinner, and I have to supervise :)...

**JIS**

Shelters and Husky Woofs

Oh my goodness, what an interesting week! I must say, it was pretty fun. I got to go out for runs and walks with Cymry and Mom, and you know, it wasn't TOO cold. This week, though, isn't looking good for getting lots of outdoor time. Man, I wish Mom had a fur coat like me. She'd be able to withstand colder temps. Bummer. Oh well! I'll just plan to bug my sister more!

When I say "bug," I literally mean I'm going to woof at her until she stops being lazy. She's so BORING, and I want to PLAY! For example, check out this footage (Mom caught me in the act of being a pest):

Mom and Dad think I'm very special when I woof like this. Not to sound like a big shot or anything, but I'm pretty darn cute. ;-)

OH, and the BEST thing! I got to go to work with Mom last week, and we went to a doggy class to LEARN. Mom's training company, Teacher's Pet Training, offers group classes to the shelter's dogs and volunteers. How cool is THAT?! Since I'm a shelter alumni, I had to be on my best behavior and really wow those volunteers. And boy, did I impress! Here's a fun photo from the class (I'm on the left!):

You should check out Teacher's Pet Training's Facebook page for more cool photos. Mom posts them all the time! It's so fun to see all the great things we get to do in class!

Well, I gotta run - Mom is about to get us out some puzzle toys...I'm excited to try and get my kibble out of that tough toy. Cymry always gets it in a few minutes...I don't understand why it takes me an hour!!

**JIS**

Mondays, Runs, & Naps

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what a week! I've had a lot of fun. Last week, we started back on our regular running routine...now that it's warmer outside :). It was so GREAT to see my friends for our run...FUN!

Today, Mom took us out for a run. What a lovely day to be outside! Snow, snow, SNOW!! Gosh, I just love that white, fluffy stuff. Sometimes, I get so excited that I start running too fast. Since it's been kinda icy out, Mom usually says, "Jisa, slow down." She says it very calmly, and I just know I need to be careful, not just for my sake, but hers! See, humans can be sorta clumsy. She's really scared me a few times by falling down! It took me awhile to get what "slow down" means.

What Mom did to help me is to first teach me to match her speed. If she started to slow down, I looked back at her, as in "What are you DOING, Mom?" She immediately said YES (oh boy!!!!) and fed me a treat. Oh boy!!! Then, she'd start speeding up again, and as I kept up (on a loose leash, of course), she'd offer me my marker word and, sometimes, a tasty treat! Eventually, she'd start saying "Slow down" right before she started to change her speed. So easy!

Whew, that's a lot of running and learning! Two of my favorite things :). You know what else I love? Snuggling on the couch with Mom for a nap! Proof:

Well, I'm off to finish up my day. Hope you have a fabulous week!!! Mine is sure to be exciting...

**JIS**

FREEDOM and Friends

UGH!!!!!!!!!!! I never thought I'd be complaining about the cold. BUT, since it was...what did Mom say..."below zero," we couldn't go out for our regular runs and walks for a few days. It was terrible! I thought I was going to explode with ENERGY!!!

Mom did a great job keeping my energy in check, though...here are some ideas for helping an energetic doggy out:
1. KONGS!!! Feed breakfast and dinner in puzzle toys. YUMMY and challenging!! Mom really makes me think for my food.
2. TRAINING!!! I just love when Mom uses my kibble for easy training. She's so smart! And, it makes me smarter, too!
3. JUMPING!!! Set up a couple chairs, and then use a broom to create a jump. Oh man, it's so much fun! Mom made a video of this a while back: http://youtu.be/YR7v5hUcVMs
4. PLAY!!! Throw a tennis ball, wrestle with a tug toy, inside playdates with friends, and more! There are so many ACTIVITIES we can do inside!!

Speaking of playdates with friends...one of my best friends stayed over the last week or so. His name is Buddy, and BOY, is he FUN! We play so much when he visits, and he even goes out on runs with us! I love hanging out with him. Here's a cute photo of us (we are in the middle of playing):

Well, better go! Mom is calling us for our walk, and I don't want to miss that!!!! I'm so glad it got warmer - I feel so FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I missed the outdoors!!

**JIS**

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Wow, another year! I'm so excited for this upcoming year...I mean, 2013 was pretty awesome (re: read yesterday's post), but I am sure this year will be even better!

Mom and Dad are setting goals for this year, and I thought I'd do it, too! Here is a (short) list of my current 2014 goals:
1. Chase more squirrels, rabbits, etc.
2. Go for more runs with my friends.
3. Snuggle with my Mom & Dad more.
4. Visit Grandma, Grandpa, & Giant...A LOT!!!
5. Schedule frequent playtimes with my BFFs (Brianne, Payton, Fin, Pepper, Kaepo, etc).
6. Learn "Roll-over" and "High 5."
7. Meet new doggy and human friends!
8. Go hiking...A LOT!!!
9. Be more polite when I greet humans (this one is TOUGH!).
10. SHOW PEOPLE HOW MUCH I LOVE LIFE!!!

Of course, I also want to add more exercise each day. This is what I want to look like more often:

(I just finished playing with toys, duh.)

I'll keep you posted on my goal progress! Hope you are all enjoying this SPLENDID day off...maybe in the snow?

**JIS**