Whatever I Feel Like

Grace has been especially destructive the past few days. I think I might start keeping a running tally of the monetary value of the damages. Then again, that might be a bad idea that makes me want to harm her. It might be better if I let these things slip from my mind in time.

Just to give you an idea, though, since Saturday, Grace has ruined a pair of Børn shoes, a nice pair of headphones, a wicker trash basket and another pair of shoes that were thankfully from Payless. And those shoes were too big and I needed to get rid of them, anyway, so she did me a favor. But, still. I really hate this chewing phase! I don’t think I blogged the mess she made last week when the bathroom that is off of the laundry room she stays in all day was left open. The carnage from that can be found on Flickr.

Man, it’s a good thing she’s cute.

There have been some developments with Grace this week, and I know you’re all waiting with baited breath to hear about them!

First is – she appears to be outgrowing her evening nap. We have had this dog on a pretty tight schedule since we brought her home – it’s served us all well. Every night from 7-9, like clockwork, she would take a nap. This week, though? No nap. I’m reminded of when the kids cut out their afternoon nap when they were toddlers. It was a sad day, indeed. The trade-off is that she is going to bed earlier, usually falling asleep around 9-10 each night.

The next thing is something we’ve decided to impose. No more getting on the couch without being invited. She is getting entirely too big to just come running up as she feels like it. We’ve actually been hurt by her getting all riled up and rushing the couch right into one of us. Not fun. So, she’s learning the command, “OFF!” I do believe this is her least favorite command, by far. I mean, with Sit, Down, and Speak she got treats afterwards. Now we’re all, “OFF!” with no love provided afterwards. Poor Grace.

We also have some rituals that we go through every day with Grace. For instance, every night when I’m making my dinner, I chop up some raw vegetables. Grace gets some potato, cucumber, red pepper and carrot slices on a regular basis. It’s funny how much she loves her veggies.

This concludes your Gracie update. :-)

[tags]Grace, Chocolate Lab, Chocolate Labrador Retriever[/tags]

Grace has had a rough week, behavior-wise. Her puppy-ness is really rearing its head. I know it’s normal. She is, after all, only 4 months old. She was just so good for so long, that I think it’s taken us by surprise. We have to make sure the whole house is entirely puppy-proof and even still, we need to keep an eye on her or know where she is pretty much at all times. It’s draining. What’s even more frustrating is the lack of help from Connor and Aric.

I’ve noticed that her antics have really started wearing on everyone in the house’s nerves and I’m starting to feel sorry for her now. I know a lot of the problem can be alleviated if my attitude and expectations change. My efforts at patience and tolerance need to be re-doubled, that’s all. And I’ve decided to shower her with lots of extra love and attention in hopes that her behaviors will correct themselves. There’s nothing a little love, patience and tolerance can’t fix, right?

Here’s me and my Gracie-girl this morning, after a morning love session. And when I say love, I don’t mean ~love~, you sickos!

[tags]Grace, Chocolate Lab, Chocolate Labrador Retriever, Labrador Retriever, puppies[/tags]