Everything was going smoothly until a large puppy got off his leash and came sprinting across the room towards me. I don't get along with this guy since he plays too rough and has about zero doggy manners. We got into a little brawl and it took 3 people to separate us. He's one dude I DO NOT give play bows to. Neither of us were injured and I got over the incident in about 0.3 seconds and was on the lookout for cheesiness again, but I gave him warning growls any time he got too close or too focused on me. Not cool, man! His owner needs to learn to keep distance between us.
Later in the week, we had another slight sizzle incident when mom was cooking in a pan. I ran into the office to hide but this time my folks were on the lookout for my spookiness and scaredy-cat-ness. They came jumping towards my hiding spot squeaking toys and patting my bum... and you know this beast can't resist a party! I was out of there in no time thrashing the stuffy with all my might and doing growly, smack-down play bows to Big Pupi. I totally forgot about the sizzle monster and followed them back to the kitchen to make sure they didn't want me to do any taste tests. Dad said I was Good Boy but I didn't get to eat the feast so I don't really believe him.
Since the weather is getting warmer (read: 36 degrees) we've been working on our marathon training and getting our mileage back up so we're in shape for our summer morning 4 mile fast hunts. Right now Pupi and I can do 2.5 miles pretty well, but we've got to keep working hard so we can race like beasts again. Running is just about our FAVORITE thing in the world to do! Heck, I might even leave a bowl of goat meatiness behind if I see my running leash! (Maybe...) We headed out on Tuesday for a good solid run and it turned out to be more of a mud sprint since all the snow is melting and the city is becoming a gooey mess. I've never felt like such a beast before! I was dripping from ears to dewclaws with mud and city yuck. Check out Big Pupi's once white legs:
The following day, because it's too hard on our bodies to run hard every day until we're in tip-top shape, mom took me on an obedience walk to the bark park. I was about 70% Good Boy on the way there. We had the park all to ourselves so it was all about doing Good Boy tricks and that's when I realized that mom had PORKY MEATINESS in her pocket!! She found a whole container of pancetta at the grocery store for $1 and boy-oh-boy is that motivation!! That was like the holy grail of treat feasts for me. I did Down Stays at the park like a pro, and did Good Boy Come every single time. On our walk home we kept doing exercises that mom called "escaped Stanislaw prevention" and kept letting me get ahead of her on the leash then calling me to Come! back to her. For pancetta? YOU BET!
I was walking like such a Good Boy until a bunch of skateboarding male humans came out of nowhere and started doing tricks and smashing about. I was SO SCARED I thought I was going to weeble on myself. This is NOT what an anxiety-ridden dog needs. One of the skateboards got away from its human, and mom asked if I could sniff it since it scared me. Very tentatively I approached the noisy moving thing, jolted back and forth a bit, but got close enough to touch it. The boy human pet me and I got so excited that I jumped onto the skateboard and it flew out from under me and scared me again. How was I to know that those things are naughty beasts that like to run away?
I was a little jostled on the way home but we made it okay. It took me a block or two to calm down and focus again, but I did well. I used to get so shaken by these types of things that I wouldn't be able to calm down until I was home for a while. So I guess that's another step in the right direction!
That's all typing I have time for now. Nappies are calling my name. Dewclaws are crossed we get to run later today. I need to get manly and filthy again!
Happy feasting fellow beasties.
Stanislaw
***
Health note from Big Pupi:
Pancetta is a very fatty meat and we do not recommend it as a treat for everyone - especially if you have weight problems or are prone to pancreatitis. Stanislaw and I are very lean and very active boys so the extra fat and calories don't hurt us... as long as it is in moderation. Fatty meats and cheeses are the ultimate treat for us and we get very tiny crumbles only when we must perform in very distracting situations. Otherwise, when our job to be Good Boy is a little easier, we stick to the healthy stuff like flakes of dehydrated lean meats.
That being said, sliced light string cheese makes for the ultimate training treat! If we're learning new tricks at home (as we are now) that makes for a delicious high protein, low fat snack and we go nutty for it! Mmmmm!
**an important note**
I've got an important tidbit to add, which I have to thank my buddy Frisbee Fenway for~
We tend to write big on this blog. We speak of feasts like they are banquets but in reality everything we eat is portioned out and kept in check. Sure, we get treats and we dine on rich meats like lamb and pork on occasion, but it's all balanced with good lean beef and turkey and lots of exercise. We tend to exaggerate the extent of our feasting because to us any meal of raw meatiness is AMAZING and worthy of MUCH recognition. But, in truth an hour's worth of training only earns us each a 1/2 to 2/3 of a piece of string cheese because it's chopped into such tiny bits. But it doesn't stop us from working our bums off for it!
So feast hard folks. Feast healthy and take the rich stuff in moderation. We want you all around for a long, long time.
We tend to write big on this blog. We speak of feasts like they are banquets but in reality everything we eat is portioned out and kept in check. Sure, we get treats and we dine on rich meats like lamb and pork on occasion, but it's all balanced with good lean beef and turkey and lots of exercise. We tend to exaggerate the extent of our feasting because to us any meal of raw meatiness is AMAZING and worthy of MUCH recognition. But, in truth an hour's worth of training only earns us each a 1/2 to 2/3 of a piece of string cheese because it's chopped into such tiny bits. But it doesn't stop us from working our bums off for it!
So feast hard folks. Feast healthy and take the rich stuff in moderation. We want you all around for a long, long time.