Updates

Are you feeling down and blue??  Go paint a room.  Seriously, I have done few things in my life that makes everything better by changing so much and so little at the same time.  We love the color.  It's one shade lighter than the current master bedroom (for those who have been here before) but in a different room.  It was a lot more work than I thought, but really, not that bad.  I'm sore today, but I think that's because I'm carrying around another living creature and not because painting is difficult.  Dave is going to pry open the windows (painted shut apparently for years) and then we're going to move in there this weekend.  I'm psyched to move in and I'm psyched to paint the other rooms too.  We only needed only gallon of paint, although Frank from Eastway Paints recommended two. I think that says more about the size of our house than Frank's knowledge.  So if anyone wants a terra cotta colored room, give us a call!  At least we know for the othre two rooms that we only need 1 gallon and the sample quart we used to test the color. 

Good Quiet!!

We've been working with Patches on a few of his remaining issues.  First, we left a snappy trainer in my bathroom trash can for a couple of weeks to try to prevent him from grabbing whatever he could find in there and taking it to his special chew place. Q-tips, tissue paper and masses of broken curls are not our ideas of decorating accessories.    He was finally "caught" and surprised by the snappy trainer and now averts his eyes from the trash car whenever he goes in my bathroom.  Our trainer says eye aversion means that he's controlling himself by keeping the temptation out of sight.

We've also have had an issue with him chasing the kitties out of the bedroom at night.  So we've been having him Park It! and then putting the hamper/basket at the end of his bed.  This small barrier keeps him from chasing the cats around.  It's a step back from when he graduated from the puppy gate at the end of his bed, but I don't think we can trust his jealousy of the cats right now.

The real problem though has been his barking.  Our good neighbors next door have told us that if a UPS truck goes by, Patches gets  a wee bit hysterical and barks for 30 minutes.  They have learned that by using our command "PATCHES, QUIET!" shouted from their front porch he stops barking.  Grrreat.  We didn't know Patches was barking that much while we were gone during the day.  But I guess it takes a village to stop a collie barking. 

The real problem we've noticed is that when our neighbor dude comes to take out the garbage, Patches loses it.  He does his crazy bark.  He turns in circles.  He runs through the house with an excited moan like a crazed gossip spying on the neighbors. Last week, I caught him in the act. However, the regular "QUIETs!" didn't work.  I had to shake the can of pennies.  He hates that sound; it scares him.  But he stopped barking.  The thing is that after he stops, I have to praise him immensely for his "Good Quiet!  Good Quiet!  What a good dog doing a Good Quiet!"  I pet him and he snuggles between my legs and he doesn't bark. 

Yesterday, I heard the hysterical barking again and I knew the neighborhood dude was here. I ran out of the house and shouted QUIET! Patches tried very hard not to bark.  But a few kept escaping and he was still running in circles.  One more Quiet and picking up the can (but not shaking it) and Patches stopped.  I could see in his eyes that he wanted nothing more than to bark, but he was massively controlling himself.  I shouted out some instructions to our neighbor that it was right and good for him to tell Patches to Quiet! when he started barking, and that we didn't want him barking.  And then I commenced to giving that dog all the attention and praise I could for his Good Quiet!  Patches was so proud of himself for not barking and so happy that I was recognizing it.  He wagged.  He cuddled. He knew he was controlling himself to do the right thing.   I was so proud of him I even gave him a real bone we bought at PetSmart.  The sad thing is that I almost forgot to praise him after he stopped barking and started controlling himself.  It's hard to remember that for dogs when they Drop it!  Leave it!  or Quiet! which are all "bad" activities we're trying to stop, you have to praise them for doing it.  They did the right thing by doing the behavior that we just asked.

Final note, most of you don't know how loud my voice is.  I like to say it carries well.  But really, I'm just loud.  We never told the neighbors about Quiet!  They just hear us (me) shouting it.  It's gotten to the point that most of the time (except for the neighbor dude), as the alpha bitch of this house, when I hear Patches bark outside, I can shout QUIET! from any room inside the house and Patches will stop barking.  I've told Dave about this, but being the loyal good husband, he didn't believe me.  Last night, I'm painting and Patches is barking outside.  PATCHES!  QUIET!!! The barking stops immediately and Patches comes inside to see what's up.  Dave looks at me and says "Wow." 

8:34:34 AM