Clean socks

I think it was a sapling cut off an inch off the ground when Mom and Dad had the backyard landscaped that scraped the skin under my carpal paw. Don't get me wrong. I love the new back yard. The patio pavers soak in the sun's warmth and are fun to sleep on on a cool autumn day. The deck is off the ground high enough I can survey my entire territory, spotting bunnies  in the woods, turkeys daring to perch on the fence or those sneaky squirrels leaping from pine to pine.

My blood doesn't clot well so I tend to bleed and the smell made me want to lick. Mom says, "Don't lick." But I can't leave a wound alone.

I licked every time Mom wasn't looking.

Boy, that was a mistake. She knew I licked because the little scrape bled and the blood dropped on the floor, on the carpet and on my bed. Mom took a clean sock and wrapped it around my leg for a bandage, then wrapped the sock in duck tape. I knew I could get that sock off. All I had to do was wait until Mom was out of the room. 

Mom isn't the alpha for nothing. She had a second sock. She pulled a second sock over my foot and up my leg and wrapped another length of duck tape around my leg. She pulled the top of the sock down over top of the duck tape and put on a third round of duck tape. Even I couldn't chew through all that.

The bandage worked. My carpal paw healed. Of course, as soon as Mom decided I didn't need the bandage anymore and took off the socks I started licking and reopened the wound. That got me a new bandage.

Mom checked with the vet. If your alpha wants to protect a wound on your paw with socks the important thing is to make sure the wound doesn't get wet and the duck tape shouldn't be too tight. If your foot gets cool, then the duck tape is too tight. The duck tape doesn't have to be very tight though with three rounds of duck tape.

Socks can prevent licking for those times you just can't resist the urge.

Learning not to bark at dogs on a walk

I've been testing Mom just to see if she's a bit tired of being boss. So far, she doesn't seem ready to give up the role. I keep her on her toes though. For instance, when we go on a walk and I see another dog, I wait for her reaction. When she stands there watching the dog I know one of us has to act, so I step in and start barking.

Mom tells me, "Quiet."

But I keep barking because by the time she says anything I'm so focused on the other dog I think maybe the dog will come over to play. After all, I'm barking as loud as I can. I drop into my play stance. Mom took a Control Unleashed class. She will watch and say, "See that?"

Well, duh. Of course I see that, why else would I be barking like a mad dog? She tries to walk away, but I'm so sure I can get this other dog's attention if only I growl so I plant my paws on the sidewalk and put all my strength into holding my position in case the other dog comes over to play.

Okay, let me tell you, growling is not a good idea. People stare. The owner of the dog I'm barking at runs off and Mom takes me to the car and the walk is over.

Now that is not my idea of fun. Apparently Mom feels the same way. The last few weeks she takes me on walks, but as soon as I see something exciting she changes direction! She talks to me and has me start working. You know the routine. Sit. Stand. Down. Stay. Touch. That sort of thing.

All the time I just know the dog behind me is probably leaving the scene. I try to look back to make sure the other dog isn't coming my way for a friendly sniff, but Mom gives me something else to do and distracts me. It is getting to the point where I don't much see the point of barking at all. Mom is just not interested in these other dogs.

Mom seems happy that I'm more focused these days on her than the other dogs, but it doesn't take an Australian Sheepdog brain to realize not one dog has ever given me a treat for barking and Mom clicks and treats with CHEESE when I sit quietly and watch the other dogs go by.

Mom says I'm developing discipline, but I think I've found a new way to get cheese snacks.