Wiki the Weimaraner

New Pic Link

2010-06-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

Blogger has been giving me trouble whenever I try to upload pictures. However, my dad got a new camera and was testing it out on Wiki. He got some good shots and I wanted to share. If you would like to see them, they are toward the end of this album on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2001762&id=71700864&l=ed12bba60f.

Lime Disease

2010-06-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Wiki has caused me to develop lime disease. Not lyme disease. As many people know, Wiki likes to play ball with various kinds of fruit in the backyard: lemons, limes, apples, etc. The other day she got some citrusy slobber all over my leg. I went and rinsed it off in the pool and thought nothing of it. Then, this weird rash-like thing started popping up on my leg, but it wasn't bothering me, so I ignored it. A couple days later, I woke up and the "rash" was spreading all over my leg, looking more swollen, and hurting like hell. It turns out the lime juice and the sun caused a pretty severe skin reaction. It's not pretty, but it deserved documentation. This is also very much a warning for anyone who gets citrus juice on their skin: Go wash it off thoroughly!!!
Here is a picture of part of my leg almost a week after the lime juice contact:

Paw Injury

2010-05-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

Wiki has been a little bit accident prone lately. Last week, she tripped outside and got a gash in her paw. She's had stitches and a bandage all week, the bandage bothering her more than the the injury itself. With every day that passes, she gets better and better at removing the bandage. This means that I also have to get better on putting the bandages on. Above are some photos of her paw and bandages. She has had green dinosaurs, pink hearts, and bright orange bandages. We avoided the bumblebee ones because she's afraid of bugs.

Wiki and her cousin Sophie at Coronado Beach

2010-04-05T12:13:00.001-07:00

You can check out more pictures of our trip to the beach on Facebook, where I have the joy of batch uploading.

Wiki's New Sweater

2010-03-31T14:50:00.000-07:00

My grandma made Wiki this fabulous new sweater. We can't wait to go somewhere cold to try it out!

Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie...

2010-03-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

...Or more pictures of sleepy puppies, because they are the cutest kind.

Happy First Birthday!!!

2010-03-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

Quick Pic Update

2010-02-23T15:55:00.000-08:00

What, you think toys grow on trees or something?

2010-02-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

....Yes.

Wiki's favorite toys right now are growing on trees in my backyard. She loves playing ball with lemons and limes. When they start breaking open, she plays bobbing for citrus in the pool and pond to wash off the yucky juice flavor, and then wants them thrown some more.

Kids and dogs always make you wonder why you buy fancy toys when the little, inexpensive stuff is even more fun.

Weim-a-Squirrel

2010-02-04T08:41:00.001-08:00

Wiki and I are hanging out in the back yard. She is currently wandering around and digging up some rock, putting bits of wood in there, then covering the hole back up by nudging the rock with her nose...and then doing it again elsewhere...

I don't really get it, but it's pretty funny to watch. Maybe she is saving it to play with later?

Sleepy Puppy

2010-02-02T09:10:00.001-08:00

Wiki tried to stay up past her bedtime last night while I attempted to watch some Monday night tv...which is also past my bedtime. I made it, she didn't.

November of the Soul

2010-01-31T15:30:00.001-08:00

I'm going to attempt a return to my non-puppy blog, called November of the Soul. It is less cute, but hopefully slightly more intellectually stimulating. Feel free to check it out!

Wikidiction

2010-01-25T12:35:00.000-08:00

My dad got profiled for his work on WikiAnswers...and dog Wiki got a little shout out :)

Hiking and Chilling

2009-12-15T16:28:00.000-08:00

Hiking Pics of the Week

2009-11-15T17:50:00.001-08:00

(As always, photos shamelessly stolen from Connie)

Hiking Runyon with Connie, Obie, Wiki, and Lacey

2009-11-08T18:23:00.001-08:00

LONG hike today with friends and pups. We got Runyon pretty well covered and went on some trails that I'm pretty sure are not meant to be trails. It was a lot of fun, even if I'll be hurting tomorrow. Any day in which Wiki is tired is a good day, no matter how sore I may be after!

Photos stolen from Connie who is kind enough to take pictures while I'm busy huffing and puffing.

P.S. We were very pleased to see a handful of other weims hiking today. Maybe someday Wiki can make a weim friend! My pup is no breed-ist, though, she paid the same amount of attention to the dogs who looked liked like her as she did any others she encountered...and she loves to play with doggies of all kinds :)

Giant puppy

2009-10-23T20:39:00.001-07:00

Just need to take a moment to reflect on the fact that Wiki once looked like this:

She still tries to cuddle in my lap, but it doesn't work quite as well.

My mommy starves me

2009-10-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

Wiki is pretty much always hungry, even though I feed her way more than it seems like I should have to feed. (She's still skinny, and she's SO active, so I figure she can have it as long as she isn't bloating or getting fat.) She likes to tell me how hungry she is by pawing at her food canister, digging and chewing at her crate, and then pulling everything out of her crate. This morning she didn't eat all her breakfast right away and I almost had a panic attack, but in general things usually look something like this....

Apples

2009-10-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Wikie loves apples. Food and toy all in one...what's not to love?

Of toys and kitty cats

2009-10-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

Kongs

2009-10-17T18:53:00.001-07:00

I'm ready to start serving all of Wiki's food in a kong. Takes her more than five seconds to eat things that way, which gives me a few moments of peace and quiet. Freezing up plain yogurt and pumpkin puree makes up a nice combo. Kibble and veggies also works nicely. Peanut butter, frozen or not, is always great. Tried a little bit of apple sauce once and it made a mess. Would like to try oatmeal and cream cheese at some point, too (not together). Other kong ideas appreciated :)

Halloween

2009-10-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

My grandmother sent me this Halloween card, and I'm pretty sure it is one of the best cards I've ever received! It makes me smile, so thought I would scan and share :)

Hiking Runyon

2009-10-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

Wiki and I have started going hiking (off leash) on Sunday mornings with our new human and doggie friends. We absolutely love it and it is going to get both of us in shape. And, it actually gets Wiki tired...an amazing feat. Photos of our first hike are posted--thanks to Connie, the very best hiking buddy!

In other news....

2009-10-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

Wiki got microchipped this week.
She is almost done with her beginning agility class and is doing very well!
Tomorrow (super early) we are going on our second off-leash hike. This will hopefully tire her out for the day so that I can nap and rest.

Jumping Bean

2009-10-03T19:00:00.001-07:00

My dog is seriously insane. She has just discovered that she can jump really really high. And apparently thinks that it is a lot of fun. She jumped onto my picnic table to try to steal cheese and crackers. Then she jumped on my desk to try to steal clothes. Seriously?? At first, I was cracking up. But now everything I own is in danger and it seems a little less funny....I swear, a weim will always find a way to get into trouble!

Addendum: she just opened my screen door slider by herself...
Glad we're going hiking and gonna tire her out tomorrow.

First excursion to outside restaurant and the beach

2009-09-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

Trip to Laguna Beach with Wiki, my parents, my brother, and his girlfriend.

Wiki loved hanging outside the place we went for lunch--she ate lots of french fries and pizza crusts and got tons of attention from people passing by. She did an AMAZING job all day with all the attention she received from new people and with other dogs walking by. Wiki was a little nervous about the waves of the ocean coming up at her, but once I ran into the water with her, she had a good time.

Wiki Photo Shoot

2009-09-18T21:43:00.001-07:00

Canine-Feline Peace

2009-09-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

Wiki got a bath today (and was NOT happy about it). She then curled up on top of me for a nap. She was shivering, so I covered her with a blanket. Then the kitty thought it looked comfy, so she came on over and joined in on the nap. They both slept peacefully together, on top of my legs, for a while. Was so cute, I had to take a picture...but then the noise of Photo Booth woke Wiki up from her curled up slumber, and resulted in an ever cuter pic :P

loldogs

2009-09-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

These made me very happy...but I can't believe there aren't more!
http://ihasahotdog.com/tag/weimaraner/

She keeps getting bigger and bigger...

2009-09-08T12:50:00.001-07:00

Picture Update

2009-08-18T20:50:00.001-07:00

It has come to my attention that I haven't posted pictures recently enough...so here are a few. Admittedly, they are not all that recent. They have just been sitting on my camera. I'll have to take more soon because things change quickly; Wiki grew 5 lbs in the last week alone!

Spaying

2009-08-18T20:14:00.001-07:00

My baby girl is home from being spayed. She's being a pretty good little patient still; mostly out of it. Still enough presence of mind to pester me to want to go sniff outside and try to steal my socks, but mostly keeping her confined and laying down.

It was my first day without Wiki since I've had her, and tonight will be the first time in months that I will sleep without her in my bed....so sad! Good prep for both of us, though, since I will be in Vegas from Thursday to Monday. Hopefully Wiki will be a good pup and take her meds for her grandma and grandpa while they watch her.

Then the trick is going to be keeping her calm and dry until stitches come out! After that, though, we'll get to go start doing fun stuff like agility classes and dog parks/beaches. Lots to look forward to--just have to get through the next two weeks of recuperation.

Ear Checkup

2009-08-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

We went back to the vet today for an ear checkup. Wiki was soo nervous. She was spazzing out a bit as we went in and some kid tried to pet her, which agitated her more. Thankfully the kid had a good parent who explained that you always need to ask before petting other people's dogs and that Wiki was scared...

Her ears are mostly better. No debris on the outer part, just a little in the deeper part of the ear, so we're just going to keep an eye on it for now. Next week she goes back to get spayed and then hopefully that will be the end of it for a while.

Wiki was so excited to go back home that she actually jumped into the car. (Normally I have to lift her up quite forcefully.)

A Tired Weim...

2009-08-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

I know everybody says a tired weim is a good weim, but it's really really true. This morning Wiki and I went on a walk for about 45 mins. In the early afternoon she went swimming with Echo and Hunter (her first swim this week...she was very happy). For the rest of the afternoon, she conked out hardcore. It was fantastic because I was behind on work and needed to meet a 6pm deadline. She slept; I wrote. All was good!

Last night was a similar story. Wiki kept pulling weim attention seeking kleptomania, stealing things she knew I would go take away from her. (She has a spot that she runs to when she has something she's not supposed to; even if I don't see her doing the stealing, I know to look when she goes to that place.) I stopped working to do some training for about 15 mins and then she promptly fell fast asleep; I even had to wake her up to go do her ear drops (which she is getting a bit more cooperative about--either getting used to it or ears aren't bothering her as much or both).

Love sleepy puppies!! Oh, and I love sleepy kitties, too. Rennie has just decided to start using her cat house again. I was starting to think about getting rid of it; she must have known and decided to protest by hanging out in there all the time.

Why won't she play with me?

2009-07-30T15:42:00.001-07:00

Wiki tries unsuccessfully to get Rennie to play with her all the time. It is generally hilarious to watch. Wiki pulls out every trick in her book...bowing and barking and dancing in circles....and Rennie shows no interest. When Rennie gets annoyed enough to try to bat Wiki away, instead of getting scared, Wiki seems to think...great she's finally getting the hang of this...and then Rennie ignores her again.

Today Wiki brought Rennie her favorite toy, the water wubba, and tried to get her to play. I ran back into my room and got the camera so that I could share just a tidbit of it.

Ear Infection

2009-07-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

Wiki went to the vet today for pre-surgical exam since she is getting spayed in a few weeks. They discovered an ear infection there, so she's going to be getting ear drops twice a day for the next week...sure she's going to love that. The vet and I talked a lot about food stuff because he said that yeast infections are almost always food related, but I'm hesitant to go changing her diet right away since I know how much swimming she does...seems likely to me that I just need to dry her ears out better when she gets out of the water. We shall see, though. Most importantly right now we'll just focus on getting them all better! Have to go back for a checkup in two weeks, and then she'll be spayed the week after that.

Teething and Miscellaneous, Continued

2009-07-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

My poor girl just lost one of her lower canines and has the adult one coming in. Gums are all swollen and I know they must be hurting her. She's been pretty sleepy, so I'm guessing it must be because that makes her not feel too great. Lots of ice cubes and chew toys help her get through, but it's not fun.

Of course, none of this stops her from going crazy with pool time--gotta get lots of wubba catching in! Her first water wubba is pretty trashed. I just went and bought her a new one, and we had some out-of-state guests visiting this week who were kind enough to buy her a squeaky wubba. She also has a snuga wubba from when she came home, so my baby is about as wubba-ed up as she can get.

She also got her rabies shot today; expecting that might make her feel a little off, too. She's going in for a vet app next week and then setting up a spay appt for around her around the time she turns 6 months. Not gonna be a happy camper with all that, but it has to get done. I'll probably have a harder time with it than her.

In semi non-Wiki news, I might be starting an internship assisting with dog training for some local obedience classes. Trying it out this week and we'll see how it goes :)

Eye Color

2009-07-15T12:43:00.001-07:00

Wiki's eyes are changing color and it is very cool to watch. The ring of yellow gets a little bigger each day, it seems. Her mom's apparently didn't change until about 9 months, but I guess Wiki is getting a head start.

The Stolen Food Hypothesis

2009-07-10T09:08:00.001-07:00

I keep asking Wiki why it is that she steals my food even though I don't eat hers. (She snatched a slice of pizza practically out of my mouth the other day.)

I think I've been looking at it the wrong way...perhaps ALL the food in the world is hers, and every time I eat any of it, I am stealing. Just perhaps I should be thankful I get anything to eat at all :P

Dogs 101

2009-07-09T22:17:00.001-07:00

Good, short clip on Weimaraners

Oh so helpful...

2009-07-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

I sleep on a pull out couch. This is generally what it looks like when I am trying to take the bed out or put it away. Wiki is very cooperative...

Learning to Catch

2009-07-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

Wiki is great at fetching, but lately we have been working on catching. She's getting much better (especially when I throw decently). Both fetching and catching result in lots of keep away and tugging, but she loves it and will eventually stop if I draw the line. (This is good, because she is both stronger and faster than I am.)

Guard Dog

2009-07-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

Wiki is a great guard dog. We've been having some work done in the backyard lately and she has spent a lot of time staring outside, supervising, and barking. She lets me know that somebody is out there before I have a chance to see them. I'm guessing that she would protect me if need be, but thankfully she hasn't shown any aggression...just makes lots of noise.

Teething

2009-06-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

Poor little baby girl is losing her puppy teeth and not feeling good :( She's been trying to devour my hands, so got her some ice cubes instead and now she's wolfing those down instead. Freezing up some bread for her to munch on later.

She's also had a bad reaction to some ear cleaner, so her ears are very sensitive today, and we will not be using that stuff again. Feel so bad that she's so uncomfortable!

She wants to go play outside, but it is so hot, and I don't want her to get her ears back in the water quite yet, so going to try to keep her entertained inside for now....

Wiki Goes Swimming

2009-06-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

Note: I suggest watching videos without volume as my parents were talking in the background.

Wiki went swimming all by herself today for the very first time. She went in with some help from Grandpa for a little bit, and then with the incentive of a Water Wubba, she started doing some real swimming. She is not delicate about it. LOTS of splashing! But she is very brave and has a good time. Now that she has gotten lots of practice, and can probably outswim me, she is one pooped out little puppy.

(In other news, she also lost a baby tooth and looks to be on the verge of losing some more.)

Father's Day Picnic

2009-06-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

Wiki went to my family's annual father's day picnic/multiple birthday celebration. We stuck her on a long lead and let her roam around, play ball, run the park, sneak some bits of hamburger and hotdog...she was a pretty happy camper. Next time we just have to figure out how to get her to understand the frisbee. Here are a couple shots my dad took:

Fruit

2009-06-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

We have lots of fruit trees in the backyard. Wiki is particularly fond of apples, but she'll eat pretty much anything she can find. Here, she tries a nectarine for the first time. Of course she has to carry it underneath me for protection. Wouldn't want any big hungry bears to come steal the fruit away.

In Memory of Stick

2009-06-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

Wiki found the greatest stick ever in the backyard. A few days later, she snapped in half. But before that, we got a lot of good fetch out of that stick.

Post-Bath Exhaustion

2009-06-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

Wiki got a bath, which she does not like at all. It was her first one since the day she moved home, so definitely needed it. She looks and smells very nice without all that extra dirt! Then she ran around the house tearing up recyclables, made it up to my bed, and conked out. She's been snoring away and looking so adorable.

Wiki Stalking Hunter and Echo: Videos

2009-06-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

Wiki the Piranha Dog, Stalking Hunter and Echo: Stills

2009-06-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

Safe Place

2009-06-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

Wiki loves the couch. Apparently she thinks it is going to protect her, because she jumps on it whenever it is crate time, and she brings all her little outside treasures up to the couch for chewtime. It's pretty comfy, so I can't blame her, and look how cute she is...

Conspiracy Theories

2009-06-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

My parents are off in Hawaii this week, and I am at home with the three dogs and the cat. Apparently they are ganging up on me. Or have all been possessed by demons. I swear, I thought we were all going to have a nice relaxing week chilling out by the pool, but I have felt anything but relaxed.

Echo and Hunter have killed a frog and an opossum. (The latter involved incessant barking at about 1:00 AM.) While playing with Wiki, they knocked down a houseplant on a stand. During fireworks this weekend, they got scared and ripped up some bedding. At agility class, Hunter peed on my foot.

This morning, after I got almost no sleep, Wiki decided to try to wake me up by smacking me really hard in the eye. I felt sick, so tried to make it to the bathroom to throw up, where I woke up sometime later on the floor. I then made it back to my room, which Wiki had covered in all sorts of fun stuff in my absence, stuck her in crate, and passed out again on my bed for a short while.

Later in the day, I looked outside and saw a brown kitty. Then I realized it was my white kitty, covered in mud.

Not sure what they've got left to throw at me this week, but I would be fine with just burrowing in a hole somewhere and not finding out.

It's a damn good thing they are all so cute.

Wiki Meets Jadyn

2009-06-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

My aunt Jane came over with my cousin Jadyn today. Wiki was very scared of Jadyn at first, she had never met a baby before, but after a little while she was giving kisses and they were playing ball together...sooo cute.

Also notice the round rope toy with Mickey and Pluto on it; my grandma Sharon bought it as a present for Wiki and she absolutely loves it (even though I am really not a Mickey person).

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

2009-06-01T22:07:00.001-07:00

Tonight, I discovered that Wiki had hidden away two pairs of shoes and a pair of socks. I think she was still working on the socks to achieve symmetry when I realized what was going on and stopped her. She has since been trying to grab large mouthfuls of socks as fast as possible in hopes she will get hidden away and I won't catch her. It's so hard to be mad when she is so flipping cute.

Big Update

2009-06-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

I know I have been a bad mommy lately when it comes to updates, pics, and video. But Wiki is not a huge fan of me spending time on the computer, so I have been sticking mostly to the basics (email + facebook).

We have been pretty busy. Went to San Diego recently for my brother's college graduation. Wiki was not a fan of the car ride down, screamed most of the way, but was WAY better on the way back. I think the trip really helped her with her shyness. She was totally spoiled the entire time by lots of people who love puppies. Wiki did an amazing job in another house, no accidents the entire time, ran around with her toys and back and forth between house and yard like it was nothing. She got her first taste of barbecued chicken and would probably take that over kibble any day.

Back at home, Wiki has started sleeping in my bed every night. She is a very excellent sleeping companion. When it starts getting to be about bedtime, we crawl up on the bed and turn on the tv. Once she falls asleep, that is my cue to do the same and get as much sleep as possible (still never enough). She doesn't tend to wake me up in the night to go out, but I wake up on my own and force her out of bed to go potty quickly and return. She is so funny, though, and absolutely hates leaving the bed. I can't blame her! Then, we are up every morning at about 6:00. At that point, I do my best to let her run around and be crazy while I watch sleepily from bed until she returns for a nap about an hour or two later.

I recently started some classes again, so we have been spending a lot of our days with her wandering the yard while I do my reading. I have been trying to take her on some walks as well to ensure that she gets time with just me (minus books), and once she is done fighting about putting the collar on, she seems to really enjoy it. She has also been a really great sport about people that want to pet her and tell her how pretty she is on the walks.

Back in my room, she has discovered an excellent little endtable hideaway where she often goes to play by herself or nap. I need to make my way in there and clean it out soon....she carries all kinds of toys back there, and lately has been bringing nature inside as well. I think there are sticks and leaves and bark hidden away, which are always tons of fun to clean up.

We had a little bedroom rearrangement recently because Wiki was also spending a LARGE portion of her day pulling all my clothing off the shelves (I use a giant bookcase as a dresser). Crate has been relocated to fit in front of the botton shelves, and the pajama pants (which are her favorite to munch on) have been put where she cannot reach them. Wiki is not super happy about this arrangement, but I certainly am. (Though, it has been one of those difficult parenting things where you try to scold, but mostly can't stop laughing. Especially when she is hiding under the bed with the pants and has that naughty look that says, "I know I shouldn't be doing this, but it's SO much fun.") She has figured out how to get all her own toys out of her toy box, so I'm hoping that pulling them out one by one will keep her busy enough to focus less on pulling my pants and shirts down one by one.

Hmm what else.....Wiki saw the giant heron in our yard the other day, and I think it scared the crap out of her. I let her out for potty time at 6:30 am but noticed that she had just stopped dead in her tracks. When I walked out, I saw the huge bird and understood why. That thing is way bigger than her, not exactly a candidate for her to hunt quite yet (though she tries very unsuccessfully with the little birds). As soon as I walked outside the bird flew away, puppy and fish seemingly unharmed.

As far as training goes, we are mostly working on the same things. We have sit and down pretty much perfect. Crawl and spin are really great and consistent, too! Bow is definitely getting there. She has a pretty good recall, but we haven't really put that one to the test yet; I only say "come" in situations where I know I can enforce it if she doesn't listen because I don't ever want it to be optional. We have started adding in stay, shake, roll over, and peekaboo a little bit. We also use the commands "leave it" and "off" pretty regularly outside of training, though I can't say I have really spent a lot of time in more controlled situations making sure she knows exactly what they mean, but she's got it pretty figured out in a practical sense. Wiki will basically do anything for a treat, which makes the whole thing much easier and more fun.

I think that's pretty much the bulk of things going on here. Long winded enough as is, and I lack picture updates, which is generally all I expect people to look at, anyway. I need to get an updated weight on her soon, and I'll try to get some pics and video again in the near future. For now, Wiki has come back to bed for naptime...so I'm going to join in!

Sleepy...

2009-05-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

These pics aren't great, but thought the content was pretty cute even with the crappy photography.

Wiki had to go in her crate for a little bit to dry, and I caught her snuggling with her little monkey toy.

Later, I was watching tv, and had both my fur kids sleeping near me...Rennie on my little computer tray, and Wiki on the floor below (sometimes she runs away from me to sleep on the floor so that I will stop petting and poking at her while she is resting).

She loves sleeping on the couch, too. Pictured above sleeping sandwiched between two pillows.

Life as I Know It....

2009-05-19T10:22:00.001-07:00

...is over!!

Wiki can get up on my couch/bed all by herself now. My little girl is growing up!

Growing Like a Weed

2009-05-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

My little puppy is getting huge!! She gained 5 pounds this week, and I'd still like to put some weight on her. She is also getting much harder to carry!

Bed Time

2009-05-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

Wiki loves spending time on the big bed with her mommy! Chewing and digging at the blanket is super fun, and falling asleep isn't so bad either.

Training Progress

2009-05-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

Wiki is learning so fast, it is amazing.

She is really great about her crate, except in the morning when I am trying to get just a tiny bit more sleep while she eats breakfast. Tonight, she went in the crate to go to sleep all by herself! No accidents really in the crate. Still having a little bit of trouble with the carpet, maybe it resembles grass a little too much? Mostly she makes it outside in time and gets lot of praise, but I am also pretty paranoid about getting her out regularly. She gives me the saddest look when I force her out from the air conditioned house to the yard, but is then romping around out there happily in no time.

She is doing a "sit" without a treat, and a "down," "crawl," "spin," and "come" with treats. We are getting better and better at those and I am starting to add in "peekaboo" and "roll over" (on grass). She rolls over a lot on her own, but we seem to be struggling with doing it on command quite a bit, so I'm open to tips if anybody has any! She seems willing to do just about anything for food, which makes training pretty easy. It is also great because I am trying to get some weight on her since she is growing so fast that she always seems kind of skinny.

We have been going for a lot walks around the neighborhood. She does pretty well on her leash. Sometimes she zigzags back and forth testing the limits on both sides, but it is really just hilarious to watch. When she walks with the big dogs, she really pushes to keep up and is a great trooper. Something about walks is like a poop trigger because I swear we have not gone on one yet without her going on somebody's lawn; that one is going to have to change as she gets older :P After our walks, her favorite thing is to walk in the pool up to her neck to cool off and take a little drink. She is also learning to use the lickable water faucet in the backyard--possibly more for play than drinking, but glad she has figured it out!

As far as pool progress, she is definitely not afraid of the water itself. She walks into the pool all the time! (She also didn't seem to have any fear going outside during a little rainstorm we had.) She won't swim yet because she doesn't seem to like taking her feet off the ground, but the beach entry enables her to get a good amount of play in the water, so it is only a matter of time before she goes all the way in.

This is Wiki doing a "sit" for my dad's friend and math partner, Heather:

Getting Our Feet Wet

2009-05-09T21:57:00.001-07:00

Wiki likes to put her paws in the pool and play with the water in her mouth, but she is still too scared to go for a swim. Today, we thought the big dogs might show her the ropes, but she stayed on dry land and played with them when they emerged from the water. Still managed to tire her out, though, which is not an easy feat!

More Sleeping Pics

2009-05-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

My best Wiki pics all seem to be of her sleeping..perhaps because it is the only time she stays still long enough for a picture!

Wiki vs Kitty

2009-05-06T14:54:00.001-07:00

Wiki just got her first smack in the face from the kitty. Lesson for Wiki: Kitties do not like having their tails pawed at or or chewed on.

Rennie: 1, Wiki: 0

Playing Inside and Outside

2009-05-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

Doggy Pleasures: Sleep, Toys, Snuggles, and Paws to the Face

2009-05-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

Wiki had her vet visit on Sunday and all was well. She is very healthy, and also very shy. Everybody there thought she was adorable but she just wanted to hide in my arms. It was not too traumatizing an experience, though, because she fell asleep (snoring) on the exam table.

Since then, we've been keeping pretty busy with toys and sleep at home. Wiki spends a lot of her day snuggling with me on the couch while I attempt to get work done (and often smacks me in the face while stretching/repositioning), and then has spurts of insane hyper energy in which she pounces from one toy to the next or collects leaves in the backyard.

We're doing a little bit better with the big dogs, but it is going to take a while...and some growing. Echo and Hunter do not seem to understand how to play with a puppy; they mostly scare her by being overenthusiastic. She tries to play a little bit more with them day by day. I think her confidence will keep growing, as will her body, and they will be able to keep each other busier soon (which will help my productivity).

On the kitty front, Wiki has started engaging Rennie in play. It is absolutely hilarious to watch. She goes into full on crouch and pounce mode, barks, and runs around in circles. Rennie just sits there. She is completely unphased by it, though if Wiki gets close enough, Rennie may walk under a bed or jump up somewhere to avoid being bothered.

Wiki is already doing a thousand times better in her crate. She is getting used to it, and I am also getting better about trying to tire her out before I put her in. We're not going out quite as much at night, not having accidents in the crate, and not making such a fuss when she has to go back in. However, once 6:00 hits, it is all over. Regardless of what time she goes to bed, that seems to be time for breakfast and play. Waking up at 6 is not so bad, though, and sometimes we can sneak in a nap later. This morning, she went out of her crate, walked over to her food bin and sat down. When I told her it was too early, she came over to me, walked back to the food, and sat down again. No mistaking what this little girl wants! (And, of course, I gave her breakfast....can't say no to sych a convincing argument.)

Today, Wiki has encountered the vacuum and the lawn mower. Both terrified her, but with calm assurance and some treats, she made it through okay.

I have been taking videos of her playing, so will try to upload some of those soon!

Reduce, Reuse, Recyle

2009-05-03T18:50:00.001-07:00

We thought we would recycle this egg carton, but Wiki had other plans for it. Reusing is good, too!

The Many Sleeping Positions of WIki

2009-05-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

Wiki's First Night

2009-05-01T10:59:00.001-07:00

Wiki did very well her first night home! Still no accidents, and I'm happy to keep that record going as long as possible. She screams bloody murder when she has to go in her crate at first, but calms down pretty quickly. We went outside for potty time every two hours and she was so good about waiting and then going as soon as we got outside, and then of course being unhappy to return to the crate. I think that part was more painful for me than her; nobody likes to hear their baby cry!

She is quite possibly the most active sleeper I have ever seen. Will have to try to get a video sometime. I have no idea what she's dreaming about, but she looks like she is running and pouncing in her sleep half the time, and attempt to nurse the other half.

We spent a little time with the big dogs this morning. They are definitely overwhelming! Hunter and Echo want to give her lots of kisses, and Hunter tries to play. Wiki started to play a tiny bit, but mostly just wanted to hide behind me. I'm sure she'll get used to them soon, and I'm glad that they are being overwhelming in a loving way instead of an aggressive way.

Wiki has a new puppy exam scheduled at the vet on Sunday, but will probably update with pictures sometime before that. It can be hard getting any decent pics of her when I'm on my own, though, because she spends about half the time snuggling on my lap!

Welcome Home Wiki!!

2009-04-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

Wiki came home today!! She is such an amazing little girl, so sweet and loving. During the ride home, Wiki dozed on and off, had a nice lunch break at In'N'Out in Barstow, then slept some more until making it home. She met Hunter and Echo briefly and was a little shy, but they were very excited and gave her lots of kisses. Then, she met Rennie, who has been surprisingly calm about the whole thing.

While at home so far, Wiki got a mini-bath, played lots outside, and slept lots everywhere. She's very sleepy; puppy life is rough! She loves her toys and playing in the grass, and can't wait to beat me to the pond someday. When she is not chasing after her toys, she follows me around like a velcro dog. She ate all her dinner, loves her treats, and has not had any accidents yet (going to try to keep that going as long as possible!). I'm hopefully going to bed soon since it was a very long day, but I'm sure she'll get her second wind just in time for me to attempt sleep...and she's so cute I won't even mind :D

Wiki Countdown

2009-04-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

One day until Wiki pickup!!!

Must finish getting her bedroom (aka my bedroom) ready for her tonight. Then going to bed early so that we can leave around 4 AM to get her from Nevada. Roughly a five hour drive each way, though the way back will be made longer by puppy potty breaks, I'm sure. So, long day, but very excited for it.

Then there will be introductions with Hunter and Echo at the park, and with Rennie at home. (There will hopefully not be any introductions with the GIANT heron who seems to want to move into our backyard judging by the number of visits to our pond.)

Rennie's Favorite New Spot

2009-04-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

I have a large bin full of puppy toys and treats and such on my desk. Apparently it is really comfortable....
Rennie now spends the majority of her time sleeping inside it, on top of the stuffed toys. Hope Wiki enjoys her toys kitty scented!

My New Bumper Stickers

2009-04-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Bumper stickers are suprisingly tricky to put on, but they make me happy :)

Wiki Fashion Show at 7 Weeks

2009-04-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

Wiki Countdown

2009-04-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

6 days till Wiki comes home...

Once a Dog Person, Always a Dog Person....

2009-04-18T16:06:00.001-07:00

Wiki learning early that she is a spoiled weim!

2009-04-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

I received another great batch of pics today. It's like she gets cuter by the moment. Wiki got some bedroom play time and became the poster child for spoiled weims everywhere. She even has great taste in shoes (and will probably be sorely disappointed with mine) and cameras (again, disappointment, I have no lens cap).

Waiting For Wiki: To Do List

2009-04-17T01:16:00.000-07:00

1. Refresh Weimaraner Addict 500x a day.
2. Stare at pictures.
3. Watch videos of Weimaraners on YouTube
4. Buy dog toys and treats.
5. Revamp Wiki's blog.

Pictures of Trip to Visit Wiki

2009-04-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

Picking Wiki

2009-04-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

My mom and I went on an excursion to Pahrump, Nevada today to meet all the pups and pick out Wiki. The entire litter was sweet, loving, and absolutely wonderful (as were the adults)! It was their first day outside and they did impressively well. The pups played hard and they slept hard--some of them even bit hard. I knew I would be lucky to have any one of them come home with me, but ultimately picked pup #1. We took lots of pictures, and Kathie was kind enough to send me many more. (Can never have too many paparazzi parents when it comes to catching cute puppy moments.) Here are many adorable pictures of Wiki, with hopefully years and years of them to come!

Pup #1 at 4 weeks

2009-04-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Agility

2009-03-30T21:59:00.000-07:00

Hunter and I have been doing agility for about a month now (though he did about 10 weeks of it as a puppy, too). I have to admit that it is the highlight of my week. The class is so much fun, and I'm always so proud of Hunter. I also love going home and bragging about how great he is ;-)
Hoping to get Hunter into a more advanced class in time to get Wiki into a beginner class. Then the best part of my week can get stretched out even longer! Eventually, I may look into getting some of the basic, smaller equipment to practice in the backyard.

Rennie

2009-03-30T21:19:00.001-07:00

My cat Rennie spent most of her day sunbathing on the little rug in my room. Hope she enjoys her peace and quiet while it lasts! Not sure exactly how she is going to react to the pup coming, but I will do everything I can to get them to be friendly and make sure she knows that there is plenty of love (and, perhaps more importantly, space on my bed) to go around.

Echo's Little Problem

2009-03-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

Echo played with the laser pointer just a bit too much as a puppy. She loves lights. As in, she is unnaturally obsessed with lights. She can spend hours every afternoon staring and pouncing as the shadows move around the kitchen floor. Got a little video of her today; less pouncing than normal, but you get the idea. I know pups (and cats) love laser pointers, but this makes me a little nervous about using them as toys.

Pups at Three Weeks

2009-03-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

Pups at Two Weeks

2009-03-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

One picture of each female pup at just over two weeks old. Eyes recently opened, but still can't quite focus. By next week, eyes should focus more, they'll probably get more active soon, and I imagine their differences will be more apparent.

Hunter and Echo Pool Time

2009-03-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

It's been getting warm outside, so Echo and Hunter have been getting some of their first pool time of the season. Generally pretty entertaining, though I apologize for not so great camera video quality. Soon there will be three doggies for pool time :)

Rescues

2009-03-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

VegasWeims, the people from whom I am getting my puppy, have started posting listings of Weimaraners they have rescued and are trying to place in homes. You can see the link here. I have already seen at least one dog taken off the page since pictures/descriptions were first put up, so hopefully that means that dog has gone to a wonderful new home. I encourage anybody looking for a weim to check out these rescued dogs, as well as other rescues.

Who's Your Daddy?

2009-03-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

I previously included a link to pictures of the puppies' mommy Bela. The stud is Jager, whose pics can be seen here.

Updated Puppy Pic

2009-03-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

Around three days old. Picture borrowed from vegasweims.com.

Puppies

2009-03-08T21:14:00.001-07:00

I have wanted a Weimaraner for about seven years now, since falling in love with one at an obedience class I went to with my English Springer Spaniels. Today, I put a deposit down on a female Weim puppy. The pups were born Thursday (3/6/09) in the wee hours of the morning. Photos of their mother Bela can be seen here. Over the next several weeks I will be receiving pictures and other information that will help me choose a pup (one of the five females in the litter); in about two months, I will bring her home!

My pup's name will be Wiki. One can never underestimate the power of alliteration. Also, I was recently told that WikiAnswers moderators have Super Powers. I wanted a name that was short, unique, and would flow nicely for doing agility or other obedience training. When joking about Wiki Super Powers, I realized that the name actually fits pretty nicely. Hopefully my pup will live up to her name and know everything!