Monday, January 11, 2021

Baxter Visit

 My people handed me over...to that Lady that likes me....but she is not my favorite person.  She thinks a bag of treats and a squeaky toy will work magic with me...

Didyaknow I can sit with my bum on one step and my four feet on another? 


Someone thought it was really cute...I can do cute! 

I am about 18 weeks old now. 


 The lady won't let me outside without a long leash.  She pulls it up short and says sit and then heel and walks away...and I am supposed to follow.  After a few turns around the yard she lets me crawl up on June the snowbank and I give her the evil eye.  She calls it puppy training.  She makes a funny noise if I try and wrap her up in the leash...something like ACK kinda loud.  If I walk beside her nicely she says "Good boy, good boy!"

She gets real excited when I pee outside...she takes me to the same spot and says "Pee in the snow." There is snow everywhere but she takes me to the same spot in her yard...and I pee there.  I have to pee every two hours...and if I scratch at the door, she takes me out. She should report I had no accidents at her house!! 


She laid down on the couch...that guy that likes me too was walking round and round in the house...in the kitchen and around in a circle through the living room so I herded him round and round...about every fourth round I jumped on top of her on the couch...a couple of times I think she was asleep.

When I would remember that my people were missing I would run up the steps and cry...so she didn't get much of a nap.  If my misery is ignored...I can bark...and I can yip sharply...and howl pathetically.  The Lady says "Baxter it is not the end of the world."

I spent some time exploring...someone has a basket with some pretty strings in it...I decided to den up with it under the dining room table...the guy started laughing and said "The puppy likes your yarn"  She said "Oh crap"  but she said no harm was done.

She fed me some of my "treats" which are suspiciously like my dog food and then we went for a long walk...there was some target practice going on. She said I was a good boy and safe...so I sat beside her and watched and listened for the birds coming and going and the target practice in the distance. 

I like her a little better now, she says we are making progress. 

Soon my favorite people in the whole world showed up...I wiggled all over and she released me from that leash!  My people saved me!!

Baxter

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Baxter is not like any other dog I have met.  I believe he is loyal to a very small group of people. (Right now I am not in that group)  He is very smart, shy and a bit of a turd.  He is food driven to a point.  He needs a job.  He ignores a ball...he batted it around a bit...he wasn't thrilled with it.  He may like a frisbee a soft fabric one.   He settles down nicely in the vehicle going for a ride and actually fell asleep....as soon as you slow down he wakes up.  My baby brother and his bride are working on the command down now, off  and heel should be the next ones learned, then stay followed  by kennel up and safe.  The commands he knows well are come and sit.  He also needs to be socialized more....hard to do in Covid times.  My goal with Baxter is to have him wiggle all over when he sees me and to have him off leash in our yard without his people present.

Far Side

35 comments:

Laurel Wood said...

Such a cute post. Baxter is adorable and I have no doubt you will be in his circle soon!

linda m said...

Baxter is such a cute dog. Sure hope he warms up to you soon. Maybe if you get to see him more often. Good luck.

Granny_J said...

Baxter is so adorable. I was laughing out loud reading his version of the visit and had to read it to DH. I especially love the picture of him sitting on the steps.

Val Ewing said...

It will take time, he is still pretty young. Soon he will look forward to coming to your place and working with you.

Martha said...

It is a little odd for a puppy to be like that. I hope he will welcome you in to his group soon.

Pauline Persing said...

Baxter sounds like a sweet pup. Good luck with his training program.

Shirley said...

Is Baxter an Australian Shepherd? They are a little different than border collies- a pretty intense dog. He is very cute with his li'l freckled nose!

Wildflower Adventures said...

Cute puppy story. He is getting more familiar. We went to a gun show yesterday & there were 2 dogs there with their vendor. The lab was quite an attraction bringing people over to the table of books. Karen

Far Side of Fifty said...

Yes a Miniature Australian Shepherd

Sara said...

This was such a fun read this morning!! Thanks for the chuckle. Baxter is darling.

Jeannelle said...

Great post! Fun to read from his perspective. He's going to be a lovely dog!

Tired Teacher 2 said...

Sounds like you’ve made good progress with Baxter. He sure is a cutie.

Red said...

Good description of what goes on in a dogs head.

Betsy said...

Oh, how I loved this post. I really needed it today with all of the negative around us. Baxter is just a doll. I've known just a few dogs like that who like their own people and that's about it. I laughed my way through this and will read it to Dennis tonight. He seems to be a really sweet dog and it's good for you to work with training too. I'm looking forward to lots more Baxter stories.
Blessings,
Betsy

Country Gal said...

Oh he is soo cute . Our Misty aka Miggs passed away last April just as covid was ramping up here it was soo hard and at times still is we miss her so much , A few months later we saw this sweet rescue pup a husky mix and went through the adaption process and she joined our family at 13weeks old this past August . Her name is Summer and she is now 8 months old and we have been working with her from day one and she knows all her commands and tricks and is such a fun, smart, lovable kind girl and quite the goof to lol . We have so much fun and are grateful for her especially during this covid . Hope you and your family are all well and stay safe .

aurora said...

Aww, I love Baxter!! We adopted two half Aussie/half Lab brothers from a rescue (was a kennel oops) as puppies, and loved them until it was their time. Mack had more lab personality and Sam was all Aussie. In general they are very loyal to their people and protective of their property. Not sure how mini's differ. We see them frequently at horse shows, they are super socialized and sweet. Learning new places & people is so good for all dogs. Baxter will soon become your buddy! When the snow melts, winter pups look for the last to pee on - definitely turns into yellow snow lol.

Bonnie said...

Oh Baxter! Someday you will love that lady and man and you will understand that they love you too. It is hard being a little guy and missing your main family but the lady and man are your family too.
****
I love hearing about Baxter and seeing pictures of him. It sounds like he is coming around, just slowly. Hopefully the more he sees you two the more accustomed he will become to you. It will help as he grows and matures a little as he is still like a toddler and you know how they can be!

Debi said...

I loved this post! Sounds like you are making good progress with Baxter. We all learn at different rates, right?

Miss Merry said...

A fun job with a special visitor!

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

Now this was a happy post and Baxter is so damn cute

DJan said...

He will one day wiggle at you that way, I have absolutely no doubt. What a cutie! That put-upon look really makes my day! :-)

www.self-sufficientsam.blogspot.com said...

Oh, he is so cute!!! What is the command "safe" for? I n ever used come I just trained them to come when I called their name, stay, sit, down, and "drop it"....and okay to let them know they were "free" from whatever I command I had given them. I never taught tricks...I thought that would be humiliating for them. They were taught not to jump up on people too and heel. Al my dog were well trained and my cats are too. They never jump on tables or counters....no way! I sure would love a puppy but I think I've has my fill. That is so nice that you can "babysit"!

Granny Marigold said...

No doubt about it, Baxter is a cutie. Sorry about your aborted nap though.

Far Side of Fifty said...

If a vehicle comes in the yard the "safe " place to be is either a location or in the heel position. If they are startled "safe" come in real handy.

Rita said...

Baxter does love his people. You may or may not become one of his loved people with this little guy. It is really difficult to learn how to socialize during covid! Even kids--LOL! Liam was very shy to begin with, was finally showing signs of coming out from it and then--boom! Isolation. I think it is wonderful for Baxter to come for regular visits. He needs it. Even if he doesn't want it--LOL! :)

diane in northern wis said...

Sounds like Mr. Baxter is doing better and better with you! Hopefully that will get even better with every visit. What great dog-sitters you guys are. Glad he didn't eat your yarn!

Jacqi Stevens said...

What a cutie he is! But I imagine he'd be a handful, if he didn't get his lessons down pat.

Victoria Zigler said...

Loved getting this update from both your points of view. Sounds like you're making great progress.

Galla Creek said...

He’s a pretty boy

Maebeme said...

What a cute puppy! It's wonderful you're helping with his training and I'm sure one day he'll be happy to see you.

L. D. said...

He looks like the kind of dog that you would love to hug. Maybe Baxter would not like that.

Gemma's person said...

Sounds like both of you are doing well, he is teaching and you are learning him too.

Karen said...

That was a fun post. I think you will succeed with Baxter, just don't push yourself onto him, but keep working with him. He is a bit of a challenge, and you like I, accept that challenge and are determined to be successful. He sure is a cutie.

Rose said...

oh, my heart is turned to mush. I would wiggle all over if I met Baxter!

thecrazysheeplady said...

Baxter! :-D I'm always worried when I get behind on blogs that something bad has happened. Maybe Baxter needs a cousin! Just sayin' :-).