Learning Tricks

I said I would I would tell you about my new tricks.  Or rather my attempt at new tricks.

Mom says I'm a smart dog so I should be able to do these.  I think she's a bad teacher because I can't figure out what she wants me to learn.

Take the day at the library.  We were doing "Shake" and I was giving her a paw and getting my treats just like usual.  We even did "High Five" where I take the same paw and do it higher and get more treats.  (I especially like the treat part in case you were wondering.)

Then she said, "Give me your other paw."  I gave her my paw.  She said, "No, your other paw, your left paw."  I gave her my paw.  I wasn't getting any treats and I didn't get it.  How many times must I give her my paw before I get my treats?

The she said it again, "Give me your paw."  But while I was trying to give her my paw, she grabbed my other leg and they were both in the air.  That was awkward.  I fell down.  I didn't get a treat for that either.  

She tried again doing the same thing.  After awhile, I sat down and said forget it, I didn't want any more treats anyway.

We went home that day, but a few days later, she was at it again.  This time it was a new trick called "Fetch Your Kong Toy".  Now I know she puts treats in my big black rubber toy.  I like that.  But what did that have to do with "Fetch Your Kong Toy"?  So she says, "Guinness, fetch your Kong toy."  I just looked at her.  So she walks me to my doggie bed, where my little bones  and my big black rubber toy are and she says again, "Guinness, get your Kong Toy."  

I picked up one of my little bones to give her.  Maybe she was going to put peanut butter in it like she does at breakfast?  But no, she shook her head and put it back and said again, "Guinness, fetch your Kong toy."  I grabbed my big black rubber toy and looked up at her and she smiled and said, "Good boy."  I know enough to keep doing what I'm doing when she says, "good boy."  I followed her to the kitchen and gave her my toy, and low and behold she loaded it with carrots.  I love when she loads my toy with carrots.  They're sweet and crunchy and they last all of 12 seconds.  So maybe I did my trick?

Next day, she says to me, "Guinness, fetch your Kong Toy."   Something in my mind said I should know what that means.  But I just looked at her for clues.

She sighed.  Then she said, "You know Caesar used to run up the stairs and look all over the house until he found his Kong Toy."  (I hate when she says what Caesar used to do.  He was my older brother, but he isn't here anymore, so who cares what HE could do.)

She walked me over to my doggie bed where my big black rubber toy was.  But she had her camera phone ready, so I posed on the doggie bed.  I supposed that was what she wanted.  

All of a sudden, I remembered from yesterday, and I grabbed my toy and followed her into the kitchen.  I might get my toy full of carrots again.  THIS time she put a biscuit in it.  I get that out in 6 seconds, but it tastes even better than the carrots.

I hope I don't have to keep guessing how to get my treats.  But maybe that's what life will be like from here on in.  Stay tuned.  I'll let you know.

Hope you get treats without having to guess what you have to do to get them!

Love, G

Mom's got a new iphone!

And I get to pose again.

We were at the library last week.  It was still Christmas break for the kids even though it's after the New Year.  So Mom and I had a lot of time on our hands because there weren't many kids there.  That's when Mom decided to practice taking pictures on her new iphone camera.

We did the usual.  I get on the blanket and gaze at the camera lens.  (I'm pretty good at that by now.  You all know how many pictures I have to pose for!)  As usual, my dark eyes disappear in the photograph.  (And I have beautiful brown eyes.)

She fiddled with the settings a bit and we tried again.  (Good thing I'm such a patient model.)  That resulted in this lovely picture:

See those sweet eyes?

She kept going and made me sit for a photo.  

Then she found something really cool.  It was called Portrait Settings.  So then I looked like a REAL model:

That was special.  

By then I was bored.  So we tried doing tricks.  I'm going to have to tell you about those later.  It's too embarrassing.

Hope you get someone to take lovely photos of you!

Happy New Year and all my love,  G.