We're going to sign our lease today!

I'm pleased to announce that we've found a home to rent!

A nice lady is going to rent us her 3/2 house. The location is good. The price is reasonable!
She is ok with the fact that we have a Staffordshire Terrier ;)

We're going to sign the lease today at 6! Thanks to everybody for your helpful suggestions and unwavering support.

Skeletor is one lucky pup to have so many great peeps looking out for him!

In related news, I took the boy out on the leash today. He did very well with his training exercises. It was a bit hot out, so we stayed under the shade in the front yard.

Right now, we're focusing on "heel" and some other basic commands that he already knows. We're having to teach him slightly different words for them, and we're doing away with the hand gestures.

He did a really great job on the leash. Such a sharp lad, and a fast learner!

Keep up the good work, Skelly!

Skeletor officially begins obedience training

Well, this is it folks!
This is the month where it all goes down. We're going to find our new home, move into it, settle in and enjoy a huge sigh of relief when all is said and done!

In an effort to hone Skeletor's social skills, I invited my friend, Jared and his female pit bull, Shay over for a BBQ on Friday. Shay likes to play, but she isn't into too much drama. She's 8 years old, and enjoys a more chilled atmosphere.

I imagined that Skeletor would be thrilled (which he was) to meet Shay. I hoped that they would hit it off, and run around in the backyard while we enjoyed a relaxing BBQ (which is not exactly how it went down!)

As we all know, Skelly loves to yell at people, dogs, cats, and just about anything else he encounters in public. He does so in a playful fashion, with his tail-a-waggin! Despite his good intentions, his craziness is not always welcome.

So Shay comes in and Skeletor is thrilled! They give each other some initial smell tests, and everything seems ok. Skeletor is just so darn excited, he starts giving shay the flea-nibbles. Shay, understandably confused, tries to get away from him. Skeletor, ridiculously excited, persists to try and nibble on her face.

Shay eventually got fed up and gave a menacing growl. I had to take Skeletor out to the back yard in hopes that he would settle down.

Throughout the course of the night, we let the dogs interact. Eventually Shay would just try and get out of Skeletor's reach and Skelly would yell and pitch a fit because he wanted to play.

Now Skeletor... you are just acting too creepy! Women are NOT into that. You need to play it cool my boy! 

Despite my disappointment in his behavior, neither pup was injured, and I think Skeletor did show a little bit of improvement by the end of the night.

We have got work to do, that's for sure! Skeletor needs to be cool and collected in a social environment if he is to overcome the pit bull stigma!! We're going to need Skelly's help in appealing to potential new land lords and ladies... it's time he really learns some manners!

I wake up bright and early the next morning (Saturday) and load Skelly into the car. We're off to a local dog training club for a free evaluation / training session.

I pull up to the closed gate. Skeletor sees a dog. He starts barking at the top of his lungs. I can literally feel the barks vibrating my ear drums due to the confines of my car... Keep it down doggie!!

I meet Michael, the co-owner of the club. I tell him about Skeletor's history and why it's important for him to gain social skills. I explain to Michael that pulling on the leash is one of Skeletor's biggest problems.

A few other dog owners show up. Most of them have German Shephards. There's also what appeared to be a Belgian Malinois, and a Boxer.

The exercises began as the more experienced dogs performed two at a time. One dog's owner would take him into the shade and tell him to lie down. That well trained pup would lie there unrestrained the entire time while the second dog would perform his training exercises. Then they would switch.

These talented pups would walk on a lead without any pulling whatsoever. They would look to their owner upon command. They would sit automatically when the owner stopped walking. They would pivot when their owner turned. It was exciting to imagine Skeletor learning to behave so well!

I sat in a plastic chair with Skeletor on a leash. He would yell and pull when a person or dog came close to us. After a while, he finally started to get the hint. He started barking and pulling a little less.

Michael took some time to work directly with Skeletor. He said that he believed that Skeletor could be trained, and that the question was whether or not I could be trained! He said that what they do is teach owners how to train dogs. I told him that I was up to the challenge!

Michael also explained that his training philosophy uses positive reinforcement. He said that corrections are only made when needed. I have made a lot of progress with Skeletor, and I can assure you that based on my experience, positive reinforcement is the way to go!

I'm planning on returning next Saturday morning for another session. After that, Skeletor will go to 6 group training sessions every Thursday.

I think we're going to see a total transformation here, folks! Skeletor is going to be one well-behaved, and socially adjusted pup!

Skeletor is scheduled to be neutered!

I would like to thank you all for your feedback, input, and suggestions regarding the challenge of finding a pit-bull friendly home to rent. We have not yet found one, but we are looking and there is hope!

It's become obvious that we can absolutely NOT rent an apartment. Large complexes have racist, breed-specific rules and they make no exceptions! With apartment complexes out of the question, we'll have to expand our coverage area and look for situations where we can appeal directly to the property owner. (houses, townhouses, and maybe condos)

Lately, Mel and I have been taking Skeletor on more regular walks around the neighborhood. Skeletor gets very, very excited when it's time for a walk. Once we get outside, he gets rather preoccupied! He forgets every command he ever learned. He is completely driven by the urge to smell things. Anything and everything must be smelled! 

Hmmm... Skeletor is usually a joy to train.. and I've been wracking my brain. Why does he have such a mental block when it comes to walking on the leash? Then it hit me... all those dog scents must be causing him to go mad with hormones! 

That brings me to our decision that it's time to have Skelly neutered. (Not that we had not planned on doing it since day one, as it's definitely the right thing to do!) We were waiting until his heartworm treatment was done with. We were hoping to have the procedure done when it presented minimal risk to his well-being.

Dr. Chick says that he's been doing fine, and that he is now willing to perform the castration. Skeletor is scheduled this Friday! Dr. Chick also said that they want to take extra precautions with Skelly, as he is a special case. They are going to put a catheter in, and take a second look at his echocardiogram results before performing the procedure.

Some landlords and property managers require a pet application and/or a pet interview. I'm hoping that the castration will help Skeletor with his manners. The more well-behaved he is during the "pet interview," the better our chances of finding a new place to live!

Some new tricks

Skelly's Training Update...

Teaching Skeletor to close the door is going to take more work than I had anticipated. Not to mention the fact that I need to make him a new handle. We'll see if that ever actually happens :)

Fret not! Skelly has learned some other new tricks. Take a look for yourself...



"Sit up" and "Turn around" are both new to his arsenal. Way to go Skeletor!

Say Cheese!

Skeletor displays his awesome willpower (and stubbornness)

You can't see it in the video, but there are streams of drool pouring from both sides of his mouth while he's sitting there waiting. It's weird how he hesitates so long to lay down. When I have the treat in my hand, he lays down instantly. He's focusing so intently on that delicious biscuit!!

Skeletor has gotten a little rusty

After a very busy weekend, I finally had a chance to play with Skelly and ask him to perform some tricks. I told him to sit and stay... then I walked across the house.

I told him to "come" and he just sat there looking at me.

"Come, Skeletor!"

He lied down on the floor... stared at me for a second and then rolled over :)

Hey, at least he is trying!

How to give pills to your sick dog

I made a video showing my new method of medicine administration for dogs.

Take a gander :)

Summer heat, Picky eating and Learning manners

Well today marks the end of the "cold snap" here in Florida. The past week has brought severely low temperatures in the upper 80's. I just returned from some errands and the thermometer in my car said it was 100 degrees outside. I wouldn't take that to the bank, but let's just take a peek at weather.com. OK, it's just 94 degrees.. what am I complaining about? Humidity is 38%. Tomorrow is supposed to reach 98 degrees. Wonderful!

 Skelly and Sophie: hanging out under my desk while I work - their favorite passtime.

Honestly, I don't personally mind the heat much anymore. I've lived here since 1994. You learn to take cold showers, avoid traffic jams, and stay indoors unless you're poolside. Skeletor's walking routine has been adversely affected by the heat though. If we're not out the door by 8am, it's already scorching. His heartworm condition adversely affects his stamina, which is exacerbated significantly by the heat. Sometimes we end up going after dark when it's cooled off a bit... but other times it's just not feasible. If he doesn't get his walk, not only does he become a terror, but he also has trouble keeping up his appetite.

What a goofy duo

We are all really looking forward to putting this whole heartworm mess behind us. If you met Skelly, you wouldn't even know he's sick at all. You might not peg him as a pit-bull unless you really knew the breed. He is in no way shape or form your typical stalky, bulldog-like pit. He's a wiggly, long-legged klutz.

With the extreme temperatures and dog spoiling tendencies around here, Skeletor has definitely become an inside dog. Just like his mentor Sophie, he will go outside, go to the bathroom and instantly bark to be let inside. He wants no part of the microwave oven that is our back yard.

There's a local dog park with a pond that is totally fenced in so you can let your dog loose to play and splash with the others. Unfortunately, they have a strict "no testicles" policy. We'd like to get him fixed asap, but the heartworm treatment takes priority. Surgery would only prolong the process and the sooner he's rid of those pesky parasites, the sooner he can put on the rest of that weight, and get up to 100% health.

Skelly is due for a bath though. Perhaps I'll fill up the kiddy pool after work and get him clean and cool.



Sick Dog Tip:  I found a great way to give Skelly his meds. Normally I put them in with his food, but that will only work if you've jazzed it up enough to get him to scarf it down. (peanut butter, liver, or whatever) Sometimes he ends up missing the pill regardless. We've been trying to get Mr fancy pants to eat more normal dry food anyways. One alternative is manually putting it in his mouth and holding his snout skyward until he swallows. This is an effective method, but you end up with plenty of drool on your hands. The best pill delivery system ever is to simply toss his pill to him. He'll snap it out of the air and so far has swallowed it every time! I always follow it up with a dog biscuit to help with the pill taste.

Skelly's Training Update:   Lately I've been trying to work with Skelly on his leash manners. The stronger he gets, the more he likes to prove it by pulling you around on walks. I've found online that the best method of training is to reverse direction when they begin to pull. This is supposed to teach that the only safe place to walk is right beside me. It's a work in progress, let me tell ya. By the time we're done reversing direction 10 times, Skeletor is all tired and ready to get back into the A/C.

Another trick I've been trying to get him to figure out is "wait" when a door is opened. This is actually a very important behavior because it could save your dog from bolting out the door and rampaging through the streets.

The key to Skeletor's cooperation is in the doggie biscuit. I swear, this dog would take a bullet, give a kidney and ride a pogo stick at the same time as long as you waved a biscuit in the air. He goes to bed without any fuss, he waits at the door, he lays down, he rolls over, he sits, stays, shakes paws, you name it... but no biscuit, no way!

 If the planets align just right, he will occasionally eat dry food :)

If only they made doggie biscuit flavored dry dog food.