Growing Puppy

Maya and I have run into people in the last few weeks that we haven't seen for a while, and they all say how big she's gotten.  To be honest, I thought they were crazy.  I see her every day, and she looks exactly the same.  And I guess that's the problem.  When you see someone (or something) every day, you don't notice the small changes.  It's only when you stop seeing them for a while and those small changes add up that you notice.

Why am I mentioning this?  Because yesterday, I realized Maya could no longer fit under the bed.  We were playing fetch (yes, inside) and one of her balls went under the bed.  This has happened before, but it usually goes all the way through to the other side and she can go around the bed to get it.  Well, yesterday it didn't make it to the other side.  She ran around the bed like always, but there was no ball.  So she came back to the front side, but still no ball.  She went around a couple more times before she realized where it was, but she still couldn't get to it.  Then she got mad and I had to grab it for her.

I remember when I brought her home and she used to love going under there.  It wasn't really hiding, just hanging out.  Somewhere along the way, she stopped doing it as often, and now she can't do it at all.  I guess those people who told me she was getting big were not all that crazy to begin with and my baby is just growing up.   

Bees, Butterflies, and Baby Teeth

I haven't written in a while, but that does not mean that we haven't been having adventures.  :)

Maya has recently discovered bees and butterflies, and by discovered, I mean she chases them now.  She can't catch the butterflies, so it's cute to watch her chase them.  The bees, on the other hand.... Well, I'm just scared she's going to get stung.  Part of me wants to protect her from that, but the other part of me know that she won't learn not to chase them until she gets stung.  I'm not looking forward to that day.

I've also recently learned another puppy lesson -- they have baby teeth!  I don't know why this was such a shock to me, but I never thought about puppies having baby teeth.  I've been finding teeth in the carpet for about a week now.  The latest was this morning when I stepped on one.  It's kind of gross, but kind of cute at the same time. 

New Trick

I've been teaching Maya a few commands over the past month or so.  She had mastered "sit," "down," "off," and "come."  I was going to teach her "shake," but that's pretty boring, so I taught her "pound it" instead.  After that, "high five" was a piece of cake. 

However, her latest trick she learned all on her own -- she can take off her leash.  What I learned while teaching her those commands was that she is really smart.  What I learned after she got off her leash is that she's a little too smart for her own good. 

The first time she did it, I figured it was an accident.  She likes to grab the leash in her mouth while we're out walking.  This time she grabbed it by the latch.  She was biting it as we walked, and it opened.  She realized she was free before I did and took off running after something (a cat, a leaf, her shadow?).  Luckily we were in the parking garage and no cars were driving around.  The next day, she did it two more times.  I was pretty sure these were not on accident.  As soon as we started walking, she grabbed the latch in her mouth and went to work to get it off.  I figured that the first time was a fluke and she wouldn't be able to get it off again.  I figured wrong.  She got it off twice. 

I went to the pet store that night and got a new leash with a different type of latch.  As long as she doesn't have opposable thumbs, we should be good. 

Sweet Sleep

This morning was first for us -- Maya let me sleep in.  :) 

She normally wakes me up sometime between 6:00 and 6:30.  When I woke up this morning, I didn't hear Maya, so I figured it was still night.  I put on my glasses and check the clock -- 7:23 am.  Weird. 

I laid in bed for a minute, and that's when I heard her.  Maya sleeps in her kennel, and I always put a toy in there with her to give her something to play with in case she doesn't want to go to sleep right away.  This morning, she was playing quietly with her toy, waiting for me to get up.  Good doggy!

Escape Artist

When I got home today, I was greeted at the door by a very excited little puppy.  I loved that she was excited to see me and all, but she was in her kennel when I left this morning.  So how in the world did she get out?  And more importantly, what surprises did she leave me?

As it turns out, the answer to the second question was easier to figure out.  Maya had free reign throughout the house for who knows how.  I checked everywhere and didn't find any presents waiting for me.  Shockingly, my plant still has leaves on it.  There are no teeth marks on any furniture or other possessions.  Good puppy!!

Now how did she get out?  I still have no idea.  I'm guessing I didn't close the door completely and she eventually pushed it open.  I don't think she can reach her little paw through the openings and open the latch.  I guess I'm just going to have to watch the little escape artist closely and see if I can figure it out.