Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Farley’s Friday: How to Stop a Dog From Begging

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley here.

My humans trained me not to beg by never feeding from the table. This means at all meals and even happy hour if you can believe it.

There are advantages for me and not just my humans:

  1. I get to attend happy hours with my owners.
  2. I get to sleep under the dinning room table while they eat – as long as I don’t even look at them.
  3. They save me yummy tidbits to have in my bowl later.
  4. I’m very svelte – and you know I’m very sensitive about my looks.
  5. l never (okay rarely) get tummy aches.

So what I don’t get it why this guy no only got to eat at happy hour, he got to eat right out of the nut bowl.

Squrrel 2008 08 31

Was he scolded? Did they make him sit in the corner?

No. The humans thought he was cute and let him return time after time to fill his cheeks and take the nuts away.

Could someone explain this to me?

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: Dog Allergies

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

Farley Here,

Woof Woof

I’m still at the lake, but guess what? I have a visitor. Hailey is a Doodle who’s the same age as me but way more into mischief. She’s spending the weekend and thinks she owns the place. Look what she’s doing  to me.

Hailey and Farley

Now I don’t’ mind this rough play, but all the humans get excited when we play indoors. We keep getting in trouble and sent outside.

Hailey may be the trouble maker, but I’m the smarter one. When Kristina puts out my food, I eat it before Hailey has a chance to get near it.

Hailey likes to munch all day and leaves her bowl full of food – right on the ground – right in front of me. So I grab every opportunity and eat her food. She doesn’t care. She knows her humans will put out more.

Kristina scolds me for eating Hailey’s food.

“What?” I bark and look all innocent.

“You know you have allergies.”

“Allergies Schmallergies,” I bark. “This food is tasty.”

I do behave and leave the food dish. But ah ha! I found Hailey’s food bad. And when no one is looking . . .

Farley Eating

And then I remember. I’m allergic to wheat. My feet itch. My ears itch. And now I’m not so happy about eating Hailey’s food.

Kristina gives me a benadryl, and I start to feel better. Then I need ear drops. Gooey stuff dribbling in my ear canal is not a feeling I cherish, but I put up with it.

Why can’t I remember to only eat my dog food?

Do you have allergies? and what do you take for them?

Woof Woof

Farley’s Friday: Wheaten Terrier Catches His Humans

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Farley here.

Dogs can learn. This I know for a fact. Last week my humans escaped, and I was left with temporary humans for the week. Although I had fun, I missed my peeps.

What did I learn?

Suspicious activity: Kristina puts clothes in something she calls a suitcase.

“Are you leaving me again?” I bark.

“Don’t worry, you’re coming with us,” she says.

Should I believe her?

Next suspicious activity: Matt carries the suitcase toward the van.

Huh? Last time that happened, away they went for the week.

“Open the door, “ I bark.

Matt opens the side door, puts the suitcase inside, and goes back into the house for another bag.

Silly man. I grab the opportunity and jump into the van. I look left, I look right and I assess the situation. They can easily pull me out of here. Now, remember I’m getting smarter and learning.

I jump into the front seat. The door is closed,, so there’s no way they can get me out.

Farley in Van

“Ha, ha,” I bark. “You have to take me now.” I’m not as confident as I sound, so I wiggle and look as cute as I can.

So did I get to go on the trip? I did, I did, I did 🙂

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: One Lonely Wheaten Terrier

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 9 Comments

Farley here.

“Woof Woof,” I bark at the window. “What happened?”

I knew my life had taken a dark turn by the time bedtime came and went. Sometimes my humans go out but never over night. Confused is an understatement.

“Come back,” I bark. But nothing happens. I slink up to the bedroom where my temporary humans are sleeping and flop beside their bed trying to make noise. Maybe they’ll wake up and tell me what’s going on.  Nope.

Day two of loneliness. I sit by the front door. If I can just catch sight of them, they’ll remember I’m here and come and get me.

Where oh where did my humans go?
Where oh where did my humans go?

Day three of loneliness. “Where are they?” I whine. My temporary humans just smile and tell me I’m okay. That Kristina and Matt will come back.

But when? I don’t get this time thing. And how is a dog supposed to get a good night sleep when his humans are out on the street somewhere. What if they need me? I stand guard at night, so who is guarding them now?

When I can barely stand the stress anymore, on day five the door opens and they arrive. I try to pretend I’m mad at them, but I can’t hold to it. I run and wiggle and jump all over them. Then I head to my favourite corner. Finally a guy can take a good nap.

Woof Woof.

 

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten Terrier and a Cat

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Farley here. Woof Woof.

So what’s a dog like me doing with a cat?

I’m visiting a house that has a cat. The cat is crazy. I enter the room, she hisses and runs. Well what to humans expect me to do? Sit there and stay quiet. She’s challenged me. I run after her. If only I could catch her. But then what? I have no idea, but it sure is fun scrambling all over the house.

Cats

Sometimes she teases me. Above, she’s sitting on top of the kitchen wall staring into the bedroom at me. If only I could get to her. She knows I can’t climb like she can, so there she sits laughing at me.

But if a cat likes me, I’m happy to play nice. See . . . I have proof.

Farley and Cat 2009-07-19

I’m not evil. Really, I’m not. It’s the cat’s fault.

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: A dog goes fishing

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 10 Comments

Woof Woof, Farley here.

Is it just me or is fishing really fun?

I’ve been at the cottage for three days, and I’ve trained my alpha (That’s Matt by the way.)

“Come down here,” I bark. I glance at the boathouse and then at Matt.

Matt’s so smart he comes on command.

“Get the rod, get the rod, get the rod,” I bark.

Matt does as instructed.

Now, I do my dance. This really gets Matt laughing.

Put your left paw in, put your left paw out . . .
Put your left paw in, put your left paw out . . .

Every time I dance like this, he casts the lure and I bark.

If he catches something, I really go crazy. These alphas need a lot of praise. The more I praise him the more he’ll cast the lure.

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: Dogs and Porcupines

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

Farley here.

Why am I trapped?

Trapped

My human, Kristina, is explaining to me the dangers of porcupines.

Like I don’t remember.

“If you don’t run up the hill, I’ll let you off leash,” Kristina says.

“Yah, Yah,” I bark and nod enthusiastically.

“You remember the vet?”

I shudder inside. What dog doesn’t remember the vet. Two years ago, I chased a porcupine up the hill behind our cottage. It stuck its head in a hole and left its whole body out for me to see. I don’t think porcupines are the smartest, but who am I to say, since I’m the one who ended up with quills in my face?

Kristina put the cone of shame over my head so I couldn’t bite at the quills and drove me to vet. The waiting room was full and everyone saw me wearing the cone. Very embarrassing.

The vet said she’d have to anaesthetize me and for Kristina to come back later that night.

I frantically looked from Kristina to the vet and then put on my most submissive pose. I held in the bark that wanted to burst out from me. The vet took me into a room without Kristina. Yikes. She said I was so good, yup that’s right – so good – that she was going to try to take out one quill without using anaesthetic. I sat calmly as she took them all out and Kristina got to take me home.

I bring my focus back to the present and run my paw over my nose to show Kristina I remember.

“You remember the pliers?” Kristina asks.

I groan and roll my head on the deck.

“I see you do,” she says.

Last year, I chased a porcupine again. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I wasn’t.  Kristina didn’t take me to the vet. I knew it was going to be bad when I saw pliers in her hand and she said to Matt, “Hold him tight.”

They pulled out all the quills without the help of a vet. Kristina likes to learn these things for herself.

Now you have to remember I’m a dog. So today, I catch the scent of a porcupine and blast toward the hill. Kristina grabs for me and misses. Unlucky for me, Matt doesn’t miss. He catches my harness and drags me behind the gate.

Now I’m stuck. No running free for me.

“Why didn’t I listen?”

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: A Dog’s Reflections on Travel

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 10 Comments

Farley here.

I’m in Florida. The land of leashes, poop bags, thunderstorms and dark water.

My reflections . . .

I don’t mind the leash, but Kristina thinks I don’t get enough free running time.

Poop bags? Well, that’s Kristina’s duty. I barked, “duty.” Ha Ha 🙂

Thunderstorms scare me. They’re too loud and shake the boat. I pant at Kristina to make them stop, but she just smiles at me and says, “You’re fine.” Easy for her to say when she understands what’s going on and to me, well I’m a dog so how could I know?

The dark water . . . That’s where my reflection comes in.

Reflections in Flat Water
Reflections in Flat Water

I look in the water.

“Come here,” I bark and wag my tail.

“Hang on,” Kristina says, but she’s obedient as usual and is at my side in seconds.

I look at her, back at the water and at her again. She does well with visual signals and gets my meaning.

“There’s a dog in there,” I bark like a crazy dog from the Canadian wilderness. “Get it out! How can it breath underwater?”

Kristina laughs.

I’m getting a little scared now. “Don’t laugh,” I bark. “That dog needs help.”

“That’s you, silly.”

“Me? Me?” I bark. “Am I really that handsome?”

“Of course,” Kristina says.

So now I’m obsessed. I stare at my handsome reflection every chance I get. Who knew I was sooooo good looking?

Me handsome!
Me handsome!

Okay, I’ll admit it was fun watching fish and dolphins in the clear Bahamian water, but now I have a new hobby to entertain myself.

As we motor north on the Intracoastal Waterway, I sit on the bow and check myself out!

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten Terrier Sails North

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Farley here.

So my humans tell me it’s getting hot in the Bahamas and it’s time to start the sail north. Sound exciting? Not really, for a dog anyway.

When we travel, Matt and Kristina sail the boat and I do a lot of sleeping. Sometimes we anchor for the night and there’s not even a beach to go to. Sometimes there isn’t even land in sight over night. They’re crazy.

My problem. I don’t sleep well when Kristina is awake at night. I sit in the cockpit waiting and waiting to go to bed, but I just can’t do it while she’s in the cockpit. She needs my constant protection. Matt, on the other hand, can stay up all my himself.

As we head to Canada, Kristina promises none of this . . .

Canada can't always be like this, can it?
Not sure about this white stuff. Me thinks it’s cold.

And lots of this . . .

I think this was in Canada.
Green stuff. Much better.

But should I believer her?

Woof Woof