Best of luck, bonny! When I drove down this summer, I had an extra car key. So I'd lock the animals in with the car running, and then set a record for speed bathroom use. After letting the Frankster pee, of course.

Ginger, track training is a method of building rapport and expectation with a new dog.

I'll attach his lead to my belt, all day, for at least a week. He will be 'forced' to track my every move. During this time, I will be teaching him the 'watch me' command, which further reinforces the connection and sense of calm from knowing his 'job.'

This way, when we meet other dogs and people, he will know to look to me when he is in distress and to come back to me regularly for a 'check in.'

All other training will be much easier, once that bond is forged.

That is very interesting. I haven't purposely track trained Zoe, but she seems to know that one. We haven't gone for training yet, but she has one huge plus. No matter what she is doing, running with buds at the park, chasing birds or boats outside, when she is called, she instantly comes. I'll leave the door open while she is out in the yard and all I do is clap and call her name and she flies inside. I don't think I ever had a dog that would abandon play so quickly when called. It gives me he that she will do great in school.

I am packed! Alarm set for less than 5 hours. I am so ready for a long weekend away. House and work and parenting stress taking a toll. Now the trick is leaving it in Florida.

I'm afraid that would be a terrible shock to Mr Peabody, after my bad habit of letting him do whatever he wants.

My morning - let me show you it:

Meant to get up early to go retrieve boxes: Woke up late.

Got Em and I out the door only to find out that I left my car window down during the tornado warnings and thunderstorms last night the hard way: Came back in the house to change my pants.

Got back in the car with a towel on the seat, went to back out of the driveway: Flat tire. Like, flat flat.

Note: I have been awake for less than an hour.

I'm going back to bed.

Oh, Aims, what a suck way to start the day. I hope the sleep is refreshing!

Best of bonding with the new pooch, bonny! I don't know if I'll ever get a dog, but reading your tips over the years has definitely shown me what my ex and I did wrong when it came to all the dogs we ever had.

I'm playing hooky today. The weather has been so nice the past couple of days, in March! I couldn't bear to be at work when I had virtually nothing going on. Any chores I had for today, I did last night before I left.

Good grief, Aims. Going back to bed sounds like the wisest choice!

bonny, looking forward to the tale of the doggie-getting! You have a GPS, right?

I never have to come into the office, but I'm here today and man are people just butthurt at every little thing. Good God, man. Suck it up already! So glad I'm out of my old dept. Sheesh.

I worked on stuff a leetle too late (4 am) and JUST woke up at 12:35.

Um. I guess yoga, weight lifting AND a walk yesterday wore me out. I didn't think I'd need to set the alarm.

Ok, 1 more cup of coffee and I can finish this 1 item and send it out. Brain still foggy, and my shoulders are SORE. (I did a couple of kick-ass shoulder stands in yoga, and have conquered the advanced tree pose! I AM A NINJA!)

Also. For the first time ever, my hip and chest measurements have gone under 40 inches. 39-31-39. I have to buy new underwear. All of mine are falling down. It is so weird and fun. Not the underwear falling down, per se; just the weight loss after being plus-sized and really struggling with weight and the BID's my whole life.

(I did a couple of kick-ass shoulder stands in yoga, and have conquered the advanced tree pose! I AM A NINJA!)

You are a ninja! Wow. And congrats on the falling panties! Or, well, the reason for the falling, actually, NSM the falling itself.