Nov 30, 2011: Snowcone

Thurmon got neutered yesterday, so today was his first day of wearing a cone.

It's been pretty funny, seeing him bang into things due to the cone. We're not convinced he realizes there's an object around his neck - just some mysterious force field that keeps getting in the way.

Even better is that today was our first snow. Thurmon was limited to going outside in the back yard on his leash, while wearing the cone, but I don't think he minded at all - he was so excited to find that there was amazing, edible white stuff covering the ground wherever he went. And as he bent down to taste it, snow would get scooped up in his cone and then tossed into the air in front of him as he raised his head - fantastic!

Another cone benefit: if you're chewing something (say a bully stick, or an antler) and it falls from your mouth, it doesn't go far so long as your cone is upright. All in all this cone thing might be working out ok for Thurmon...

Nov 28, 2011: Grand Stairmaster

At last - Thurmon went down the stairs to the basement all on his own! He never did master the basement stairs in our last home, and that was only a half flight from the landing. Since these stairs are a full flight, and quite steep (enough so that Mark and I are careful to watch our footing) I had little hope of him mastering it any time soon. But with one small nudge from me, and Mark beckoning from the bottom, he went down them cautiously but smoothly.

What a relief - the former system for getting him downstairs was a bit tedious: letting him out the patio door on the first floor, into the back yard, then opening the side door to the basement, and beckoning him back in.

Addendum: Thurmon has since trotted down them at full speed even when no one is downstairs to lure him, as if there's nothing at all remarkable about using the stairs. He is now the Grand Stairmaster.

Below: Thurmon 'planking' - torso resting on the couch, back legs standing on the floor. He's taken to doing this for surprisingly long stretches recently.

Nov 15, 2011: Glass Walls

Today Thurmon got to meet the dogs and and other good folks at InViVo. It was his first visit to the heart of the city - the land of skyscrapers and paved surfaces as far as the eye can see. Even so he did quite well, walking nicely beside me. But he looked relieved to finally find a patch of grass where he could relieve himself - I don't think taking a bathroom break on a hard surface will come naturally to him (and maybe that's for the best).

The funniest part of the visit was when Thurmon walked into a glass wall. Twice. First was just after we'd entered the office, and he excitedly tried to rush to meet a new person. The second time was as we were leaving the office, and he was trying to exit to the lobby. Both times there was much laughter. You just couldn't help it.

The Many Ears of Thurmon

I plan to gradually collect photos of Thurmon's many ear signals - a sort of semaphore of his moods...

Earless: folded back as much as possible. Earless Thurmon is an ecstatically happy puppy. Earless Thurmon almost looks bald.

Aerodynamic: not as extreme as Earless - the ears are folded back, but in a more relaxed fashion. Aerodynamic Thurmon has just started out on a morning walk, and is really looking forward to his dog adventures.

Alert: ears up and perky. Alert Thurmon is the default mode, but is especially noticeable as his walks progress, and he moves on from Aerodynamic.

Mixed Signals: one ear Aerodynamic and the other Alert. Seems to be a transition state from Aerodynamic to Alert.

Yoda: ears part way down, in concentration. From behind he looks just like the Star Wars character Yoda. Yoda Thurmon chews on a great new treat, giving it all his attention. He might be inclined to wax philosophical at such moments, much like Yoda.

Half-Mast: similar to Yoda, but with a less happy connotation. Half-Mast Thurmon is stressed, such as when he's on a car ride.


Residual Flop: one ear floppy. Residual Flop Thurmon is newly awakened from a deep sleep, when one of his ears occasionally reverts to its early puppy state. But only ever one ear.

Tilty-Head: not strictly an ear semaphore, as it combines Alert ears with a series of head tilts. Tilty-Head Thurmon is trying to figure something out, most often a puzzling new sound. Tilty-Head can be triggered by speaking in melodic French, as in "Donnez-moi le tilty".

Nov 13, 2011: Dogs, Walks, Friends

Since moving to our new neighbourhood Thurmon is getting much more exercise and dog socialization. With the Cedarvale off-leash park nearby and Viewmount park even closer, he has the opportunity to play with other dogs on a daily basis.

We've also been going for very long morning walks (up to almost 2 hours) on the Kay Gardiner Beltline Trail when the weather is nice - it's such a lovely walk, with trees lining both sides and cushy and easy-on-the-feet gravel underneath (it's a former rail line, so smooth going all the way).

And Thurmon has a new neighbouring friend for playdates - Hamish, just down the end of the street. They've had some good sessions of running, wrestling and sharing toys, both in the backyard and in the house.

I think Thurmon would pronounce the new neighbourhood a success!

Below: A beautiful fall day, along the way on the Beltline