Today has kind of sucked

[shipperx]

Please tell me that 6 months of age in puppy life is like the terrible twos? Zoe vascillates between perfect sweet angel and demon possessed hellion.

Last night she was full of energy and even after a very long walk and playtime she refused to calm down and started barking. Incessantly. For hours. At NOTHING.

So I finally, finally, finally got her calm and quiet and my mother calls. Her cat had walked across her computer keyboard doing... something... that turned everything sideways. Anyone who has tried to be tech help for a 69 year old parent understamds the hour that followed (all to no avail. I ended up with "just leave your laptop at my home tomorrow or come over and I'll fix it."

Then Zoe woke up at 5:30am. And, usually, after a pee and poop she's willing to calm back down and allow me a cat nap until 6:30.

Uh-huh. She was in full destructo-mode and there would be no peace.

By the time I actually had myself together to leave for work I 1) Forgot to leave a check for the lady who cleans my house. 2) Forgot my lunch. 3) Forgot my purse. I did not realize any of this until I pulled into the parking lot at work.

So I called mom and asked whether it was possible for her to either bring my purse or a lunch or both (she actually lives closer to my workplace than I do.)

She did bring me lunch... but got lost on the way over. And realized that she had ONLY gotten a sandwich and not a combo when she was in the parking lot... and that she had also forgotten my purse... which is fine as she also forgot her purse at MY house yesterday.

And my Sierra Mist tastes funny too! Like the carbonation and the syrup weren't proportioned properly.

*sigh*

Thank God tommorrow is Friday.

(And please, please say that 6mo old puppy is like the terrible 2s and that she will eventually learn how to calm herself down! Please. *wibble* I'm tired.)

Comments

[next_to_normal]

Her cat had walked across her computer keyboard doing... something... that turned everything sideways.

Heh. Chelsea did that once. I just made her keep walking on it until it went back to normal.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

LOL!

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Heh. Wonder if my mom can convince her cat to do that.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

(And please, please say that 6mo old puppy is like the terrible 2s and that she will eventually learn how to calm herself down! Please. *wibble* I'm tired.)

Generally speaking... Yes.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

::fingers crossed that this is so::

[kassto.livejournal.com]

God, your puppy sounds insane... worse than a toddler. I hope she calms down too, for your sake!! Any use going to dog lessons for help?

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

It's like she take caffeine pills!

But she is adorable and sweet... just a bundle of unending energy.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

<< (And please, please say that 6mo old puppy is like the terrible 2s and that she will eventually learn how to calm herself down! Please. *wibble* I'm tired.) >>

I hate to tell you this, but most of the time the craziest age is 12-15 months. She'll probably be periodically nuts for a while. But you can do things to tire her out mentally (puzzle toys) and that will help a lot. And you can feed her from a puzzle cube or with her food frozen inside a Kong, and that will keep her busy for a while, too. Good luck. And remember, this too shall pass.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I already use a Kong (and it does accomplish a lot.

Good grief, though if she can grow more energetic. How would she do that without spontaneously combusting?!

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

It's not so much that she'll get more energetic, it's just that she'll get bratty, not listening to Mom and all that. *g*

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

She doesn't listen now if that's the case. Took her in the back yard to pee and she disappeared up under the roses (in the dark) for several minutes only to come out soaking wet (it's rained a couple of times today) with a perfectly innocent and angelic expression. ;)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Don't know a lot about dogs...but yes, I believe your puppy is like the terrible twos.

Am envious of cleaning lady and Mom leaving near-by, albeit...if mine did she would probably drive me crazy in a similar manner.

Anyone who has tried to be tech help for a 69 year old parent understamds the hour that followed

Oh god, yes. This is me with my mother, who is 69, and struggles with the computer. I spent hours during Xmas teaching her how to use her ipad.
And we have similar phone conversations...often ending with call the computer repair people, Mom. I can't help you without looking at and I'm in NY! (She's in South Carolina.)

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Cora (who cleans) is a very sweet older lady who comes over one morning a week. It's a godsend. Mom and Dad moved close to me (and and my sister) after my dad had his heart surgery a few years ago. Prior to that they had lived in the tiny town where I grew up, but that was hundreds of miles from his cardiologist and us.

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

OH EM GEE, 6 months is TOTALLY terrible twos. They've managed to control their limbs and start zooming around. Their energy level when awake is SKY HIGH and their curiousity is at a fever pitch.

It's time to teach her to play fetch. Hard rubber ball, over and over, QUICKLY. It will eventually tire her out.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Oh, she aced retrieving a while ago. Listening? That she's no so great with. Retrieving, however is no problem at all.

And I'm hoping that this completely unable to wind down unless she's in complete pass-out is just a phase. She wasn't this strong (and borderline out of control) in the evening for THIS LONG two weeks ago. She used to be dependable to pass out at 8pm. Now, I'm lucky if she's chill by 9:30!

[chloris.livejournal.com]

Completely the terrible twos! Thing will get better. So long as you survive this phase. :)

As for the tech help to mom. My husband once spent an hour on the phone with mine trying to help her with her laptop only to have her casually mention spilling coffee on it a couple of weeks before. Yeah, that was the problem.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

*Sigh* I'm exhausted. Hopefully she learns go calm down PRIOR to the point that she passes out soon.

And spilling coffee on the computer? You'd think that would be a pertinent piece of info!

[kitmarlowescot2.livejournal.com]

Can't remember been nearly 12 years since Morgan was six months old. But I do remember at the time, he went to doggy day care three times a week, you might want to do the same. Or let her stay all day with Grandma and harass the evil computer walking cat.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Grandma and Grandpa have actually been spending a good chunk of the days with her. I don't know what I would've done without them.

Luckily she and evil computer walking cat relate reasonably well (as long as puppy isn't totally manic and wanting to play.)

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

We always took our dogs to "puppy class" a couple of times a week, basically a place where they could hang out with a lot of other dogs their own age and chase each other and playfight in between obedience classes. Both so they could get the worst energy out, and so they could get to socialize with other dogs, which helps a lot getting them to socialize with humans too. Fetching exercises and the like are very good too; figure out if she's a ball dog or a stick dog and go wild. Young dogs have a lot of energy, and as their effective alpha dog you need to give them a "legitimate" outlet for it.

(And even with that, the best command we ever taught our cairn terrier (nicest dog you'd ever meet, dumb as a post, perpetual caffeine high) was "RUN!" If she got too worked up, we could just have her run back and forth in the corridor for an hour or so until she wore herself out.)

...Damn, I wish I could have a dog again. :(