Journal Entry: September 9, 2012

September 9, 2012

• ·         0940 – woke, ate, peed.
• ·         1041 – peed
• ·         1110 – napped for about 30 minutes, woken when Jesus came in.
• ·         1150 – peed
• ·         1210 – pooped
• ·         1230 – went into the shower room, while Amy showered.  Didn’t stress, but didn’t lay down. Seemed calmer while in the main bathroom, as Amy got ready.
• ·         1315 – ate
• ·         1415 – woke up from a short nap, pooped and peed
• ·         1440 – put in crate, as Amy and I had an engagement with friends
• ·         1650 –got home, and let her out of the pen.  Andrew had walked her in the backyard, previously, and she peed.
• ·         1835 – ate dinner.  Seemed to be less than interested in her food.  Left some in the bowl. Pooped after eating. Came back and finished her food.
• ·         1850 – went out with Amy, and played pretty hard for about 20 minutes.
• ·         1930 – Went down for a nap.
• ·         2055  - woke up, peed.  Worked on name, and sit.
• ·         2145 – started getting frenzied.  Took her out to pee.  Still frenzied.  Held her in my lap.  She was overtimulated.
• ·         2215 – she crashed.

Observations:

• ·         I try to ensure that she sleeps in her crate, mostly.  However, there are times where her instinct is to do something different.  Given what I know about collie instincts, I don’t think I should discourage that.
• ·         When I sit in the “pen” with Echo, and she is not agitated/bored, she either: a) sits on one of my feet; or b) lays under my legs, like in the last picture in today’s picture post.
• ·         Tonight, when we moved into “my spot”, she wouldn’t lay down and go to sleep in the kennel.  She HAD to lay at my feet.  It was interesting.  She preferred laying at an angle to the couch and coffee table.  That allowed her to put the back of her front legs against the toes of my right foot, and the front of her back legs against my left heel. … And the toes of my left foot were on her chest/belly. 
• ·         According to everything I have read about collies, this would mean she was sleeping in her “happy place”, and her “happy place” would be perfectly acceptable in any setting where her, eventual, veteran was sitting down, and the crate was not available. … Unless Jean or Pan tells me to do something different, I am not going to discourage that behavior.
• ·         Comic note:  Echo has started “stalking” Gimli, when they are outside together.   Gimli will get fixated on something, and Echo will “slink” up behind him.  Once she is right behind him, she will touch one of Gimli’s back hips with her nose, and IMMEDIATELY go into a perfect “sit”, next to whoever has her lead.  When Gimli looks back at her, she looks anywhere but at him, for several seconds, and then will make eye contact with him.  … It’s like she is saying: “WHAT? !? … I didn’t do anything.  I’m just sitting here.”  Echo has a sense of humor.  It’s not highly refined, but, she is a young dog.