More pics of Landon...perhaps I was having a little extra fun dressing him up in old costumes. I have a box full of dog/cat costumes a few different sizes, nothing above a medium! Why not have a little extra fun with the old costumes!
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Happy Halloween!
Somebody is celebrating his first Halloween! His head kind of blends into the chair. Oh well! Notice the head tilt! His predecessors tilted their heads with eager anticipation and glee to words like "treat", "cookie", "peanut butter". What was the trigger word for this little dude....you'll never guess....it is "daddy". He tilts his head to the word "daddy" then looks around for his "daddy". Isn't that cute? Brad will be very happy to hear later on today that the head tilting trigger word is "daddy". LOL!
Yes, it's a recycled costume year for us. Piper originally wore the pumpkin costume Landon is sporting. As for Piper she wore the mummy costume 2 years ago, so total repeat performance for her. I wanted them to somewhat "match", my "theme" for them is classic Halloween costumes. Mummy and pumpkin are pretty classic in my opinion. I tried shopping for other costumes this past weekend but nothing was very appealing to me. I waited too long but then again I kind of had to wait because I wasn't sure how big Landon was going to be by the time Halloween arrived.
Anyway this little duo at least now has something to discuss...who wore the pumpkin costume best? LOL!
As Landon experiences his first Halloween we also are experiencing our first Halloween in a house, in an actual neighborhood! I'm curious how many trick-o-treaters will be at our door tonight. Our Halloween tradition is of course to watch a Halloween themed movie or two. Nothing too scary or nightmare inducing, yet something with a bit of a Halloween theme. This year we are going old school, we will be watching Hocus Pocus with Bette Midler and then Nightmare Before Christmas. Both are Disney movies, that was be coincidence!
Hope everyone has a great Halloween! Don't eat too much candy. And anyone walking their dogs tomorrow morning be aware of loose pieces of candy that trick-o-treaters drop tonight.
Complete and total side note: Another reason I wanted a Havanese....they are the only Toy breed known for that ever so cute head tilt just like pugs. Only a handful of breeds are known to commonly do a head tilt and the Havanese is representing the head tilters in the toy category. LOL!
Landon Learns (part 3)
At the conclusion of last night's class Landon has accomplished half of his puppy schooling. Way to go little dude! Last night was blanket training and learning how to resist natural tendencies. Learning to resist some natural tendencies for a dog is a HUGE obstacle to tackle.
Imagine being a dog and having a treat waved in front of your nose all while being told to leave it alone. He did very well! Later on in the class he mastered the "wait" command on the very first try! Personally, I'm having trouble figuring out when the "wait" command would be useful inside our home. I think inside our home, it's not too useful for a small dog. Now a big dog, I can understand it better for a big dog inside the home. You don't want a big dog running in front of you when you are entering a room. For Landon though I picture using the "wait" command when getting in and out of the car, as well as waiting for traffic when walking him. Which is exactly the situations I plan on further practicing that command with him.
He did remind me of someone or two "human" somebodies at one point...when the instructor asked to borrow him for a demonstration in front of the whole class he got a big case of stage fright. Hmm, he certainly didn't get that from me(wink-wink)...reminded me of his daddy! And I won't mention the other person by name I'll just say she gave birth to me and lives in Phoenix! LOL!
Imagine being a dog and having a treat waved in front of your nose all while being told to leave it alone. He did very well! Later on in the class he mastered the "wait" command on the very first try! Personally, I'm having trouble figuring out when the "wait" command would be useful inside our home. I think inside our home, it's not too useful for a small dog. Now a big dog, I can understand it better for a big dog inside the home. You don't want a big dog running in front of you when you are entering a room. For Landon though I picture using the "wait" command when getting in and out of the car, as well as waiting for traffic when walking him. Which is exactly the situations I plan on further practicing that command with him.
He did remind me of someone or two "human" somebodies at one point...when the instructor asked to borrow him for a demonstration in front of the whole class he got a big case of stage fright. Hmm, he certainly didn't get that from me(wink-wink)...reminded me of his daddy! And I won't mention the other person by name I'll just say she gave birth to me and lives in Phoenix! LOL!
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Quick Snap Sunday
Landon says, "Congrats big sis, it's the anniversary of when daddy found you and brought you home for the first time." Piper says, "Get away from me pipsqueak! Life was so much simpler back then!"
Five years ago today baby Piper was discovered shivering by an A/C unit at Brad's work. Brad called me from work and asked what I thought he should do with this newborn kitten he found. I said the only logical thing I could think of..."bring it home". And in our home she has stayed. Brad couldn't bear to leave her by that A/C unit. I couldn't bear to give her up to a shelter the day after he brought her home. Rescued from a life on the streets. Look at you now, Piper, you had two big brothers and now you have a little bro to take under your wing. Lucky little girl!
Friday, October 26, 2018
Flashback Friday
Flashback to a decorated Piper! This was obviously taken in October(notice the tissue box cover), just a few years back. She looks so young in this pic. She's definitely more filled out now. Not in a bad way she's just right for her size. Around 2 years sometimes closer to 3 years cats and dogs fill out a little. They lose their "kitty-ness" or "puppy-ness", full maturity sets in. So yeah, this is a young Pipey! She had two great examples to look up to and its because of those two examples that I was able to get away with "decorating" her with some garland. I remember this moment well, she actually walked around the apartment with her decoration adorning her head. Brad complimented her profusely which is likely why she tolerated it as long as she did. LOL!
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Landon Learns (Part 2)
Landon had his 2nd puppy school session on Monday. He passed his pop quiz with perfection! He better, right? Any fur-baby of mine needs to bring home straight A's! Seriously, nothing less will be tolerated...and I wish I was kidding. But I'm not. Not even a little bit!
Most of his homework for this week is all about leash training. He hates wearing a collar but he's fine with a harness. He might just be a harness loving guy and no collar. I don't know yet, I haven't completely given up on collars. However, I'm close to giving up. In reality though his tags can be placed on the harness and he's not going outside this house without a harness on. Backyard is secure, so he can go in the backyard without a collar or harness...although it does make me a little nervous. What if something happened and he got out someway, somehow with no collar on. Although I can't imagine how he would get out? Fence is secure and gate is padlocked. Unless he learns to fly or orders a jetpack from Amazon he should be safe and secure in the backyard without worry of him getting out.
In other Landon learning news, though it isn't a specific command his school has approached yet, I've taken it upon myself to teach him a couple extra commands I feel are necessary. For example, "come", we've had a little problem with him staying in a bedroom when we want him to leave the bedroom with us. So him and I started working on that issue yesterday. By the end of the week he'll "come" on command. It's his extra credit work I have him set on achieving. See that's the kind of pupil I desire! Straight A's and does extra credit! :)
Most of his homework for this week is all about leash training. He hates wearing a collar but he's fine with a harness. He might just be a harness loving guy and no collar. I don't know yet, I haven't completely given up on collars. However, I'm close to giving up. In reality though his tags can be placed on the harness and he's not going outside this house without a harness on. Backyard is secure, so he can go in the backyard without a collar or harness...although it does make me a little nervous. What if something happened and he got out someway, somehow with no collar on. Although I can't imagine how he would get out? Fence is secure and gate is padlocked. Unless he learns to fly or orders a jetpack from Amazon he should be safe and secure in the backyard without worry of him getting out.
In other Landon learning news, though it isn't a specific command his school has approached yet, I've taken it upon myself to teach him a couple extra commands I feel are necessary. For example, "come", we've had a little problem with him staying in a bedroom when we want him to leave the bedroom with us. So him and I started working on that issue yesterday. By the end of the week he'll "come" on command. It's his extra credit work I have him set on achieving. See that's the kind of pupil I desire! Straight A's and does extra credit! :)
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Quick Snap Sunday
Keeping the camera handy these days is a must. This is a typical "stare down" situation. Piper relaxing in the laundry room on the bed she shared with Simon when all of a sudden a tiny mop with eyes and a mouth comes along to disturb her. The audacity of a rowdy little puppy!
Busy Saturday
It finally stopped raining! Oh my goodness, we have had more than our share of rain. We've actually had no shortage of rain filled days since the last week of August. Rain just keeps popping into the forecast. The past 2 weeks though were crazy. Loads of rain, the wash behind our house has been full. Tons of flooded streets and parking lots nearby. And Brad has had to deal with too many of his team tennis matches being rained out. Which means his tennis season is going to go longer than usual to allow time to make-up the rained out matches. This week it was cold too. I'm proud to say we made it through the cold temps with just the space heater. We have yet to turn on the heat in this house. Best news of all, Landon survived his first feel of a Texas cold snap. Boy, does my little guy need some clothes though. He made it through with plenty of blankets.
Yesterday was near perfection for the weather. It was a busy day that started early for us. We had a little family get-together at my in-laws set for the evening. Therefore I got up early to start on the desserts we were taking along. Brad got up and out the door for a tennis match. I was very productive while he was out playing tennis...I baked two desserts, bathed Landon, and then frosted/decorated the cake.
We were unfortunately not able to stay at the get-together at my in-laws for too long since Brad had to go take care of some things at his work. Which meant Landon and I were tag-alongs to Brad's office. Landon really got to see places last night. First he saw his grandparents house and met more family. Then he saw where his daddy goes off to work everyday. He was very well behaved at both locations. He's a good little rider in the car too. It's important to me to get dogs used to being in the car. Especially dogs of mine, because I like to take them places...parks, day camps, Petco, Petsmart, visiting family, etc. So glad he's already a good rider! LOL....that previous sentence makes him sound like a motorcycle rider!
Yesterday was near perfection for the weather. It was a busy day that started early for us. We had a little family get-together at my in-laws set for the evening. Therefore I got up early to start on the desserts we were taking along. Brad got up and out the door for a tennis match. I was very productive while he was out playing tennis...I baked two desserts, bathed Landon, and then frosted/decorated the cake.
We were unfortunately not able to stay at the get-together at my in-laws for too long since Brad had to go take care of some things at his work. Which meant Landon and I were tag-alongs to Brad's office. Landon really got to see places last night. First he saw his grandparents house and met more family. Then he saw where his daddy goes off to work everyday. He was very well behaved at both locations. He's a good little rider in the car too. It's important to me to get dogs used to being in the car. Especially dogs of mine, because I like to take them places...parks, day camps, Petco, Petsmart, visiting family, etc. So glad he's already a good rider! LOL....that previous sentence makes him sound like a motorcycle rider!
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Landon Learns (Part 1)
Yesterday was a big day for little Landon, he started school. Puppy school that is! I gladly gave up part of the Monday Night Football game to take my little guy to his first class.
It was a perfect amount of people with their pups. Not too large of a class yet not too small. I was concerned it might be too small of a class. But apparently others are okay starting their weekday evening's with a little puppy school. He's the 2nd youngest in the class, one other pup is a week younger than him. He did well during the class. However, he did hide a couple times under my chair. He only hid when the bigger puppies got a little too rowdy for him.
I'm looking forward to these weeks of schooling. I simply want him to be well on his way to being a well-behaved little dude with a good amount of knowledge to carry with thru. I think I do a decent job training but an extra dose of a more "professional" approach can't hurt. Plus he'll get to meet other puppies! That right there is a HUGE benefit!
Here's a short video of me trying to get him used to wearing a collar before his first day of class:
It was a perfect amount of people with their pups. Not too large of a class yet not too small. I was concerned it might be too small of a class. But apparently others are okay starting their weekday evening's with a little puppy school. He's the 2nd youngest in the class, one other pup is a week younger than him. He did well during the class. However, he did hide a couple times under my chair. He only hid when the bigger puppies got a little too rowdy for him.
I'm looking forward to these weeks of schooling. I simply want him to be well on his way to being a well-behaved little dude with a good amount of knowledge to carry with thru. I think I do a decent job training but an extra dose of a more "professional" approach can't hurt. Plus he'll get to meet other puppies! That right there is a HUGE benefit!
Here's a short video of me trying to get him used to wearing a collar before his first day of class:
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Bonus Pics
Bonus pics I'm choosing to finally post. Been meaning to post these for days now. Landon meeting some of his family members, aka "his peeps". Plus a couple pics I was trying to use to show that he's chocolate and white not black and white! That difference doesn't seem to be evident in pics, however, it is evident when you see him in person. Ways to tell he carries the true "chocolate gene" is the color of his nose and eyes. His nose is not black and his eyes are not dark brown like most dogs. All Havanese with the so-called "chocolate gene" have lighter eyes and a brown nose. His eyes I would describe as a olive green color. He's a unique little guy!
Friday, October 12, 2018
Flashback Friday
This is it, my favorite Halloween pic of this particular trio...I teased this picture quite a few weeks ago when I posted a flashback pic of Cody and Simon as Bert and Ernie one year for Halloween. This Halloween pic is so Halloween! Two black cats and a little jack-o-lantern, the epitome of Halloween.
Bonus pic...I came across this one too, I can't resist posting it as well. It makes me laugh, a little blurry due to the live action the camera was capturing but it's still a cute pic in my opinion. Simon doing his best "bop and weave" like a boxer in the ring as his little sister comes at him. His eyes read, "Mom, she's trying to kiss me or bite me, I don't know which but I don't want either...HELP".
Bonus pic...I came across this one too, I can't resist posting it as well. It makes me laugh, a little blurry due to the live action the camera was capturing but it's still a cute pic in my opinion. Simon doing his best "bop and weave" like a boxer in the ring as his little sister comes at him. His eyes read, "Mom, she's trying to kiss me or bite me, I don't know which but I don't want either...HELP".
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Sunday, October 7, 2018
Quick Snap Sunday
Can you say bed head? He's so cute! I gave him a bath yesterday then never combed his hair. He looked like a little monster with hair going all sorts of ways. I finally got a wet cloth and used it to get him just a little damp to lay the hair down better. That way he didn't look quite so crazy. However, the pic above is his true bed head look, taken early this morning. LOL!
Not that anyone cares probably but I use Pet Head shampoos. I've tried numerous shampoos over the years with the pugs. I may venture off but always come back to Pet Head. Landon's only been bathed with Pet Head products once but I don't see myself changing things up for him. Sometimes Target has Pet Head but they do not have a big variety. I buy it on Amazon. Amazon carries the more specialty ones like: Oatmeal, Skin Soothing, White Party, and Puppy Fun. They also carry two types of conditioners, one is a leave-in. Anyway for what it's worth that's what I have used for years and years.
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Rivalry
Did you possibly think by the title I was speaking of the fur-baby duo? Just kidding they aren't rivals! Thankfully! Okay perhaps they do compete a little for their parents attention but not at the level of rivals. Anyway, it's Red River Rivalry day here in these parts...Oklahoma vs Texas facing off in Big D! As I type this, Texas is up by a touchdown, 5 minutes left in the game. I'm on my own to watch this time around, as Brad had a badly timed tennis match to play. He was heavily annoyed his match time was set for the exact same time as kickoff of the rivalry game. Imagine the look on a born and raised Texan's face when he realized his Saturday match was the same time as the kickoff for the football game. Not a pleasant look. He was not a happy camper to be missing today's game. At least though he will be excited to see the Longhorns are about to defeat the Sooners....fingers-crossed they hold on to their lead!
Last night Brad thought he was being super sly by posing this Red River Rivalry trivia question to me...What is the right way to word it, Texas vs. OU or OU vs. Texas? Trick question! Both are right because the game is played at a neutral site in Dallas. Not a home game for either school! He thinks he can trip me up? No way! LOL! :)
Last night Brad thought he was being super sly by posing this Red River Rivalry trivia question to me...What is the right way to word it, Texas vs. OU or OU vs. Texas? Trick question! Both are right because the game is played at a neutral site in Dallas. Not a home game for either school! He thinks he can trip me up? No way! LOL! :)
Possible Name Change
Little Landon has had his name for a week now. From Monday to Thursday I would look at him and almost call him something else. Landon wasn't rolling off my tongue. Then Brad confessed when his co-workers asked him the name he couldn't remember it for a few minutes. There we were late Wednesday night questioning whether or not we named him right? Is he really a Landon?
Low and behold, I finally figured out why "Landon" is not "landing" for us! It's because we've received some not so positive feedback concerning his name. However, after Brad and I talked some more we decided we need to shut out the noise and fully commit to the name we gave him. It wasn't easy for us to come up with Landon. However, with meaning we came to the conclusion to name him Landon. Sorry if others think it's weird or not good enough. Or should I say "Sorry, Not Sorry"?...like the song by Demi Lovato! As I said before, I was absolutely floored when Brad came home 2 weeks ago then swiftly handed me a carrier with this little sugar baby in it. He basically with great surprise "landed" into my arms.
Not that I feel I have to defend my/our name choices over the many years but I will say this...I like slightly different names. I'm not adventurous enough to use some names but I do not like super common names. I like names that are familiar sounding yet a little unique. Hence the names: Cody, Simon, Piper, and now Landon! None are unheard of but none are as common as Jack or Joey or Emily. As for Brad...he gravitates towards names that originate from England. He loves anything and everything English/British. Plus his ancestry is from England. Hence, Piper and Landon the two we've named together are names straight out of London! Landon--London, nope no similarities at all! ;)
I also believe Piper and Landon sound like a good fur-baby sibset. I think for me it's a natural progression when considering Cody and Simon's names. Cody, Simon, and now Landon. There's a few letters and sounds in common between all 3 of those names. And without a doubt a similar feel between Simon and Landon. So there you have it...the name is staying....Landon Leo Vaughn!
Low and behold, I finally figured out why "Landon" is not "landing" for us! It's because we've received some not so positive feedback concerning his name. However, after Brad and I talked some more we decided we need to shut out the noise and fully commit to the name we gave him. It wasn't easy for us to come up with Landon. However, with meaning we came to the conclusion to name him Landon. Sorry if others think it's weird or not good enough. Or should I say "Sorry, Not Sorry"?...like the song by Demi Lovato! As I said before, I was absolutely floored when Brad came home 2 weeks ago then swiftly handed me a carrier with this little sugar baby in it. He basically with great surprise "landed" into my arms.
Not that I feel I have to defend my/our name choices over the many years but I will say this...I like slightly different names. I'm not adventurous enough to use some names but I do not like super common names. I like names that are familiar sounding yet a little unique. Hence the names: Cody, Simon, Piper, and now Landon! None are unheard of but none are as common as Jack or Joey or Emily. As for Brad...he gravitates towards names that originate from England. He loves anything and everything English/British. Plus his ancestry is from England. Hence, Piper and Landon the two we've named together are names straight out of London! Landon--London, nope no similarities at all! ;)
I also believe Piper and Landon sound like a good fur-baby sibset. I think for me it's a natural progression when considering Cody and Simon's names. Cody, Simon, and now Landon. There's a few letters and sounds in common between all 3 of those names. And without a doubt a similar feel between Simon and Landon. So there you have it...the name is staying....Landon Leo Vaughn!
Friday, October 5, 2018
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Names and Numbers
Just because I'm currently name obsessed I thought I'd share something I stumbled across recently. It's a web site that has a way you can look up the breed of your fur-baby then check how many other dogs of the same breed have the same name. It's a great tool to give insight into popularity of certain names. Obviously the numbers in the database are based on "registered" fur-babies as well as purebreds. No mixed breeds were included in the numbers.
Here's some of the numbers for Havanese:
I listed the number then the name next to the number. For example, 60 Havanese dogs named Rocky. I only listed names with 25 or more Havanese dogs walking around with that name. Anything lower than 25 is not listed.
26 Baxter's
27 Izzy's
28 Loki's
34 Gizmo's
35 Sammy's
36 Shadow's
39 Oliver's
50 Oscar's
51 Milo's
56 Bentley's
60 Rocky's
66 Cooper's
85 Charlie's
95 Bailey's
125 Buddy's
140 Max's
Since it's breed specific, I found it extra intriguing! A great tool when it comes to naming a new furry. There's 140 registered little Havanese's with the name Max, definitely stay away, way too common. I'm not sure what people's obsession is with the name Loki? He's not exactly a good character in the Thor movies.
Just for comparison...here are the numbers for pugs:
25 Leo's
26 Winston's
26 Gunner's
27 Tyson's
36 Pepper's
38 Diesel's
53 Bear's
53 Toby's
59 Jack's
66 Harley's
69 Rocky's
113 Buddy's
128 Max's
To my husband...look honey, there are 25 pugs named Leo. So it is a "dog" appropriate name for some. He told me the name Leo wasn't appropriate for a dog only a human or cat name. LOL!
Additionally, I know some people that frequent this blog that are poodle owners, so lets look at the numbers for poodles. Toy and Miniature were grouped together on the web site!
32 Cody's
33 Oliver's
38 Riley's
44 Teddy's
45 Pepper's
48 Oscar's
47 Bear's
49 Toby's
53 Bentley's
58 Coco's
59 Cooper's
60 Harley's
63 Jack's
92 Bailey's
129 Buddy's
135 Max's
As you can see there's some similarities for 3 different breeds as well as a few names that are ranked high for only one breed. Cody is only ranked for poodles, there's 32 registered poodles named Cody. Their human's are clearly brilliant!
I told Brad the name Bentley was popular and I wanted to stay away from it. Once I got him past weird superhero names he settled on Bentley for a few days. He also mentioned Cooper, which was quickly vetoed by me based on Piper's name. Cooper and Piper...a little too similar in my opinion! I could deal with same ending like Piper and Tyler but not the exact same syllable like Piper and Cooper. Confusing!
Anyway, for what it is worth, useless or otherwise. But most likely leaning towards "useless" info on names for dogs! LOL!
Here's some of the numbers for Havanese:
I listed the number then the name next to the number. For example, 60 Havanese dogs named Rocky. I only listed names with 25 or more Havanese dogs walking around with that name. Anything lower than 25 is not listed.
26 Baxter's
27 Izzy's
28 Loki's
34 Gizmo's
35 Sammy's
36 Shadow's
39 Oliver's
50 Oscar's
51 Milo's
56 Bentley's
60 Rocky's
66 Cooper's
85 Charlie's
95 Bailey's
125 Buddy's
140 Max's
Since it's breed specific, I found it extra intriguing! A great tool when it comes to naming a new furry. There's 140 registered little Havanese's with the name Max, definitely stay away, way too common. I'm not sure what people's obsession is with the name Loki? He's not exactly a good character in the Thor movies.
Just for comparison...here are the numbers for pugs:
25 Leo's
26 Winston's
26 Gunner's
27 Tyson's
36 Pepper's
38 Diesel's
53 Bear's
53 Toby's
59 Jack's
66 Harley's
69 Rocky's
113 Buddy's
128 Max's
To my husband...look honey, there are 25 pugs named Leo. So it is a "dog" appropriate name for some. He told me the name Leo wasn't appropriate for a dog only a human or cat name. LOL!
Additionally, I know some people that frequent this blog that are poodle owners, so lets look at the numbers for poodles. Toy and Miniature were grouped together on the web site!
32 Cody's
33 Oliver's
38 Riley's
44 Teddy's
45 Pepper's
48 Oscar's
47 Bear's
49 Toby's
53 Bentley's
58 Coco's
59 Cooper's
60 Harley's
63 Jack's
92 Bailey's
129 Buddy's
135 Max's
As you can see there's some similarities for 3 different breeds as well as a few names that are ranked high for only one breed. Cody is only ranked for poodles, there's 32 registered poodles named Cody. Their human's are clearly brilliant!
I told Brad the name Bentley was popular and I wanted to stay away from it. Once I got him past weird superhero names he settled on Bentley for a few days. He also mentioned Cooper, which was quickly vetoed by me based on Piper's name. Cooper and Piper...a little too similar in my opinion! I could deal with same ending like Piper and Tyler but not the exact same syllable like Piper and Cooper. Confusing!
Anyway, for what it is worth, useless or otherwise. But most likely leaning towards "useless" info on names for dogs! LOL!
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