Here's good

When Brie was little she was much more managable. She was gentle and sweet and never caused trouble. Not at all like the little diva she is today. Also, being smaller she was able to sleep in some very strange places.

Raining cats and dogs

Well Brie has come far in terms of toilet training. She used to wait until the rain and thunder stopped, but today she went out bravely even though the rain was pouring and the thunder was going and did her business outside like a good little poodle. I'm so proud of you Brie, although I did have to hold the umbrella.

Toy box

As Brie got older, her stash of toys accumulated. We used to just throw everything into her house where she could nest among her toys. But it got to the point where Brie couldn't even fit into her own house. So we bought a couple boxes for her to store her things.

However, Brie has discovered a new game, which she likes to call 'lets empty out all the toys onto the floor'. It usually begins because she just must have that toy that's right at the bottom, but there are all these other toys in the way.

But it continues, as once she has the toy she has worked so hard to get she then decides that it wasn't the one that she really wanted. So at the end of the night we have one triumphant poodle playing with dozens of toys scattered around the lounge.

In the begining

Back when Brie was a tiny puppy she wasn't able to cause as much havoc as she would have liked. This was mostly because she hadn't quite got the hang of running around while waving a toy around like crazy. But she had also yet to develop her keen sense of mischief. So instead of bounding around off the deck and into the long grass like she does now she would sort of tumble down the tiny step and land upside on the lawn. This was usually followed by some frantic squirming to get back on her feet, followed by a cautious glace around to see if anybody noticed. I'm not sure she realised how cute she was back in her youth.

Another milestone

Up until now Brie had been eating puppy kibble. But today is a big day as she has finally graduated onto fully grown dog kibble. The kibble pieces are much bigger than what she is used to so I was a bit worried that she would have difficulty eating them, but she pigged them down like they were made of cheese. I'm hoping this new found enthusiasm for kibble will last, and it's not just Brie getting excited by something new. Usually she is very reluctant to do even the most basic doggies tasks, like eating and excreting, requiring quite a lot of encouragement. Maybe this new lamb flavoured grown up dog kibble will help Brie take on her responsibilities like an adult.

Sensing the danger

Recently in Auckland there was a medium sized earthquake, so I grabbed Brie and stood in the door frame in case there might be another one coming but luckily there wasn't. So we went back to what we were doing, and then something struck me. I thought animals were able to sense danger!!! Brie where is your ability to sense danger, aren't you an animal?

I think due to the lack of threats in her everyday life she isn't good at sensing danger, but she does happen to be really good at sensing cheese. So if I was to get crushed by a giant cheese I might get some prior warning. How useful.

Filling out her frame

Brie has mostly stop growing in terms of her height and has now moved on to filling out her frame. Under her fur, she has a muscle structure that even a pro body builder would be impressed with. All her working out must be paying off, like lifting all those weights to work out her guns... I mean more like all the jumping and hopping that she does when she wants to express her happiness. Thanks to that she has sculpted thigh muscles which allow her to jump like a rabbit. However, all this is hidden under her fluffy fur, and I like to give her little soft curves when I trim her legs, so what she ends up with is thunder thighs like in this picture.

Einstein Toy

Brie has been given a late Xmas present - a Brain work out toy. I randomly named it her Einstein toy because Brie is going to play with this toy to give that little brain of hers a good work out, so that she can be as clever as Einstein. This clever little toy was designed to be disassembled by dogs to give them a mind work out. But obviously the person who designed this didn't have Brie in mind. She was ecstatic that she got given a new toy, but all she does is just run around carrying it, not destructing it. How not fun is that. Again my high hopes of having an Einstein dog did not come true.

Survival of the Fittest

I was reading the other day that poodles were originally used for hunting and tracking. I've had Brie for over a year now, and I've often wondered how she'd have fared in the primordial landscapes of centuries past. The only prey she's managed to catch is the odd insect unlucky enough to be flying slow and close enough to Brie's mouth.

Whilst her hunting skills are questionable, she does do a good job of tracking me down in the house when I am eating something tasty, trying to get her fill on any crumbs that may fall to the floor. Perhaps pre-historic Brie-like poodles were befriending larger animals (like a lion or a dugong perhaps) to get their recommended dietary intakes.

Nine to Five

Brie enjoys joining us in the office when we're busy at work, however as she is only a toy poodle she isn't really able to assist us in the daily duties here at Sniff. So like any smart dog, she exercises effective time managements skills by taking long siestas.

So when Christmas rolled around, we thought Brie would enjoy a nice cushion to nap on for the office corner. However being the dog that she is... she seems to prefer the rustic comfort and charms of the carpet and wires underneath her fur.

New Year's Resolutions

When it comes to my own new year's resolutions I am very bad at following through, but for others it is enforced in my household. That means it includes you BRIE!!! As she shows no interest in this subject I will voluntarily come up with three new year's resolutions for her. One: no more accidents in guest's houses, a combination of nervousness and the curiosity of other smells around means that she still has little accidents occasionally. Two: reduce barking and Three: gain more confidence.

I know these are very high expectations and wishes but I don't think its hurts to dream big. But I sense no enthusiasm from Brie so it will probably stay as a dream.

Just a thought

More presents arrived in the mail today, and it was Brie's present from my mother. Since the tree is raised and doesn't have much space underneath, the presents have been relocated to a Brie-free-zone to prevent any disastrous events. And Brie's present are piling up, but there are none so far for me!!! What is wrong with my family, that husband of mine is going to be in so much trouble if he doesn't get me a Xmas present. Just a thought now that I think of it - I don't think Brie has been a good enough little poodle this year to deserve a present. Considering what happened last year I don't think Brie will be behaving on Xmas day this year either.

The puppy play school dropout

We enrolled Brie into Puppy Play school when she was very young for her to learn to socialise with other dogs. Her first week was just a disaster, she decided to hide under the chairs, and when other puppies came over to investigate she cried like a siren and had an accident. The second week it wasn't as horrific, as she decided to socialise with other owners, but still not dogs. And this just continued. Despite her increasing exposure to puppies, Brie showed little interest in playing or greeting other dogs, instead sitting around with the owners and observing other dogs as if she were a human. This puppy school had a diverse range of dogs, and Brie was even scared of the chihuahua puppies half her size.

At this school, when puppies gain the skill to play and socialise with other dogs they tend to leave and face the real world. So when Brie was still struggling at nine months old, when other puppies who were three or four months old were graduating, my husband and I decided that Brie had probably learned as much as she could from her time at puppy play school. She did learn all the tricks they taught her, plus she learnt to pee on wet newspaper. Since she is a dropout, my concern is that she will get a tattoo, start a rock band and have her own hydroponic garden in her little house.

Happy 1st Birthday

Our little pup is now one year old, we find it hard to believe, since we haven't covered all the MUST learns in her first year, like the list they give you at puppy school. We still have lots more work to do but Brie is still a doggie in training to become a well behaved dog.

So anyway we figured this was a great occasion to throw a party since it is a celebratory event. I even made a look-a-like cake, notice a resemblance. Also due to my newly acquired passion for soccer, or as the English like to call it 'footie', Brie acquired an English hooligan shirt - a Tottenham Hotspur shirt. Who would have thought that they cater for dogs! She is probably the worst behaved hooligan in all of New Zealand.