The Puppy Boys

I was feeling in a funk today.  I hate dressing up for work.  So in my funk I decided I would wear jeans with my heels.  I always follow the dress code, so I figured no one would care too much the one day I didn't.  Plus, at our office, the investigators have a lenient dress code and the lawyers only really dress up nice when there's court so it's not like my wearing jeans was really going to stand out.  Though usually everyone wears at least cargo pants over jeans.

Turns out I wasn't the only one feeling that funk.  Most of the office showed up in jeans today.

Including my boss, so I think that most definitely put me in the clear.

Also, the point where our entire office sat around and told Chuck Norris jokes in the conference room for a good half hour is just proof that my funk isn't just my funk. 

There's funk in the air.

Though I do love starting out the day with an email that I've won something.
It's the best.

This morning I found out that I won the 14 day fresh start nutrition program. 

I seriously can not wait for that.

A huge thank you to Jennifer at  A Mothers Fitness2love.  Huge thank you.
I can't wait to start this program.

Strider

Milo

Our puppy boys.

I like to keep track of the things the kids do and say because it's fun to see how they grow, progress, change.

I thought maybe I should do that with our puppy boys.

Right now they are a year and a half.
We have them sectioned off to only being in the kitchen and the dining room (hence the baby gate behind Milo in that picture) where they have a doggy door to let them come and go to and from the backyard as they please.

They hate that babygate.  It's strapped to the stair rail and pressed against the wall with a chair.  They're learning that if they  jump hard enough, especially Strider, who is the Clydesdale of dogs, they can knock that chair enough to move the gate and get free.

They only do this when we're not home.

This means that any loose article will be shredded when we get home.

Shoes
flip flops
books
stuffed animals
stuffed penguins
camera cases
underwear
socks
my Victoria's Secret bra (that wasn't lying around, they broke into our bedroom to get that one)
homework
bathroom garbage can's contents

The dog ate my homework is a valid thing in our house.

Barbies
pencils
bottles of glitter
entire rolls of toilet paper
library books
Grandma KC's sewing supplies
paint brushes
rolls of painting plastic
masking tape
the couch...

If it weren't for this chewing habit they'd have free roam of the house.

Strider has a stomach of steel.
He ate rat poison and it didn't even phase him. (No, we didn't let him digest it.  We took him to the vet where he was purged and filled with charcoal to absorb the residue).
(Then he came home and ate his dinner like nothing had happened).

Strider also chews on his brother.

You can't usually pet Milo because 9 times out of 10, Milo's fur is going to be soaking wet from Strider chomping on him.

Poor picked on little brother.

Strider is monster dog, double the weight of Milo.
Milo is super soft.
Strider, being the bigger of the two, is the one that will insist that he needs to be a lap dog.  The only problem with that is that he's just a little too big to fit on your lap.

Strider is protective.
One time when I snuck into the backyard (so the dogs wouldn't know I was there and jump all over me) to lay out, Strider eventually noticed me out there.  I watched him and you could tell he wasn't sure who I was.  He froze and stared at me.  When I looked back he was belly crawling toward me, ready to jump.  I had to say his name so he would realize it was me and not attack me. It just struck me as funny that he would take the time to sneak up on me to pounce, rather than go into a barking fit.

Strider also likes to sit with one of his stuffed animals in his mouth to sleep.  Kind of like sucking his thumb, but since he doesn't have thumbs...

Milo is the pretty boy.  It looks like he wears guy liner.
He's pretty chill against Strider's antics.
The instant you reach to pet him on the head, he's on his back, legs in the air, wanting a belly rub.
He's stubborn though.  He knows the command sit.  But if you hold out a treat and tell him to sit, it's like a battle of wills.  He's certain that if he just holds out a little longer, you'll break and give it to him.  Sitting is so beneath him.
He eventually sits though.  The promise of a treat becomes more than he can bare.

Their favorite toy is the laundry soap cup.  They'll chase that cup across the kitchen tile forever.

When they were new puppies they  tried to herd the kids.  The kids would take off running and the puppies would start nipping at ankles to get them to stay together.  They've finally figured out that kids can't be herded.

They still bite ankles thought.  Especially Milo.  He seems to think that the way to say good morning is to either nip the top of your bare foot or your ankle.

They hover when I cook. 
They know I'll drop something or spill something eventually.

They also hover when dinner is done and the kids are scraping plates into the garbage for the same reasons.

They're getting pretty decent at staying in the yard when we take them out front.
Except they seem to hate people on skateboards?
Except Cas.  They don't seem to mind Cas being on  a skateboard.

They're fun dogs.  I enjoy them. 
I just wish I knew how to get them to chew on all the toys and bones we give them and to leave all the other stuff alone.
How do you teach a dog that?
Especially if your not there when they're doing it.
Any tips on that one?