Nakedness

I like being naked. Naked, at my house, means no collar...and it's liberating!

Collars can be so cumbersome. Sometimes they are itchy. Often times they are uncomfortable and other times the jingling is annoying.

Mom says collars are good for holding my ID for me when I'm out...since I don't have any pockets! BOL But that's all we use it for, we never hook my leash to it (can you imagine how awful it would be to be lead around by your neck? Plus, there's lots of information coming out on how bad that is for dogs).

Mom says she has always let her dogs be "naked" at home. I like that. When we put up our feet at night, Mom gently leans over and slips my collar off & hangs it by the door. She rubs my neck where my collar was and lets run around in all my Bullmastiff glory until it's time to leave again.

When you get home tonight. Let your own dog have a taste of nakedness. Slip their collar off and offer a nice neck rub where that collar indentation is. I bet they'll agree with me...Naked is Nice.

Wordless Wednesday Woofs

Ahhhhh....I found a nice sunny spot in the yard to get my daily dose of Vit D. 
Happy Wednesday!

Woofs!

Holy HOTlanta!

I love being outside, but phew...it's hot in this city! So far we've had a pretty mild summer, but temps are ramping up and I am not happy about it! So, I thought I'd share one of my favorite things that Mom does to help keep me cool....she calls it a Cooling Canine Spritzer! 

Easy enough right? Mom says Peppermint essential oil is safe to use on us dogs (she also said that peppermint oil works so well because it contains menthol which has a cooling effect when applied to the skin. She always has to be so technical BOL). Take it from me, just a few drops of the spritzer feels oh-so-refreshing on a hot day! I give it the Briscoe Bullmastiff Big Drool Approval! 

Woofs!

Stay & Play with an in-betweenie-weenie!

This weekend I had a friend stay over. Mom sometimes lets dogs that she's working with come to stay at our house! This weekend, it was Bentley. Bentley is an in-betweenie-weenie (he's a mix between a standard and a mini Dachshund). 

Bentley and I had never played together so we took a few minutes to get to know each other. Mom says that we used loads of Canine Calming Signals. Mom has fancy words for everything, I swear! BOL But, once we got to know each other's play styles, we had a lot of fun romping around!

(Mom says please excuse her over-the-top puppy voice! Since it was our first time playing together, mom wanted to make sure we were getting lots of good feedback! And if you think it's annoying, now you know what I live with everyday!! BOL Sorry Mom!) 

Turns out, having another doggy friend around can be helpful. Bentley was on an herbal detox while he was here, and wasn't so sure about taking it. So, I showed him that if you swallow it fast, it's not that bad! And, guess what? He showed me how much fun toys can be!
I'm sad that Bentley only got to stay for a few days, but I love having different doggy visitors at my house! Especially because, if they're obnoxious, I can have Mom send them back home!

Woofs!

Wordless Wednesday Woofs!

Flinging drool is risky business...and sometimes, well, accidents happen!

Woofs!

Make way for the KING!

Well...the King of the Forest anyway!! And I'm sure I'm the King, because the trails are really small, and everyone quickly got outta my way when they saw me coming...you know, to let the King through!!

Mom & I went to Morningside Nature Preserve...wow, that's a long name. There are tons of trails, which makes it *really* hard to decide which one to take. Sometimes I made Mom go down one trail a few feet, then turn around and go back to a different trail...just so we didn't miss anything! I saw lots of squirrels, some birds and even a bunny! I barked and pounced at the bunny, like, SEE Bunny?? I like to bounce too! Bunny ran away. Rude.

But, the coolest part of the whole forest? A big swing over the river. Mom says is a "suspension bridge", yah Mom, whatever. You get on and it MOVES. How cool is that?? Mom says I'm crazy because I'm so scared of everything else but a giant bridge that moves over the water doesn't scare me. Mom, seriously? KINGS cannot be scared of swings. BOL

Here's me on the giant swing!

Woofs!

What you mean, just for girls?

So, Mom is busy answering emails and I decide that I will entertain myself. I mean, It's the least I can do, ya know?


But, hmm...what to do? I wandered into the bathroom and found a box. It was a fun, bright box and when I opened it, it was FULL of chews!! At least...I think they were chews; they were wrapped in paper and I thought maybe you had to pull the paper off. So, I took one back to my blanket to work on it. It made really fun noises! Mom heard the noises and came to see what I was chewing, so I showed her...

See Mom! It's a crinkly-paper chew that I got from the bathroom! 

Whoa...what? It's just for girls??

Oh No! I am sooooo embarrassed! 

Why didn't anybody TELL me about this stuff when I came to live with a GIRL!! Crazy girls and all their girly stuff!! BOL


Woofs!

I'm a LONE Ranger!

I like to make decisions on my own and generally, just like to be on my own. I'm like a cowboy...a Lone Ranger...running loose and figuring stuff out as I go. It's easier that way, or at least, it was. Now I'm in a home, with a Mom who doesn't want me to run away, but wants me to be happy enough to stay here and participate in things with her. She wants me to trust her.

Trust, it's big, and you humans expect a lot of it.
You leave us everyday and expect us to trust that you will return...
You hook us to leashes and we have to trust that every situation you walk us into will be safe...
You make all the decisions about our food and care and we have to trust that it's safe, and good...
You decide how to train us and help us learn and we have to trust that you will be fair...

Everyday you expect us to trust you...without any conditions. If your dog trusts you, thank him for it. Offer an extra cookie, or a longer bellyrub...It's a big deal for us.

As for me? Mom and I are working on it. I may just be hanging up my hat as the Lone Ranger... but I think I'll keep the bandanna, I just look too handsome in it!

Woofs!

Wordless Wednesday Woofs!

I learned something new...magical SIT gets you stuffs!

Woofs!

Learning to like RAW

Did you know dogs are carnivores? It true..our biological makeup is that of a true carnivore and supports our classification under the order carnivora in the animal kingdom (my Mom, the canine nutritionist, told me that)!

Mom says it's important for all animals to eat a balanced, healthy, fresh diet that is species appropriate. For me that means raw meat, bones & organs. And mom says that I should eat a prey model, which means big pieces and sometimes whole prey. But...all I've ever eaten was "dog food".. so the idea of RAW..whoa!

Mom put it in my bowl for a few days and it really freaked me out. So, we took a break from trying it and I ate a pre-made raw that didn't look so "different".  I mean, the prey model stuff really smelled good, but it doesn't look like the stuff that I normally get in my bowl.

Today, Mom and I decided we should give it another try. Mom offered me a turkey neck after some ground raw. I licked it for awhile to determine it was safe, then..chomp, chomp, gulp! Hey - that was easier than I thought!! I think I might like this RAW stuff after all!! BOL!

Woofs!

Wordless Wednesday Woofs

The Many Faces of Briscoe

Mom says I'm Handsome, can't argue with her on that! BOL

Woofs! 

 

To play or not to play...

Dog Toys? Toys just for Dogs? Have you ever heard of such a thing?! I hadn't..and quite honestly, it sounded a little suspicious. Mom said I was gunna have so much FUN with all my new toys and showed me a big basket full of them. 

A basket full of toys, hmm...Did I mention that I was suspicious?? I tried to be brave, but me against all those toys?! I knew I didn't stand a chance & finally made a run for it...

Mom said it was Okay to be worried about new, strange things. So we put all the toys in the closet except for a couple. One of those is a furry ball that makes a very good dying animal noise (you humans call it a squeak - but I know what it is)! Mom showed me how it bounces and how to make the noise, but my favorite part was how it keeps moving if she throws it. I was beginning to think that maybe toys weren't such a crazy idea after all! So...I POUNCED - and I GOT IT!!

Hmm..I wish I knew what to do from there...

Hope you're having FUN this weekend with your toys!

Woofs! 

The Name Game...

So...Briscoe isn't the name I came with. Mom didn't like the name that I had when I came here, and you know what? I didn't like it either, so Mom said I could have a new one! Mom also said that names often carry energy with them, and I should have a new name to go with my new start. 


But how the heck am I supposed to know what my new name is? Enter: the "the name game"! It's pretty fun..this is how it goes: Mom says my new name, and as soon as I start to look at her, she clicks & then gives me some food. That's not such a hard game!! We practiced inside first which was booooooring, then we went outside which was way more fun!

I included a video so you can all see how absolutely awesome I am at it (BTW - If this is a game - I'm totally winning)!! BOL!

Woofs!

PS - Yes, that is drool all over my face. 
PPS - It's cool to drool kids!

Detox Dog...

Being that I just got adopted, my new mom says there's lots of things we need to change. Like my food and what supplements I'm taking, but first she says that I have to go through a 'detox program'. 

I tried to explain to her that I wasn't really toxic...despite what my butt might say. She says there's lots of reasons I need a detox like:

- I got lots of vaccines, and got them really close together before coming to her. She says that even though lots of dogs get vaccines like that, she doesn't agree with it.

- I haven't been on a fresh, whole food diet. The food I was eating at the vets office makes mom scrunch up her face all funny when someone mentions it. I like that face. And before that I was eating cheap grocery store food and scavenging when I was on the run!

- Mom also says that dogs come into contact with a lot more chemicals than humans do. We walk around unprotected on surfaces that have been cleaned with harsh chemicals or in the street with all sorts of nasty yuck. 

Those all seem like good reasons. But, I wasn't so sure about a detox. I mean, it sounded pretty intense. Mom let me smell it first though, and it wasn't that bad, it smelled kind of like dirt, and I LUVF dirt! She said those are herbs I'm smelling, like Milk Thistle, Dandelion & Licorice.

Then she told me that a detox will help rid my body of unwanted waste that's been building up in my organs, that it will help boost my immune system and will help me feel better. But you know what else she said, she said it will help my body function better. Help my body function better?! Like, maybe I'll have super senses?? She just puts a couple drops in my food everyday and what'dya know...I'm on my way to being BRISCOE THE DETOXED DOG!!! I like the ring that has to it! 


I'll be sure to let you know how this whole detox thing turns out! 

Woofs!

A house full of human stuff...

How do you humans do it? Living in these houses with all sorts of scary things!!

I'll admit, my new place is a bit much for me right now. Even though I ran away from my old home a lot and got to see lots of really cool stuff, I never really got used to loud noises. And because I never spent too much time in a human house, there's lots of things at my new house that scare me!

Like the monster in our kitchen. Mom says it's just the "dish washer", I don't think it's washing dishes though - I think it's eating them! And it probably wants to eat me next!

There's a scary whirlygig in the den. Mom says it's a "ceiling fan", but I'm pretty sure it chops heads off. I mean, have you seen one of those things?? Yeesh!

And then there's the whole issue of going out to do my business. Mom says I have to be on a "harness" & leash until she's sure I won't take off from her yard (moms house & yard had to be approved by the rescue, but I'm super good at figuring out a getaway)! By "harness" I think she meant, small torture device. I mean, it's not so bad once it's on...but, oh, who am I kidding...(see the picture of me in it above for my true feelings on the subject).

Mom says we're going to do some "counter-conditioning and desensitization"...holy batman those are big words. Mom says it will be fun, and it involves food...oh good...I hope that means we feed the "dish washer"  monster so it doesn't eat me!

Woofs!

I'm new here...

Hi, I'm Briscoe. I'm new here...and it's tough being the new kid. 

Have you ever been in a new place, with new rules, surrounded by new people? It's scary and quite honestly, I'm a little terrified and overwhelmed at the moment. My new Mom says this is the start of a grand adventure, so I thought I'd invite you all to join me as I discover everything fun & interesting about my new life. My new Mom is a professional dog trainer and a canine nutritionist. She also utilizes holistic modalities...I have NO clue what any of that means! But, she seems to think I will like it all, so far she seems nice enough so I guess I'll give it a try.

 But for now, here's a little more about me...
I'm a purebred Bullmastiff, but I'm small and didn't come from a reputable breeder. The family that purchased me as a puppy never socialized me or taught me any life skills (including any obedience behaviors). Mostly, I just spent time running away from there until they finally gave me up to a rescue. I didn't really work out in a foster home (I like to boop other dogs on the head), so I was boarded at a noisy, busy, vet clinic until my new mom found me listed on Petfinder! She came out to visit me and knew as soon as she saw my face that I was supposed to live with her...so here I am...and as she says, the adventure begins.


Woofs!