After a couple of years of trying to get our puppy to learn to lay she finally did it! She even follows the hand command. That is all! :)

Well, we went to the Buda wiener races yesterday! It was so much fun! Unfortunately, Jaxi did not win. There was very stiff competition. She didn't bust out though, which is all I really wanted for her. She looked a little confused running down the track like she didn't know what to do. It was a little overwhelming being in a big crowd with all that noise. She was hot too. We didn't think to bring her little cloth water bowl thingy. Next year we will be more prepared! But we had a lot of fun this year. She met a lot of dachshunds, one that looked just like her. We always find dachshunds that are a little bigger or a lot smaller, this one was exactly her shape. Of course, Jaxi has little tufts of hair here and there because her daddy was long haired, so she's still distinguishable in a crowd :)

I was a little disappointed that the Hug-a-dog people weren't there. The Dachshund Delights people were that sell their stuff, but the hug-a-dog people that made Jaxi's harness weren't. I really wanted to thank them in person for being so nice to take her harness back and also to see if she still might need a bigger size or if it's supposed to fit that way. It looks a little bit small around her chest area. What can I say.. my baby's buxom :)

Well, Jaxi has been doing pretty well lately. Today she got to spend some time in my Aunt's yard. Soon, we'll be moving into a house and she'll have her own yard, but it was good to get out and hang out for a day. We have been training her for the Buday Wienie Races. My family helped us by trying to distract her while we had her race to me. She busted out :( We're going to have to get stricter on the training! I don't really mind if she doesn't win, I want her to have fun, but I do hope she doesn't bust out completely :( So we'll be doing our part and stepping up the treats!

Not much else going on right now. Spring is finally warming things up and she's swimming again on her daily nature hikes. She's a lot of work when she comes in muddy! But it's worth it :)

Edit: The post I had here doesn't work now so instead.... Take a look at this picture while I work on her new website !! :)

We have this pink cloth covered squeeky kong toy that she loves. She's on her second one, though she still prefers the ratty torn up one. But when she plays with it by herself and makes it squeek over and over, eventually she'll start howling. Well, I usually try to howl with her when she does that because I want to teach her to howl with me like my first dog used to do. My first doxie was named Ed and he would howl when we practiced piano. I've been trying to get Jaxi to howl with me too, but I don't have a piano. Well, today when I started howling with her, she dropped the toy and looked at me and started howling at me! It was a very exciting moment for me.

cheesy. but true.

Well it's been a few months since a post. She had a great Christmas. She got a cute little pink coat to warm her through the "winter". I think we had about at least a few days of cold weather this year :) She got some lovely little gifts from her cousin Samantha, another little dachshund. She got a bone (which samantha was loath to part with!) and a red collar. She also got a kong from her daddy. It's wrapped in some thick pink cloth and it's become her new favorite toy.

We still take daily walks out to Turkey Creek. We through Rosebud in there too since it was a warm day. She swam for an hour and we couldn't get her out. I'd like to teach her to be in the water without us throwing rocks now. It's going to be a hard transition. Be nice if we had the Dog Whisperer pop in for that one. That, and maybe how to get her not to run half a mile up the trail without us just because she goes there every day and knows where she's going! She's started to obsess with water. A couple of weeks ago she ran back along the trail because she got tired of following us, we found her at a water hole. We got her and made her walk with us when we did but the second we turned around to go the other way she ran straight for that water hole again and this time we were a lot further away. It's a little scary since someone has spotted a coyote out there. Where there's one, there's a pack. And we have also heard about mountain lions. I'm not afraid at all in the middle of the day when we stay together but if she doesn't stay with us.... little dog like her looks like snack food. :(

She also had an incident on the bed that involved her trying to jump down while I tried to stop her and place her down on the floor and ended up with her half bouncing off my arms and landing awkwardly on her side, yelping and screaming and limping. She was completely alright by the time we got to the vet, they said she probably sprained something. We gave her some pain pills the vet gave us and she still went for a walk that day, and the next day and the next day as well! She was fine, but boy howdy! That scared the heck out of us! :(

Anyway, all is well. She gets to do a little traveling soon. She's excited to see the family. She loves to travel, after all!

Put your paws in the air like you just don't care!
Wag your tail all arond to the beat and the sound'!
Shake your ears to and fro now go puppy go!
Now shake all night cuz it feels so right!


:) New song I'm working on for Jaxi.. hehe..

We went to Layfayette, LA this weekend and took the puppy. She had to spend her time in the crate while we were gone. We tried to not be gone longer than 3 hours at a time and then took her for walks when we got back. She was in for 4 hours once though. She did very well, no accidents, just a little barking at people walking by the room, but otherwise she was great. I made up for it by going to Redbud Island with her for like 2 hours. She didn't want to leave either! I think we could spend all day out there before she wanted to leave! We're going back in a few minutes, though. She slept all damn day yesterday when we got back, hehehe. Poor little puppy pooped herself out! She's still napping in fact! Well, she'll wake up when we get to the park!

A Dog's Life:
aka.
10 Things We Do To Spoil Our Dog

1) Chew Toys: Not content to give her any old dog toy, we research the best dachshund toys, often buying her three or four toys at once to see which ones she likes the most. We keep her with 5 or 6 constant toys and when she gets bored we get her new ones. We have figured out that she likes ropes, and plastic balls the best. Of course, she'd like to have any stuffed animal but since she rips them to shreds in 3 minutes and then commences to eat the stuffing, we thought it best not to give her those anymore ;)

2) Dog Parks: Yes a quick walk around the apartment or a brisk 30-40 minute walk on the sidewalks around the area is a common occurance. But this is not enough for our spoiled poochy. She goes to dog parks at least 3 or 4 times a week. We walk her, let her swim, let her play with and meet other dogs, and basically let her be a dog for awhile. We can't stand her being couped up in the apartment all the time. Since she doesn't have a backyard any longer, we take make up for that by frequent visits to the dog park!

3) 2 Beds, 3 Blankets, and a Crate: Need I say more? Traveling with her is a three ring circus. With her very own suitcase and the fences and beds and whatnot! She has one blanket she claimed. It was a very lovely little maroon number that she decided to chew through a few times and is now officially hers! She has one that is specifically for her crate, nice red on one side and soft and fleecy white on the other. Her crate is mostly for when we're gone or we need to have some dogless time. She likes it alot in her crate, taking naps and chewing on a dental chew. We have a bed that she grew out of to sit in comfortably but it's big enough for her to curl up in when she's riding in my lap. Oh yes, she only ever rides in mommy's lap! No backseat for her! We got her another blanket, nice bushy brown number, that is for laying around on the floor and can double as a bed. And if all of that isn't enough? She has her own chair so she can sit and nap next to mommy! With two pillows!

4) Sleeps with Mommy and Daddy: Yes, after all that in number 3 she still winds up sleeping right smack between her mommy and daddy. Sprawling out, taking as much of the bed as she can, kicking at us in her sleep if we're encroaching on her comfort! It's all so silly! lol

5) Popcorn, watermellon, grapefruit: She seems to loooove fruit and popcorn. She also likes ice but not as much as when she was younger. But mommy will give her some of her fruit or popcorn when she's eating it. Only when she's being quiet and not begging though. She often tries to steal food and she gets shut down pretty quick for that. She's still a dog and will probably always try to test those boundaries, but she's fairly good about it now. She's very respectful when food is around mostly being content to lay about near us in hopes of getting some. So I reward her with things that I don't think will be unhealthy for her. One of the most important things to spoiling her is being concientious about her diet and potential weight gain. Dachshunds with their long bodies and short little legs often like to jump off and onto high places and wind up hurting joints and backs :( The more they weigh, the greater the risk. So our pooch is tres health concious!

6) Researching cute clothes and collars: We are not content to just get something out of our local PetSmart. Oh, no! Mommy spends hours looking for collars that will make her girl look like a girl. Most people assume she's a boy! The nerve! So I try to get her cute and girly collars so there will be no confusion. :) But that's not all! We are also looking for a couple of tshirts or sweaters for her as well. Winter is coming up after all! We don't want our spoiled Princess Precious getting cold now do we?!

7) Pet and Play: She gets loved on constantly! Whenever she looks bored we get down and play with her ball or her tug rope or just pet her or mess around. We have very nearly convinced ourselves to get our a dog.. a dog! Yes, we feel bad we can't play with her all day long so we have considered getting her a playmate! I think they work better in pairs anyway :) But whenever she wants a little scratch she has learned to just come up to either of us and look up with those big brown eyes and she immediately gets loved on. She has also learned to hike up a leg so we can get under her belly better. So adorable! Who could resist her!

8) Trying to not disturb her rest: This is mostly a daddy thing. Whenever she's sleeping on the couch and he's laying with her he tries to very carefully get up so he doesn't wake her up. Or the reverse, he tries to sit on the couch very carefully when she's sleeping on it. I just pick her up and put her in my lap. She loves laptime ! It means extra and almost constant attention!

9) Doorman service: My desk is right by the sliding glass door to her veranda! When she wants to ajourn she simply stands in front of the door and does a ever so slight, and completely lady-like whine signalling that she is ready for me to open the door for her. When she wants back in she does a simple, very small bark. And woe to those who don't give her prompt and immediate service!

10) Drives: We feel guilty leaving her at home when we run errands. So whenever it's possible we bring her with us. Mommy will sit in the car with her while daddy runs into the store to grab something. Sometimes mommy will walk her around if there's a grassy, shady area. She gets lots of attention from kids and strangers who come by and pet her.

In summary, our Princess Precious gets treated like royalty. There are a lot of other things we do to spoil her, but.. I think this makes us look crazy enough for now :) Don't you?!

Our poor poochie! Bull Creak's creak got contaminated. Apparently a sewage system overflowed into the water upstream :( We were luck because apparently the dog park was the *only* place along the river that was warned by signs. People care a lot more about their dogs than they do about the people! lolz.

So, we were forced to get off our lazy butts and do something we already wanted to do but didnt have initiative to do yet... find another park! We found a great one too at the Emma Long Memorial Park. There is a 2 1/2 mile trail that winds through the hills up and down and back and forth through streams and creaks. Purely enchanting! This trail starts at Turkey Creek. Truely doggy heaven. She hiked, she swam, she sniffed other dogs, she swam some more and when we were all done and home she fell out! hehe. Very happy day for her. I'm glad we were forced to go find another park cuz this sure is a good one!

Well, we finally found her a toy she could play with that she didn't chew through in 3 minutes. Of course, she has long since surprassed all stuffed animals. Even the biggest ones, she goes right for the jugular or right for the squeaker in no time flat. We tried some rope toys, those last longer, sometimes even weaks but they definitely have a finite amount of use. At some point, she shreds them and starts eating the shreddings :( Leather would be good but we don't want to encourage her to chew on leather. Well, daddy doesn't care as much as mommy does. But, mommy has had two pairs of good shoes and a perfect watch go buhbye.

So, every diligent, daddy found a squeaky, sturdy, ruber ball that appears to be lasting her. Unfortunately it sounds....

.....like a dying duck when she squeaks it :(

..... and she squeaks it all damn day. I just want to shoot the duck and put it out of it's misery already!! Ye gods! Make it stop! hehehe

At least she's preoccupied, if a bit obsessed. :)

Well, we went to San Antonio this weekend to help my Aunt put up a fence. Jaxi stayed with my mom's dog, Savannah. They usually have problems. Savannah is a very fiesty maltipoo. Jaxi never starts the fights, but she sure will finish them. When my mom and I are both there they get a little possessive and over anxious. But when it's just me with both of them they do great. So since my mom was already at my Aunt's house and the dogs and I were at my grandmother's house, I put them together and they got along great. They were like sisters eating out of the same bowl and sitting next to each other looking out the window. It convinced me that we need another dog :) Yup, about time for a second one.

Right now she's sleeping beside me. I have set up a chair for her near my desk so she can sit and play with me or nap. In the previous house there was a bed right behind me that she could jump up on and be near me. So, I know it's crazy that the dog now has her own chair, but it makes her feel a part of things. Otherwise she sits at my feet and looks up at me and then I feel bad :(

There have been quite a few rainy days lately and I think we'll be having a few more :( That means no dog park for her. We'll have to start walking her around the apartments so she gets out more. She has been doing great at the dog park lately, though. She's started running up to other dogs and sniffing them. She hasn't yelped hardly at all lately when big dogs come running up to her to check her out. She seems like she's getting comfortable there now. Of course, she loves to swim, too. She used to stay close and swim to my arms alot and let me hold her in the water, but now she just wants to run and jump and swim and not be held down by mommy anymore :( Of course, I miss it, but I'm glad she's happy :)

Last week we discovered the Bull Creek Dog Park off of 360. Originally, the primary reason Xian and I were taking here was so that she would become accustomed to other dogs. She hadn't been properly socialized with other dogs yet. She tended to either be anxious and territorial, or fearful and overly submissive. So we took her a couple of times, kept her on the leash, walked around for a little while, and let her get used to the park, the dogs, the water, the environment, etc. We took her, with the leash, in the water, which was very shallow, only up to our ankles where we get in at, but of course pretty high for her. Because the water is shallow, the current tends to be a little strong in some places so she had to get accustomed to both swimming, and the stronger current. At the same time, there are dogs running around everywhere playing catch or chasing other dogs and running up to her and sniffing her. Almost all of them are a lot bigger than she is, so she was terrified at first, even with us right there beside her. They usually run up to or over her and then stop and get a quick sniff in. A couple of times she would yelp like her leg just got bitten off and yet Xian and I stood impassively by while she got used to this strange and terrifying experience. Eventually, after a couple of good trips, she has gotten a lot better about dogs running up to her. And she has gotten used to the water and now loves it.

Today she got to come off the leash. I was satisfied that she wouldn't run yelping when dogs ran up to her, and that she would stay pretty much near Xian and I when we walked up the river. So we went exploring. Daddy stayed behind because his shorts were too long and the further up you go, the deeper the river gets, but then he fell in and trailed behind us eventually. Jaxi and I walked about half a mile up the shallow river, which eventually in some places gets up to mid thigh for me but as fortune would have it contains many places for her to stop and rest. We frequently stopped to get pets in from the new admirers she met along the way and take rests when she had to swim a long way. There was one place we stopped where there was a huge rock in the middle of a deep area so I could stand in the water and she could sit beside me. She **loved** it, all of it. She was, for the first time in her young puppy life, truly in her element. Soaking wet, moving leaves from one side of the river to the other, smelling new smells, meeting new dogs and people. She was in puppy heaven on earth.

But the fun didn't stop there. oh no! We discovered a natural waterfall. I put her up on the ridge of it and she walked up and down sniffing and looking out on the water pooling up at the top of the fall. It was only 3 1/2 feet high so perfect for her to walk beside me as we walked up and down the wide length of it. Then we walked back down the river to meet daddy who had discovered a trail and in fact was how he had found us. So we walked back up the trail and across the creek to the park side where we played soccer with her for 20 minutes and whatever energy she had left in her was run out chasing the ball. Of course, everyone that sees that little cute girl running around with the soccer ball falls absolutely and hopelessly in love with her. Indeed, I don't how it's possible but I think daddy and I fell more in love with her myself.

As I type this, she sits at my feet, spent and content. She will sleep well tonight.

Well we're moving. She's excited about the new house. A whole new area to explore and sniff. She likes to take her time sniffing areas. She'll spend an hour just sniffing a new yard for the first time if we let her. I have no doubts if she got out she wouldnt go far because her nose would distract her. She might have gotten out 4 hours ago and barely gotten as far as the next yard over hehehe. She's a sniffer!

She's also a rapscallion. She's almost learned to jump up on the big bed. Really there should be a chair or bench or something so she doesnt jump so far down. It will eventually hurt her joints to do that.

She went to get a shampoo and her nails cut, this time at PetSmart so there were no pink surprises! When we went in to drop her off, though, she practically crawled up my leg and wasn't settled until I picked her up and held her. I had never seen her so nervous before. I don't know what that was about. She couldn't get out of there fast enough either.

I don't think I've written this yet but when she sleeps she does this really strange thing at night. She starts out cuddled up with me under the blanket I bring with me because Xian eventually steals the blankets and I have to have a backup or freeze! Then she'll start this snaking process that takes all night where she gradually stretches and reaches her nose toward Xian, curling up next to him, then back to me going full circle then back to Xian stretching out between us for long periods of time like she's connecting us hehe. She will do this as long as we're in bed until she's ready to get up and go potty! It's quite hilarious.

I've started to trust her a little bit in the front yard for short periods of time. Putting her collar on after she gets outside. Trying to give her a little more trust and freedom because one day I'd like to feel safe if she were completely leash free. I don't think she'll ever run off from us, though, honestly. She can barely stand to be more than a few minutes without one of us around :)

Well let's see.. we haven't written in awhile.. In the last 6 months Jaxi has really learned to behave. All the commands we taught her and she did real well with when she got treats, she does now even better. She walks better with her "this way" and "come" commands and she "sit"s better and "leave it"s better and gets down off the couch and hops in her bed when we tell her "get in your bed". We're trying to teach her to stay out of the kitchen around the stove and she's getting better. In general she's pretty mild mannered and spunky, cute and sassy, and very polite. She seems to only be agressive with Savanah, my mom's dog, and Savanah always is the one that starts it. I like to say that Jaxi "won't start a fight, but she'll finish it.."

Xian and I went down to Matagorda this weekend for Labor Day and on our way back home to Austin we stopped in Lake Jackson for a few hours. We left Jaxi at a Paw Spa and when we picked her up I stayed in the car trying to call my mom. Xian came out with this huge grin on his face and I saw the handkerchief around her neck and thought it was cute but it wsan't until she hopped into the car and I saw the painted toenails that I realized why he wsa smiling like that ... in a word...hilarious.. It was the cutest thing I ever saw. I never would have let her get that done by choice but seeing it done was terribly cute. And oooh lala did she smell good :)

She had gotten a bath at mom's house when she was outside playing in the mud and water we got some soap and hosed her down before she came inside. She liked it at first until she couldnt get away then she stopped liking it as much.. I think she liked her Paw Spa much better :)

All in all, I would saw we clearly have the best dog in the world, hands down! Cute, energetic, still full of puppy spunk and energy, but well behaved and mild mannered...

... Now if we could just assure that she was 100% potty trained :P hehe

oopsie!! I forgot to post for 4 months XD

Well we have taken her to dog training class where she learned to sit, stay, lookatme, lay (sorta) stand (sorta) and differentiate between a few of her toys.. I also taught her down, as in off the couch, or stop clawing at the guests! and leave it, as in drop my underwear that you're trying to make off with under the bed, or stop biting my hands! Even when she's annoying me, or barking at me because she's wants attention right now damnit! she's still cute! And it's a damn good thing as Xian says, or she'd be dead by now!

We got her spade? neutered? whatever the girl term is she was girl snipped. It was a lot more traumatizing for me than for her. And we went to see the Dog Whisperer irl, which was cool and taught me a few more things. She's still a puppy and still does puppy things, and she's not coming along very fast with the potty training :( But for the most part she's very well behaved :)

Cutest moments according to Xian: When she wags her tail so hard her butt shakes with it! also, when she brings her dirty nasty toys inside the house with her like we're going to let her keep them there.

Cutest moments according to Xie: When she jumps up on the chair next to the bed and then climbs onto the bed and burrows under the blankets to take a nap. also, when she's sleeping next to you and scoots up closer to you and puts her head over your mouth like you're the pillow! also, when she carries her toys and squeeks them at you to play with her. also, everything. :)

Why do I always post on Thursday? hmmm..

I have been digging a very big hole for our pond for the last few days. I used to call it the maleria pool but Ceri told me how to fix it up so it's pretty. So, that is what I have been doing. Therefore, the puppy has gotten to spend a LOT of time outside. I plugged up all of the holes in the fenceline and now she can even stay out there by herself for short periods of time. She has been living in doggy heaven. I had to hose down the big plastic pond thingy to clean it off so there was LOTS of mud for her to dig in, and bugs for her to chase, she even helped me dig up some rocks to place around the pond when we get it all dug up!

I did accidently hit her in the head with a shovel. I was digging up some of the dirt and she jumped in the hole to help me and when I brought the shovel back down she kinda jumped under it at the last second :( She rebounded nicely though :) That's right, baby! Shake it off! hehehe

She helped me chase off those springer spaniels yesterday too! At least she thought she did hehe this morning she realized different when mommy wasn't standing behind her with a rock glaring threateningly :) I don't actually throw the rock lol, just hold it and they get the idea hahahaha.

Why must by dog eat everything in range of her mouth!?! Also, I wouldn't mind it if she stopped peeing on the rug seconds after we take her outside to go to the bathroom!

She slept on me today while I watched a movie. She put her paws in my mouth. It's terribly cute.

release the hound of hell! battle dachshund!! FULL THROTTLE GREMLIN MODE!