Update on Sammy

Sammy's been with us for 2 weeks now and today, we realized that it is entirely possible that he doesn't seem to understand our commands because he was raised with a French speaking family. He seemed to respond much more favorably to our French commands than to our English commands. We do not know much about Sammy's past except that he was picked up by the Winnipeg Animal services (the dog pound) after the police arrested his owner. There are many communities around Winnipeg with lots of Francophones, so it is very possible that he is a French speaking dog. No wonder he can't sit, stay, lie down, heel...Sammy's signed up for Dog Training on Thursday but I'm wondering if instead, Wes and I should take French classes.

Here are two lists that I've made up in honour of Sammy. This morning he was in the dog house but tonight, I'm a little less frustrated with him and actually hopeful that he's already learned a lesson or two about sleeping until at least, 6:30 AM.

What I Like About Sammy:

1. He's quite cute.
2. He doesn't shed too much.
3. For 22 1/2 hours out of every 24, he doesn't bark.
4. He doesn't mind when I wipe his paws.
5. He "forces" me to go out for a walk, even when I don't feel like it.
6. Wes says he likes his bath.
7. He doesn't jump up on people.
8. He usually "goes" outside.
9. He doesn't beg at the dinner table.
10. He doesn't chew.

What I Don't Like About Sammy:

1. He barks at 4:30 in the morning.
2. Nothing we do can get him to stop.
3. Waking up at 4:30 AM can make me very cranky.
4. He smells like wet dog after he comes in for a walk and I don't like that smell.
5. I really don't like him on the couch.
6. When he wakes me up at 4:30 AM, I can't get back to sleep.
7. I'm sure he'd love to sleep with me and Wes but I will not sleep with a dog. Wes knows it's either me or the dog.
8. He doesn't seem to mind getting sprayed in the face with water (the dog, not Wes).
9. I keep telling him that I am top dog but he doesn't seem to get it.
10. He barks for about an hour from 4:30-6:00 AM.

If anyone out there in blog land can give me an idea as to what I can do about the barking, I'd love to hear it. Remember, sleeping on the bed is not an option! I hope that before too long my "What I Like About Sammy" list is longer than my "What I Don't Like About Sammy" list.