Sergeant Turns The Big 8

Sergeant is a very important member of my family. As a member of my family he gets treated to the long standing tradition of over the top birthday celebrations. Birthdays are a big deal to me and I always love to make people feel special on their day...Sergeant included (what?? Dogs are people too!).

We decided for his 8th birthday that we would not say "no" to him at all (as long as it didn't put his life in danger but at this point in his life we can pretty much trust him to make the right choice unless it involves a rodent or Cruella the cat). This was surprisingly more fun than I thought it would be! It was so nice to not constantly be on him, disciplining him, and crushing his zeal. He barked and barked and barked and barked and barked ALLLLLL day and I let him! He went outside as much as he wanted (which wasn't much because he prefers the heating blanket) and he got as many hot dogs (small pieces) as he requested (he stands a the refrigerator and stares and jumps). I let him chase Cruella and he went wherever we went. It was awesome!

He invited his Auntie Lucy (my mom's tiny but fierce chihuahua), Nana, and Pop Pop over for his birthday party and Lucy got a party favor for attending. I plopped (literally) some wet dog food on some plates (Sergeant got more than Lucy because she's too small to eat all that), shoved some peanut butter treats in Sergeant's "cake" and we sang his favorite song to him for the 20th time that day - Happy Birthday to You. He sings along and jumps with joy every time we sing that song so it's kind of fun. I'd include a video but I'm afraid it would just be painfully loud for your ears...it is for ours sometimes. He's small but he has a big voice, big ears, and big personality. 

We love that little dog more than we probably should but we find so much joy in having him as part of the family. We truly adore him and love celebrating his life and the joy he brings us. He's my best friend.

Sergeant, the Yorkie

When I, Jessica, graduated from college, Jarrod bought me a puppy. This wasn't just any puppy, this was Sergeant. You probably read a little bit about him in our "Meet the Farmers" post but he deserves a page of his very own. He means that much to us.

We were dating when Jarrod got me Sergeant so he bounced back and forth between mommy and daddy's house. He went to daddy day care while I went to school and then I'd pick him up after and he'd spend the evenings with me. Because of this shared time with us, he is equally, and probably unhealthily, attached to each of us. When we got married and moved in together, Sergeant's world became complete.

He lived primarily with me once I graduated, got a job, and moved. In our apartment, he became restless, lost his appetite, and had severe anxiety. When we got married, his behavior improved a little but apartment life was hard for such an energetic doggy. That summer we moved to a house with a yard and doggy door and Sergeant was in hog heaven! His behavior, moods, and appetite improved tremendously. We realized he probably acted badly at the apartment because he was unhappy. (Just look at that sad puppy.)

Now that we live on 40 acres and don't really have a yard for him, he gets free roam of the land. We are overprotective of him so he doesn't literally get free roam but he gets more room than he had at the apartment or small yard we used to have. He gets exercise from running around barking at animals, he eats well, we play with him in the evenings (we don't have a choice here...he's quite demanding), and he sleeps like a rock at the right times.

It's important with any dog to be strict with them. You have to teach them who is boss by way of dominance. Dogs are pack animals and NEED an alpha in their lives. This doesn't mean you have to beat your animal into submission; it just means you have to discipline your dog and stand firm in the area of obedience. I don't think I've ever actually hit Sergeant before - we do what I call air spankings...which means I clap my hands together near him and say "spank! spank! spank!" and he cowers down as if I've hit him. If your dog figures out you're a softy, he or she will detect this and take advantage of it. Sergeant is a brilliant dog and can always tell between light-hearted mom and serious, get-your-butt-over-here mom. Since we are so strict with Sergeant, he gets a lot of freedom. He knows at this point what is allowed and what is a no-no and when he's not sure, he looks to us for permission. (Unless it's a rodent, then he loses his mind.) We believe discipline and love go hand-in-hand. If you love your animal, you discipline them for their own safety.

I believe Sergeant knows we love him and I believe he loves us back. We feel love from him in the form of cuddles, licks, trust falls, and nuzzles. He feels love from us in verbal affirmation, pets, scratches, nuzzles, and beggin strips. A happy, disciplined, loved dog is a good dog. Please take that into consideration when assessing whether your dog is just a bad dog or if he is trying to tell you something is off in his life. Dogs are surprisingly good communicators so take time and listen to what your dog is saying to you.