My Yorkie Bichon Mix

This past Monday I was put on the DL (disabled list) when I opted for foot surgery to help fix some problems that have come back from an old injury.  Seeing that I won’t be able to drive for the next few weeks, I’ll be working from home.  This brings the added benefit of spending some wonderful time with our 2 year old Borkie (Yorkie Bichon mix).

Jack has been nothing short of great!  Every time I sit down he’ll curl up on my lap and just hang out with me.  He’s usually a playful dog, but I think he realizes I’m a bit injured and has just settled down next to me and kept me company.  Jack is afraid of my crutches though, as I think they remind him of a broom or something.  He hasn’t started barking at them just yet, but I can see it coming.  You should see the way he barks at my wife when she sweeps the kitchen floor…he goes nuts!

Right now I’m sitting on the couch (I hooked up my computer to my 42 inch TV so I could keep my foot elevated on the couch) and Jack is laying behind my head on the cushion.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, that dog gots some cat in him.

Some things Jack has been doing since I had my operation..

• Sitting on the couch with me
• Follows me to the bathroom
• He brings his toy to me, instead of trying to get me to chase him
• Barks like a crazed lunatic when someone is coming in (well he does this all the time but I like to think he is being extra protective.)

Next week I’ll try and post a cute video or pictures of Jack doing some doggy tricks

Have a good rest of the week!

Like many other pet owners, we always have trouble finding a good spot for our Yorkie Bichon doggy, Jack, when we go away for vacation.  We hate the idea of bringing him to a boarder and having him stuck in a cage for hours on end.  Growing up, my parents always put our family dog in a boarder and sometimes Cricket would come home with Kennel cough and she would always seem a bit off for a few days afterwords. We don’t want this for Jack, and we know how much he hates being in a cage.

About a year ago, my wife was talking to one of her co-workers and got a recommendation for a local family who watches dogs for $35 a day.   They have 3 dogs of their own as well as 3 great little girls.  On average they may watch 1 to 3 other dogs at any given time.  It is the perfect match for us and our pup.

Before even bringing Jack there for his first extended stay, we brought him over for about an hour to just check out the place and see how he reacts to the owners dogs and kids.  He understandably was very nervous and wouldn’t leave our side for the first half hour, but soon started sniffing around and getting comfortable.

The first time we left him there was for a week, and dropping him off was hard on us as we watched Jack shacking in Nicole’s hands as we walked away.  It was heart wrenching for sure!  About 2 days into the trip and just as we were really starting to miss our dog and wonder how he was doing, Nicole sent my wife a picture text message of Jack sleeping on their couch in his favorite feet up position.

When we saw that, we  knew Jack was in good hands and was having a good time.  At the end of the week, we picked Jack up and he was his old self but with some shorter hair.  The dog watcher also does grooming too!  Since then we have used Nicole 2 more times and each time Jack is a little less nervous, which makes us feel like we chose the perfect dog watcher.

I’m writing this post because Val and I just got back from Las Vegas (Great place to spend New Years Eve!) and we have yet to pick up Jack because we got back too late.  I miss him and can’t wait to pick the little guy up from Nicole tomorrow afternoon.  Jack is a huge part of our family and it’s not the same sleeping in our bed without him.

Hope everyone had a great New Years Eve!

The Yorkie Bichon mix of dog, also called the Yochon, are generally an active breed.  Not too active though.  You are probably asking, “what exactly does active breed mean?”  Yorkie Bichons are a small dog, between 7 to 15 pounds… so they won’t need long walks several times a day. A few 30 minute play sessions throughout the day will do just fine.  A great way to tire out little Jack Magoo is to let him have a towel and just chase him around the house. Heck, it’s good exercise for you as well.  Lets see… some of Jacks favorite games are…

1. Keep away, where he keeps his toys away from you
2. wrestling.  He loves to play rough.
3. tug-a-war.  Get a nice rope toy or a towel and he’ll pull for hours
4. Chewing on his toys
5. running around the house, squeaking his toys
6. Going for Walks!  <- Jack’s Favorite

Yochons love to go for walks. Just mention the word “walk” and they will be at the door giving you that cute smile.  Their short legs mean you won’t have to walk them far, but get ‘em in grass and it’s a blast!  Watching Jack jump up and down, hopping through the grass…you can tell he just loves it!  If there is a choice between walking on the sidewalk or grass, the choice is always grass.

One of my wife and mine favorite places to take Jack is to a local baseball field that is enclosed by a fence.  We take Jack off the leash and just let him run around.  He usually doesn’t stray too far, but it’s fun to get on opposite sides of the field and have him run back and forth between us.

For those wondering, here is a typical day of exercise that we know makes Jack a happy and tired pup at the end of the day.

Morning: Take him out for a short walk (about 10 minutes) .  Main purpose is to go to the bathroom, but we extend that a bit.

Noon: Play about 20 minutes of fetch with him inside.  You can really get him going if you want to chase him, but most times I’ll just throw the ball and wrestle around with him for a bit

4pm: Chase him around the house after he grabs one of my wife’s shirts.  If you don’t chase him, he’ll drop it and get something else he isn’t suppose to have.  I really should train him better, but it’s kinda fun

6pm: Take him for about a 30 minute walk if it’s warm outside.  If it’s not I’ll play with him for about 30 minutes inside.

He is usually good for the night, except for one RUUUSSHHHHH of energy when my wife comes home from work at midnight.  You should see how fast he can tear around the house.

We know we did a good job of exercising him if he is in bed before we are and dives under the covers, out for the night!