Jeep and I had a very good time at the schools today! Jeep started out the day as a Beanie Baby, but sadly stepped on her Beanie tag a few times before the day was over. Being a Beanie Baby was perfect for her. With all her fur, she did not need to get any hotter.
I am even more impressed with how well Jeep does with all her fur. Being Jeep today showed me just how warm it must be for her. No wonder she can’t wait for winter!
Good girl Jeep!
Jeep walked through the halls of the schools this week and was very impressed with all the Red Ribbon activities her friends were 
doing.
Of course Jeep wants everyone to know that she wants them to be drug free so she is also making it a point to wear red this week. Do you think Jeep should participate in crazy socks or crazy hair (fur) day? Now that would be funny!
And, as long as we are on the topic of red, have you ever wondered if a dog sees in color? The answer is yes, but not the same way as humans do. For a long time people thought dogs only saw black and white. That is not quite true. While dogs don’t see the color red, they do see blue and yellow. (Too bad about Red Ribbon Week, Jeep!)
What dogs are particularly good at seeing is movement at a distance. They are 10 to 20 times more sensitive to motion than humans. This is particularly true at night.
Check out more about how dogs see on this short video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGcM3z86tHg
Halloween is right around the corner and Jeep’s costume is something I know a lot of kids are talking about. What will Jeep be for Halloween? I have heard a lot of interesting ideas.
A lot of her friends think Jeep should dress as a polar bear or a sheep since she already looks the part. One student suggested she dye her fur with black stripes to look like a zebra. I thought that was funny, but I am worried about how long the black dye would stay in her fur. Someone else thought Jeep could be a ghost – after all she is all white with black eyes. She might not even need a sheet. A couple of very kind kids thought Jeep should be a cupcake because she is so sweet. One student thought Jeep should be a ballerina. That is not a bad idea! Jeep’s fluffy fur and double coat makes her very hot. If she was a ballerina all she would have to wear is a tutu. (I imagine they make tutus big enough to fit her, don’t you?) However, I don’t think our friend Jeep wants to walk around in a tutu. She wouldn’t want Dot Com to giggle.
Well, please keep the ideas coming. It is not easy to dress a Great Pyrenees. I think Jeep’s costume needs to be very light weight and comfortable for her. I am sure Jeep will surprise us on October 31st. I will be sure to post some pictures of our fluff ball.
Yesterday Jeep and I saw this clip on the news. I think Jeep and this young girl named Nora from the Oregon Zoo have a lot in common. I have a number of people tell me that Jeep looks like a polar bear. Jeep and Nora are close to the same age. They both love ice and wading pools. Do you think I should arrange a play date for them? (Shhhh! Don’t tell Dot Com!)
By the way, did you happen to notice that this pool also has holes in it? I wonder how that happened? Seems like Jeep and Nora really do have a lot in common. What do you suppose Nora likes to eat? I should probably find that out first before making a play date.
Have you ever noticed something unusual about Jeep’s back feet? If not, next time take a closer pee
k. She won’t mind. In fact Jeep is proud of her feet. Just like all Great Pyrenees, Jeep has a double dewclaw on each of her back feet.
Dewclaws are much like a thumb on your hand. They are higher up the dog’s leg than the rest of the claws. All dogs have dewclaws, but Pyrenees actually have two on their back feet and one on their front feet. (Of course we know that Pyrs are special and there are only a few other breeds that double dew, too.)
It is not uncommon for dewclaws to be removed from puppies shortly after they are born. Some people are afraid that the extra toes will get snagged and ripped. However, I am happy to report that more and more people are now deciding to keep the dewclaws on dogs.
Dewclaws do have a purpose. They help dogs grip snow and ice. They help them grab toys and sticks. Dogs use dewclaws to balance and climb. Dewclaws also help dogs turn quickly when running or playing. (Jeep does a lot of that with Dot Com!)
Keep in mind that it is important that the actual toenail in a dewclaw is kept short. Jeep is very good about getting her nails trimmed and we always remember to do her double dews.
You can see a running dog in slow motion using its dewclaws by clicking on this link: How a Dog Uses Dewclaws
Way to go Jeep! Your double dews are twice as nice!
Great Pyrenees are working dogs at heart. Their job is to guard and protect. Jeep is learning to protect us, our family, our three cats and of course Dot Com. One of the ways Pyrs guard and protect is by barking. They have powerful, booming voices. In fact, many Pyr owners are quick to say that their dogs bark all the time. It has even been said that asking a Pyr not to bark is like asking a fish not to swim. Impossible. But sadly, barking is the number one reason why many magnificent Pyrenees wind up in animal shelters and with rescue organizations. That will never happen to Jeep!
Our fuzzy friend Jeep will be 9 months old next week and she is just now finding her barking v
oice. The first time we heard Jeep bark we were quite surprised at what caught her attention. She was barking at something so silly – she was glaring at a squash that was recently placed on our kitchen counter. Not a squirrel, not a person, not even a noise! A squash! Jeep thought that very scary squash had no business on our
counter. We laughed when we heard her low “WOOF!” (Believe me, it is 
a “WOOF” that comes from deep inside her. She definitely doesn’t “arf-arf”.) I placed the squash on the floor with some dog treats on top of it so she would understand the squash was not a threat. She happily ate the treats and stopped barking.
Fortunately, Jeep does not bark often (yet). In fact, for the most part, Dot Com starts barking at the neighbor dogs or deer and sometimes Jeep feels the need to chime in. But lately, Dot will bark and Jeep will remain quiet. (Secretly, Jeep and I both think that Dot is a little crazy.)
We are continuing to work with Jeep to help her learn when to bark and, more importantly, when to stop barking. If Jeep is barking outside, I go outside and in a very happy, high-pitched voice tell her she is a “good girl” and thank her for letting us know something is out there even if it is just a falling leaf. She really likes it when I do a little dance as I praise her. She stops right away and watches me. She then quietly follows me inside. Since we know barking is part of Pyrenees life, we need to find ways to make Jeep’s barking manageable.
One of the ways we do that is by keeping Jeep with us. Jeep never sleeps outside at night even though we know she would like to be under the stars and moon listening for coyotes. She really likes to bark at them when they howl and yip. Who can blame her? That is what Pyrenees do. Instead, every night we make sure Jeep goes upstairs to sleep in our room. She has two nice cool mats to sleep on in a corner and we turn a floor fan on to drown out any outside noise. She thinks the fan is particularly wonderful since she is always looking for ways to keep cool. So far this arrangement has been working nicely. (By the way, Dottie Com sleeps on the bed under the covers, but I don’t think Jeep is jealous. She would rather stay cool.)
I also think all the time Jeep spends at school is helping her get used to unfamiliar noises. She understands that not everything she encounters is a threat. Jeep has learned a lot at school and listened to many things including passing bells, fire alarms, hallways of happy children, and even all school dancing assemblies with loud music. She takes all of it in stride because she has been at school since she was nine weeks old. For a Great Pyrenees, Jeep has had a lot of socialization time. We think that will definitely help Jeep as she grows into a big dog.
Right now Jeep can’t decide which school is her favorite because she thinks they are all so special. Jeep’s tail wags like crazy when we pull into a school parking lot. She can’t wait to hop out of the car and greet kids and staff. (I am sure that is because everyone is so nice to her by petting all her fluff and constantly telling her how cute she is.)
During her visits, Jeep is most impressed when she sees her friends making good choices. Jeep particularly adores kids who are kind, helpful and act as leaders. She also thinks making new friends is very important.
When Jeep and I spy kids being particularly good, we happily give them one of her Official Jeep Trading Cards. So far Jeep has five different trading cards and there are more to come! Keep showing us your “pawsitive” behavior and Jeep may have a card just for you!
Did you ever wonder why Jeep and I always wear matching scarves? Well for starters, who wouldn’t want to look like Jeep the Dog Diva? Everyone loves her fluff and constantly tells her she is adorable. They are right – she is! You can’t blame me for wanting to be as cute as Jeep.
Seriously, the real reason Jeep and I wear the same scarves is because we are partners. We work together, we train together and we have fun together. When one of us makes a mistake the other one is there to help fix it. At 8 months, Jeep is still a puppy who is learning. Right now I am the partner who helps her out, but
that is okay with me because I know Jeep is one amazing ball of fluff. With the help of all her kid friends at school, I know Jeep will be a great therapy dog some day. When that happens, my partner Jeep will be the one who does all the helping. Go Jeep go!
I think our friend Jeep doesn’t really understand the meaning of the phrase “go green”! I am sure she thought she was making an environmentally friendly decision by tracking in hundreds of burrs and leaves into our house this weekend. While I understand that burrs are hitchhiking seeds that attach themselves onto animals and people in order to be replanted and grow, I still don’t like them on me or on Jeep. Who wants to pet a burr filled Jeep?
I absolutely LOVE Jeep’s soft fluffy coat and I know many of you do, too. Did you know that Pyrenees actually have two fur coat layers? That is why it is always important to remove the burrs before they mat and tangle in her undercoat.
Lucky for Jeep that we are diligent about keeping up with her brushing. Jeep is brushed almost daily in the summer and fall. Happily, she seems to like the attention. Dot Com also helps out by carefully pulling the burs out of Jeep’s fur by gently using her teeth. Way to go Dottie – that is what I call a true friend!
Jeep the Dog 