Puppy Distractions

After several days of no accidents, we have evidence that the puppy is not quite there yet in housebreaking. And the evidence was stinking in the hallway, right after I took her out for her last 'relief' of the day. She even barked to go out! I took her out and she immediately went number one. Then she stared at things around the yard for about 10 minutes before I decided she was done. She happily pranced in, then did a different number on the hallway tile.

She gets so distracted outside at night, it's pitiful. I wonder if it's possible for a dog to have ADD. I stand there and say, "go potty" about 400 times while she looks at each leaf under the lemon tree, does running leaps at the pampas grass to try to 'catch' the fuzzy ends waving in the breeze, and chases each lizard up the block fence. Or she will just stand very still and survey the whole yard for up to 10 minutes....an eternity when you're standing there being mosquito bait! And I can't stand where the porch light will cast a shadow or if I do, I can't move without her being spooked by the moving shadow on the ground. Right now we can't turn on the light at all because cicadas will come to the light. I spent a notable amount of time 2 evenings last week trying to 'shoo' a cicada off of our screen by the back door so I could come in. I use the pool 'scooper', a 20 foot long pole with a net on the end to scoop things out of the pool, to knock the dreadful bug off the screen, then squeal like an idiot if it flies toward me. So now the light stays off. Maisy watched the whole shebang and while I put the pole away she decided to investigate the poor, dead thing on the ground. She picked it up in her mouth until I screamed (the neighbors love me I'm sure) and she dropped it and ran in the house.

How could she be afraid of MY shadow on the grass but not be afraid of a dreadfully huge flying, buzzzzzzzing bug! bleh!!