Chiweenie Friday (13) - Dog Training Tips part deux

Hello! Frankie here, again! I'm here to share more dog training tips. As you all know I'm enrolled in the AKC Canine Good Citizen (GCG) Program every Wednesday and on Mondays I go to dog training class.
This past week, I was determined to make mommy happy. I put on my brave thoughts and off we went to visit the horses and the other rescue dogs. On the car ride there, I made up my mind to be the bestest student there ever was.

After all, I am used to being around many other doggies

I, Frankie, the brindle chiweenie, always get along

With both large

And small

I'm even getting better when the Chimeanie is around

(there's somebody who needs dog training badly)

My dear furiends, I'm going to need another week before I impress you all. 

When we arrived at my last dog obedience training class, it was packeded!

We didn't get any good shots of anybody but me. Can you guess why?

Everybody else was having a ball, while I...

... remained cautious, as usual

Hear me ROAR!!!

Those were not exactly dog training tips, but perhaps if you do the opposite of what I did, they are. Tee hee. 

Have a lovely Friday!

Frankie

* * * GLOBAL ANIMAL BLOGGING EVENT update: don't forget to check out the new links. I am stunned at all the great free giveaways. 

Dog Training tips - Not for the Dog Whisperer

I was reading on Cesar's Way today an article about dog training and obedience. The title was "Will Beg for Food," and I got to thinking, I can't live like that! The article clearly states the following "rules": Do not give food, ignore, don't feel sorry for your dog, and, to make matter worse, be consistent. Yikes! I know M watches the Dog Whisperer's television show, because we all watch it together, but luckily when it comes to raising us, M listens to dog advice but in the end she just follows her instinct.

Exhibit A:

Notice the drool dangling from the corner of my sissy's mouth? 

Why prolong the torture?

What did Cesar Milan mean, but saying Do Not Give Food? Did you guys notice our wide eyes, our pleasure and anticipation? What kind of dog training is that? I beg to differ.

Exhibit B:

Add to the equation our soft pink curled tongues and intensity.

Milan's article tells humans to Ignore. If that's dog training, I want to have none of it. I prefer people training and I believe I am good at it.

Exhibit C:

Ignore this, if you can!

As for the idea of Not Feeling Sorry For Your Dog, another silly dog training tip, I disagree with that strongly. No matter how well-fed we are, and we are thanks to our rescuers and dotting parents, we can always eat more, especially if it comes from the table. Scraps off the table is what Linguini and I live for--Frankie's still learning.

But she's a fast learner!

Dog training tips can be dangerous for us. We need to unite our forces and protest. No more living by the book. Human training is much more fun and relaxing and we have proved it with our blogs. Let's continue on with our tradition and let Mr Milan convert the others. Dog training my... Milan!

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Wonderful new furiends and free giveaways ...

Twinkie

Global Animal Blogging Event - Free Giveaways

Speaking of animal or even just dog events, G.A.B.E. is one of my favorites so far. I know what you're thinking. Yeah, sure, I organized this one so what else would I say? Well, check out what others are saying about this animal, critter, cat, dog events, and don't forget to check all the free giveaways too.

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I just want to thank you for getting me involved with GABE and 

encouraging me to do it even when I felt burnt out. I'm really 

enjoying it - much more than the ***, and I've gotten more followers 

from this smaller event than ***, too! Everyone is so nice and fun, 

and I'm having fun reading these doggy bloggies. Thank you!!!

I've been visiting the GABE links meeting losta new friends. Thank you for all your efforts.

GABE is soo much fun, thank you SO much for doing it!!

Lots of great people are participating, and I am loving all the great pics of furry family members!!

[My furiend] reminded me about GABE and that's how I ended up here in a round-about way! I am glad to meet you and so many other new friends thanks to Twinkie organizing such a fun event.

By the way, thanks for hosting such a wonderful event. We have been busy visiting blogs. Though we are not active participants, we are still spreading the word about this event. We have been enjoying ourselves and we want all our friends to join us too! 

Great event, Twinkie!

Great job getting this up and going! I love dog events!!

Anywho, I'm having lots of fun meeting new people! Thanks again for hosting this great event!

Who is GABE?

I has not had too much time for blogging so I think this would be a great way for me to get back in touch with some furiends and maybe make some new ones.

What a cool idea!

GABE is a hit, great job! 

We haven't met yet, but we heard about GABE and decided to join in the fun!

I am just blown away that you organized this really fun event!

Here's to an incredible event!

Thanks so much for organizing this! I'm looking forward to checking out all the pet blogs!

We'll look forward to following all those participating.

Thanks for hosting such a fantastic event! We'd never heard of anything like GABE before and we can't wait to meet more bloggers.

Can't wait to start exploring the other blogs!

We thanks you again for hosting this most glorious event

This is fun for all even if not everyone gets a prize.

What a great idea to meet new bloggers! 

And coming up with GABE, that was totally cool!

You are so incredible to come up with this wonderful way of meeting other bloggers! 

We are loving GABE... all the emails are too cute!!! 

So very exciting!!!!!!

We're having a great time meeting new furfriends - thanks for hosting such a great event!

Thanks so much for making GABE possible, we enjoy participating!

This is so very cool!!

I think this is a great idea, by the way ... I love how the animal blogging community is growing, and I think we can all relate to one another in a very special way.

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GLOBAL ANIMAL BLOGGING EVENT still in process. Links accepted up to and including Saturday, April 10th. Comments close on the 18th. Your links stay up...and they can be revisited for months to come. 

Thank you Mabel (she said she loves free giveaways too) for your brilliant idea to share with our furiends the GABE scoop!

Twinkie

Dear Twinkie

Dog Advice 

Stella, Gunther and Betty asked...

Dearest Twinkie Maria Conchita Espenoza Cucaracha Doodle-Bug Chupa Cabra Twinkerson, aka My Little Hot Tamale. Please let me be the first to asks you a question. How do we get our Betty to stop taste testing her own poops? 

TVT: Dear Poop Tester's Brother, if you would kindly refrain from eating your sister's food, perhaps her tummy would feel fuller and she wouldn't have to resort to the testing. Feel free to add yogurt to her diet because it has good enzymes and she may stop seeking the bad ones. 

GonetoTheSnowDogs asked...

Kewl job!
Hey what is that bar on the bottom of you blog??? I like that. . how do I get one???

TVT: Kewl Wibiya.com is the correct answer, but I'm too late or you are too impatient. You already got it!

Mango asked...

You are now in charge of wise words? Hmmm.. perhaps you can tell me why it is that no matter how much I pee and poo before I go to bed I always cry and cry to go out around 3 AM and check the yard for invaders? Isn't that my job? Why does it make momma grouchy?

TVT: Yes, I am in charge of wise words. I'm no Labradude. I'm a wise Chi. As for you, you cry and cry because you're a big baby and you tend to complain a lot; ask Pee Wee. As for your momma, I recommend Mastiff-proof earplugs.

Toby- The dog with a blog asked...

Advice, you?? I don't know about that...

TVT: Yes, me. I have credentials. You can check them out HERE. I quote, "we are sure [she] Twinkie will do a fine job"

3 doxies asked...

Twinkie Maria Conchita Espenoza Cucaracha Doodle-Bug Chupa Cabra Twinkerson...you gots to be kiddin', you know how looooong that took to type?
I is so looking forward to your column....uh, when we get to start???????

TVT: No, I am very serious. Yes, it takes a while but take it up with my dogmother. You is slow. We've started.

Dennis the Vizsla asked...

hello twinkie its dennis the vizsla dog hay i am luking forward to yore advice!!! and also to finding owt if in yore noo pozishun yoo meet enny selebritteez hoo want to gest host my sunday awards and meem show!!! ok bye

TVT: Dennis, I live in Hollywood. I'll put the word out for you. I also have a neighbor that looks a lot like Cujo. He's my fence fighting pal. I'll ask him today if he doubles.

Stella asked...

 Do you have a day picked out to run this column?

TVT: I am trying to maintain your tradition. Tuesdays. 

mayziegal asked...

Hi Twinkie Maria Cuckoo Bird Cha-Cha-Cha! (Did I get it right? I tried to do it from memory.)

TVT: Wrong! I recommend fish oil supplements. They're yummy and good for your memory.

JackDaddy asked...

So I will be your second question: Boxers or briefs? :)

TVT: (More like my tenth question) Boxers! I'm not sure I could handle the briefs.

houndstooth asked..

How do I get people to mail me a million dollars? I could do a lot of things with that kind of green!

TVT: Easy. Go to your computer settings. Disable Firewall. Go to your email provider's setting, disable spam and junk mail. Allow free access to your computer. Sit back and enjoy. You'll be a millionaire by the end of the week.

kissa-bull asked...

lucky and coco chanel want to know how in the world can they find themselves a boyfurryend, everyfurry else in the household has been hit by the lovebug except for them

TVT: I suggest you stop by Twix's blog. Haven't you heard about Date Night? There's hope for everyone.

Dory and the Mama asked...
Wow...your own advice column??

TVT: Yes.

Frankie Furter asked...

Are you going to charge us for your advice???

TVT: I have already billed my M with walkies and hikes. I'm also getting a bit of extra kibble in my contract.

Olive asked...

We blogged about GABE..and I think we did it right..maybe? 

TVT: How would I know? Who is GABE? 

Kira The BeaWootiful asked...

So what is a girl to do when she has her computer broken? That is my first question... we are at the library right now...(actually only Mom is, she said I was not allowed, can woo believe that???

TVT: Woo are not permitted in the library?! That's is woong. I say woo take yourself to Walking Wednesdays every time woor mom goes to the library. Don't forget Mewoodie! 

MAX asked...

QUESTION FOR YOUR COLLUMN:
"HOW, ON EARTH, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR 32 BLOGGERS TO "CONSPIRE IN SECRET" TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR LOVE TO ANOTHER BLOGGER WITHOUT THAT BLOGGER BEING AWARE OF THEIR SECRET???
(..eg the portrait of me???...without my Mom knowing?)I'm curious to get your take on it? (If you like?)

TVT: I like. Easy question too. You take lots of TLC, add to this a bunch of animal bloggers, and voila! Portrait accomplished ;)

I would like to dedicate my first Dear Twinkie and dog advice post to my furiends at Stella's World. I also want to wish their momma a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. 

Now go take on the day!
Twinkie

Easter Monday

The feasting continued from yesterday

Before

After

And after-er

I have never eaten more in my entire life. This surpassed even my Christmas feast! I can't wait until next year! I could barely eat my regular dog food. Ha haaa.
Along with the wonderful feasting, we got to visit with lots of family friends. They all love me and my sisters and we all got extra TLC. We were all giddy and overjoyed,  surrounded by family, friends, and M's peanuts.

This year marked another first for me. I have never received an Easter card before now, and look what I got in the mail!

My BFF, Frankie Furter sent me this one

I have never met a more noble guy

You're a good egg too, my furiend! Thank you.

Gunther, Stella, and Betty sent me this one

They are all adorable, sweet, and funny

Gunther, my pug, and I are currently trying to see if we're a good match. 

What do you think? I would like to meet him in person again before I make up my mind.

Thank you for this unique card. 

The fabulous, the extraordinary, the loving furiends at Kissa-Bull sent me this collage

OMD aren't they adorable?

I have always thought so

Thank you my sweet furiends.

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Global Animal Blogging Event links still accepted until April 10th. Hurry up and join us! Just visit OUR LINKS to see our free giveaways and of course feel free to post your own. Just remember to send me yours, so I can upload them asap. 

Happy Easter Monday!

Twinkie

Greek Easter

Happy Easter everybody! I hope you are all having a wonderful time with your families, friends, and furiends. This year I decided to celebrate Greek Easter in honor of my mother and her family. It's my way of introducing you to some of the wonderful and rather yummy traditions. Greece is ten hours ahead of our time PDT.

We started the day by going to church 

We were all quiet as we took in Sunday's sermon

The sermon

After a week of fasting, we were in a hurry to get back home so I could tend to the lamb I had started since 5 a.m. Our tummies were all growling. Being responsible for the lamb on the spit pauses a great degree of difficulty. How do I stop myself from nibbling?

As you can tell from my swollen cheeks, I didn't

Frankie and Linguini were in charge of the other traditional edibles

Linguini makes a mean tsoureki

(bonus recipe in the end)

Frankie makes the most pawesome easter cake

Oh, wait. She is the cake

The meal was exquisite

Afterwards, we kept up with the egg cracking tradition

The breaking of the eggs is meant to symbolize Christ breaking out of his tomb. We each grabbed a hard-boiled red egg and challenged the others to see whose egg would last the longest.  Usually, one person ends up with the winner, which means their egg is either intact or at least one end of it. In our case, we ended up with a boiled egg omelet. We got a bit carried away. We're also going to be eating egg salad sandwiches for a long time.

Greeks love to dance to celebrate life

We danced in order to digest our food

The more the merrier. We invited Jet to join us

Jet and I knew all the lyrics and sang along while dancing

Opa!

Linguini, she's over 21, decided to have some Retsina wine

Ya mas

Cheers! To all of you!

I hope you enjoyed a break from regular dog food and my abbreviated version of a Greek Orthodox Easter. As a matter of fact, feel free to consider this entire post as a giant dog treat. Now, for those of you who like to cook, I will share mommy's recipe for Greek New Year's Yeast Bread. She loves this recipe, so she uses that one instead of tsoureki. They're both pretty similar in taste and texture. 

***Bonus Recipe***

New Year's Yeast Bread

Preparation time 3 hours

Baking time 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1lb strong or all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2oz fresh yeast or 2 tablespoons dry yeast

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated orange rind

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

1/2 cup milk, scaled

3 eggs

1 egg yolk beater with 1 teaspoon water

optional decor: almond halves or sesame seeds

Sift the flour and salt. Dissolve the yeast in 4 tablespoons tepid water (100 degrees). Add 1-2 tablespoons flour mix and let it stand 10 minutes to rise. Melt the butter and heat until very hot. Put the sugar and flavorings in a kneading basin. Pour in the scalded milk and stir with a spoon. Break in the eggs and add the yeast. With your fingers, crush the yolks and combine the eggs with the other ingredients. Gradually add the flour and knead lightly. Add the hot butter and fold it into the dough. Avoid over-kneading. Traces of butter remaining in the dough will be absorbed during the rising. The dough should be warm, light, and buttery. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until it is three ties its previous bulk, 1.5-2 hours. Punch down the dough. Shape it into one large or several small round loaves. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes. Brush the top(s) with the egg yolk mixture and decorate with the almond halves or sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cool on a rack. To keep the bread moist, store covered with plastic wrap. 

(Slurp)

May your Easter be filled with joy and of course yummy!

Twinkie

Saturday at the Movies

 GLOBAL ANIMAL BLOGGING EVENT: Don't forget to visit the participating blogs. You get to make new furiends and be eligible for great prizes. We will be uploading new GABE posts until April 10th. For those who are getting started a bit later in the game, you can check out GABE for Dummies for user-friendly instructions. Please email me your direct G.A.B.E. post url. Thank you. 

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Off to the movies now. Grab some pop corn, a nice heating pad, and join my canine pack and me, unless you have something better to do the day before Easter, of course. In which case, see you later.

We're waiting for the show to start

I'm not sure about this video. I thought there would be less action.

Can somebody fetch me my reading glasses?

Am I seeing things? 

I'm giving it a paws-down.

The entire movie was upside down!

Tough audience to please. Maybe I should take them golfing. Frankie wants to be not like Tiger Woods when she grows up. 

Have a great Saturday, furiends! And don't forget to check out all the bloggies and free giveaways!
Twinkie