Shoes

When it snows in New York, salt is sprinkled on streets. The salt burns dogs' paws. Many New York dogs wear shoes in the winter. Harry got his shoes too. But he found it very difficult to walk with them. He also thought that the shoes may not be good for his paws. So he decided to wash his paws very well after every walk in the end.

Sweater

It is very cold in the winter in New York. The icy wind blows so hard from the Hudson River. Harry visited many shops to buy his sweater. But it was very hard to find a sweater of his size. In the end, Harry's master made a sweater for him. The sweater fits Harry perfectly well! (Go to Easy Dog Sweaters, if you want to knit a dog sweater too.)

Health Check

Harry has to stay still while his master is checking his body. He does not like his nails clipped or his teeth brushed. But he stays still to get some treats in the end. He loves to have his ears cleaned though. When he sees cotton buds, he lies down on his mat by himself. Harry is a very easy dog to examine.

Reserved Seat

Harry's favourite place is between his master's legs. It is warm and cozy. Harry fits perfectly there. He was sleeping until the camera was pointed at him. "What are you looking at?" He soon fell into deep sleep again.

Dryer Dog

After the bath, Harry always begs for a big towel. As soon as the big towel is spread on the floor, He starts to dry himself. He rolls over the towel. He rubs his face and back. He moves very fast. He continues until he gets completely dry. Harry never needs an electric dryer.

Safe Haven

Under the bed is Harry's safe haven. When Harry gets his favourite toy, he quickly goes under the bed. He is not hiding. He is simply waiting for someone to chase him after. But there is a rule in this house. Nobody chases after Harry when he is under the bed. If Harry wants to continue the game, he has to come out. So after chewing the toy for a few seconds under the bed, Harry always shows his face in this way.

Bag House

Harry sleeps in a big black Sherpa Bag. When Harry saw the bag for the first time, he did not like it. Then he found lots of yummy treats inside the bag. Harry was hesistant to get the treats, but only for a short while. Soon Harry came to stay in the bag all the time. He sometimes travels in the bag by train or airplane. He never gets nervous in train or airplane Because inside the bag is the most comfortable place for Harry. Product Information of Sherpa Bag is here.

Tail

Harry's tail is the barometer of his feelings. When he meets his dog friends, his tail points right up the sky (100% happy). When he sees a squirrel, his tail warps pointing his own head (120% happy). When he walks in rain, his tail points strainght back (50% happy). When he hears a thunder, his tail points down the ground (0% happy). Harry's tail tells lots of things.

House Training

First, Harry did not know where he is allowed to pee. And he could hold it no longer than three hours. So he was taken outside every three hours, even during the night! He went out at 7AM, 10AM, 1PM, 4PM, 7PM, 10PM, 1AM, and 4AM. When he peed outside, he got lots of praise and treats. When he peed inside, he got nothing. After three weeks, he learned that he could pee only outside. After three months, he needed to go outside only four times a day. Now Harry needs to go out only twice or three times a day.

Drop

Harry learned to sit, lie down, stay and come within a week. But it took for a while to learn to drop what he has in his mouth. He loved all his toys. Because whenever he played with his toys, he was praised and treated. Once he got his toy in his mouth, he never wanted to let it go. Then he was never treated while he was playing with his toys. He started being treated only when he dropped his toys on command. Now he knows exactly what the "Drop" command means.

Stay

Harry can stay on command very well. Before every meal, he has to sit and stay. The food is just in front of his eyes. But he is not allowed to eat until he hears "OK". Sometimes he hears "Oklahoma", "Okinawa", "Oak Tree"... Harry should not be fooled by these wrong "Ok..." words. So he listens very carefully. Was it really "OK"? Or Was it "Oklahoma" again? Harry is a very patient dog.

How to teach Harry to roll over

1. Make Harry lie down on the ground. 2. Hold a treat in your right hand and a clicker in your left hand. 3. By moving the treat counter-clockwise, lure him to lie down on the side. 4. As soon as he lies down on the side, help him roll over with your left hand. 5. Click when he has completely rolled over. 6. Repeat gradually reducing helping-hand. 7. Add the cue "Roll" when he can comfortably roll over with little help. 8. Repeat until he can roll over all by himself. It took about a week for Harry to master "Roll Over". Then he started practicing rolling over to the oposite direction. (Go to Clicker Training if you are not familiar with a clicker.)

Red Ball

Harry likes his red ball which has a little bell inside. When the ball rolls, it makes a lovely sound. Harry chases after the ball very fast. Then he brings it back right away. Sometimes other dogs in the park try to get his ball. But no need to worry. Harry is always the fastest. No other dogs can take his ball away.

Who is the leader?

Harry did not dare dream to be a leader of his family. But he did not wanted to be in the lowest ranking either. After gaining a little confidence, he started checking his ranking in his family. He pretended to bark or snap, so he could see the reaction of his family. Whenever he tried this, he was turned his belly up. This is the posture of a dog saying "I am not a leader!" After a while, he realized that his ranking would never go up.

Gentle Leader

Harry was skinny, but very strong. When he was taken outside, he pulled the lead as hard as he could. One day, he was put on a gentle leader. A gentle leader is a head collar like a horse's halter. With the gentle leader, Harry could not pull much. Because when he tried to pull, his head was pulled back instead After a few weeks, he started walking in a perfect heel position. Product Information of Gentle Leader is here.

Smile

Dogs do smile. But Harry did not smile much first. He did not look unhappy, but he looked a little insecure. He was also afraid of human hands. So he did not want to be petted. But after a few weeks, Harry was a changed dog. He learned to smile and accept human hands. His face now expresses lots of things.

Hippie

Thanks to Austin Powers, the 60s is back. Harry's new hippie look was appreciated by some people. Harry wanted to try how long his coat can get. But the New York summer in 2003 was hot and humid. It was certainly getting too much for him. Soon he had to give up that idea.

Milk Teeth

Harry still had two milk teeth when he joined his new family. One of them suddenly disappeared. It might have been swallowed by Harry himself or might have been vacuum cleaned without being noticed. But one day, Harry found the other tooth on his bed. So he put the tooth under his pillow and went to sleep. A tooth fairy surely came during the night. Harry found a nylabone under the pillow in the morning!

Chewing

Harry needed to learn what he is allowed to chew. Harry was given three toys. A rubber ball, a squeaky frog and a cotton rope-bone. He was praised and given treats when he chewed his toys. He got nothing when he tried to chew other things. Soon he realized that he is allowed to chew only his toys. He never chews others' toys even when they look just like his. He knows his toys by their smell.

Vaccination

All dogs must be vaccinated against rabies. But Harry's master did not know whether Harry had ever been vaccinated before. So she took Harry to a vet, just in case. After the vaccination, Harry felt very tired and slept all day. He even did not wake up for his dinner!

First Picnic

On the first day at his new home, he was taken to Central Park. It was a very hot summer afternoon. Harry could not walk a long distance yet. So he had to be carried in a shoulder bag. There was a small pet shop on the way to the park. Harry's master bought a collar, a lead, a brush and three toys there. Harry was thoroughly groomed with his new brush in the park. He could have never imagined that brushing was so relaxing.

Homeless Dog

Harry became homeless at the age of 6 months. He was a friendly lively puppy, but he had a few small problems. He wanted to pee and poop everywhere, even on a beautiful Persian rug. He wanted to chew whatever he saw, even a $10,000 antique couch. He was with full of energy and needed lots of exercise. But after three weeks, Harry found a new home. A good home. He has been living happily there ever since. (Photo: The first day at his new home. His tail was still a little down.)

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