M & M - 7.11.2015

• Maya got in her crate by herself yesterday!!!!!! I needed to run a few errands and was doing the usual routine of saying "crate" and having my pups get into theirs (before I turn my attention to Maya and Mindy) and BOTH those girls got in their crate with NO prodding from me. Maya pretty much slunk in, but she did it on her OWN. And everyone gets a treat when they get in their crate. We'll see if we can do that again!
• This morning Maya jumped in bed with me after everyone had been out to do business. She just hopped on up (she's seen my pups up there) and curled up next to me. She really has shown no signs of guarding/aggression in any situation - she just laid there as Ringo walked all over us on the bed (literally - I think it's his way of getting me up).
• Mindy got her heartworm pill this morning (in a pork ball:)
• Both girls got their flea/tick preventative (NexGuard) - no pill pocket or pork balls needed - those went DOWN THE HATCH unassisted:) 

As of yesterday, Mindy has started to play more with my pups and done less "policing" of the play, even with Maya around. She is more vocal during play though so you just have to watch the interactions to see what's really going on. I got a brief video of her and Lola together and then had to snap a picture this morning when she was sitting by the kitchen, watching me prep food (she lays with her front paws crossed alot).

We had a thing to take note of later this morning - I took my two pups and the two girls outside with me to walk around the yard. I had everyone sitting outside the chicken coop while I took a walk-through (working on reducing the fly population in there!). I had my eyes off all for about 30 seconds - enough time for Maya and Mindy to catch sight of some chickens in the neighbor's yard (that are always free ranged) and they gave chase. They managed to nab a few feathers before I caught up with them but the bird got away. As soon as we got back in the house, both girls started actively seeking out our Manx, Bridget. Bridget was in another room (secured) and I walked outside with all pups inside, and when I was gone, they nosed through all the usual places the cats frequent. They reminded me of the way our Mac would show interest in smaller critters. They seem to know that Bridget and Cat are part of the household, but I'm going to keep them separated again until that urge dies down (they've shown interest in them before, just not after they'd chased something else). That said, I still think both girls could live with cats in the household in perfect harmony (and the occasional butt sniffing) but they do both seem to have some prey instinct kick in when they're outside. And Maya has shown to be a jumper so something to remember if a family has a fence.