The Bench

Tonka and Lola LOVE the bench. As soon as they were big enough to climb onto it all by themselves, they took over! They *own* this bench.

Lola makes a serious face pretending to patrol the front yard. 🙂

Tonka and Lola love to relax on the bench… but they barely fit anymore!

Tonka sometimes looks like Scooby-Doo with that goofy smile!

If it’s quiet all of a sudden and Tonka and Lola are nowhere to be found…

Just go to the bench…

                                                …they’ll be there! 🙂

Tonka and Lola are 25 weeks old in these photos.

Just Being Pups

Ah… The life of a puppy…

Imagine that your only worries are …

…completing your training exercise such as “place”…

…rolling around in the grass…

…waiting for your humans to wake up so you can go for a walk…

…playfighting with my sibling to get that ball/rope/stick…

…laying “down” while your humans get your chicken ready to eat…

…taking a nap all day after playing in the park to prepare for another walk in the evening…

Lola relaxes and strikes a pose in her “place”. She loves to pose for the camera!

Tonka and Lola love to squirm and wriggle around in the soft grass.

Tonka relaxes in his “place”. Such a big baby boy!

Ah… The life of a puppy…

Tonka and Lola are 24 weeks old in these fotos.

Just Chillin’

We like to kick back and just chill sometimes. However, even down time is worktime for these crazy pups. They are always on guard! No one can move an inch or even breathe without them knowing that something is different.

One day I threw out our old mop bucket and brought home a bigger, shinier new bucket. Well, Tonka stopped in his tracks and proceeded to sniff and inspect the new bucket, with a very serious face  and his ears roving like antennae. Once he was satisfied, he smiled his approval and went about his business, walking away.

Nothing gets by these guys!

Tonka and Lola love to sit on the ramp and watch the world pass by…

We practice “place” while watching TV in the family room.

Tonka and Lola are 23 weeks old in these photos.

Presa Family Reunion!

It’s a Presa Family Reunion!

Tonka and Lola hadn’t seen their family in months, so we drove right on over to see them. At first Indio (their dad on the far left, red brindle) stood guard, like the good Presa Canario that he is. Then Hana (grandma, on the far right, red brindle) and Avva (mom in the middle, fawn) came over to see what was up.

It was a barkfest!

Tonka and Lola kept their cool, showing respect for their elders. Their tails were “windmilling” a million mph… So happy to see more doggies like themselves!

Tonka and Lola are so excited!

Big Mama Hana is the ultimate grandma!

I wonder if they remember each other? Grandma Hana sure seemed to have remembered them – she followed them back and forth and even nuzzled through the fence… She was the one who nurtured them as pups, back in the day… Aww…

Tonka and Lola are 22 weeks old in these photos.

Tonka and the Laundry

Ah, you know you love your doggie when you’d rather photograph his mischievous deeds than reprimand him…

Sigh…

“Hhhmmmmm, that’s looks interesting…”

“Hee hee! Presa Mama is gonna be mad, but this is too much fun!”

“Eh, this was overrated… NEXT!”

Tonka is 22 weeks old in these photos.

BARF?

Tonka and Lola have started what has become known as the “BARF” diet. Sounds gross, but it’s quite good. Amazingly good, actually. We humans should follow it’s principles, but most of us don’t… anyway “BARF” stands for “Bones And Raw Food”.

Basically, it’s the most natural way of eating. If dogs were out in nature, and still hunted like their cousins the wolves do, what would they eat? Whatever they could get their paws on! That would be the raw meat and bones of small prey, eggs, sprouting vegetation and fallen fruits.

Tonka and Lola have started their Raw Food diet, pictured here are chicken backs. And they LOVE it!

Tonka and Lola love their raw chicken and crunchy veggies! Lola especially likes carrots and hearts of lettuce. Tonka is more of a meat guy. 🙂 Tonka loves his new food so much that when he saw us taking it out of the fridge, he stood guard!

The benefits of a BARF diet: Raw food has “live” enzymes, protein, vitamins and minerals that are “burned” or “killed” when cooked. These nutrients are more easily consumed in their most natural state which leads to better nutrition.

He knows where we keep the chicken!!!

The proof? Shinier and softer coat, stronger immune system, solid musculature, more energy, cleaner teeth and no “dog breath”!

PLUS, the vet always praises them on their health! 🙂

For more information on the Raw Food Diet (BARF) click on the link to the right…

Tonka is 21 weeks old in this photo.

Babies at the Beach!

It’s another beach day for the dynamic duo! Tonka and Lola still don’t like the water much, but there’s so much else to do at the beach!

Tonka and Lola love to take walks and play in the sand.

Tonka and Lola made a new friend visiting from the States. The little boy wasn’t even a year old yet, and he already knew he loved dogs. He kept giggling and pointing at Lola. So when she came close, very carefully and delicately, he reached out touched her nose. Massive giggles ensued! 🙂 Gotta love the kiddos…

I don't know who was more fascinated by whom! 🙂

After visiting with the little boy we came upon a Bull Terrier puppy who was just as playful and silly as Tonka and Lola! He was tiny in comparison, but he didn’t even notice. He was having too much fun! 🙂

Tonka and Lola had a great time playing with a fellow puppy!

Phew! Fieldtrips to the beach always tucker us out.  What a wonderful day in the sand, making new friends…

After a fun-filled day at the beach, Tonka and Lola were *out*!

Tonka and Lola are 21 weeks old in these photos.

Bathtime!

Bathtime isn’t always fun, but it sure is necessary! Lola does not enjoy getting wet, though she’s an expert in getting dirty… She loves to do some “gardening” at home, roll around in the mud at the park, splash in puddles as we walk down the street and dig a napping hole in the sand at the beach…

She's not loving this one bit... 😀

Big Boy Tonka… He’s a very special doggie… He likes to do all the messy things that his sister, Lola, likes to do… However, he stays perfectly still for his bath. We like to lather them up on a warm, sunny day (lots of those in PR!), rinse off with the cool hose water, towel dry and let them air dry. “Wash and go!”

Tonka's such a good sport!

All done! Now let’s see those beautiful baby milk teeth!

Presa Dad wants to see Tonka's baby teeth...

I guess it’s time for Mama Presa and Presa Dad to shower… After all that shaking, we’re completely wet anyway! 🙂

Tonka and Lola are 21 weeks old in these photos.

Man’s Best Friend

Only one very special photo this week…

Presa Dad came home after a long, hard day, feeling down. He sat on the floor with his back against the wall. Sigh. Tonka lied down next to him and reached out his paw.

Amazing.

"BFF" takes a whole new meaning when you have a Presa Canario.

A true friend reaches for your hand and touches your heart. – Unknown

When the Man waked up he said, “What is Wild Dog doing here?” And the Woman said, “His name is not Wild Dog any more, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always.” – Rudyard Kipling

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. – Bern Williams

Tonka’s paw is 20 weeks old in this photo.

A Day in the Life of a Presa Puppy

Puppies, like children, need, crave and thrive on structure. Tonka and Lola have a routine and they like to stick to it! 🙂 They are our alarm every morning at 6am sharp. Not sure how they do that, but I’m impressed every day. Then we go through the day executing several tasks and end up sleeping like babies. All four of us! 🙂

Here’s a sample schedule for our day:

6am               – WAKE UP! (bark bark!)

7-8am           – Walk, Train, Play in the Park

8-9am           – Breakfast

9am – 3pm   – Nap while the humans work

3pm – 5pm   – Play outside while the humans keep working

5pm – 6pm   – Dinnertime!

6-8pm           – Walk, Train, Play in the Park

8pm- 9pm    – Relax in the yard/patio

9pm               – Lights out!

Lola sits patiently on her Place for the next command.

Tonka takes a break in his Place.

The wooden chair feels so good whiles she’s teething.

Tonka loves to sink his teeth into the soft wood.

Tonka and Lola love to playfight in the park!

Lola tackles Tonka in the grassy park.

Tonka and Lola are on their best behavior at dinnertime.

After a full day of puppy activities, Tonka knocks out in a full stretch!

Lola loves to sleep belly up, cute as bug in a rug!

Now that Basic Obedience Training classes have started, we take our schedule very seriously.  This class is no joke! Situated in the Plaza Las Americas parking lot, it’s 2 action-packed hours of learning various exercises then practicing them. Popeye, the class instructor from the FCI is watchful and demanding, but also very nurturing and helpful. Presa Canarios are notorious for being hard-headed and willful, but Tonka and Lola are doing quite well…most of the time! 🙂

Tonka and Lola are 19 weeks old in these photos.