We said we wouldn't but....

He's just so irresistible with bits of clothing...LOL!

Sherlock ming, the artist formerly known as ming

Birthday boy, Ming on the starting line up for the Ravens

Mingus and Friends

Mingus looooooves to socialize! Dog parks, road trips, family houses...you name it!
He's the life of the party no matter where he goes...

All captions are left to right...

Ming and Ringo, Ming with the men of the fam...

Ming and Beau, Ming and Mirabelle

Ming and Ashanti are so into the Hannah Montana plot!

Ming and his homie Beau, Ming and Rocky

Ming loves the bass! And his g-mom!

Posts from here on...

It's been a while since I've updated this blog, but needless to say Mingus has and is becoming the best family member we could have hoped for. At one year's old, he's intelligent, funny, eccentric and loyal. Kris and he are road dogs while with me he's protective and extremely affectionate.

He's mastered all kinds of tricks and I swear....SWEAR....that he understands us more than we know. The three of us have all truly grown to compliment each other.

I'm not sure who all will ever read this, so I'll save the tips and advice for actual comments and continue to post pictures as updates. Please enjoy! Mingus out(what my family now says instead of Peace out....lol)!

Life at 3 Months...

20 inches, 25 lbs

Mingus’ third month has proven to be monumentous, funny and packed with huge developments.

What we noticed at three months...

1. He began to pant/smile.
2. Unlike, my prior theory, he can hold his bladder for up to seven hours!
3. He is beginning to hump.
4. He’s becoming extremely loyal. He doesn’t like not knowing where we are 5. He’s developing a personality.
6. He can go for regular 15 minute walks. Although he wouldn’t pee on them at first, he does now!
7. He knows routines and feeding schedules.
8. He’s losing his teeth and therefore partaking in a few bad habits. He loves shredding paper.
9. No matter what, he sleeps after midnight through the morning...even if he just slept all evening.
10. He has lots of energy…especially after a nap.
11. He tends to be very playful yet very dominant around other dogs. Maybe its because he’s smaller, maybe because he hasn’t been neutered yet. Either way he never backs down.
12. He has mastered all of the basic commands and loves a challenge!
13. He loves….LOVES hide and go seek.
14. He know the difference between my fiancee and I’s personalities and what he can get from who

Training at the three months...

1. He has a longer attention span.
2. He gets the difference between rewarding with a treat and rewarding with praise and will perform accordingly…lol
3. He loves a challenge…. Searching for the ball…searching for you.
4. He can differentiate between toy, ball and bone for retrieving
5. He can make eye contact and focus
6. If a certain trick has a sequence, he will jump our commands or even the sequence to get the treat.
7. He is currently working on wave, hide, limping and roll over.

Please post a comment if you would like “how-to” instructions.

Life at 2 Months...

17lbs, 9 inches

Don't let anyone tell you different---raising a puppy is alot of work!

Kris and I looked to many different blogs and and websites for tips and answers. That's one of the main reasons why I started this one. I'll try to list some pointers on a month-by- month timeline. If you have any further question or comments, then I will happily continue the conversation!

What we noticed at two months:

1. Big spurts of energy (15 mins)and then lonnnng naps (1/2 hour to an hour)
2. Looks like Mingus' (M)attention span is about 4 minutes per month old he is (good to know for training purposes)
3. Puppies in general, can only hold their bladder 1 hour longer than how many months they are---so M can hold his bladder for about 3 hours
4. Sniffs when he needs to pee
5. Circles when he needs to poop

Housebreaking at two months:

1. Use a crate: He needs his own personal space--- a place where no one can bother him. Eventually he'll learn that its not fun to lay in his own potty-mess and he'll learn to hold it until he can get your attention.
2. Look for sniffs and circles for potty clues. The second you catch him doing it---TAKE HIM OUT! Take him out to the SAME spot and use vocabulary (we use "go potty" for pee and "go deuce" for number 2) It helps to say the vocab and then to look away. Praise him like crazy( with or without treats) once and ONLY WHEN he has emptied completely. Being premature with praise means he'll have to go out again in 30 seconds.
3. Pick that puppy up! Unfortunately, at night, we had a long distance to travel from the first warning signs to the outdoors. A puppy can't hold it....he will pee with the quickness. But its not his fault, pick him up and run him out. Mingus would kiss us for doing this. Its like he knew he couldn't control it and was so grateful that we saved him. The minute we put him on the spot, he would relieve himself.
4. We give M a treat when he comes back in from potty. He's adorable. He expects it and knows that he won't get a treat if he didn't go potty.
5. Use something to get rid of the pee smell in the house. We liked this stuff called Kids and Pets or you can just use vinegar. Dogs can smell a drop of urine in a bowl of water. And then he'll go back and pee in the same spot. Now if your dog messes in the house---DON'T YELL AT HIM! Yelling evokes fear and then they'll keep doing what they were doing except now they'll hide it from you. Don't say bad dog, hit them or yell. If they're doing anything wrong---it's because of you! Watch them alot and watch them carefully. And remember to praise them when they're behaving correctly.
6. This is gonna be hard to believe but...it's normal for puppies to eat their own poo. I had such a hard time believing this. Only because M would do it so well...I mean no traces of evidence besides his poo breath. Put chopped up pineapples or frozen brocooli in his food. The trick is to make his poo seem less appetizing. eating his own poo, might also mean that you need to feed him more.
7. Take him out to potty religiously after he wakes up, after he plays and after you train him. These are three times that puppy isn't thinking about peeing. So as soon as the activity stops...say, "go potty", pick him up and take him out. He will pee every time.

Bedtime at two months...

1. Make sure any nap or bedtime is in the crate. We say, "Crate" and lead him in with a treat. Once the door closes he gets another treat. Just until he realizes the crate is a good thing.
2. He doesn't sleep more than 3 hours.
3. He's not a whiner or a crier so he throws his body against the crate when he needs to go potty.
4. We keep the crate in our bedrooom for now and will move him when either his bladder gets stronger or when he starts to be vocal.
5. Sometime I lay right next to the crate when I want him to sleep. He seems to be reassured that I'm right there and generally passes out within one minute.
6. Get ready for at least 2 months of sleepless nights.

Training at 2 months...

1. We call his name in a happy high pitched voice while clapping. When he comes to us, he gets a treat. He understood his name within 10 minutes. We also say his name before any other command.
2. Training has to involve everyone and it has to be consistent. Kris calls Mingus and gives him treats for the same reasons I would....the same way I would....at the same time I would. At this age, everything has to be routine and consistent. Afterall dogs are the ultimate creatures of habit!
3. Don't stress. M's attention span is about 4 mins. I like to train right as he's getting tired or before he eats. This way his hunger and energy don't distract him. I do 5 minutes and then I give him a break.
4. Keep each other filled in. Kris tells me what he likes or what works for him and I do the same. Then everybody is on the same page and the puppy is never confused!
5. Use real, natural treats. Remeber that soft is good for teething pups. You can also freeze them.

Within the first week, Mingus had mastered Sit, Paw, Go Potty and Crate. Please post a comment for any how-to instructions ;-)

Let's just call him...Mingus...

It was a week before we gave our new puppy a name. We wanted a name that spoke to both of us---something hip hop...something jazz...something special....

We tried Dilla( after J-Dilla)...Phife (after Phife Dawg) and then somehow we landed on Jasper. "Jasper's" is one of our favorite restaurants but it also sounded like the name of some old black Morgan Freeman type character.... scratch that!

We tried Puma, Adobo.....and finally we went back to Kris' gut instinct.

We named him Mingus after jazz bassist extraordinaire, Charles Mingus. Kris has always been a huge fan and the more I learned about him, the more I could respect his skill, talent and legacy. I even gave Kris the the classic,"Tonight at Noon" record(thanks Nick!) for his birthday. We later framed that record on a wall in our living room.

Charles Mingus did great things for jazz music and we had no doubt that Mingus the dog would work wonders in our family.

The very second we called him Mingus is the very second he ran over to us happily. Ahhhh we have a winner....

How Mingus Came to Be....

11lbs, 7 inches

Once upon a time, Gloria of Ni River Labs,
http://hometown.aol.com/nirivlab/
became a proud grandmom to a new set of pups!

Her two Champion dogs, Savvy and Martha(pictured left) had a gorgeous litter with one special boy among the bunch.

Meanwhile just outside of DC, Kris(jazz bassist) was all set to propose to Paige(actress/dancer). He had the magnificent, brilliant and dope idea to propose with a puppy who would wear the engagement ring on its collar. Kris knew that I would be overwhelmed with joy! After all, I would be marrying the man of my dreams and together we would be able to raise a puppy of our own.

Kris did a great job researching breeders. It was the only direction to go in after he had no luck with several shelters. He also knew that I was a long time lover of the Labrador Breed, as I grew up with Ninja, a black lab for most of my childhood. Later on we would help to dog-sit my Aunt Debbie's fun-loving, chocolate lab Beau. Kris was interested in other breeds but ultimately decided that a Lab would be the best choice. Yay Labs!

Kris met Gloria on the night he was planning to propose. As he looked at the new litter, one special guy peeked his interest. This 8-week old puppy was relaxed, yet very attentive and curious. It was puppy love at first sight!


THE PROPOSAL:
Kris and the new puppy drove more than 2 hours to get back home. I was home working on some choreography, when Kris came in all stealth like. I couldn't see him so I didn't pay him any mind. Finally Kris got my attention and I was shocked and surprised to find a puppy walking around upstairs with a necktie on as its leash. Kris kept asking me to take off the necktie, but I was too shocked that we had a puppy in the house.


Finally I took off the necktie to reveal the rings....Kris got on one knee....and the rest is history!
I'm still recovering from the overwhelming sense of happiness from that moment! What a dream!

Turns out this puppy was beyond special...he was symbolic! A symbol of Kris' devotion to me and to our future life together. He's a true love puppy and we couldn't be happier to solidify our relationship with a common love for our new family member.