Depressed

Well, not really by clinical standards, but I did ask the MD to increase my Zoloft dosage, and he did. My cholesterol is 248 and I do have to start taking drugs for that, I have had absolutely no results from trying to lose weight, and DH had a horrible fit on Sunday. Its amazing how many things I always do wrong according to him, and did you know that it is controlling to suggest which egg he should eat for breakfast. I didn't either. As near as I can figure, I should never ever say anything on any subject AND when he asks me a question, I better know in advance what answer he wants or there will be another tirade about stupid people and nobody understands English, etc.
It wouldn't be so bad if he ever apologized or at least said he didn't mean some of the awful things he says, but that has happened maybe twice in 27 years, and NOT recently.
On the bright side, we have 3 hens setting, the new baby Buff Catalanas are growing, and Robin is a constant joy. She keeps me going.

DH and dog

Anyone who knew us in a previous life would NOT believe this picture. Dog on couch!

Edgar(1 year) and Robin(3 mos.)

I have finally gotten around to taking some pictures of Robin and the chickens by leaving the camera in my fanny pack and wearing it whenever I go outside with Robin. A necessary step, since she is no dummy and knows perfectly well where the clicker and treats are. The little devil goes her merry way if I don't have the bribes and behaves like a Companion Dog Excellent if I DO have them.
I originally hated the idea of abandoning all the dog training ideas I've had for the past 40 years and using treats and clickers to train, EVEN though my reading and talking to others have convinced me that its a better method. It just didn't seem right to me to bribe the dog. The book that finally convinced me is called Katz on Dogs, by Jon Katz. His explanations of how dogs minds work made more sense to me than anything has before. And I must admit that I haven't kept up at all with the dog fancy when we were dogless. So many new ideas have come and gone, but this one really works. It took 2 tries and Robin knows Sit. 2, not 10 or 15. Come is still iffy, depending on what else she is doing, but she will improve. She's just a kid, after all.
We had Robin help put the chickens away yesterday for the first time since both of us were home to prevent any damage to chickens or dog. She DEFINITELY has herding instinct, and went right out around them to try and bring them to us. Sloppy, but it was evident what she was doing. To me, anyway. So DH stood beside the door we wanted the chickens to go through and I danced around to keep Edgar from jumping on Robin. She didn't really try to catch a chicken; she just wanted them to MOVE. It was fun, and took just a few seconds to get them into the coop, and boy, was she proud of herself. Not something to try when DH isn't home, as Edgar needs somebody to guard him until the dog gets bigger and more sure of herself. Fun!

Miss Robin behaved herself very well at our first puppy class at Petsmart this morning. It is a class of 5, with 3 BIG puppies, Robin, and one little MinPin.
Robin is well-socialized to people and eagerly greets everybody of any age to get petted. But she is very unsure of herself around other dogs. SHe doesn't squat and pee or anything like that, but she doesn't want anything to do with them, even the MinPin.
The instructor assures me she will be 100 % better next week, just with another week maturity. I hope so. Her temperament is just so perfect in all other ways that I can live with it if she doesn't do well with other dogs, but I would prefer her to be good with them. So she can play with Pat's puppy if no other.