Happy birthday, Princeton!

My Great Dane Princeton turned two years old today!

We got him **FOUR** of his favorite squeaker toys -- shaped like a spiney pacifier. Yes, he’s still a big baby who loves his pacifier, aka his “binky squeaker.” He doesn’t like any other toys as much, so we just got him lots of his favorite.

We also got him a kit for making an impression of his big old pawprint, now that he’s full grown (I hope). People often come up and tell me, “Wow, he’s big even for a Dane!” And it’s true -- at least 36 inches at the shoulder, with a super-long neck. Reminds me of a giraffe. The pawprint gift is really more for me. I’ll let you know how it goes when we try to press Princeton’s paw in the clay.

(Update: The putty was so stiff that it barely made an impression when 125-pound Princeton stood on it. Kind of a rip-off. I wouldn't recommend it. We're going to try making a plaster cast of his paw print on the beach someday.)

I can hardly believe it, but people at the dog park are starting to compliment me for having a dog that is "respectful" and "gentle"! The ones who know Princeton better just laugh when they hear that.

You can see Princeton in action in these new videos at the Arroyo Seco river and bike path in Los Angeles.

His favorite game is running in the river while carrying a big stick in his mouth…



Here he races on the bike path at top speed, stick in mouth. He zooms out of sight and back in 23 seconds What a racer!



You can get a better look at Princeton during one of those rare moments when he slows down to walk in the river…

Great Dane plays football

Princeton loves his new football

My Great Dane Princeton’s new favorite toy is a REAL football! He can actually fit it into his enormous mouth!

Princeton loves mouthing things with his big old mouth. Finally we found a toy big enough for his huge mouth, and he LOVES it.

Does anybody know where to get GIANT toys suitable for Great Danes? This football was not built to stand up against dog teeth.

Now almost 17 months old, Princeton is getting A LOT better about not mouthing the many tempting things that he’s not supposed to mouth -- especially my arms and small children. When I say “Leave it,” he usually listens. If not, I get his attention with a squeaker toy that I carry at all times when we’re out -- a great tip from our new trainer.

He’s also learned what it means to “CALM DOWN” -- although it often takes a while. I’m learning how to stay calm, too. We keep practicing.

Princeton opens wide to fit his football in his giant jaws

“Let’s play football!”

Great Dane pup dances with lemon

Here’s a fun video of my Dane pup Princeton dancing with one of his favorite toys -- a lemon!

This was actually taken about a month ago. He’s even bigger now! But he still loves lemons.

His obedience training is going well. But it keeps me busy enforcing rules and practicing “sit” over and over. (He knows the command, but he doesn’t know how to obey it EVERY time, even when HE doesn’t feel like it.)

Pup loves playing with fruit

The Prince likes playing with strings of crabgrass, too

Princeton found something on the ground and brought it in the house to chew on. As I reached into his mouth, I thought it might be another piece of cat poop or some other stinky horror. Then I smelled delightful lemon scent!

He had found a small, unripe baby lemon. He LOVED it. He danced around with it and tossed it in the air many times. He pricked tiny holes in it with his baby teeth, but never bit into it. We had a lot of fun playing hide and seek with it.

Another day our Dane puppy Princeton put his feet on the trunk of our neighbor's apple tree and picked some apples to play with. We laughed to see how happy he was. I knew what he was thinking: "Wow, balls grow on trees!" The danger of letting him play with these ready-made “toys” is---he snatched a peach off the dining room table and ran around with it, thinking it was another doggy toy.

Puppy makes music with toy

Princeton makes the sunflower sing

Princeton got at a special toy of mine: a plush sunflower that plays “You Are My Sunshine” when you squeeze the leaf. Princeton loved it!

He has lots of plush animal toys that squeak when he bites them, but this is the only one that plays a whole song! Boy, was he surprised the first time he bit down and it started making music! He probably bit down too hard because the song is starting to sound out of tune. Here’s a photo.

Puppy learns to squeak his toy

At 9 weeks old, my Great Dane puppy Princeton learned how to bite down on his toys and make them squeak. Now he can't stop squeaking them!

Watch him squeak his green lizard.

Dog toys -- and owners -- get frazzled

Princeton loves all of his many toys

My Great Dane puppy Princeton has many toys that came with him from the breeder, and he loves them all. I have to carry one around with me at all times to stuff in his mouth when he tries to bite me or chew on something he’s not supposed to. I try to keep at least one toy in every room, just in case.

Trying to keep the stuffed-animal toys nice, clean and organized is hopeless. I read advice that says to rotate the puppy’s toys so he doesn’t get bored. But these toys rotate themselves! They’re always disappearing, and then I find them a few days later hiding under some furniture.

All the dog toys quickly get frayed, dragged through the dirt outside, and/or peed on. I am reminded of the class children’s story The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. It has wisdom about how a toy becomes Real when it has been loved to the point of being worn out. A favorite quote, spoken by a wise old toy to the Velveteen Rabbit:

“Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." Click here for more of the story.

Princeton is definitely making his toys Real. I also feel frazzled as I chase him around the house in clothes that are muddy from playing in the yard with him, with little rips from where he’s bitten my sleeves and pant legs. My pants bulge because my pockets are full of dog treats and toys. I think that Princeton is making me Real, too.