Not bad enough to be a bad dog, not good enough to be a great dog

So begins Day Two of the dog re-training program.

Anyone with a dog and a lawn knows the two don't mix too well. If they aren't tearing it to shreads, they're peeing burn out holes in it. If you've got a pretty easygoing dog, they tend to find a spot and stick with it.

Then, there's my dog. I swear he's marking territory in the hopes that both sets of neighbors pack up and leave - he's a fiesty little thing.

There was a time where "anywhere but in the house" was a major accomplishment, but now with our own yard, we're trying to narrow that the under the pine tree. Our landlords are really nice folks who don't feel right complaining too much. If we were to have the kitchen on fire when they came over, they'd probably settle for an e-mail sent a day or two later, letting us know that violates the "no smoking" clause in our lease.

Still, it'd be nice to have a decent lawn, for us and for them, which is why we're working on only going under the tree. Today I plan on adding landscape fill there and finishing it up over the weekend, so there we are.

This is all a result of his training, so it's our fault that he picks random spots all over the lawn to leave little surprises for everyone. And let's face it, it's not inside, so we're ahead of the curve on this matter.

Next up on the list is breaking him of his new habit of digging in the bathroom trash (only for Q-tips) and shredding any napkin left within his reach. For fans of the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic channel, "He's no Ree-Tee-Teen." He can be calm and submissive, however.

While this may be far too many words on my dog's bathroom habits, it's priority one here. Nothing ruins good weather like stepping in dog shit or seeing little brown crop circles all over your lawn.