Ollie is a little bitty weiner dog that thinks he’s a great dane and hogs more than his fair share of the bed. I’ve woken up more than once to see Mike clinging to the side of the bed because Ollie won’t make room for him to get comfortable.

Besides buying Ollie his own queen size mattress, the only solution to a good night sleep for Mike and I are large dog beds so that Ollie can sprawl out like he’s accustom to doing.

I’m partial to the Harry Barker dog beds because they come in simple shapes and colors that match our apartment, but the Bowsers dog beds, especially the Bowsers Ball, look awfully comfy, too.

So, if we do ever kick Ollie out of bed in favor of a peaceful slumber, don’t feel sorry for him, because he’ll be relaxing in his own designer dog bed.

Slowly but surely, we’re finishing our bedroom set from IKEA.

Yesterday, we picked up the MALM 4-drawer chest and the MALM 6-drawer chest to match our MALM night stands. We also bought a FADO table lamp that our dog thinks is a ball and won’t quit barking at, curtains for the front bedroom window, and placemats to use as table toppers.

All we need now is the MALM bed frame and slats, but we’re either going to have to borrow a truck or pay for delivery to get those home.

After looking at all the furniture yesterday, I’m pining for the MALM dressing table, which has felt trays for jewelry, even though we have nowhere to put it. Maybe someone could buy it for me and save it until we have a house with plenty of room.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve turned into total IKEA junkies and are really happy with the quality of the pieces we’ve purchased.

I think the little boys downstairs have been playing too much Grand Theft Auto on their xbox 360 because yesterday afternoon when I went to take the dog out, I saw them playing in their dad’s car with the engine running!

I asked them what they were doing, and of course, they both said “nothing”, so I asked where their parents were and the little one pointed to his front door. I knocked to let the them know that the boys were playing in the running car, and when I looked over, the littlest boy was standing on the sidewalk with his head bowed and hands together praying! It was so cute and so sad at the same time.

The dad thanked me over and over again and got the boys out of the car right away, but this is the third time we’ve seen them playing in the car unsupervised. The other two times, they were beeping the horn to make Ollie bark and thought it was the funniest thing ever.

Last weekend, Oliver had his first training session, and I am cautiously optimistic. His persistent barking has decreased, he doesn’t bark at other dogs as frequently when we are outside, the kids next door were able to come within ten feet of him without an outburst, and he can sit and lay on command thanks to pet supplements and Buffalo Bites, which he will do anything for.

I think we needed more training than he did, and after spending a little time every day working on commands, we’re both on our way to being well behaved. Oliver’s six week obedience training starts at the end of the month, and I can’t wait to see what else he can learn!

It’s official. Starting April 19th, Ollie’s life is going to change forever.

We’re all scheduled for our at-home consultation with a local dog trainer who specializes in positive pet training, and after that it is seven weeks of obedience classes.

We were just at PetCo picking up dog food, and he barked at two different people in the store, so we put down the new toy and picked up two training clickers and training treats.

A little 11 pound weiner dog isn’t going to get the best of me!