I took Mickey out for another ride yesterday, and he's getting so much better! I admit this pup needs work on social etiquette and how to channel his energy, but he's such a great student it's well worth the effort!
I am secure in saying he knows the command Sit, although Stay is something we still need to work on. He accepts that he won't be getting food until his butt hits the floor, but it only stays there for about half a second.
I still think this boy isn't four years old. He gives the appearance of a gangly adolescent pup in that awkward stage of being all legs and un-coordination. The way he pounces after a toy but doesn't actually retrieve it is also very young. I know not all male dogs lift their leg every time, but I thought squatting was more of a puppy thing. When marking he changes it up based on his target, but just straight peeing I thought was lift leg almost strictly. The other day he did lift his leg, got distracted by someone on the street, and actually turned half a circle, his peeing arching around him while maintaining his balance. For a brief moment I was adolescent myself and thought, "I wonder if you can teach a dog to draw a smiley face?"
Our trip to the coffee house was great. He panted the whole way there, but wasn't trying to move about the cabin quite so often. He realized sitting was the best option. The way back, he didn't pant at all, and remained seated 90% of the time.
At the coffee house he was calm and although he didn't lay down for most of the time, he did stand and watch people. He wasn't frantic or tugging at all; he just enjoyed watching all the people and animals walk by. And the people just adored him. He got smiles from everyone that passed by, a few "awww's" and some pets on the head too. He's not eager to meet new people, but he certainly doesn't cower in fear away from them. Dogs, on the other hand, he really wants to meet. I know he just wants to play, and perhaps the other dog knows he wants to play, but I don't think all the other dogs' owners know he wants to play when he gets all over excited.
The pictures are courtesy my friend who was kind enough to get some better shots of him since mine are only from arms-length away.
He's getting more into toys now. He's gotten into destroying the rope toy I have. I'm impressed that he can tear through the center section and rip sections out. He's still not into fetch, but at least he's not just eating and sleeping as he was the first couple of days.
He did have two more "accidents" yesterday and it took me by surprise. The first instance was in the afternoon. We had gone out for a walk and about an hour and a half later I fed him his afternoon snack (since he needs to gain weight, I've been feeding the usual 2 times plus a small amount mid-afternoon). Shortly after he finished eating he squatted in the living room. I took him out immediately and he finished up outside.
I should have learned my lesson but obviously I need more training than Mickey. In the evening, he snoozed for a couple of hours after our late afternoon walk. Since it had only been two hours I didn't take him out, but just fed him. Shortly after he finished dinner, I went into the kitchen to do the dishes and I just had a bad feeling; I walked out to the living and he was laying on the towel I had down, next to a wet spot on the rug.
So the lesson is this: take Mickey out BEFORE feeding him; even if it's only been an hour or two since he was out, just do it anyway.
Product Plug: If you're looking for a good pet stain cleaner-upper try Get Serious Pheromone, Stain, and Odor Extractor. Now that I have three clean spots on my carpet, I'd really like to do the whole room so it matches. But I don't know if they make it for large area clean-up.
Overall this boy still has a lot of work to do, but I'm sure he can learn all sorts of things. His brief bouts of enthusiasm between naps is a clear sign he needs stimulation. I think another dog would be great for him, not just for company but to teach him things about living with humans that only a dog can explain.
-stephanie.
No comments:
Post a Comment