It's been a bit difficult to get good pictures of him. He likes to be close to you, so other than being able to take a picture of his eyeball, it's rare that I'm just far enough away to get a good snapshot. Currently he's lying on the couch and as much as he looks so adorable I want to get up and take pictures, I know if I rise from this chair he'll immediately wake up and meet me half way across the living room to see what I'm up to.
As for the car ride last night, I assume this was his first in the front seat, no? Did you crate him when you had brought him to his fosters? Most dogs respond to being in the car by either being okay with it or by getting under the dash if they're scared. He chose to sit or stand and be scared, and attempt to move about the cabin. I had to untether him because I was worried he'd get so tangled up he'd break a leg or something, which meant my hand was the only things holding him relatively in place in the car.
Thank you to his fosters for tipping me off about his habit of marking. We walked my neighborhood first before going inside not just for peeing purposes but so he could get a lay of the land and choose his landmarks so hopefully he wouldn't inside. It sort of worked.
I counted him marking 7 times in only the first dozen or so feet outside the apartment complex. We continued around the block and he made his little territory marks less frequently. Inside, there was only one moment in which I was sitting next to him on the floor when he started to squat and mark the middle of the living room. I reacted without thinking, smacking him on the rump and saying, "No!". He stood up and gave me the saddest most flummoxed look I've ever seen a dog have. I told him not to mark inside, and the look melted into, "Oh no, I didn't know it was bad. Now you'll NEVER love me!"
So I called him over and told him to just not do it again but that he could be assured I would forgive him. He hasn't marked since. The spot he chose was where there was a stain from I think laundry detergent, not another dog; and he didn't mark the one place in the apartment another dog has actually gone. Strange, but hopefully it won't happen again.
I feel bad for him; I think he'd be much happier with another dog. He spent most of the evening just standing in front of me, gazing straight ahead. He wasn't into toys, and still isn't. However, on our walks, if we see a dog, he cries mournfully, and it's clear he wants to interact.
I think his previous fosters' place was indeed his first experience with a home. He has deduced that the kitchen is the place good things come from, and has no qualms about sticking his feet up on the counter(he does get down when told to). He also doesn't back off from the bathroom, investigating far enough in to sniff the tub, and every home-living dog knows that's never a fun place to be.
Going to bed was like trying to put a two year child to sleep. I don't think it was the crate that upset him before when going to bed; I think it was simply the going to bed. My aunt gave me a giant dog blanket from Christmas which I had used on the couch but he wanted nothing to do with it. However, once I put the blanket that fit perfectly over my bedspread, he was happy to jump up. But he again just stood there, and gazied around him while whimpering and crying. He looked out the window above the bed, and then jumped down to the floor. I had closed the bedroom door, and perhaps he just felt locked in. It took a good half an hour before he settled down, even with the lights left on, before he stretched out next to me and began to fall asleep.
He is part chocolate lab, I have no doubt as when we go for walks, he has the classic Scooby Sniff, the muzzle gently bobbing up and down as if he's eating, when really he's sniffing. He has his nose to the ground at all times. But when it comes to sleeping I can see maybe there might some sort of pit-something in him. He has their uncanny ability to be only 35 pounds and 2 and a half feet tall but when sleeping take up 9 square feet of space in a Sprawl and Snooze maneuver. I heard a noise shortly after he settled in, and I thought for sure I had a snorer on my hands, but it was only a couple of grumbles. I realized he doesn't snore; he just has an extremely active dreamland. He not only growls in his sleep, but on occasion his paws move as if running.
He woke me up at 5:15am, which in all honesty isn't so bad. It had been six hours since he had gone out, so I took him out and sure enough, he really had to go. He seemed wide awake, but after ten minutes of me explaining my position of sleepiness, he allowed me to go back to sleep till 8:30.
His fosters were right: he makes you believe food is the most scarce thing ever to exist. Last night since I wanted to give him his meds, I gave it to him in a squished up piece of bread which he happily devoured. I then gave him a cup of dog food which he finished off so quickly I really was surprised that it didn't revisit us; I thought for sure he would vomit immediately. I gave him one of the bones in the package of treats you gave him. He hadn't paid any attention to it on the car ride, but now it was good enough for about four minutes, which is how long it took him to consume the entire thing, ending with a giant belch and coming back to me to ask for more.
This morning he ate after our walk and then did the oddest thing: he peed right in front of me in the living room. I used the same tactic I had with the marking, but he was less apologetic this time. When I took him outside to finish, he didn't need to go. Now the spot where he went is the opposite of a stain; it's the one really really clean spot in the entire living room.
Mickey needs training, but he is a sweet dog. I wish he could be with other dogs, as I think it'd be far more entertaining for him. Since he's not into toys, I think that might be his only form of play. Course he'd need a dog that wants to play with him just as much.
I was going to say that he doesn't sleep much, but in the time I've been writing this, he'd been tuckered out asleep on the couch. He's had an active day thus far. Aside from us walking frequently (the more he's outside the less opportunity he has to pee inside), I took him for a car ride to meet up with a friend in Sherman Oaks for a brief walk around the park. I hoped a car ride during the day would help him like it more. Initially he couldn't grasp why standing on me while I drove would be hazardous. I made sure he got the concept before we fully backed out of the driveway. The ride there was a little iffy. He panted and moved around and was fidgety. Quite distracting while driving. Oddly I think he started to get the command Sit, although it could have just been coincidence that with how many times I said it, that eventually he would want to Sit at the exact same time.
The ride back was far better. He only got tangled in the tether a couple of times and then somewhere near the 101/134 split, he finally just lay down. I think he was so wrapped up in the tether it might have been the only position left for him, but either way, he seemed calm. He wasn't panting, and for a few brief moments, I think he took a nap.
That brings you up to this moment. Here are the pictures. I really hope one or two are accurate enough. If at some point I can get a pic of him snoozing on the couch, I'll send it to you.
I can bring him to his longer-term foster whenever you find one. I feel bad that he's just going from one place to another, so the sooner he can get in a semi-permanent place, the better. In the meantime, I'll enjoy my time with him, and hopefully he'll have a good time too--even though I'm not a dog.
stephanie.
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