It is just three weeks since we brought him home and boy, have we seen some changes. He was shy, didn't play but did eat well. He weighed in at just under 20# and the vet advised us to feed him more as she felt he was underweight. (A shout-out to Dr. Bristol at Upper Cumberland Vet Clinic in Crossville who was wonderful - she even called us several days after his visit to be sure he was doing okay.) He's now at least 22#, according to our scales. He visits the vet again next Wed. so we'll see what he weighs then.
At first he wouldn't lay on his hammock, but he learned to love it. He now plays and sleeps on it and recently even crawled under it to get some toys.
He has adjusted to the crate, dragging toys in there during the day and sleeping all night. Initially we had 20-30 minutes of crying. Then 10 minutes. Now most nights it's nothing or a fuss for a minute or two. This photo was his first week...he fills it up more now. We may have to upsize to a 42", this is a 36". We have a fleece pad and topped with a soft fleece blanket we picked up at a discount store.
It's hard to get good photos with a black puppy...he comes out looking like a dust mop!
The best photos are outdoors with good lighting!
He quickly learned to walk on the leash, the commands SIT and NO. Now that we have started puppy training, we're working on LOOK, DOWN and STAY/WAIT. I need to work on remembering to say OFF when he jumps up on things (not too often) because I was saying DOWN. He has five more weekly sessions in this class.
He absolutely LOVES having all the backyard to run around in. He's great at going potty outdoors but still not 100% on asking to go out. Still a work in progress. But he chases the ball outside and he races around like an idiot - great exercise!
He enjoys his doggy day care, we're doing it once a week. Gives us a break and we use it to run errands and catch a movie. He had his first grooming this past week, just head/feet/hind end, but did well other than not wanting to hold his head still for under the chin. He came home SOOOO soft...that lasted a day. LOL!
He has two cute little habits - he loves to sleep on the heat/ac vents..this time he's sleeping on his back (that his little private area exposed) on the vent.
And he loves to lay down on the floor to drink out of his bowl, even wrapping his paw around it sometimes.
Here is the list of his favorite toys...some we got early on, some have been added. He loves smaller stuffies that he can easily carry around (and squeak).
- Tree trunk & squirrels - we got the small size and have already added larger squirrels. He loves these!
- Little hedgehogs - we didn't get the log and hedgies, just the extra hedgies (based upon his love of the squirrels).
- Rubber balls - super bouncy, he loves chasing them (not fetching yet).
- Flat Fox/Raccoon/Squirrel - already ordered a second set, these are getting a LOT of play!
- Yaky Chew - this thing is amazing! He loves chewing on it.
- Deer Antler - another item perfect for teething in addition to the Yaky Chew.
Ciao for now!
Stu and Donna
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