Hi Diana,
Sorry I haven’t been able to update you sooner, but we’ve definitely had our hands full with Jackson (formerly Jeremy). No worries though, it’s in a good way. =)
On the way home, he seemed exhausted and slept most of the way. He was probably pretty overwhelmed, maybe playing possum just in case we were headed to the vet. Once we got back to Portland, he had a chance to meet the cat and my roommates Min-Pin. Boy was he excited… He chased Ninja (the cat) for a while, then did some laps around the living room and the dining room before turning on Dakota (the dog). I guess he had built up some energy during the drive home, and he couldn’t wait to get outside to let it out. So, needless to say, we were wondering what we had gotten ourselves into.
We left him alone for the first time on Thursday afternoon, and he seemed to do just fine. There was quite a bit of barking and crying at first, but he eventually quieted down and entertained himself (probably with one of the millions of toys that we’ve bought him so far). He does love to destroy tennis balls, we’ve noticed. So far, he hasn’t been able to demolish the rope or the Kong… thank goodness.
We took him off the choke and switched to a harness, which he seems to respond very well to. His leash training is coming along quite nicely, and he’s almost impermeable to distractions from squirrels, cats, and other dogs. Birds are another story, but we’re working on it… He walks nicely by our side with minimal pulling, and he even runs on a loose leash.
We’ve visited the vet to get his general exam, rabies, Giardia, microchip, etc. I wouldn’t say he really enjoyed it, but he’ll thank us later. Hopefully. We also took him to a couple of clinics at the pet store, one on leash manners and the other on general obedience. I’m proud to say that he was the best kid in class for both. =) His sit, down, stay, and leave it are coming along great, especially if we’ve got treats.
We take him on at least 2 runs and 3 or 4 walks every day, and it seems to work for wearing him out. Jonathan runs him before work at about 7, I run him at lunch, then we take him on a few long walks in the evenings. I’m worried about how our sleep would be impaired if we didn’t exercise him that much.
So, overall, he’s doing really well. We absolutely love him, and we think he likes us quite a bit too. He’s graduated to being left in the house during the day instead of the garage, and so far, no catastrophies too big. =)
His coat is much better now, and we’ll be taking him in for his second dog wash next week. =) We also have taken him the dog park, and he absolutely loves it. Just like you said, he’s a big hit with all the other dogs (the energetic ones anyways). He loves making them chase him around for 10 miles or so until they get worn out.
We’ve had a blast with him, and we love him more than anything… He’s been a great addition to our home. He keeps us on our toes anyways. =)
Thank you so much, and I’ll keep you as updated as I can.
Kristina
