A quiet house

Hi there Gus. What have you been up to?

Oh.

Dog days of summer

The period from 12 to 16 weeks is a lot of fun for your family and your puppy. This month is also a challenge as your joyful toddler becomes more active. Overenthusiastic about everything, he acts first and things later.
                                                        
                                              ~Your Labrador Retriever Puppy Month by Month

The phrase "dog days of summer" usually means a low-key, subdued approach to each summer day. The summer heat weighs people down, slowing their walk and their talk. It evokes images of sitting on the front porch sipping ice tea. 

And then there's Gus. 

Overnight, we've gone from a "play hard, sleep hard" puppy, to a "play hard, then play even harder" puppy. Even Gracie is struggling to keep up. We've taken to tag-teaming him - Gracie plays with him until she is worn out, then I take over while she rests. I marvel that I survived this phase when it was just Gracie and me!

It is this stage that reminds me the importance of crate training and I'm thankful that Gus is getting use to his crate. It is working well to have it in the garage next to Gracie's kennel. I still hear the occasional yip, but I think he is now finding it a place of rest. 

And that is a good thing. 

P.S. Photos are getting harder to take. By the time I have the camera ready, Gus has moved on to other things. Things I usually need to pry from his mouth.

Bragging rights

Here's the thing about Labs: they're goofy, fun, and playful...and they're smart. 

Gus already knows two important commands: sit and come. The "sit" command has come in handy at feeding time. We are now working on the commands: leave it and release. These are two important commands for Labs who put everything in their mouths. 

Over the past years, there has been a plethora of "my kid is smart" bumper stickers.  I have found it a bit wearisome to see these ubiquitous bumper stickers on cars around town touting the intellectual prowess of their little dears. One has to question the veracity of these statements when one reads job applications spelled in texting short-hand and listen to dialogue composed of you knows, likes, and whatevers.

And so it was with special glee that I took to displaying the above bumper sticker on my Ford Escape. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit on my Jeep. 

But that's OK.  It's enough for me to know that my chocolate Labs are smart. I just hope I can continue to outwit them!

Everybody poops

"Start house training the first day you bring your new puppy home. He'll need to go almost hourly the first week. By 12 weeks he should be able to last an hour and a half." 
                                      ~Your Labrador Retriever Puppy Month by Month

Gus is 12 weeks old and making progress in his potty training. About 90 percent of the time he makes it outside to go potty. And contrary to the book, he can go almost three hours before he needs to go outside. This is especially helpful at nighttime. Yay! Good boy! 

Because of Gus' initial aversion to his crate, I move it into the garage next to Gracie's kennel. He loves his big sister and so far this seems to be a good set-up. [Lest any dear readers scold me for leaving the dogs in the garage on hot days, please know the garage has AC.]

Potty training has also been helped along by Gus's nannies - dog walkers who come by two to three times a day to let him out while I'm at work. And speaking of work, my employer has been gracious in allowing me to skip home periodically during the day to let Gus out when the dog walkers are not available. 

The training manual reminds owners to go outside every time with their puppy so that they can be on hand to praise and reward puppy for a successful pee and poop. Happily the dry, sunny weather has made this a pleasure for me. 

And I suppose turnabout is fair play. I now have not one, but two Labs watching me when I'm in the bathroom!

Sleeping arrangements, part 2

In Sleeping Arrangements, I boasted about crate training Gus. But Gus had other ideas. 

Suffice it to say, Gus does not like his crate. Our first night together, he didn't just whine, he screamed. And he yelped. And he barked. I lasted only 20 minutes. Then Gus got what he wanted: a plum spot on the bed in between me and Gracie. 

On the plus side, all three of us slept well. On the downside...well, I suspect that will come when I'm competing with two 80+ pound dogs for space on the bed. 




Dog bed update:
So far the expensive Orvis brand Tough Chew dog bed has remained in one piece. But it has yet to be used for sleeping. Gracie simply paws at it and occasionally humps it. Gus has managed to both pee and poop on it (so I guess it's his now). 

This is the closest I've seen either dog to using it for it's intended purpose:

Two weeks later

After much anticipation, I brought Gus home on June 28. He was not terribly excited about the car ride home, but has adapted well to his new home. 

His first encounter at home was with his "big sister" Gracie. She was a bit stand-offish to start.

But they have since warmed up to each other.

Sleep for me has been somewhat elusive with twice nightly bathroom breaks for Gus. Turns out Gus is also a morning dog. An early, "hey it's 4:30 a.m. everyone!" morning dog. And a fact which Gracie, who is most definitely not a morning dog, reminds me of with a glare each day.  

I'm already collecting stories for this blog. Now I just need to find the time to write them down.

The proof is in the puppy

Anything that can hurt a human baby can hurt your puppy, too. Puppies don’t have hands, so yours is going to explore his new world with his mouth. Anything he can sink his teeth into is fair game, and it’s your job to be sure he stays safe. That means puppy-proofing your home.
                                                                   -Your Labrador Retriever Puppy, Month by Month

As soon as she was able, Gracie went for the books on the bookcase. I lost more than a handful of paperbacks, before it dawned on me to box up the surviving books and store them until this phase of puppyhood passed.

Gracie found a better use for the bookcase after that.

Instead of fighting the losing battle against my Lab’s need to explore her world with her mouth, I adapted. I closed bedroom and bathroom doors. I crated trained for the times when I couldn’t watch her. I put away favorite knick-knacks. I cleared off my kitchen counters. I taught Gracie important commands like “leave it” and “spit it.” And I kept an endless supply of toys on hand, rotating them every few weeks so it appeared they were new.

Sure, my house looked pretty bare for about a year, but as a result, I lost only one TV remote and suffered only minor damage to the corner of the coffee table. Eventually, I was able to have nice things again.

I’m a proponent of puppy-proofing. I want to spend my time with my puppy playing and having fun. Plus, life goes on in spite of the puppy and I don’t have time to be constantly chaperoning his escapades.

When Gus arrives in 10 days, the house and yard will be ready for his puppy explorations. I’m sure he’ll throw some new tricks at me. So I’ll need to stay sharp.