Rock-A-Bye Baby

Dozer is not confident enough to jump on furniture, which is kind of a good thing. He has claimed a rocking ottoman as his day bed for now. This is quite humorous mainly because he is twice the size of the ottoman. The fact that it rocks makes things more interesting. He claimed this because it’s the only piece of furniture that is short enough for him to crawl onto without jumping. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that his momma was normally sitting in the rocker next to it with her feet on the ottoman. He is momma’s boy after all. The first few times he decided to lay on the ottoman he would roll off one side or other due to it rocking and him not being coordinated enough to counter balance himself. It was cute to watch him crawl up one side and slip off the other. Once he settled down on it he would fall asleep only to twitch in his sleep and wake up on the floor. Maybe we are easily entertained? This went on for about a week and now he can crawl up there and settle down with no problems. Well, no problems but his legs hanging off.

His training is going well. He was under our feet grunting while we made his food and he would charge head first at his food bowl when we tried to put it down. This could be a big problem when he gets a little bigger so within a few days he has learned to sit and stay outside the kitchen while his food is being made. He will stay seated until his food is put down and he is told he may have it. He still grunts a little while waiting, which is kinda cute, but he is doing very good.

He still whines a bit more than I would like when we put him in bed. I think part of this is our fault for babying him too much in the beginning and the fact the two other dogs are allowed to roam freely. He is getting better at this though as well. He is also starting to lay down on the dog bed next to our bed at night. This is a very good thing since this where we would like him to sleep when he is older and we can let him roam freely.

He is a fast learner and continues do just about anything for a carrot or piece of apple.

The Firedog

Finally got a few more pics of Dozer posted. He is growing so fast! His legs are growing about as fast as his head, but not as fast as his ears ;-)

We got a short cold snap this past weekend so I took the opportunity to light up the fireplace. Dozer loved it two-fold. He left his "momma" to come snuggle with me by the fire. He laid facing the fire for awhile just watching it and later curled up with me in the floor and took a nap. Other then enjoying the warmth and watching the flames he really enjoyed eating the bark that fell on the hearth. Each time I brought in more wood to stoke the fire he would search around for crunchy treat. Silly boy...

We were feeling under the weather and decided to stay by the fire most of the weekend which offered Dozer lots of one on one time that he really needs right now. By the end of the weekend he had not had an accident in the house, would "sit" on command, would "stay" half of the time, and goes to cage (or any cage close by) for a carrot.

At one point his mom was working with him on "stay" in the kitchen. The floor is ceramic tile and his soft puppy pads would slide on the floor while sitting. He would sit for a few seconds but get up as his back legs slide out from under him. I noticed what was happening as his mom was about to take a break from the "stay" training due to frustration. As I tried to explain to her what was happening he came up with a solution on his own! He wanted that carrot! He would slide backwards so he started moving his front legs backwards so his butt did not come off the floor and he could have his treat. I was amazed at this and we got him to do it a few times just to see it again and have a laugh. He received several carrots and lots of praise for that one!

Waskly Wabbit

We are still working out some kinks in the DSL so I cant share any pics today and have to keep the post short. Dozer is doing good and growing like a weed. We have increased his food by half a cup (2.5 cups total of dry) and reduced his feedings to three times a day now. We are still mixing in a little canned food along with some enzymes and providing the joint supplements. About the only other food he gets are baby carrots which we slice up. These are his only treats and we have trained him to sit using them. I would have never guessed dogs would eat carrots, but all three dogs now sit together and wait their turn for a slice of carrot. Its one of those things you’d almost have to see to believe. Our other male dog didn’t like the carrots at first but after a few days watching the other dogs eat them decided he didn’t mind them too much. Anyway, it seems our little dozer is part rabbit because he hops around like a cotton tail and will do anything for a carrot….

Dozer is growing so fast. His head is getting so wide it barely fits in my hand anymore and his jaw feels like steel. Every morning he seems heavier and harder to pick up. I think he gains a few pounds and a few inches each night. He was snoring in his cage last night and I looked in to see him stretched with his tail nearly at the back and his head on the door. He barely fits in there now so we are going to move him to the large cage tonight. I imagine that it will only hold him for a few more months and we will have to get an even bigger cage for him. He doesn’t mind the cage too much as long as we are in the room with him. He is also getting better at keeping his whining to a minimum with a few requests to “hush”. He mainly whines when he has to go outside or we leave him alone locked up while we are in another part of the house.

Dozer’s house training is going good. He is starting to whine and bark (oh yeah, he is barking a little now!) at the back door when he has to go. He still pees in random places around the house if we don’t keep a close eye on him but he wont do anything else in the house (thankfully!).

That’s all for now. I hope to get some new pics up by the end of the week at the latest.