Our baby is now five months old. He hasn’t been weighed in a few weeks but I think his growth spurt has calmed down a bit. His head seems a little wider and those legs keep on growing but he is staying fairly thin. He’s eating five cups of food a day now so I’m not sure how he’s staying so thin. He remains on a strict diet and its going good but that food is getting costly. Its also quite a task of measuring out this supplement or that. Luckily momma takes care of his food most of the time so I don’t have to worry about it. The vet said we probably didn’t really need to give him the supplements but also said there is not enough research to make an educated stand one way or another. We were told by the nutritional consultant that the supplements were good for his growth and support so his momma will not allow him to have anything less. And we wonder why he is such a momma’s boy?
Last week we were laying bed on an early afternoon and heard him crunching on something. He’s a pup and finds all sorts of strange things tasty. I’ve had to take pennies out of his mouth a couple of times. Anyway, momma dug around in that big ol mouth and pulled out a baby tooth. Not quite the afternoon snack he normally gets. Last night while taking the pics for his five month record we dug around in his mouth to see that the majority of his baby teeth were gone on the sides and the tips of the adult teeth were poking out. About that time he decided to put my whole fist in his mouth. It fit with no problem! He just wanted to gnaw on it a little. I imagine those new teeth were bothering him so I grabbed a chew ring for him and he happily nibbled on it for awhile.
Due to his size we have trained him to wait outside the kitchen while his food is being prepared. Its takes a few minutes and if allowed he will circle your feet and just about knock you down while your getting everything ready. He’s doing pretty good at waiting but gets impatient in the mornings. Momma is starting to be stricter about him being patient or having to wait awhile before trying again so he’s catching on and getting better.
He remains a very lovable pup. He climbs in momma’s lap every chance he gets and is starting to try to sit on her feet like most big dogs do. He is a momma’s boy but he is starting to warm up to me too. He seems to mind me a bit better than he minds momma and lately he seems to seek more affection from me than in the past. At night I snuggle with him for a few minutes in his lounger or on his pillow. He seems to enjoy that with no attempt to be free of my hugs or affection. Sometimes he offers a light snore of appreciation. That’s good, I think? During the day I can get in the floor and hug on him for short periods but he normally squirms away quickly to go play or find his momma. In the morning and when I get home from work he will approach me for attention, but again its short lived before he’s off doing something else. For being such a big galoot he is very friendly with strangers and still allows the miniature schnauzer to think she is the boss. He has given a few a loud barks at strange noises, but its rare. I have not yet heard him growl a single time, even while playing tug-o-war with the schnauzer who growls like she’s going to rip a leg off.
While talking about his lovable demeanor I have to mention his eating habits. A few times a week I test his willingness to share his food. This baby boy finishes his food in under two minutes, so he’s pretty focused on it. Keep in mind that dinner is less complicated than breakfast but its still a combination of 2.5 cups of dry food, about a cup of water, and two heaping tablespoons of canned food. I had a friend time him and he clocked from start to finish one minute and fifteen seconds. Another half a minute later and the stainless bowl was licked clean enough to see yourself in it. The pup don’t mess around when its meal time. So anyway, a couple times a week I take his bowl away when he about half way through. He just licks his chops and looks at me with his nub wagging. If I get down on the floor and put my hand in his dish it doesn’t even phase him. The schnauzer has tried to stick her head in there a few times being the little piggy that she is, but he doesn’t care. His head takes up most of the bowl so she can hardly get in there anyway, but he doesn’t do anything about her sniffing around his food. Everything seems good other than the speed at which he eats. We’ve done some research on ways to slow his eating down and will be working on that.
Well that about sums things up. Our “Baby Hughie” is five months old and still a big lovable baby boy.
Last week we were laying bed on an early afternoon and heard him crunching on something. He’s a pup and finds all sorts of strange things tasty. I’ve had to take pennies out of his mouth a couple of times. Anyway, momma dug around in that big ol mouth and pulled out a baby tooth. Not quite the afternoon snack he normally gets. Last night while taking the pics for his five month record we dug around in his mouth to see that the majority of his baby teeth were gone on the sides and the tips of the adult teeth were poking out. About that time he decided to put my whole fist in his mouth. It fit with no problem! He just wanted to gnaw on it a little. I imagine those new teeth were bothering him so I grabbed a chew ring for him and he happily nibbled on it for awhile.
Due to his size we have trained him to wait outside the kitchen while his food is being prepared. Its takes a few minutes and if allowed he will circle your feet and just about knock you down while your getting everything ready. He’s doing pretty good at waiting but gets impatient in the mornings. Momma is starting to be stricter about him being patient or having to wait awhile before trying again so he’s catching on and getting better.
He remains a very lovable pup. He climbs in momma’s lap every chance he gets and is starting to try to sit on her feet like most big dogs do. He is a momma’s boy but he is starting to warm up to me too. He seems to mind me a bit better than he minds momma and lately he seems to seek more affection from me than in the past. At night I snuggle with him for a few minutes in his lounger or on his pillow. He seems to enjoy that with no attempt to be free of my hugs or affection. Sometimes he offers a light snore of appreciation. That’s good, I think? During the day I can get in the floor and hug on him for short periods but he normally squirms away quickly to go play or find his momma. In the morning and when I get home from work he will approach me for attention, but again its short lived before he’s off doing something else. For being such a big galoot he is very friendly with strangers and still allows the miniature schnauzer to think she is the boss. He has given a few a loud barks at strange noises, but its rare. I have not yet heard him growl a single time, even while playing tug-o-war with the schnauzer who growls like she’s going to rip a leg off.
While talking about his lovable demeanor I have to mention his eating habits. A few times a week I test his willingness to share his food. This baby boy finishes his food in under two minutes, so he’s pretty focused on it. Keep in mind that dinner is less complicated than breakfast but its still a combination of 2.5 cups of dry food, about a cup of water, and two heaping tablespoons of canned food. I had a friend time him and he clocked from start to finish one minute and fifteen seconds. Another half a minute later and the stainless bowl was licked clean enough to see yourself in it. The pup don’t mess around when its meal time. So anyway, a couple times a week I take his bowl away when he about half way through. He just licks his chops and looks at me with his nub wagging. If I get down on the floor and put my hand in his dish it doesn’t even phase him. The schnauzer has tried to stick her head in there a few times being the little piggy that she is, but he doesn’t care. His head takes up most of the bowl so she can hardly get in there anyway, but he doesn’t do anything about her sniffing around his food. Everything seems good other than the speed at which he eats. We’ve done some research on ways to slow his eating down and will be working on that.
Well that about sums things up. Our “Baby Hughie” is five months old and still a big lovable baby boy.
p.s. If you look down to the post from February you can really see how much he's grown in the last six weeks. The blue bed he is stretched out on is the same one pictured here, just flipped over showing the plaid side.
