Six months old

Our “little” boy is about six months old now. How time flies…. I’ve been doing some more leash training with him and he’s doing pretty well. Having a pocket full of carrots really helps but even without treats he responds well to a small choker and is learning quickly. He’s easily distracted, so that remains a challenge but I think with more training he will be fine. He’s still growing, of course. Its not as noticeable as the first couple of months but he’s finally outgrown his cage and we ordered the largest one we could find. It should be here in a few days. I’m sure he’ll be more comfortable once we get it setup for him. He is starting to get some skin allergies. He recently started scratching his right arm up pretty good. We think it’s the fabric softener we used on his blankets based on a few tests we’ve done and his reaction. We will continue our tests to see if we cant figure it out. I’ve been giving him a small dose of benedryl which seems to help a little. I normally put it in a glob of peanut butter so he now runs anytime he hears a pill bottle opening thinking he might get his PB treat. His new favorite toy is a plastic motorcycle that Ronnie and Trista bought him when they were shopping for their new baby Boerboel. He’s already eaten a hole in it and I’ve had to take it away from him so now I’m on a hunt for another one. His second favorite toy is a heavy duty thing made from ballistic material or some such stuff. Its supposed to be the indestructible dog toy, but he’s about got it torn up too. He seems to be over the worst of his teething and hasn’t torn up much other than his toys so that wasn’t too bad. He likes tags though and we have to correct him when he tries to eat the tags from our bed, sheets, pillows, rugs, clothes, etc…. He remains a big baby that I give a big bear hug each night before bed. He doesn’t mind his daddy hugging on him too much, but he’s still momma’s boy.

5 Months old

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.

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.

Its been a busy month around our place and while I have a few pics to track the baby's growth I can only offer some recent pics right now. Last week he was at the vet for some followup shots and a general checkup at four months of age. He weighed in at 40.6lbs. What a big baby! His bark is starting to deepen, he is galloping around like a horse, he now snores like a bear, and he continues to be spoiled like the other "kids". Enjoy the pic, more later!

All Legs.

Our little boy is growing so fast that I dont think I'll be able to catch a photo of him on the rocking ottoman that I posted about last time. He just doesnt fit on it anymore. He has started crawling onto the lounger which we figured would happen pretty soon anyhow. We are allowing him to sllep on his bed outside the cage for an hour or so each night to get used to it. He seems to really like it and took to it fairly easily. He would rather be in bed with us but we know that would not be good in a few months. I snapped a couple of quick shots for those asking for more pictures. He looks like he's all legs, but his head is growing fast too!

Thats all for now. Sorry so short....

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.