It has been raining most of the afternoon and evening. Chances are good that I smell like wet dog. Nanni still seems to love me though. The puppy was delivered around eight this evening. He was shivering with anxiety after being in the car for about three hours to get him here. Pets are a lot of work and we have a big job ahead of us. He is seven months old and came with the name Major. We weren't planning to change his name, but he doesn't seem to answer to it. The names we are currently considering are Shroom (the spots on his back sort of resemble a mushroom), Bugle, Aesop, or keeping Major. We have tossed around a few different names, we'll see what fits.
The dog and cats have not yet met each other. We put the cats upstairs and let the dog explore for a bit. For tonight, he and Keziah are in the apartment. Tomorrow, the rain will hopefully be over and we will get to have some outdoor time with our newest companion. The arrival of the Dog Currently Being Called Major is a happy thing for today, others are:
- After work I put the exercise mat on the floor to stretch out my back and do some crunches. This is something I am going to try to work into a routine. Anyhow, while my feet were up stretching my back, the cats decided to play!
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| I got to hold that stretch for a while! |
- Since I don't work on Fridays, I just had a nap today. I let Nanni in my room and I think I slept better for a while because of it. At least until I wanted to roll over!
- I tried to take a picture of Nanni sleeping, but my room was too dark. That also may have helped me sleep.
- Dog snuggles.
- Dog kisses.
Currently reading: Backpacking A Hedonist’s Guide, by Rick Greenspan and Hal Kahn.
Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.
Congrats on the pup! Hope you all adjust quickly and well to each other. When we first adopted Shadow, a friend of mine that helped train dogs (and owners) at the MSCPA taught us the "Name Game" to help him learn his name. Basically, a couple of you sit in a circle in a room with the pup in the middle (or outside with pup on a leash), each with a little handful of small training treats, and take turns calling him to you by just saying his name in an friendly, animated voice. In the very beginning, if he just turns his head towards you - or cocks an ear, or gives any other visible indication of paying attention - he still gets a treat and verbal praise, even if he doesn't come over to you. (You can also do this solo, just stand a few feet from him and call his name and reward when he reacts.) Keep each "game" short - only 5-10 minutes, tops - so he (and you) don't get bored/frustrated. It helped a lot with Shadow. (We didn't really love his foster name, and he didn't respond to it anyway, so we didn't feel bad about changing it.) It also more or less taught him "come" at the same time - we just started adding that command after his name once he was responding to us.
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