Greetings from Tahoe!
Well, today is our one week anniversary of having Dexter as part of the family. All things considered … he’s been incredible!
He survived an 8 hour drive to Tahoe without a whimper or whine … he sleeps through the night in his snug crate (except for a snore or two!) …. aside from two house accidents (partially our fault) he seems to know which doors mean “access to the yard and Potty” . . . . he has entertained several guests in outstanding fashion (except for prancing around last night with our friend’s flip-flop in his mouth!) … he has marked his Potty territories in the yard, which are fairly consistent (especially where he poops) … he continues to pick-up/chew/toss pinecones by the dozen, bark, and twigs and romps in the yard as if he owns it! … he is always close by, laying with us wherever we are in the house …. he has been to two restaurants (one for dinner, one for breakfast) and behaved well on each outdoor dining patio … he plays with ALL his toys, just like a kid … he wakes around 6:30-6:45 announcing a request to come out with a soft whine, and knows to go to the sliding door so he can go out into the yard. Once he’s done with his business, he comes back up the patio stairs, waits to be let in, and goes right for as many toys he can put in his mouth as morning is his most favorite time to play … he eats like a champ (and loves the tablespoon full of low fat cottage cheese we give him … he has a variety of scarves to choose from, courtesy of all the scarves I saved from my last Retriever (so they’re hand-me-downs from Bella!).
Today he is sporting violet! … He LOVES when people show up at the house and has played with a neighbors dog (Fozzie), and as of yesterday went to Tahoe City Dog Park (fully enclosed) where we let him off leash to see how well he’d do on commands. He was so overwhelmed with all the dog scents that it took a good 15-20 mins. to get him to figure out we were still there! … he will probably stay in excellent shape as he goes up & down the stairs constantly … and come evening he is exhausted! He usually falls asleep on the floor and I have to wake him to go into his crate. Today felt like he really crossed over into settling in, trusting us completely and admitting to himself that this is his home. So, quite the 7 days, huh?
He had his first visit with his new Vet (Dr. Kim Barnes), and got a glowing report. He’s now received a rabies vaccine, and Boardadello (spell?) so he can mingle at doggie parks safely. His stool sample was negative, and he now has a toothbrush & toothpaste for weekly brushing! He weighed in at 50 lbs on the nose!
I will send (separately) a couple of recent pics. Wednesday we have a shopping list for Reno and PetSmart is our first stop. We were wondering if his crate is starting to become too small … and, we definitely need to get a “ramp” for the cars. Terry has been picking him up and putting him in the car as Dex seems very skittish about jumping into the Lexus, and the Hummer is even higher a jump. Today was the first time we coaxed him into jumping “out” of the Hummer. If you have tips for this, let us know.
Commands have been working … to be honest I think we need more training than he does! We fall back on old commands (from our old dogs) and catch ourselves (“Out” instead of “Wrong”, for example). But we put the “Puppy Whisperer” sheet up on the kitchen bulletin board to remind us of all the right cues. Next week we’ll start working more seriously as we are still cautious about letting him completely off leash (especially on his first visit to the un-fenced Incline Dog Park). We ordered his food, and Vitamins for delivery, and registered the Micro-Chip & AKC.
Most of all … we are smothering him with LOVE! … and we believe he knows he’s adored.That’s all that matters, right?
Sorry for the lengthy update, but after all you’re his birth parents and without you he wouldn’t be part of our lives … so thank you!
xoxo ~ Carole
