Upside Downside

Fingal went to his first obedience class yesterday and on the whole did quite well. We worked on  "Go to bed and down", "Sit" , 'Watch Me","Leave It", "Let's Go", walking nicely on leash and come when called.I had already taught him to sit, and he caught on to the others quite well. Except the leash bit. He pulled constantly, trying to see everything, get to the other dogs, wanting the treats the trainers gave to all the dogs. That one is going to take a while. But I've had Taz trained at Canine Potentials and think highly of Carol Ganaway, so I'm sure he'll do well.
The real problem is house breaking him. He drinks copious amounts of water and though I let him outside a lot, praise him when he urinates outside, he comes in, walks around and pees. While strolling around!My wood floors have never been so clean, but the bedroom carpet's a mess, even after it has been cleaned.
Otherwise, for a puppy his age, he's great. He still comes up to be cuddled, and he's really laid back.
His coat is changing, getting thick and kind of curly and he loves it when I rub it, massaging him.
I will grit my teeth, talk softly (I'm really proud of myself-haven't yelled at him, even when I step in a puddle) and know he'll turn into a fine adult.

Teenager?

Fingal is now 29 inches tall & at a guess, over 60 pounds. This can be a problem because of his enthusiatic greeting of guests, and his wish to climb in their laps.Luckily, on Sunday he begins behavior classes. Right now he sits on command, and comes, as long as I tell him in a "happy voice." A stern one sends him fleeing. He's still not totally housebroken, but he's getting better. Taz and he went to Pampered Pooch daycare yesterday, where they can run, play in a pond and generally be part of a pack. Taz's buddy Kona and Fingal picked on a little Lab, and got a time out, but otherwise Vicky tells me he's really sweet. We'll see what Sunday brings.

Fingal at five months

His first snow. He ate quite a bit. He has grown about two inches, and has learned a few commands. He's cutting teeth so nothing's safe. I'm giving him all sorts of things to chew on, and trying to keep any paper away from him.

Taz is helping raise him, and I don't interfere when she's taking care of things. He's still a delight, goofy and good tempered.. He developed a fullgrown, adult bark, which confused Taz. The first time he barked to come in, she went running past him when I opened the door, looking for the guilty   dog.
When I watch dvd's,Taz lies on the couch, Fingal at my feet. He keeps trying to climb on furniture, so I've resorted to the spray bottle, which  he caught onto very quickly. Smart puppy.

My worries about raising a puppy are gone. I spend so much time laughing at him, I wouldn't have missed this for the world. He seems pretty mellow most of the time, and comes up to me to be cuddled, hiding his face against me.

Now, if only he could get the idea about getting outside in time! It's funny to watch him. He begins his peeping whine. He stares at me.
 I say, "Okay, let's go outside."
But until the whines get louder, he won't move.
Especially at night, when he's curled up on his bed, he doesn't want to move. A couple of times I've had to tip him off the bed, to get him headed for the back door. During the day, he does go to the door when things get urgent. He can last about two hours, then all bets are off. I have begun to time meetings and appointments by Fingal's pee schedule.