Well, not yet,,maybe soon! Jim and I picked up our 4 little 2 month old baby goats on Saturday. They are Nigerian Dwarf Goats, 3 boys and a girl. They are really too cute. Maverick did chase them in their pen a couple of times, but throughout the afternoon, we brought him out to meet them through the pen and by early evening, he was being just regular Maverick. Sami and Billy came over, and had a LOT of fun....running, racing, and just watching them play. They took time to play with Maverick too so he wouldn't feel left out. After all, he does think that anyone coming over is coming over to see him....so didn't want any confusion!!
The goats are all eating their hay, grass, minerals and pellets and drinking water. All are doing well.
Photos soon!!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Havanese/Maverick update
It's been a long time since I wrote,,,,,,but it's a beautiful time to catch up on what is going on in Maverick's life.
2010 was a busy year. Maverick did several shows. Expertly shown by Sandy and sometimes Bill, Maverick's breeders, he has gotten one major and a total of 10 points. They do such a good job with him, . It is exciting to see your own dog struting his stuff in the ring,,,looking like a million bucks!! He likes the show ring and even all the preparations for it, well, maybe not the bath part,,,that he just tolerates! But he loves Sandy and Bill and is SO excited to get to see them both. He loves being with his Havanese friends and relatives there. Waiting to go into the ring, he seems to know just what is going on and in the ring he seems to have such a good time.
Right now, Jim and Maverick are out for their afternoon walk in the woods,,,,,Maverick will come back looking a lot different than he does in the ring!! Sometimes they play "stickdog" where Maverick finds a stick and runs like crazy with it while Jim chases him trying to grab it. (small stick) It is Maverick's favorite game. Although, when the kids come over (Sami and Billy our grandkids) he LOVES to run around the cedar tree and have them try and catch him. He does a lot of thinking and planning trying to outwit the kid that is trying to catch him....He'll double back, swing wide, pick up speed, it is hillarious! Sometimes Jim and he will just sit on the bench overlooking the woods and stream and doze for a while. They just like spending time together.
The next exciting event for the boy is a herding instinct test on June 12. Havanese were used in Cuba for many things, circus dogs, companions, and herding the family's chickens. So, I thought since there is a herding training facility about an hour from here, we would try it out. He will be in with the trainer and 3 sheep, she directs and manages the whole adventure and guides the dog at first. Then apparently, the instinct kicks in, if the dog has it, and they just know what to do. I spoke to the woman from there this am and she said this was their first Havanese to try it. I guess any breed could have the ability. Two boxers completed the test successfully last time. I wouldn't have guessed they would be good at herding
Two things to mention.....Maverick never took to swimming in the doggy pool, and,,,,,,,we never did successfully wean him off treats!! He loves his treats, and still at 2 1/2 years old comes a running when called, licking his lips with his little pink tongue thinking of the great treat he gets when he gets to us.
At the end of the day, he is ready to get brushed (not his favorite thing either) he usually falls asleep on my lap while I brush him out, then over to Dad's side while we read or watch tv. He, and any Havanese, I think, is just happy to be with their people. If you have your own Havanese, give him or her a big hug from us.
2010 was a busy year. Maverick did several shows. Expertly shown by Sandy and sometimes Bill, Maverick's breeders, he has gotten one major and a total of 10 points. They do such a good job with him, . It is exciting to see your own dog struting his stuff in the ring,,,looking like a million bucks!! He likes the show ring and even all the preparations for it, well, maybe not the bath part,,,that he just tolerates! But he loves Sandy and Bill and is SO excited to get to see them both. He loves being with his Havanese friends and relatives there. Waiting to go into the ring, he seems to know just what is going on and in the ring he seems to have such a good time.
Right now, Jim and Maverick are out for their afternoon walk in the woods,,,,,Maverick will come back looking a lot different than he does in the ring!! Sometimes they play "stickdog" where Maverick finds a stick and runs like crazy with it while Jim chases him trying to grab it. (small stick) It is Maverick's favorite game. Although, when the kids come over (Sami and Billy our grandkids) he LOVES to run around the cedar tree and have them try and catch him. He does a lot of thinking and planning trying to outwit the kid that is trying to catch him....He'll double back, swing wide, pick up speed, it is hillarious! Sometimes Jim and he will just sit on the bench overlooking the woods and stream and doze for a while. They just like spending time together.
The next exciting event for the boy is a herding instinct test on June 12. Havanese were used in Cuba for many things, circus dogs, companions, and herding the family's chickens. So, I thought since there is a herding training facility about an hour from here, we would try it out. He will be in with the trainer and 3 sheep, she directs and manages the whole adventure and guides the dog at first. Then apparently, the instinct kicks in, if the dog has it, and they just know what to do. I spoke to the woman from there this am and she said this was their first Havanese to try it. I guess any breed could have the ability. Two boxers completed the test successfully last time. I wouldn't have guessed they would be good at herding
Two things to mention.....Maverick never took to swimming in the doggy pool, and,,,,,,,we never did successfully wean him off treats!! He loves his treats, and still at 2 1/2 years old comes a running when called, licking his lips with his little pink tongue thinking of the great treat he gets when he gets to us.
At the end of the day, he is ready to get brushed (not his favorite thing either) he usually falls asleep on my lap while I brush him out, then over to Dad's side while we read or watch tv. He, and any Havanese, I think, is just happy to be with their people. If you have your own Havanese, give him or her a big hug from us.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Therapy dog!
Maverick did his first Therapy session at the Dousman Masonic home today. He was great, I put him in people's laps, he walked around and met other dogs,big and small, didn't pee on anyone, laid down on one man's foot while he told me stories of his dogs of the past. Got petted by a German woman who is 92 while we talked about her coming to America.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Maverick's first show
Hi again,
We did it!! Maverick, Jim and I set out for our first show on Friday. It only took us an hour to get to Woodstock, Illinois.
Maverick was a trooper...never put a foot wrong. If any mistakes were made, I made them.
There were only two other Havanese there that day. So there was not a lot of competition. He took best puppy, among other things, which allowed us to go into the ring again (outside this time) and show against other best puppies in the toy group. He did great again, and I had more time to get my thoughts together. He ended up getting fourth place in a group of about eight pups. We were very happy. He seemed like he'd done it all before. It was a pleasure to show him.
We'll show again in West Bend, WI. wish us luck!
We did it!! Maverick, Jim and I set out for our first show on Friday. It only took us an hour to get to Woodstock, Illinois.
Maverick was a trooper...never put a foot wrong. If any mistakes were made, I made them.
There were only two other Havanese there that day. So there was not a lot of competition. He took best puppy, among other things, which allowed us to go into the ring again (outside this time) and show against other best puppies in the toy group. He did great again, and I had more time to get my thoughts together. He ended up getting fourth place in a group of about eight pups. We were very happy. He seemed like he'd done it all before. It was a pleasure to show him.
We'll show again in West Bend, WI. wish us luck!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Update on Maverick
Hi All, well it's been a long time since we last wrote. We had some mixups and time constraints etc. Just a quick note here to update on Maverick's progress.
We are anticipating our first show together in Illinois on May 29. We are training and practicing, and grooming, Maverick is doing great really in all three. He lays quietly on the grooming table while I trim feet or brush his coat. He walks along fine on leash with out sniffing the ground (too much!!) and when it's showtime,,he moves out.
We've signed him up for a little therapy work at the local retirement home. When he's old enough, we'll get him tested and registered official therapy dog.
He's been swimming at the doggy pool twice, doesn't love it yet, but swims great and is getting more familiar with it.
I think this puppyhood has gone way too fast. True, we were really unsure about getting a puppy, in February in Wisconsin no less. I've had pain in my legs and ankle for a while and even tho I'm getting treatment and getting better, it still could've been too much for me. But, this guy (and maybe all Havanese) has really been a breeze!! It's been so much fun, we've laughed so much, and played more than we've done in a long time. It is good to just let go and be in the moment with the antics of a puppy. The grandkids love him. He is so smart, that when they all play, he creates games, and wins at least half the time!! They have a Havanese too. Bandit is a little shorthaired havanese. Bandit and Maverick love to wrestle and they go crazy playing together. Bandit was just neutered, so they haven't been able to play in a week or so. Soon we'll get them back together.
Well, wish us luck at the show. It should be interesting to say the least!!!
We are anticipating our first show together in Illinois on May 29. We are training and practicing, and grooming, Maverick is doing great really in all three. He lays quietly on the grooming table while I trim feet or brush his coat. He walks along fine on leash with out sniffing the ground (too much!!) and when it's showtime,,he moves out.
We've signed him up for a little therapy work at the local retirement home. When he's old enough, we'll get him tested and registered official therapy dog.
He's been swimming at the doggy pool twice, doesn't love it yet, but swims great and is getting more familiar with it.
I think this puppyhood has gone way too fast. True, we were really unsure about getting a puppy, in February in Wisconsin no less. I've had pain in my legs and ankle for a while and even tho I'm getting treatment and getting better, it still could've been too much for me. But, this guy (and maybe all Havanese) has really been a breeze!! It's been so much fun, we've laughed so much, and played more than we've done in a long time. It is good to just let go and be in the moment with the antics of a puppy. The grandkids love him. He is so smart, that when they all play, he creates games, and wins at least half the time!! They have a Havanese too. Bandit is a little shorthaired havanese. Bandit and Maverick love to wrestle and they go crazy playing together. Bandit was just neutered, so they haven't been able to play in a week or so. Soon we'll get them back together.
Well, wish us luck at the show. It should be interesting to say the least!!!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
More on Maverick
Hi and happy Thursday.
Maverick had his third set of shots plus his lepto a few days ago. We didn't include the lepto at first because the breeder wanted him to get a little older. The vet was concerned tho, so at 15 weeks we gave a separate lepto shot. Maverick was very sore later that night. I tried to pick him up outside and he just yelped and yelped. I thought we'd have trouble getting him to come to us after that, but after puppy kindergarten last night, he was just fine again. Right after his shots, we stopped at the local retirement home to visit a friend who works there. Wow, did we have the visitors to her area. The residents and employees wanted to see him, pet him, hold him. We heard stories of the residents dogs and how he compares to them...He made a lot of people happy that day.
I used to do therapy work with a Bernese Mt dog we had and it was fantastic. She loved it the patients loved it, and I loved doing it too. Boy, would she be tired at the end of a therapy day. Just exhausted. I'm sure we will get Maverick ready to do some therapy work as well.
Puppy kindergarten was fun as usual. We did several new things last night. We had to hide from the pups behind a desk and call them...All the pups did very well except one other one and of course, Maverick. He decided to wander over and say hi to a few pups, but the instructor redirected his focus and he found me and got a treat and lots of hugs for it.
We also taught the sit/stay (three seconds) and the down/stay (also only for three seconds.) He did great. I'm always amazed at how quickly he figures things out. BUT, we had a contest to see how many downs you could do in a short time period, I thought he would win, but we couldn't use treats...Boy, as soon as he figured that out, it was do dice. I only got him to do 3!!!!! I think 6 or so was the winner. I really have to start weaning him off treats every time. Only one more class and we're done with kindergarten. It sure is a fun class. Bought a toothbrush and toothpaste. We trimmed his nails for the second time when we got home. Didn't go as well as the first. Have to work on that.
I was disappointed tho, as we were going to sign Maverick up for the Star puppy program offered by AKC. I missed the first class with pups (class #2) tho because I was thinking the classes were on Thursday. I had lots of pain in my leg at that time and wasn't thinking straight. I had a procedure done on Thursday and made sure I could go to class that night. Boy was I disappointed we missed it. They took registrations for the Star puppy program the night we missed and I never heard any more about it until last night. We found out that the class we missed was the one to sign up and there are no more chances. I'm so mad at myself. I did everything else you were supposed to do. So no star puppy certificate for Maverick.
I just want to say that when I told the vet Maverick was tender after the first set of shots, and now seeing how tender he was this time....the vet said we could give him a 81 mg aspirin to ease the pain. We live a little ways from any store, so I didn't go and pick some up. Now, I'm having that on hand in the medicine cabinet because it would've certainly helped.
Maverick has been coming up to us at night, sitting in front of us and barking to let us know he has to go out and potty!!! Wow. Stupid us,,,we just looked at each other and said "why is he barking so much" duh!! then it hit me......HE HAS TO GO OUT!!! Yeah.
until next time,
Jan & Jim
Maverick had his third set of shots plus his lepto a few days ago. We didn't include the lepto at first because the breeder wanted him to get a little older. The vet was concerned tho, so at 15 weeks we gave a separate lepto shot. Maverick was very sore later that night. I tried to pick him up outside and he just yelped and yelped. I thought we'd have trouble getting him to come to us after that, but after puppy kindergarten last night, he was just fine again. Right after his shots, we stopped at the local retirement home to visit a friend who works there. Wow, did we have the visitors to her area. The residents and employees wanted to see him, pet him, hold him. We heard stories of the residents dogs and how he compares to them...He made a lot of people happy that day.
I used to do therapy work with a Bernese Mt dog we had and it was fantastic. She loved it the patients loved it, and I loved doing it too. Boy, would she be tired at the end of a therapy day. Just exhausted. I'm sure we will get Maverick ready to do some therapy work as well.
Puppy kindergarten was fun as usual. We did several new things last night. We had to hide from the pups behind a desk and call them...All the pups did very well except one other one and of course, Maverick. He decided to wander over and say hi to a few pups, but the instructor redirected his focus and he found me and got a treat and lots of hugs for it.
We also taught the sit/stay (three seconds) and the down/stay (also only for three seconds.) He did great. I'm always amazed at how quickly he figures things out. BUT, we had a contest to see how many downs you could do in a short time period, I thought he would win, but we couldn't use treats...Boy, as soon as he figured that out, it was do dice. I only got him to do 3!!!!! I think 6 or so was the winner. I really have to start weaning him off treats every time. Only one more class and we're done with kindergarten. It sure is a fun class. Bought a toothbrush and toothpaste. We trimmed his nails for the second time when we got home. Didn't go as well as the first. Have to work on that.
I was disappointed tho, as we were going to sign Maverick up for the Star puppy program offered by AKC. I missed the first class with pups (class #2) tho because I was thinking the classes were on Thursday. I had lots of pain in my leg at that time and wasn't thinking straight. I had a procedure done on Thursday and made sure I could go to class that night. Boy was I disappointed we missed it. They took registrations for the Star puppy program the night we missed and I never heard any more about it until last night. We found out that the class we missed was the one to sign up and there are no more chances. I'm so mad at myself. I did everything else you were supposed to do. So no star puppy certificate for Maverick.
I just want to say that when I told the vet Maverick was tender after the first set of shots, and now seeing how tender he was this time....the vet said we could give him a 81 mg aspirin to ease the pain. We live a little ways from any store, so I didn't go and pick some up. Now, I'm having that on hand in the medicine cabinet because it would've certainly helped.
Maverick has been coming up to us at night, sitting in front of us and barking to let us know he has to go out and potty!!! Wow. Stupid us,,,we just looked at each other and said "why is he barking so much" duh!! then it hit me......HE HAS TO GO OUT!!! Yeah.
until next time,
Jan & Jim
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Hello to all puppy and Havanese lovers. We are starting this blog for three reasons. One is to introduce people to the wonderful, funny, smart, and happy havanese dogs. Two is to, hopefully, bring some of trials and tribulations of puppy raising, as well as the sweet, hilarious and captivating moments of raising one of these great pups. (Or any pup for that matter!) The last reason is to have a place where we can keep track of his puppyhood for ourselves to look back on as well.
I have been trying to keep track of his everyday accomplishments. Even tho I thought I'd remember them forever,,,as the days go by, I'm realizing that I will not.
I hope that if you read this blog, it will make you smile, or maybe remember the last time you raised a puppy and how much work it took, how hard you may have tried to get everything right and how much your heart goes out to these little babies we take into our home.
I started thinking about getting another dog to show in competition,,,let's say, the thought entered my head. I had shown dogs before, some years ago and loved it. Both conformation and obedience. Both Jim and I have been working very hard for many years with various endeavors that take our time and some of them, our spirits. I helped our daughter research their puppy buying decision and that led me to the havanese breed. It is a toy breed with many, many qualities that make it a good decision for a family dog. I thought perhaps I could get one too. We were considering a labrador, but due to some physical problems (not for long I hope) we needed to get a smaller puppy. I thought, perhaps maybe in October 09 I would be ready to take on the work of training and living with a puppy.
Of course, that was until we began our search and found a wonderful breeder right in our area. We went with the intention of just begining our search and starting the learning process, after about the third visit with them,,,,and seeing the litter of 7 pups, meeting the mother and their other havanese, learning about the father of the litter and what wonderful, caring and attentive breeders these two were, we decided this was the place we wanted to get our pup from. The rest is history as we came home with Maverick soon after.
This puppy is a joy!!! We introduced his new crate and got him all settled, brought him up to the bedroom beside our bed and said to each other, "see you in a few hours" To our complete surprise,,,,,,we woke up at our regular time of 6:30 or so the next morning and just LOOKED at each other!!! WHAT!!! CHECK THE DOG!" Not a peep all night, he was just fine, looking at us through the door!!.
We actually took him, crate and all, set him down in the kitchen, got our coats, dog treats & gloves and out we went.....OMG,,,,he piddled, pooped, piddled again and happy as could be bounced right over to the steps ready for the day!!
We could not believe it......Actually, the breeder called the next day and said she didn't sleep hardly at all worrying about him!!! We slept the whole night.
That was the start of a very "easy" puppy days and nights.
We got him his x-pen and set it up with his crate, litter, (Yup, he can use a litter box too) dishes, bed and toys. We started our daily routine of when he is out (we'd better be watching him) or just in his area or actually in his crate.
Jim or I would take him out in the snow. He loved it. He loved to snuffle his nose in the snow and it would come up all covered with white. He did this over and over. One day, Jim came in and said Maverick licked the woven fence!!! Typical boy, has to try that once I guess. It did stick there for a second and he did have to pull it off.....No problems tho,,,and he never did that again!!
After the snow melted, it was potty training day 1 again,,,,he had no idea where he was supposed to go,,,and "Oh my,,look at that stick,,gosh there are so many of them and I have to take each one and run like heck" (a typical havanese game they all play, it's actually the runlikehell game) Then "over here,,all these leaves blowing all over the place, wow, look at that one go,,gotta go after it and catch it and try to eat it"
We were out there more than we were inside for quite a while till he got the hang of it again. And it was COLD..
One day our granddaughter was with us and we both took Maverick out,,,,he did his business and ran right up the porch steps to the door...She was amazed..."Wow, Maverick ran up the steps" One more accomplishment.
We took him for his second shots and he fell in love with everyone. He weighed in at 5.1 lbs. He was sleepy and tender after his visit for a day or so. But that didn't stop him from having a ball with his best friends Boomer (lab) and Bandit (Short haired havanese) at our daughter's house. We try to make time each week to get them all together for a play date...The kids have a ball too.
We got him enrolled in puppy kindergarten and he let everyone know he was there that first night with his wonderfull "woof, woof" bark. The instructor said maybe she should let Maverick teach the class..
We also take him once a week to puppy social, which is a half an hour with like sized puppies to romp and play and meet new friends. It was funny to see that Maverick picked out the puppies in his kindergarten class to smell first!! His sister was there for the first few times, and as they had played since birth, they were all over each other for the whole half hour. She is black and white too, so you could hardly tell who was who.
We try to get back to the breeders every week (that lasted two weeks until we got so busy with his schedule!!) There he played with his litter mates still there in their large play area...Runlikehell game was number one. He would grab the yellow toy with a tail and run through the tube and around and around till someone caught the tail then he would chase them...It is not stop roudyness for at least a half an hour. So, that is our social life,,,,4 days of Maverick appointments and three days for us to rest!!!
We've taught Maverick some things so far. He sits too well, so we never tell him to do that. So far it's, come, down, leave it, wait, stand, go potty, in the house, in your crate.
Last Friday, he graduated to a larger crate and we wanted him to sleep downstairs now....I really don't think he needed to go upstairs to bed in our room as much as I wanted him to!! So, with much sadness, I went up to bed without him.....as usual, he was fine with it,,,,got up in the am and went outside as usual. I was not wanting to talk about it!!!!! It was so nice having him there beside the bed!!!
His routine is play for an hour or so in the am, then eat breakfast in his area while Jim and I get ready for the day, play and go potty for a while, and have a special treat in his crate while I go out to the office on our property to work for a while. Back in for potty break and a walk, then maybe one more little stint in the crate if I have more work to do...and get ready for supper and whatever activity he has scheduled. Home tired, play and cuddle and off to bed for all of us.
I have a leg that I need to rehab, so I have to lay on the floor on my back and stretch out and let my knee relax into a regular position....I do that for about 10 minutes at a time. I just did it about an hour ago, and he decides he wants to play runlikehell!!!! OMG,,,,Samantha was in stitches, he was running back and forth between rooms, skidding around corners over me a million times,, stomach, chest, leg,,,just run, run, run. Then out like a light.
One last thing. I was so touched when we went to the pet store and Jim was studying the toy isle trying to buy him something safe and fun. He bought him the biggest toy squeeky aligator. It was great because lots of guys don't want a small dog,,,especially one that has a lot of coat, but this boy is SO fun, and SO smart that Jim is having a ball too.
It is not really a chore raising a puppy, especially this one. He's so smart that he catches on really fast and has fun doing whatever it is we are trying to teach and we have fun watching him think and doing it and remembering each time. Every time he does a command,,he runs back to us and his little pink tongue comes out and licks a couple of times,,,he knows he is getting a treat!! (Have to start weaning him off those every time tho....)
Sorry this is so long,,,,hope it wasn't boring,,,just needed to catch up on the last month or so. See you next time.
I have been trying to keep track of his everyday accomplishments. Even tho I thought I'd remember them forever,,,as the days go by, I'm realizing that I will not.
I hope that if you read this blog, it will make you smile, or maybe remember the last time you raised a puppy and how much work it took, how hard you may have tried to get everything right and how much your heart goes out to these little babies we take into our home.
I started thinking about getting another dog to show in competition,,,let's say, the thought entered my head. I had shown dogs before, some years ago and loved it. Both conformation and obedience. Both Jim and I have been working very hard for many years with various endeavors that take our time and some of them, our spirits. I helped our daughter research their puppy buying decision and that led me to the havanese breed. It is a toy breed with many, many qualities that make it a good decision for a family dog. I thought perhaps I could get one too. We were considering a labrador, but due to some physical problems (not for long I hope) we needed to get a smaller puppy. I thought, perhaps maybe in October 09 I would be ready to take on the work of training and living with a puppy.
Of course, that was until we began our search and found a wonderful breeder right in our area. We went with the intention of just begining our search and starting the learning process, after about the third visit with them,,,,and seeing the litter of 7 pups, meeting the mother and their other havanese, learning about the father of the litter and what wonderful, caring and attentive breeders these two were, we decided this was the place we wanted to get our pup from. The rest is history as we came home with Maverick soon after.
This puppy is a joy!!! We introduced his new crate and got him all settled, brought him up to the bedroom beside our bed and said to each other, "see you in a few hours" To our complete surprise,,,,,,we woke up at our regular time of 6:30 or so the next morning and just LOOKED at each other!!! WHAT!!! CHECK THE DOG!" Not a peep all night, he was just fine, looking at us through the door!!.
We actually took him, crate and all, set him down in the kitchen, got our coats, dog treats & gloves and out we went.....OMG,,,,he piddled, pooped, piddled again and happy as could be bounced right over to the steps ready for the day!!
We could not believe it......Actually, the breeder called the next day and said she didn't sleep hardly at all worrying about him!!! We slept the whole night.
That was the start of a very "easy" puppy days and nights.
We got him his x-pen and set it up with his crate, litter, (Yup, he can use a litter box too) dishes, bed and toys. We started our daily routine of when he is out (we'd better be watching him) or just in his area or actually in his crate.
Jim or I would take him out in the snow. He loved it. He loved to snuffle his nose in the snow and it would come up all covered with white. He did this over and over. One day, Jim came in and said Maverick licked the woven fence!!! Typical boy, has to try that once I guess. It did stick there for a second and he did have to pull it off.....No problems tho,,,and he never did that again!!
After the snow melted, it was potty training day 1 again,,,,he had no idea where he was supposed to go,,,and "Oh my,,look at that stick,,gosh there are so many of them and I have to take each one and run like heck" (a typical havanese game they all play, it's actually the runlikehell game) Then "over here,,all these leaves blowing all over the place, wow, look at that one go,,gotta go after it and catch it and try to eat it"
We were out there more than we were inside for quite a while till he got the hang of it again. And it was COLD..
One day our granddaughter was with us and we both took Maverick out,,,,he did his business and ran right up the porch steps to the door...She was amazed..."Wow, Maverick ran up the steps" One more accomplishment.
We took him for his second shots and he fell in love with everyone. He weighed in at 5.1 lbs. He was sleepy and tender after his visit for a day or so. But that didn't stop him from having a ball with his best friends Boomer (lab) and Bandit (Short haired havanese) at our daughter's house. We try to make time each week to get them all together for a play date...The kids have a ball too.
We got him enrolled in puppy kindergarten and he let everyone know he was there that first night with his wonderfull "woof, woof" bark. The instructor said maybe she should let Maverick teach the class..
We also take him once a week to puppy social, which is a half an hour with like sized puppies to romp and play and meet new friends. It was funny to see that Maverick picked out the puppies in his kindergarten class to smell first!! His sister was there for the first few times, and as they had played since birth, they were all over each other for the whole half hour. She is black and white too, so you could hardly tell who was who.
We try to get back to the breeders every week (that lasted two weeks until we got so busy with his schedule!!) There he played with his litter mates still there in their large play area...Runlikehell game was number one. He would grab the yellow toy with a tail and run through the tube and around and around till someone caught the tail then he would chase them...It is not stop roudyness for at least a half an hour. So, that is our social life,,,,4 days of Maverick appointments and three days for us to rest!!!
We've taught Maverick some things so far. He sits too well, so we never tell him to do that. So far it's, come, down, leave it, wait, stand, go potty, in the house, in your crate.
Last Friday, he graduated to a larger crate and we wanted him to sleep downstairs now....I really don't think he needed to go upstairs to bed in our room as much as I wanted him to!! So, with much sadness, I went up to bed without him.....as usual, he was fine with it,,,,got up in the am and went outside as usual. I was not wanting to talk about it!!!!! It was so nice having him there beside the bed!!!
His routine is play for an hour or so in the am, then eat breakfast in his area while Jim and I get ready for the day, play and go potty for a while, and have a special treat in his crate while I go out to the office on our property to work for a while. Back in for potty break and a walk, then maybe one more little stint in the crate if I have more work to do...and get ready for supper and whatever activity he has scheduled. Home tired, play and cuddle and off to bed for all of us.
I have a leg that I need to rehab, so I have to lay on the floor on my back and stretch out and let my knee relax into a regular position....I do that for about 10 minutes at a time. I just did it about an hour ago, and he decides he wants to play runlikehell!!!! OMG,,,,Samantha was in stitches, he was running back and forth between rooms, skidding around corners over me a million times,, stomach, chest, leg,,,just run, run, run. Then out like a light.
One last thing. I was so touched when we went to the pet store and Jim was studying the toy isle trying to buy him something safe and fun. He bought him the biggest toy squeeky aligator. It was great because lots of guys don't want a small dog,,,especially one that has a lot of coat, but this boy is SO fun, and SO smart that Jim is having a ball too.
It is not really a chore raising a puppy, especially this one. He's so smart that he catches on really fast and has fun doing whatever it is we are trying to teach and we have fun watching him think and doing it and remembering each time. Every time he does a command,,he runs back to us and his little pink tongue comes out and licks a couple of times,,,he knows he is getting a treat!! (Have to start weaning him off those every time tho....)
Sorry this is so long,,,,hope it wasn't boring,,,just needed to catch up on the last month or so. See you next time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
