This little guy is not a fan of his breakfast. It is killing me to watch how slowly he eats in the fifteen minute time limit. He finishes about 3/4 of his food by minute thirteen and then voluntarily gives up the rest before I pick it up. Lunch isn't much better, but dinner he enjoys.
He had a field trip to my brother's families house on Sunday. They have two indoor cats, so it was great exposure for Kolby. Because of his Potty Training Continuing Ed, I opted not to have him explore their house, but the cats certainly paid attention to him while he was in his kennel, although he did not pay much attention to them. It was more interesting to see the cats explore the exterior of the kennel and figure out what shadow was stretching, breathing, and sometimes sighing on the inside. The three did great!
We have had visitors rotating through our house to meet Kolby. He has behaved respectively - playful with his toys, and quick to respond to Don't if he felt the need to lick or mouth a finger or two. He was curious of my father-in-laws vocal Duck Calls, but Kolby wasn't fooled for long, and eventually he snuggled up close to my father-in-law's lap to get in a snooze. Very sweet.
Yesterday was all about continuing his comfort level on the leash. We walked up and down our street on two separate occasions. Once was with his gentle leader, and the other was just with the flat collar. He was successful at both. Luckily our street is a cul de sac, so I opted to walk down the middle to avoid distractions of landscaping bark, grass, and bushes that edge the sidewalks. My focus was with Kolby walking well on both collar and gentle leader. We will increase distractions once he has more exposure to in a Heal or Side position.
Today's first official outing was to the grocery store, the public sidewalk, and the Vet. I carried him through the grocery store very slowly, paying attention to his curiosity and breathing pattern while he was wrapped in my arms and close enough to my face. I talked to him through the produce section, the meats and seafoods, the pet aisle, and the bakery. The high level of aromas were obvious, and he did great. He whimpered a little in the bakery, but when a store clerk came to pet him, he didn't lick and just laid his head on my arm for petting.
Kolby is vocal by nature. I will need to ask our Trainer on how to channel that characteristic for positive. I can predict this would be an area of concern if I don't know how to train it appropriately. For those that followed Haddie's blog write-ups, you will remember that that sweet girl was a Silent Dog. Kolby's vocalization is all new territory for me - yay for a high level challenge!
From the grocery story Kolby walked up and down the strip mall sidewalk. We happened upon a store that was getting a remodel on the inside, so there were lots of construction noise for Kolby to observe. He sat, stood and listened, he is such a head-tilter!! The best part was that he kept checking in with my eyes to be sure all was okay. His eye contact is amazing. Love that!
We continued our walk to the end of the sidewalk where the Day Care Center was located. I had plans to go around the building to the backside where they have a fenced, yet visible, play ground. But we didn't make it that far. Kolby was getting tired. So I let him sit and we just listened and he smelled the air and watched the busy traffic go by.
And then all of a sudden ~ a group of preschool girls in the Day Care Center were at the window banging on it for our attention. We turned around and Kolby went right up to the window to sniff their hand through the glass. Poor puppy; I wish the kids could have come outside. I kept an eye on the teacher in the background, to see if she approved of the distraction. She didn't seem to mind, so we stayed a little bit. I called Kolby's name from the distraction and commanded him to sit, and he did. Of course I had to impress all who were watching Kolby's amazing behavior before we left.
Next we swung into the Vet which was on the way back to our car. I set up his appointment for his next round of vaccines and got his weight checked. I held him in this building too, and he was very interested in giving me kisses on my face (which he rarely does) and whimpering. Perhaps a sign he was not too sure about the smells in the office. We will continue to work on that by doing more weight checks (a quick and free reason to go inside). Eventually he will be a tail wagging puppy to venture into the vet building.
I think the best part for me on today's outing was watching Kolby walk on his leash up and down the sidewalk. He was on his flat collar and walked perfectly with a swag in his leash, and a prance in his step to keep up with me. He never pulled, and stayed right by my leg. Loved every minute. He is just so adorable. I love watching him watch me.
One full week and we are on the right foot in the building of a great team.
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