I won't bore you with the details of what I did or didn't do this weekend per my training plan or how much snow we did or didn't get this weekend or even mention that the Bears are going to the Superbowl. I won't do any of that.
Instead, I will rant a bit about the dog we have taken out on a trial basis. Somehow, I managed to bring a dog home without adopting him. We are truly trying him out. Maybe because I have such a concern about how a dog will interact with our cats and/or maybe I just seemed particularly trustworthy. Whatever it was, I came home with a dog on Saturday, he could be ours, but he isn't ours at hte moment.
WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?
Okay, it isn't that bad. There are some good things and some bad things.
Good:
1) Dog is proving to be an incredibly fast learner on the leash. He's getting in some good miles (I should strap the Garmin to him!) and quickly figured out that we decide where and how fast we are walking. Smart dog.
2) Dog likes the toys we got for him and hasn't chewed or shown signs of thinking about chewing our stuff.
3) Dog loves people..or....as it turns out, he particularly loves me. This shows up in the not so good list too - and I seriously think he has me confused with someone else. Not that I'm not worthy of his love, but I haven't earned it either. Anyway, being attentive to a human means he will work hard to 'learn the rules' and should make someone a good pet.
4) Dog spent the day with me in my home office (today I was able to work from home all day) and was happy and well behaved. I think this is related to #2 above.
Not so good:
1) Dog isn't cohabitating well with our cats. Most concerning, he seems to be hunting one of our cats. We're trying to nip this in the bud, but we realize that while we had three dogs that did great with cats, some dogs just have a high prey instinct when around cats and really need to remain separated for the safety of all parties.
2) Dog seems to have separation anxiety. This is coupled with him loving me just a little too much. He isn't 'happy' with anyone else in our family. I left him at home with Husband and Son this evening while Daughter and I were at women's group at church. Apparently he was lonely and uneasy the whole time I was gone. I came home and he was notably excited and happy. Now that I'm sitting on the couch, he's laying content at my feet. Anyone else leaves the room, he just lays here. If I get up, he follows. It's nice to be loved, but this might be just a little over-the-top.
3) Dog is a 70+ lb bundle of puppy energy. First thing Husband said was "I hope he doesn't get any bigger". Yikes! I failed to notice just how big he was. And if I'm not mistaken, he's still getting some of his adult teeth in. He might not be full grown yet. Oops.
Not sure how long we have to decide if we want to adopt him or if he needs to be returned to his rightful owners. But if I'm delinquent in posting in the next few days, its probably because I'm trying to redirect a large puppy's energy so he can live successfully in our house or am bummed out about taking him back. Its a coin toss right now...
That is one big puppy. Definetly nix that seperation anxiety thing with the dog if you keep the pup. My lab has it and it is not pretty.
ReplyDeleteHave fun with your new adventure.
Yeah, can't believe it, how about those Bears.
I understand that "dog" seems to be kind of trouble. But your rendition of these troubles is, oh, so entertaining...
ReplyDeleteHa! Do I so hear you! Our weim is ours for keeps, but he's definitely a challenge. I know who I'm rooting for on the "to keep or not to keep" question. (Cue big puppy eyes.:))
ReplyDeleteYou need to speak with the Dog Whisperer about the seperation anxiety.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to introduce a new dog into a house of established animals. Good luck with him. I know as experienced dog people you'll give it a real try.
Why do we keep doing this to ourselves?? We get pets, they die, we are devastated yet we go out and get more pets!! Doesn't that fit the definition of insanity???
Keep up posted on the puppy.