Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Zoey, 4 years, and Rhyn, almost 7 months, Christmas Eve 2016

My Little (!) Boy is Growing Up

With the recent snow and then terrifically cold weather, it's confirmed: Rhyn is a snow dog.  Zoey is delighted to have a fellow snow canine living in the house!

Rhyn also treats the snow shovel as he does the leaf rake - something to be attacked!  Great fun!

Of note:  "Housebreaking", or 'potty training', involves showing the puppy that the whole house is his to live in, not to go off in an out-of-sight corner and pee.  What made housebreaking more difficult in our case is our two-story house (walk-out basement, first floor).  Rhyn had to learn that a relatively unused bedroom wasn't the place to pee and then the other bedroom wasn't a place to pee, either.  His "tell" was racing down the hallway and taking a hard right, being very quiet, and then running back out to the living room, all pleased with himself; like he'd discovered the best thing in the world!  We've been accident-free for almost a month now, I've found his toys in various parts of the house (which means he's learned that this whole big space is for him!), and he's learned that there is no place to pee that doesn't involve his living space.  In the evening, when Mark's home, Rhyn now makes circles by the front door and gives Mark the beady eye when he's ready to go out.  During the day, he'll warble by the back door or come give me a nose-on-the-leg when he wants to go out.  Good boy!

Speaking of "warble", I hope Rhyn never grows out of this. It's such a unique dog noise; a sweet little wonder-whine with syllables!

Teeth:  All of Rhyn's adult teeth are in; they've been in about a month now.  I managed to "rescue" three of his puppy teeth to add to my little collection.

Bones: This past few weeks or so I've noticed that six-month-old Rhyn no longer lays flat out on the floor, with his legs stretched behind him. The last photo I have of him doing that is dated November 22.  So, another sign he's growing up - tendons and muscles are coming along nicely, causing Rhyn to lose that 'boneless' ability, but also making him more sure on his feet.

Rhyn in the snow pile

Rhyn going for the snow shovel!

Learning how to communicate, dog-style

Rhyn is learning ... and he has NO control of his facial expression right now. Zoey's teaching him little by little. He only started showing his teeth this week - and he shows ALL of them, no finesse. Ha!

   

HIstoric Moment in Dog Lives

Zoey jumped up on the couch and did her little curl-into-corner tuck, and she was set for the evening. Shortly after, Rhyn jumped up and settled on the other end.  They even disregarded my camera. They are truly friends, if not really 'tight' just yet -. Rhyn is coming up on six months, and Zoey is four years old.

November 30, 2016: Rhyn and Zoey

Puppy's Tail

Oh, oh oh ... how a puppy's tail is so mysterious.  How can it be attached?  Surely not.

Teething and Car Sickness

Teething continues apace; I have one more puppy tooth for my collection.  That makes two.

And... Rhyn continues to get car sick.  I will try a calming chew the next time we go for a longer car ride.  So far he can make it a few blocks just fine. Hopefully, as he grows and his inner ear matures he'll be just fine.

Rhyn in the forefront, Zoey looking cool in the back ...

Rhyn and Zoey

Last Level 1 Class Today

Rhyn's last Canine Coach Level 1 class is today... he's alternated between forgetting how to 'sit' and remembering that he knows how to 'drop it'.  He's a funny puppy, as most are at this age.

I think I'll wait until Spring 2017 to continue any formal training - he'll be slightly less than one year, and will have been neutered by then.  We'll see how it goes!  I'll continue with leash work on my own, for sure.

Besides, we're still having trouble with car sickness, and I hope he grows out of that...

My boy!

Puppy Teething Woes

When puppies start to lose their puppy teeth, they can feel pretty miserable.

A way to help their sore little gums feel better:  Retrieve a holey sock or two from your drawer, tie it in a knot (or two), get it soaking wet (then wring it out, of course), and put it in the freezer for a couple of hours.  You can also purchase one of those little rope toys, soak that, put it in freezer, and a few hours later, you've got some relief for your puppy.

Rhyn's started losing his puppy teeth.  Yay!  He's on his way to growing up!

Rhyn with his big rope chew toy

Rhyn's definitely going to be bigger than Zoey ...

Handsome Dog!

First photo is Rhyn at 8 weeks... such a cutie.

Rhyn, August 2016

And the newest photo of our oh-so-handsome boy at 19 weeks (almost 5 months) old!

Rhyn, November 2, 2016

He really looks wise and loving, doesn't he? I really do think his true personality is a loving one, but we gotta wait for the puppy crazies to move on out...

And the Fun Continues

Apparently it's going to be a 'thing' for a while - Rhyn trying to get the treat from Zoey, and Zoey pretending she's not giving in.  So cute to watch Rhyn try all his 'tricks' on Zoey to convince her to give it over...

Zoey Maintains Alpha Dog Status

It's puzzled me for several weeks now... I give both Zoey and Rhyn a treat, and Zoey manages to end up with both of them, leaving Rhyn to bark at her in frustration.  But - he never outright challenges her.  Eventually Rhyn gets one of the treats (Zoey walks away for a few minutes, allowing Rhyn to 'sneak' in) and they spend the rest of the evening 'stealing' each other's treat. My problem: Why does Zoey take Rhyn's treat or act like he shouldn't have it to begin with? I just realized: She's making sure he understands that only by her good graces does he get anything. In the dog world, this is a big deal and a way to make sure the pack maintains order. At not quite five months old, Rhyn is being taught the way things should be in the house he lives in. The humans are here to keep higher order, I reckon.

Not All Dogs Want a Cushion

OK, OK, I get it.  Rhyn took several nights trying to tell us his thoughts on the matter.  We bought a nice thin crate mat for him, just enough cushion, snugly, I thought.  Fit the crate perfectly.  But:  Every night, about 1 in the morning, Rhyn would wake up and start telling us he was unhappy.  It was hardest on my husband, because he heard him first and would be the one to get up.  He thought he just needed to go out.  (Which, coincidentally, he did - or rather, he did his business, not that he needed to).

So, several nights of this interrupted sleep for everybody - dogs, humans.  And I started thinking about what had changed in our routine, because until very recently Rhyn was sleeping through the night with no problems.

Ah ha!  The crate mat!  Took it out yesterday and we had the first good night's sleep in several days.

So:  If you think your puppy must have a cushion in his or her crate, think again.  If he seems perfectly content with nothing in his crate but a few toys and maybe a small blanket, that's fine.  Some larger breed dogs with a thick coat of fur may only want a small blanket (for scrooshing up into a pillow) and the bare 'floor'.   Zoey likes a thick cushion in her crate; she's been known to even make 'nests' out of the blankets in her space. But her coat isn't as thick as Rhyn's.

It's easy to 'humanize' a dog and think they must surely want what we want, but this is not the case, as many of you know.

Rhyn puppy legs

Those Ears!

A little over 30 pounds now, and about 4 1/2 months, Rhyn is coming along nicely.  I just ordered a DT No Pull Harness for him, size small, and hope it arrives quickly.  Rhyn's girth is 23" and the harness adjusts up to 27" or so, so we're good for size for a long time.  I don't expect too much more growing at this point, just sort of an evening out, if that makes sense.  The DT Harness is the one that Zoey wears and we get lots of compliments on it, and it is so super-easy to wear and makes walking the dog a breeze!

The Better to Hear You With

Behavior and Reasoning

As Rhyn grows and matures (what, I know, he's just coming up on 4 1/2 months) I find it very interesting to watch the interaction between him and Zoey.  I find it so fascinating, I'm regretting that there wasn't an interest in dog behavior when I was growing up; I surely would have attended college for it.

Zoey has been an only dog for her 3.5 years on the planet,  so adding the puppy to her life has sometimes been a strain for her.  She has a problem with letting Rhyn have any treat for very long.  I try to make sure each dog has their own same treat; but then!  Zoey keeps stealing Rhyn's.  But then, Rhyn manages to steal it back. Last night, though - Rhyn was edging his careful way over (Rhyn thinks he's so clever that nobody is noticing he's inching his way across the floor) to where Zoey was chewing her treat and Zoey lashed out, quick as a snake.  Rhyn screeched and that was the end of either of them having treats. I removed them and everybody went to bed.

Lately, the favorite dog treat in this house has been Yak Milk Chews - they last a long time and the dogs are very content to chew them down. A big plus is they aren't slimy like the rawhide, and I think are actually healthier.  What is really cool is when there's  just a nubbin left, you can microwave them for about 45 seconds and they puff up like a big fat cracker.  Make sure they cool off before returning them your dog. You can find them on Amazon here: Himalayan Yak Milk Chew

Rhyn seems more sleepy than usual today - possibly the result of a disrupted night and training class yesterday.  It is good for puppies to sleep, for sure. You can almost watch them growing.

Rhyn catching some Zs

Paws for my friend Jean

Rhyn's coat is coming so nicely

Rhyn's beautiful fur feathers

Pretty Boy Rhyn

Can't help but admire how this little fellow is turning out.  Well, he's not so little anymore - he was 29 pounds on October 9.  A little over 4 months, and he's coming up on Zoey's weight of 40 pounds. I still think he'll be real close to being her size, just stockier.  It's wonderful to wait and see!

Rhyn, October 13, 2016

Alike but Different

I took a great photo of Zoey and Rhyn resting after a good play yesterday, and it's interesting to see the differences between them now, as Rhyn grows.

Zoey and Rhyn (4 months)

The Peanut Butter Gene

I had a couple of Puppy Kongs filled with peanut butter for Rhyn, back when he was new to the house. Alas, he wasn't remotely interested. Almost two months later, 4 months old now, deep in the throes of teething, Rhyn is very interested in the frozen Kong.  I am so happy; peace and quiet and a contented puppy. I really did think he didn't care for peanut butter!

Paws and Foreheads

When I see Rhyn, I see a big almost-fluffy doggy-bear.  His paws are soft and 'fat', big and fluffy; Zoey's paws where never like this - if they were, it was a very brief time.

He has 'tail feathers' now on his back legs, and longer fur on his tail, with a nice curly-q at the end.

I've lately noticed, as he's now turned 4 months old, the addition of some 'wrinkly' skin on his forehead. So cute.

His last weigh-in, on September 23rd, he weighed 24 pounds.

Rhyn's Wrinkly Forehead

Keeping a Teething Puppy Occupied

A good chew/gnaw bone, like the Red Barn White Bones, which are not messy and don't create cleaning problems for the house, like so many do.

Rhyn absolutely loves his bone, and Zoey gets her own bone, too.  Even as an adult, she still likes to chew on a Red Barn White Bone!

Rhyn and his bone

Rhyn and his bone

I Must Remember Rhyn is a Baby Puppy

I took Rhyn up to the Saint Anthony Park Home this morning, just to say hey to a few people and see if I could get Lisa to play the piano.  I was curious as to Rhyn's reaction to that, and wheelchairs.

Needless to say, he had no reaction.  I swear, this little prince is the most non-reactive puppy - except when a roomful of other puppies are coming down the pike at him.  Ha ha.

On the drive home, I noticed the tell-tale signs of impending vomit ... Rhyn drooling.  Sure enough, about halfway home, Rhyn gave up all he'd eaten this morning from breakfast on.  I love how dogs puke so quietly, not like cats at all.

Luckily I keep two thick blankets in the back so they are easily washed, and nothing landed on the car seat itself.

Anyway.  The drive combined with new experiences is just too much for a little one to take.  He'd thrown up the last (and only) time we'd gone to SAPH, too.  So, that much of a drive is out for Rhyn until he's at least six months old, if not older.  I'm just glad he can make it to puppy class and Pet Supplies Plus without any issues!

Rhyn, 15 weeks old

Too Much Dog Food Causes Loose Bowels

Quite the subject line, no?  After talking about the continued problems with Rhyn having loose bowel movements with my friend Bill at Pet Supplies Plus in Minneapolis, he asked how much food I was feeding him.  Turns out I was feeding him too much, because since I cut back on the food Friday his bowels have been normal!  THANK DOG!  It wasn't the quality of the food, it wasn't Roundworm, it wasn't a secondary infection (although I'm sure the antibiotics didn't hurt at all), it was that I was feeding him too much food. I'll be bringing him a six-pack as a 'thank-you' for sure!!!

On a 'getting along' note:  Yesterday Zoey has finally had enough of Rhyn continuing to pester her after he'd been warned off.  And I guess my 'human' idea that she was 'allowing' him to 'steal' her bone was also very misguided.  Zoey is nothing if not polite, until she's not polite anymore.  Zoey let Rhyn have it twice yesterday, pretty badly - no blood drawn but Rhyn went squealing in terror to the house where Mark and I met him and calmed him down.  It was pretty scary for a little baby puppy, but I'm hoping he's learned his lesson. Don't steal from the big dogs!!!

Rhyn using the big bed as a headrest

Squirrels!

Zoey has taught Rhyn the Way of the Squirrel very well - a milestone today for Rhyn, when he chased a squirrel at the top of the fence down the length of the fence, puppy-barking all the way. He was quite proud of himself.

Rhyn in the Iris Bed

Rhyn's Going to Be Big....

... or is he?  We'll see.

Perfection. Zoey is almost 4 (in November) and Rhyn is 14 weeks today.

I've never had a puppy whose paws seem to get bigger - it's always the rest of the dog growing into the paws.

Something else I've never experienced before, in the canine world: When Rhyn gets angry or physically hurt, his tail fluffs up, just like a cat's.  I've noticed it twice so far, both unfortunately when Zoey's been a little too strong in her correction.

A Great Day

Rhyn is 21 pounds today.

He's on his third batch of Panacur (Roundworm medication); the second day of a 3-dose run.  After this batch, he should be fine; we'll find out on the 20th.

Today Rhyn experienced neighborhood kids bouncing their ball; a lawnmower across the street, husband weed-eating (he wanted to attack it!).  He met the next-door dog and rolled over on his back almost immediately, and then was up trying to entice Kai to play. (Nope, Kai's all grown up).  And!  Zoey and Rhyn played Mattress Tag for a while - Rhyn's not tall enough to get on the bed, and Zoey takes full advantage of that.  Lots of jawing going on, and barking! Rhyn has a very strident bark!

And this photo, taken just a few minutes ago:  The closest Zoey and Rhyn have fallen asleep yet.

Play!

There is absolutely nothing to wear a dog out like dog-to-dog play.  Nothing.  Well, of course, if you have two dogs.  If you don't, then you get to be the 'dog toy' and general all-around play toy.

It is amazing to watch how dogs interact and play. They are the most respectful animals I've ever watched interact. Zoey constantly brings herself down to Rhyn's level to make it easier for him. And they can sit and 'jaw' each other for many many minutes without tiring. #jawing #dogplay #dogandpuppyequality

Zoey and Rhyn Running

Zoey and Rhyn Running

Zoey and Rhyn Jawing

Zoey Going Down to Rhyn's Level

Zoey on Equal Ground for Rhyn

Rhyn Milestones

Yesterday's weight, at 13 weeks, was 20 pounds.

And this morning!  Zoey's squirrel excitement has started to sink in with Rhyn - he actually ran toward the fence when he saw a squirrel running along the top; albeit it was more like a 'fast walk' but at least the interest in "prey" is starting.

Third puppy class last night, and it was the first 'drop leash play' time; only a few minutes, but one of the bigger puppies freaked Rhyn out and he became frightened.  We calmed him and the other 'wallflower' down, both the youngest puppies in class, and hopefully it won't affect next week's "drop leash playtime".

Rhyn loves to sleep on his back...  And no, he hasn't so far tried to chew on the electric cord; I am keeping a very close eye on this...

Rhyn's favorite way to sleep

 

Rhyn's hind leg close-up sleeping shot

Not Always What They Seem...

This is a great nonchalant photo of Rhyn. Doesn't he look cool and collected! Although at second glance there is a bit of concern...  And the next shot one paw fell off the stair and he came tumbling down, like baby puppies do.  He is always willing to try something new, so far!

Rhyn on the stair wall

On a crate-training note:  He is starting to be able to be in the crate during the day for longer and longer periods without whining and carrying on (have only gone to two hours, given his bladder size).  We are still amazed that from the third night he's been able to go overnight in his crate without going to the bathroom.

When he gets out in the morning for his breakfast and to start the day, he always has to run back inside to get a couple of favorite toys (even though the door is left open), and almost always has to share them with me. This little Austwegian Shepherd© has the most loving personality!

Dog Language

After a round of playing, Zoey displayed her teeth, and wrinkled her face.  And you can see the result on Rhyn. He knows to go the other direction, and for the time being play is over.

Zoey says "go on"

 Before that, though, they were playing nicely.  Rhyn likes to get up on top of Zoey; she's learned to pirouette nicely underneath, which often knocks Rhyn off his feet, which is the intended result.

Zoey and Rhyn Playing

Zoey and Rhyn Playing

Zoey and Rhyn Playing

Playing in the Rain

Rhyn seems unfazed by the rain, light or heavy. So far he hasn't reacted to thunderstorms, either, but we've only had two since he's been with us, and he was in his crate at the time.

Rainy this morning and forecast for the next several days. Now to keep Rhyn's paws out of muddy holes of his own making...

Rhyn's fur seems to be changing ... getting longer along his spine, and little extra curl at the end of his tail.

Rhyn Sipping Rainwater

Rhyn with a River Birch branch

Rhyn with a River Birch branch