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!