A New Frontier

Matthew and I are learning this week just how much a puppy resembles a human baby. We have been told this bit of wisdom before, but living it is so totally different from acknowledging it to be true. Parker may not be tiny, but he is SUCH a puppy...all 12-14weeks and 19lbs of him. He eats dirt clods, clumps of mowed grass, dried worms from the sidewalks, ROCKS, and anything else he can get his mouth around. This weekend he bit 2 buds off of my Grandma's flowers. She wasn't mad...but she wasn't thrilled either. I have to watch him closely even in a fenced yard because of this bad habit. We are working on the "Leave it" command & he is making slow but sure progress.
Next to his obession with putting foreign objects in his mouth...Parker is also incredibly clumsy. I suppose it is due to his breed (Springer Spaniel mix)....but he has these 4 lovely, long black/brown speckled legs. My aunt made the observation this weekend that he is "all legs" and she is correct.
When he walks and tries to sniff at the same time, he will often trip over cracks in the pavement...one big paw will get stubbed and suddenly his body curls as his hind legs continue walking right over the rest of him. When he plays in the house, his long legs will slide out from under him on the kitchen floor. He looks great when he is running around the yard, until he tries to stop - he is not graceful at all. He actually made MY DAD laugh today when his front paws slid out from under him on the deck and his head hit the wood. Making the Louie chuckle is no small feat & may in fact be the only reason he isn't holding a grudge for me bringing a dog to his dog-free backyard.
Another definite comparison between puppies and babies...PEOPLE ARE SUCKERS FOR EM. Hehe. I mean it though...people love puppies. We have met and spoken with more of our neighbors in the past 4 days than we have the nearly 2yrs we have been here. It is great.
He gets us out walking so much more than we'd ever go without him. We walk in the morning, right after work, and right before bedtime. Any friends we make in this hood, I will have to forever credit to a dog.

I would say about 90% of our time was devoted to Parker, Luna, and Caesar this weekend. We are still getting them acquainted with each other. Parker and Caesar are making the most progress...until the moments when Parker decided to bark at or chase Caesar. Luckily, for the cats, Parker is kept leashed in the house still. We want him in full view until he is fully housebroken.

All 3 animals got baths this week. Would you believe that the cats did better than our dog!? And allegedly he is a breed that "loves water". Caesar sat patiently under the faucet in the kitchen sink as I lather and rinsed him....Luna struggled, but not like she was being drowned...just like she was annoyed with me. Then....Parker...whined and cried...lept for the ledge of the tub & tried to all but climb over me to get out of the water.

We are also using crate training and I have to say it is fantastic for puppies! *one huuuuge thing that separates dogs from human babies ;) You should never crate train a baby! We call the crate Parker's "room" and he gladly goes into it most of the time. He already seems to see it as his safe haven/sleeping place. My cousin advised us to pick one command for the crate & to always make it positive...it is totally working. We began saying "Parker, to your room" 4 days ago & he now pretty much gets it :) The crate also helps with housetraining since the last thing a dog wants is to be trapped in a small space with his own poop/pee. We take him right out whenever he's been in the crate & its working well.

Its been a relaxing weekend & I am hoping for a nice, smooth week. In fact I am praying for one. I could really use an uneventful, boring week....sounds dull...but I'm trying so hard to keep a routine for the puppy...and I am TERRIBLE about routines. Maybe Parker will be a help in establising that along with our new walking pattern. Who knows? All I know is that he is awesome and I am so happy that we adopted him.