We could have bought a new loveseat or chair for the living room during July, but instead, we brought home this guy:
We have been wanting to get a dog for some time, and now that our busy July is over and the rest of the summer/fall are relatively quiet, it seemed like the perfect time. Meet Rudy! He is a 13-month old German shepherd/border collie mix who we brought home from the animal shelter just over a week ago. He's a wonderful boy, just as rambunctious as you would expect from a guy who's barely over being a puppy. He's quite good around people, but very reactive around other dogs, something we need to work on. I don't know if he's scared or just wants to play, but it involves lots of barking.
Other than that though, he's really a remarkable guy. Loves to run (which suits me just fine!), and learns very quickly. We've already taught him Sit, Lie Down, Off, and Roll Over. I'm working on Look at Me, and also to give us some sort of signal when he wants to go out. I want to teach him Speak for that, but it's hard because he almost never barks (only when there's another dog in sight!).
He's certainly not without his problems, though. Besides the dog-reactivity issue, he is a dedicated chewer, tends to nip or "mouth" us (like a bite but gentle...still, not a good thing to encourage), and likes to jump on people. Normal puppy habits that he's hanging on to. Considering that he came in as a stray and has been through Lord knows what in his short life, and has only been with us a week, he's doing extremely well.
Rudy has certainly been keeping us busy, but we are still looking forward to our kitchen makeover. Today we ordered the cabinet hardware. This weekend we'll be getting paint and other supplies. We've decided on a lovely soft shade of light green for the cabinets, and it's looking like a soft golden-yellow for the breakfast nook wall (it was between that and a light blue-gray, but we decided we wanted a warmer, brighter kitchen). Can't wait to post before-and-after photos!
AND now for some unsolicited dog advice::: We put a bell necklace (those big gaudy ones kids wear around the holidays) on the doorknob to the back yard and have Sienna nudge it with her nose when she wants to go outside. I love this! Sienna likes to chew too, make sure to buy PLENTY of super heavy duty toys only and encourage Rudy to chew on those instead of other fun things like rugs, chair legs, etc. My theory is that if you give a dog enough toys and teach them which ones are for chewing, maybe the bad chewing won't happen. If you have any good tricks for jumping, I'm all ears...Sienna is starting to do this. I think we need to be better about turning our back to her when she does, or just walking away. I've heard that will stop it. YAY for GETTING RUDY!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet, sweet doggie! You're living the dream, Mir. I'm so happy for you, girl. :-)
ReplyDeleteLooks like we're following the same trajectory ... hoping for a pup this christmas :)
ReplyDeleteI've read about the bell trick...it would be SO cool, but I'm worried Rudy wouldn't know what to do if we're not at home and he needs to go.
ReplyDeleteHe has already shown improvement both in chewing and in jumping since we brought him home...we're just trying to be as consistent as possible with him, lining treats up like crazy when he's good and ignoring him for a few minutes at a time when he's bad.
Hope your wish comes true, Lady K!