Life with Max

Our house has gone through many changes in the last two weeks. Where once you walked into a nice formal living room, you now walk into that same room that has added a dog box, multiple dog toys, a dog bed, and no longer has antique cameras displayed within doggie reach. All of the reflective surfaces (the TV stand, the stereo, the fireplace, the picture window) in the room are now covered with a towel or other cloth as Max barks at his reflection whenever he sees himself. The bookshelf next to the front door has a leash, harness (for outside walks) and doggie treats on it.

The kitchen now has a feeding area with food dish and water dish, and a bag of dog food as well. And the other living room, where the computer is, has some dog toys too.

All this for a seven pound ball of energy. Max tears through the house from one end to the other, stopping only if he sees a piece of paper. Paper trumps just about any of his toys. If I try to read the newspaper on the floor, Max steals a section from me and tries to run away. He will play chase and sometimes fetch with his mini tennis balls, and tug with his "floss" toy (rubber hearts on each end of a rope with a rubber "floss" toy in the middle. He also has some other chew toys as well as a kong. He doesn't like the kong all that much. We need to find the right treat to fill it, I guess. He also had a stuffed squeak toy for about an hour or so until he ripped it open and started pulling out the stuffing.

Potty training is moving forward somewhat slowly. Its just as much training ourselves to watch for his signals at this point. Once he starts sniffing, watch out. We've had these carpets for almost 14 years so it wouldn't break my heart to get them replaced once Max masters telling us when he has to go out.

I did take Max for his first big walk on Wednesday. We went to Roselle Park, a nearby park with paved paths so that they were clear of ice and snow. He walked well on the leash and was eager to check out all the people, dogs, and ground in his path. We also checked on the three geocaches that I have in this park (it was the first place that I ever placed a cache) and they are all doing well. So Max is now a geo-pup as well! Guess the secret to having someone in my family enjoy caching is to start them young. He was one tired pup when we got home and not nearly as wild as usual!

Life with Max is good. Most of the time. I'm a bit frustrated (but not really surprised) that the majority of puppy care has fallen to me. Steve wanted this puppy but won't really change his morning routine to take Max out before he goes to work. So I've not slept past 7 since Max arrived. He did give Max his first bath last Saturday, though, and also came straight home from work last night since I had roundtable in Greenville and wasn't able to come home first. He's also a bit wistful that Max "likes me better" but its because I spend more time with him.