Hey Sheri,
Sorry for the delay in responding … last week seemed like a whirlwind with all the unpacking and stuff going on. Anyway Truman seems to be settling in very well… you are right, he is a very good puppy. He listens pretty well considering his age and I think he’s going to be a pretty smart guy. Even though it’s only been up for a couple of days, we’ve already got him used to ringing the bell by the back door when he wants to go outside (he doesn’t do it consistently but is starting to pick up on it) and I think his trust with us is really developing well. House training will continue to be a challenge I’m sure … we’re getting better at picking up on his signals but as our house has 3 floors and 3 commonly used doors, I think he is a little unsure where he should go when he needs to do his business. I think the bell will help that though.
As for the bonding with Regan, I think it’s been similar to what the other puppy owners in Regina observed, Regan really liked Truman the first few days but when she realized he was there to stay, her nose was a little bit out of joint. This lasted for a few days but they know seem to be pretty good with each other now. I’m not sure if I mentioned it but our neighbour decided to rebuild our shared fence before we took possession… and when we moved in we learned that he had “run out of money” to finish the last 2 sections of fence (meaning there was a gaping hole between our yards). So the first few days we were there we had to keep the dogs tied to 30’ tie-downs … they could run through the back yard but not to the same extent that we would normally want them to (Although it was cute to see Trumans realization that he could drag Regan around by pulling her tie-down hehe). Anyway after a little bit of pressure from us, our neighbour finished the fence off last week. However in the meantime we found a nice little park a few blocks from the house and have taken them there for a good run a few times and I think this has helped their interaction. Regan seems to have taken the top dog role … at least for now as she can pin him when they are playing and he submits to her… I don’t know if this will change when he grows up but they seem to have their roles sorted out. They also eat really well with each other. We feed them right beside each other with a big shared water bowl and while we are there to make sure one doesn’t eat from the others bowl they seem to be pretty content and even occasionally drink from the water bowl at the same time. I am really shocked by this as Regan is a little piggie and typically will try and eat all the food she can find… however she seems to know enough to stay away from Truman’s puppy food. Also, thanks for the pumpkin tip … we’ve been adding it to both their food and they really love it! I think the only time when Regan takes exception to Truman is when she’s had enough play time and he still wants to give’r … anyway she tells him she’s had enough and he seems content enough to chew on a toy or play outside. I am shocked at how much he likes to be in our backyard. I think he’d spend all day and night out there if we would let him … it was actually difficult to get him into the house and upstairs for bed last night (after he’d had 2 good walks, a trip to the in-laws, numerous play sessions with Regan, etc) I thought he’d be wiped but he just loves being outside!
We have some pic’s of Truman and Regan on the camera at home … I hope to download them tonight and will send them when I have them! I have 1 attached that I took with my berry … the 2 of them love to jump up on our swing in the back yard to relax. This was taken when the fence was still open so you’ll see the tie-downs hanging from their collars.
Cheers
jeff
