Greg sent this photo to my blackberry this morning (on the right) of the boys cuddling in Jackson's crate. I found a photo he had sent me almost 2 months ago (on the left), which is shot at a different angle, but still shows how much they've grown. I just love when they cuddle up together- it is too cute!
This weekend was consumed with lots of hiking (including a 7-mile hike on Saturday- the boys did great!) before the rain came in on Sunday afternoon. We squeezed in one last hike on Sunday before taking the boys to the dog wash for a bath. I snapped off a few photos of them after they were nice and clean- but they were too tired to do much "posing" for me (Lance was a little more awake- that's why there's more photos of him. Jackson was out). On a side note- they did make it three nights in a row without waking us up, giving us 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night! It was too good to be true though, as I was awoken by Jackson at 2:30 this morning to be let out. Hopefully they'll get back on the trend...
Last night was one of those GREAT nights that we actually got to catch up on sleep. Jackson and Lance still need to be let out (usually twice) during the night to do their business. They bark to let us know that they need to be let out, which results in us walking out the door, down the stairs, and into the backyard. We can't trust them to just go out, pee, and come back in because once they're out there, they just want to play. If we stand there with them, they will usually potty and come right back in. But needless to say, standing outside in the middle of the night for a few minutes definitely interferes with sleep.
We try to tire them out as much as possible before bedtime, which is sometimes hard because WE are so tired from lack of sleep. If we put them in the crates at 10, they will usually be up a little after midnight needing to be let out. So, last night, I got up around 1:30 to use the bathroom and noticed that they hadn't barked to be let out yet. I figured they would soon, so I went ahead and let them out anyway. They went right out, came back in, and didn't make a sound for the rest of the night. When Greg got up around 5 to go the gym, we realized that they hadn't needed to be let out again. And Greg finally got to sleep through the whole night!
I keep hearing that the middle-of-the-night breaks won't last long, and that one day, they'll just be able to make it through. I can't WAIT for that day. I miss sleep.
We're still having an "eating" issue in the backyard. It's so great to have the yard for the boys to run around in, but they have a tendency to eat everything in sight, with the exception of rocks (thank goodness). But they love to chow down on grass, mulch and sticks- and as much as we tell them "no" and try to get them to stop, they manage to eat their fair share. And this usually results in it coming back up later on. I've googled this before- and how to stop it- but all I have found was articles saying to "look at their diets" to see what they are missing. It's definitely not that though- they are puppies, and just like to eat everything. I'm really hoping this is a phase they grow out of soon. 
It's been a dream of mine for years to have a dog to take hiking, so I was thrilled when the opportunity finally presented itself this past Saturday. It was in the 70s and the trails were finally dry and not "snow-covered" so we decided to head to Gambrill. We did the green/black trails- which takes about an hour and is moderately strenuous (there are a few very steep inclines). Right from the start, the pups were awesome. They didn't try to eat anything and stayed focused. Jackson liked to carry a stick in his mouth, but I thought that was just too cute. They stayed right on the trail and we actually had to keep up with them! 
Another photo comparison- this one compares a photo from the snowstorms in the beginning of February with a photo from a hike this weekend.
Just a real quick entry this morning- Greg took a photo of Jackson yesterday sitting in a very similar position to one that I had taken right after we got the pups. I did a side-by-side comparison of the two photos, taken on February 3rd and March 15th. It is just crazy how much they have grown! We don't really notice it because we see them everyday. The next visit is Friday. I'm betting that the boys will be around 30 lbs. then.
This past week brought lots of wonderful weather for the first fews days, and left us with a rainy mess for the weekend. We were lucky to be able to take the pups on lots of long walks and enjoy being on the verge of spring. They are continuing to improve their leash-walking skills, but there's still a lot to learn. Greg is very bold and regularly takes both of the pups out for a walk in the middle of the day. I am still hesitant about walking both at the same time, but he says it's pretty easy. It's funny how different their walking styles are. Lance trots along, tail up high, staying right to the left side. Occassionally he will just sit down for no reason though- we haven't quite figured that out yet. Jackson likes to be slightly ahead, and he loves to grab the part of the leash where it meets the collar and carry it in his mouth. We think it's the control freak in him. Now that daylight savings has passed and we have more daylight, we plan to incorporate an after-dinner walk into our nightly routine. Anything to tire these boys out is a good idea! 
On Thursday we had a fence built, which makes me extremely happy! It's so nice to have a yard (even if it is small) for the boys to run around in off-leash. I still can't believe the fence was put up in just one day, and I'm so thankful that they got it done before the rain started. Since it's been raining for three straight days though, we haven't really let them run around much in the backyard. It's pretty much a mudpit right now. Hopefully a few days of sunshine will fix that. Thursday was also the first night of puppy kindergarten. Greg and I have been looking forward to starting this class ever since we brought Lance and Jackson home! We've both invested a lot of time in reading and researching proper puppy training techinques, but being in an actual class will really help. The class is run by Cari Messick, who owns FitHound and was recommended by Jo Bighouse from the Midas Touch. Cari teaches positive reinforcement training, which rewards for good behaviors, rather than punishing for bad. I've read over and over again that this is the most effective method of teaching, and have noticed that it's worked for us with the few tricks we've taught Jackson and Lance so far. For the first class, she asked that everyone's pups be left at home, so that she could easily cover the material for the 7-week course with fewer distractions. 
Greg and I were really pleased that she has the same philosophy as us when it comes to what our dogs eat and play with- only natural and organic products and top-quality dog food. I'm not sure if everyone else in the class subscribes to those beliefs, but hopefully they will change their minds. The next 6 sessions (which start next week- no class this week) will be spent learning different commands, games and tricks. The pups will also have time to play and socialize with the other pups in the class. We're curious to see how this goes- as our boys have always had each other, and have also been around other dogs. We're predicting that Jackson will be bossy, and Lance will just happily play with whoever wants to play. And we're also hoping to learn to curb some of Jackson's "alpha-dog" behavior. 
Cari gave us a homework assignment for the tenure of the course- to introduce the pups to at least 100 new people (and they must interact with them). This should be pretty easy for us, as we really enjoy taking them out to different places as much as possible. On Saturday, we got a head start on our homework. We went back to Two Paws Up and brought the boys along this time. They managed to completely destory the zipper on the Big Shrimpy bed we got them last weekend, so we took the cover for repair. We also got two new (Big Shrimpy brand) crate pads, since they have managed to already chew up the ones I bought them from My Organic Market. It was a rainy, nasty day, but it was still great to get out. And we definintely got lots of interaction with different people, as it's hard to resist two cute little Golden pups. 
This weekend was wonderful for many reasons, but the factor that tops that list has to be the weather! This is the first weekend in a long time that the weather has actually put me in a better mood! And it definitely worked to our advantage. Saturday started with a trip to Two Paws Up, which is one of my favorite little shops in downtown Frederick. Talk about people loving what they do- the owner is passionate, knowledgeable and fun- as is everyone that works there! We bought the boys a new, luxurious Big Shrimpy bed. It's so comfortable- I even got down on the floor and sat in it to test it out. It's also extremely durable and machine washable, made of 74% recycled materials (which you know I love) and has a great warranty.
It's advertised as "the last dog bed you'll ever buy," which is good- because our boys have already managed to chew up the two beds I bought them already. We brought the bed home (along with some new toys) and it was love at first sight. Lance and Jackson crawled right in and made themselves comfortable. They're so little now that they look tiny on the big bed, but before we know it, we'll probably have to get another bed so each dog can have his own. 
One of the things that Greg and I have been trying to do is slowly introduce the boys to the rest of the house. For the most part, they are confined to the kitchen. It's safe to have them there, mostly because any "accidents" are easier to clean up on the kitchen floor. We have also "puppy-proofed" the kitchen more than any other room in the house, and there are very few things that they can tear apart in there. Although, it should be noted that the did manage to chew up the crown molding, stools, and the corners of the windowsills. We sprayed all of the "chew-zones" with bitter apple spray, and it seems to have worked- they haven't chewed in over two weeks. But they LOVE to chew on their toys, which is obviously wonderful. Unfortunately, I've heard that we haven't even begun to see the beginning of the "teething stage." Great.
Something happened today that very much sucked- Lance bit me. Bad. Now, he didn't mean to at all- but it still sucked. Greg had gone into the office today and I came straight home after work, and was planning to do my work out at home. I was working out in the living room and letting the boys roam around in the kitchen. They were playing near the baby gate, also able to keep an eye on me. Lance somehow got the foot on his right back leg caught in the gate and started screeching in pain. He didn't know what to do and kept turning over, trying to get free. I ran over to him and tried to pull his foot out and it didn't move. I tried again and he bit down on my hand- hard. I yelled at him to "drop" but he just bit down harder. Poor guy looked SO terrified, but wouldn't let go of my hand. I finally got him to drop my hand, but then he bit my opposite arm. I managed to finally get his foot free- and (my) blood was everywhere. Lance kind of limped away, but looked at me concerned. I don't know if he knew that he had hurt me, but I know he certainly didn't mean to. I have quite a few bike marks all over my hand and arm, nothing too deep, but since there were so many, hence the large amount of blood. I washed it, used peroxide and have lots of gauze around my hand, so I'll live. But, again... it did suck. And hurt. A lot. I took photos, but I will spare anyone from looking at them.© Free Blogger Templates Autumn Leaves by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
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