Baby steps

Yesterday Greg and I taught Lance and Jackson to walk up the stairs. It was such a great feeling- I guess it's somewhat similar to the feeling a parent would get when the baby takes his first steps. I know that might sound a little over-the-top, but it really was wonderful.

Now teaching them to walk down the steps? That's a different story. They are still too little and scared to walk dowstairs, but it's got to happen soon. All of our doors that lead outside require walking downstairs, so you can imagine how much fun it's been to take them outside several times a day for potty breaks.

Maybe that will be our goal for the weekend- teaching the boys how to walk down the stairs. Since we're supposedly going to be getting two feet of snow, we'll have a lot of time indoors!

The boys definitely have two very different personalities. Both are playful, but Jackson is definitely more mellow (well, most of the time). He loves to cuddle and if you sit on the floor, he will crawl into your lap. I love to sit indian-style (or criss-cross applesauce you teacher-types) because he makes a little home in my lap. Both like to be picked up and held "like a baby," so I savor that. It won't be long until we can no longer pick them up! Lance is the more curious one. He loves to walk around and smell the smells and take in the sights. He's whines more and demands a little more attention than Jackson. And both of them just have these distinct looks that they'll give. It melts our hearts.

Greg and I have recently started walking the boys seperately. It's been too cold or snowy to do much- but we want to start doing as much training as we possibly can before they start puppy kindergarten next month. We took them out this morning, but since I don't have a job that I can be late to (my students would be there waiting without a teacher!) I didn't have much time. Regardless, I think Lance really enjoyed it (Greg walked Jackson). I can't wait until Spring when the weather is warm, the daylight is longer, and the boys are a little older to go on long walks with them. Walking them together right now is impossible- they want to play with eachother and I end up getting tangled in the leashes.

We bought another crate last night at this local pet warehouse-type store. Greg and I are pretty much against shopping at stores like Petsmart (we get our supplies from places like Two Paws Up in Frederick, The Midas Touch in Berryville, VA, or even My Organic Market, which has a pretty nice pet supply selection). However, for a crate, we had to go to one of these larger places. We've been keeping the boys in one crate, but definitely need to separate them so that they develop their own individual needs and personalities. Plus, it makes mealtime, bedtime, and potty breaks a lot easier. We got the crate- but still need to go elsewhere to get a pad for it- all of the dog beds at this store were Made in China.

We are very picky about what our boys eat, play with, sleep on, etc. Other people might not understand, but since we both eat natural and organic foods, we want to treat our boys the same way. We feed them a half raw/half dry food diet. It  is more work and more money- but it's the same way with human food. You pay for higher quality, better health and fewer doctor's visits. And they seem to love it so far- they are little piggies. (On the right is a photo of them patiently waiting for treats.)