I'll start off with another comparison of just how much the boys have grown since we first got them. The photo on the left was taken at the very end of February, and the one on the right was taken over the weekend. They look like real "dogs" now- not puppies anymore!
Other than not really "looking" like puppies anymore, they are still 100% puppy
in action. I hear that the puppy phase lasts until at least age two, so we've got a long way to go until the really start to "act like adults." With these guys though, I really can't see them ever slowing down. And I guess when you have parents that are so active themselves, that's to be expected!
So, the summer was great, but I'm happy to embrace the fall. I really love the months of September and October. I like to see the leaves change and take part in all of the fun activities that the fall months present. Plus, the weather is just perfect for doing all of the things that Greg and I love to do outside! I have a feeling that there will be a lot of hiking at Gambrill (and other places too!) going on over the next few months.
The boys keep growing (I guess that's what puppies do) and getting bigger each day. I took Lance by the vet about a week ago, and he was almost 62 lbs. Greg and I had guessed around 60, so we were dead on. I'm not sure how much Jackson weighs, but I'd imagine it's about the same (although he is a big shorter than Lance). They look completely different from each other. Lance is huge and has crazy, wild fluffy hair. Jackson is smaller and has very fine reddish hair and doesn't seem to shed nearly as much as Lance.
Both are good and obedient some of the time, but still get distracted by things and don't always listen. Greg and I walk them every day, usually a few times, and often those walks are an hour long. We go all over the neighborhood, and have recently incorporated an after-dinner (after
we eat dinner) walk each night around 7:00 or so. It's nice when the sun is going down and everyone seems to be out with their dogs. Our hope is that this will tire the boys out a bit so that we can sit on the couch for a bit afterwards and relax in front of the television. It doesn't usually tire them out for long, though.
Though the boys are usually good on the leash, there are a few things that drive Greg and I crazy. The first is what I call "dive-bombing." It started with Jackson, and just like he typically does, Lance was soon to copy Jackson's behavior. We'll be walking along and the boys will just dart down at something on the sidewalk or street to pick it up suddenly. Ususally it's an acorn or a leaf, but sometimes it's a clump of mowed grass, which is really annoying. We're trying desparately to curb this behavior, but it's really hard. We keep them on a short leash and make them walk right at our sides, which helps a little, but doesn't really eliminate the problem. We, of course, say a firm "NO!" when they dive-bomb, and reward them with treats when they are walking like they should. My friend Justin uses a collar that applies pressure when you pull up on it, and says that can help. I'm just SO leery of anything that I think would cause harm or hurt them, although he assures me that this won't hurt. He even put the collar around his own leg to see how it felt. So, that's a possibility.
Our other biggest issue with the pups is how much they have
destroyed the house. The kitchen is completely wrecked. They have chewed up the base molding and windowsills, and more recently, started chewing a big hole in one of the walls. I really thought they were over this phase, but Jackson proved otherwise the other day. We have been leaving them in the kitchen (as opposed to in the crates) when we leave for any amount of time under about 4 or 5 hours with no problems. But, when we did this last Sunday for only an hour at most, Jackson mananged to chew a huge hole through a wall. How he did this, I have no idea.
They've also wrecked the carpet in the living room and pretty much destroyed the couch. We let them get on the couch, so we had this coming. When we have new furtniture though, this WILL NOT HAPPEN.
Greg and I are in the process of trying to move, so we know we'll have to have a lot of work done before we can sell (or rent) the house. So, right now, as much as it makes me
cringe, we just live in the destruction. I am a super clean-freak, and try to keep everything as tidy as possible, so this is just really making me nuts. Greg and I dream of the day where we are in our new, clean home with dogs that won't tear everything up. That will be
so nice....
Even though they drive me crazy sometimes, I still am so in love with Lance and Jackson and happy they are in our lives. It's unexplainable to have something (or two somethings!) that just love you unconditionally and want to please you. And it's great having two little shadows that are so interested in me that they want to follow me wherever I go!
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