what's up doc?

nothing much except for everything! This past week it seems like i could not get enough sleep. It has rained a ton so i have not been able to work with Bryce as much as I want and need to. Hopefully tomorrow night it wont be raining and we can work on stay and down. He seems to be responding to class and is less fearful than when we started. He is started to reach out and sniff others during the weave and also not slink back.

We are still working on his fear of strangers though. I took him to an adoption event on Saturday and while he did well for him, he was still afraid of people. Therefore giving his usual growl, which does turn some people off. I did notice though that if people hesitated to touch him, that gave him the time to think about what they were doing, which then resulted in a growl. The more people were encouraged to just touch him, with permission from me of course, the less he seemed to growl. Who really knows what is going on his head though.

Today I had to go to Bangor. Santana, Buddy, and Bryce all stayed home with Husband. He let them Buddy and Bryce play for a few hours. I got a picture message and Bryce and Buddy were taking a little rest in the dining room. So cute! Im glad Bryce can take the time to chill out.

He is getting better with his accidents. I know what signs to look for now so I think the last few times have been my fault. Oh well...what can you do except just put him outside and praise him for doing it outside.

This coming week will be interesting! I am going to Arkansas with the rescue to pick up some more sweeties that need to come to Maine. Im thrilled to go and help out and see some of the country I haven't seen before. Bryce will be staying home with Husband, Buddy, and Santana. He is getting better with Husband. Tonight I just witnessed Bryce follow him into the kitchen WITHOUT Buddy. WOOOHOO! Thats a huge step since Bryce still seems to think Husband is out to get him. And Husband just came in to visit me.....no growls from Bryce! I cant believe it! Here's to hoping that it is the start of something huge!

Ive been soooo busy!

It seems like I havent done a thing but Im so beat after work I just dont want to hop online at home. So here I am! Just finishing up a few things. We have been to another training class. We do a weave at the beginning of every class. Each dog must heel while weaving around the circle full of dogs. Bryce does ok when its his turn to weave but the cool thing is that he is starting to reach out and sniff the people weaving around us!! He still will try to hide behind me at some points but he is getting more comfortable.

Two classes ago, we started releasing them for a bit of play time after we learned a new command and worked on it. He wouldnt relax at all and seemed freaked by all the high pitched voices and all the dogs running around. This last class, (he is laying in the dining room with a ball as we speak...tail waggin, so cute!) he figured out its not all bad so he wasnt as afraid but still very unsure of what was going on. Last tuesday, we learned "stay". This is going to be hard for me to teach because I dont teach it well. Also, with his insecurities, he is like my glue dog! He likes to stay really close. He did surprisingly well with it to start with, however, I do need to practice more. We also took graduation pictures! He seemed very excited about the lab next to us and was kissy face with him. Hoping the pictures came out ok.

His other milestone since my last post, he figured out belly rubs!! I was having a night where I just wanted him to chill out. So he was on a leash and I was just trying to keep him in a "down" position. So I started rubbing his belly. He loved it! So much that he rolled over and just wanted more. Chris came in and started rubbing his belly too. That was really awesome because there was no growling or hiding and he was in a completely submissive and trustful position. I just wish he would translate that to other situations. Like when Chris comes home from work. ***sigh*** he will figure it out!

by golly he learns fast!!

We have gone to two classes of training. Bryce is still very afraid but is getting better. He has learned heel but gets so excited that he forgets what he should be doing and darts ahead of me. Leading me to correct again and we go through this cycle. I want to praise him but when I do that causes the excitement. hmmmm...what to do....

This week we learned how to train "front". Basically its come when called and sit directly in FRONT of me. We did a little training yesterday and went for a walk today. I let him walk with a loose leash, would stop and teach "front". About the 3rd time, he got it. Came right to me and sat. He sat crooked, but he still sat! So I think the crookedness will get taken care of in time.

I have faith this class will help him to be more confident. I noticed he has not had an accident in the house in quite some time and he doesnt run to be under or behind furniture anymore. Yeah!

road trip!!

Saturday was a very long day for both Bryce and I. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I have been on the road to all ends of the state. Im beat. I took Bryce with me on Saturday to Skowhegan to a horse show. He did pretty well. We used his new collar and training techniques and he seemed to do pretty well. He growled for a few minutes but quickly got over it. He wasnt too sure of the horses though. A few walked by him and they were so big he went back to trying to hide behind me. We walked down to the arena to watch a class my friends' were showing in. Another exhibitor was there with her horse who happened to be super friendly and very very nosey! The mare looked down and saw Bryce at the same time Bryce was reaching out to sniff the mare. They touched noses for a minute, smelling each other. It was sooo cute!

After we left the show, we took a ride up to Guilford to meet up with my best friend. We are planning on going camping at the end of June and wanted to check out the site we would be staying at, to make sure it is safe for the kids and dogs. She brought her Bassett Hound, Beauford. Beauford is a friendly guy who has tons of energy for a little hound. Bryce and Beauford met and loved each other. So off we went...two adults, two kids, and two dogs in the car for a ride to the spot, just north of Monson. The sites are great and Bryce got to run around a bit with Beauford. Bryce rode great with the kids (they were in teh backseat, he was in the front seat with me, on the floor....he LOVED it!). He didnt much care for the kids when we were all out of the car but he never lunged at them or seemed aggressive with them at all. My friends' kids are like my neice and nephew so I try really hard to make sure the dog and the kids are ALWAYS safe. I think Bryce will be going camping with us and we will just be sure there is a crate available so Bryce will feel safe.

We left the house around 730 am and got home around 5. He rode very very well and overall had a great day. He is learning "heel" and not to pull on the leash. We are correcting the fear growling so with lots of exposure to new things and people in conjunction with the correction, I really think he's going to be fine. It may take a little longer than we originally thought or hoped, but with the right person, he is going to be a great guy who is extremely loyal and well behaved!

New things to learn...

Bryce started his training class last night. My friend Cindy worked him since she had taken the class with this particular trainer before and we were starting the class one week late. Going into it, he was afraid with his tail pinned and trying to get away from everyone and everything. He learned how to heel and as the night progressed, I could see a difference. He wasnt completely confident but his tail was less tucked and he started to open his mouth up to breathe, in addition to yawning.

Everyone heeled around the room. There were about 11 other dog/human pairs there. A few times there was another pair around him in all directions and he just wasnt sure what to do. Cindy would just correct him and keep moving forward. He was responding to her very well. Bryce did want to hide under the tables whenever they walked by them but he was never allowed too.

Everyone was also heeling around everyone else, like a weave. He never growled when others came into his space but he did back up a little. This exercise will be done at the begining of every class so Im excited to see his progress by the end of it.

He just always seems worried about what else is out there. I really think this class is going to give him some direction and he is going to be able to learn to focus on his human instead of the rest of the world.

and one time at band camp.....

Wow, what a weekend! Chris left early on friday so by the time I got to camp with the three dogs, he had everything lugged down to the site. What a great hubby! I forgot to bring a leash with me for Buddy (they got packed in the truck, so they were already at the site), but Bryce is always on one if he is not where he can be contained. So i ended up clipping bryce like normal and putting the loop of the other end on buddy's collar. They drug me down the trail following tana.

Cindy and Rodney showed up shortly after. Buddy was a jerk and wanted to eat Ali and Baxter. He got a muzzle (the soft mesh ones) until he could prove there wouldnt be a fight. Bryce met Ali first and really liked her, then he met Baxter. They got along pretty well. I put my three to bed though so I wouldnt have to worry about them.

Saturday am, we got up and hung around for a bit. We still had four other people that were going to show up. Hindsight, I think it was better for Bryce this way. Being introduced to a few new people at a time. Ali and Baxter were running around and staying around. I decided to try Bryce off leash, and left the leash attached for a bit. It didnt take me long to realize he was going to stick right to the other dogs, so off leash he went. I did leave on his harness so that if I needed to grab him quick, Id have something to hang on to.

Bryce proved me wrong though. The rest of the weekend, he stayed around and came when he was called. He and Buddy got a little mischevious and took off a couple times. I couldnt see them but I could always hear them. I would just call and they both would come barrelling back to me. Cindy brought an extra crate so that was used a couple times so we didnt have to worry or if any one of the 5 got too excited.

We took him down to the trail to beach on the lake and he was able to do some swimming. The eyes were definitely different than they were at Penny's. Normal eyes, I would call them! lol...just like he had done that before and he seemed so proud of himself that he had gotten the toy from the water and brought it back. He spent a lot of time at camp running down to path from our site to the water, drinking it and playing in it (about belly deep) and then running back sopping wet! The dogs had toys and balls to play with but they seemed to just want to carry around sticks! hehe...too cute.

As the weekend went on, Bryce got more and more comfortable with the people. He still did his fear growling thing a few times but overall the intensity of the growl got less and less and continues to be less and less now although it has not completely stopped.

Back to the drawing board...

Carissa took Bryce last weekend. Things seemed to be going well for the most part but because of some situations Bryce wasn't okay with, She decided that she wouldn't be able to take him. Poor guy. He really wants to be loved and wants to be a dog but just has not idea how. Because of this, he doesn't know how to respond and is fearful. We are back to looking for an adoptive home for him.

We will be taking him camping with us in Oquassoc this weekend. Im hoping it goes well. I am bringing a travel crate so he will have a place to be if he feels threatened or I just need some time without "glue dog". I do think he will do fine though. Buddy and Santana will be there as well as two new friends he will get to play with all weekend. We are on vacation next week so hopefully I can get him out and excercised a bit more than normal.

The four of us went on a road trip today! My friend Penny invited us up for a few hours. Bryce entertained himself in the car by sticking his head out the window and getting his lips and ears blown around. Everytime he stuck his head out, the wind pushed his face to the right so he had to start over again, and again! lol. he also decided he would puke in the car. Great times! good thing i keep blankets over the backseat and it was just grass and spit. He likes to eat grass and I have yet to figure out why!

He was a bit afraid to go into the house but did very well. Followed Buddy and Tana-girl in. Acadia, whom he has played with before when she and Penny came to visit us here, wasnt sure what to do with the visitors but she warmed up. He was unsure of Penny for a while and of Roger, but did take treats out of Roger's hand after he saw everyone else doin it. Must have been the peer pressure! hehe Roger was also sitting in a chair so I think Bryce felt less threatened by it.

He got to experience swimming! Penny and Roger have an above ground pool. I put Buddy in, back feet first. He wasnt too sure so turned right around and got out. After I showed Santana how get in, she got back out, then a few minutes later hopped right back in. Roger said he saw only a little black butt, then a splash! haha...too cute.

We showed Bryce how to get in. He was unsure but after I showed him, he swam around a bit. We called him back because I was a little nervous about his safety (the pool isnt big or deep but still...)...he was swimming back and he had HUGE eyes! Fearful looking but excited. He got out, shook off and seemed to be pretty proud of himself. Probably about 30 minutes later he was playing on the steps of the pool but still wasnt brave enough to hop in. Ill take it though!

He had a great time playing and running around Penny and Roger's yard. It is fenced in so he was able to just let loose! Good for him!

I know the right person will come along...its just a matter of when. In the meantime, myself and everyone around me will just have to love him. :)

Naturally wired....

These two could play all day! Im thankful we had at least one day of quiet though. Buddy went to day care yesterday and wasnt really feeling like playing. Bryce actually sat down and chewed for about an hour. That was pretty great.

Tonight I knew bryce needed a walk. I tried the Gentle Leader tonight. He of course hated it! Not that he hated the walking, its the fact that something was on his face. As long as we were moving and he was not given the opportunity to get it off, he was fine. He seemed to be more confident on the road but still got scared when we were walking up my street. I made sure to use two leashes, one on his harness as a back up in case he slipped the GL, but mostly just using the leash attached to the GL. With some time, He'll be great with it.

Tomorrow is a visit with Carissa and this weekend is his overnight. he's gonna do great!

He's gonna make it!

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he can be a jerk

Bryce is doing really well. He has been home all day with Chris and doing fine. Chris and the "kids" were outside using the potty when I got home. As soon as he saw me, he was all of the sudden "afraid" of Chris and wanted to be with me. Wondering if he has us all fooled :) We are now working on sit/wait before he is allowed out of the crate and before he is allowed through a door. He took hot dog from Chris so that was really good. Chris says he has been coming out of the crate very happy with his tail wagging.

Bryce also has his moments. He and Buddy play really well although Buddy can get rough. Bryce taunts buddy though. If Buddy is chewing on a hoof or rawhide, Bryce will come over, hover and then take it from him. Tonight he took the rawhide from Buddy, and laid down and chewed it right in front of him. Buddy had a fit! whining and crying and trying to take it back but failing miserably!

what a long day...

I took Bryce and Buddy up to Orono today. My mom was showing our 7 year old gelding in the Annual Spring Fling horse show at Whitter Farm. Komett has grown to be such a wonderful and beautiful boy! He amazes me every time I see him.

The ride up was very very loud! The boys had a wrestling match in the backseat almost the entire way up!! Carissa met me up there so she could spend time with Bryce. He let her put his harness on him in the car and let her take him out of the car. Still very scared but definitely more willing. We hung around the rail for a little bit and then sat on the bleachers to watch the classes. We noticed that the kids seem to bother him more than the adults. I think there was one outburst of barking that was quickly quieted. We did "friend" many times with all the people walking around. I didnt try to push him too much since it was all new to him and to Buddy.

Overall he did great. Buddy also did well. Only a couple outbursts in the car from Buddy and he was a very happy boy all day. I knew it wouldnt be smart to leave Buddy home in this situation but when we visit Carissa this week, I think I will. Bryce is now trusting Carissa a lot more. When he cant see me he looks to her for that comfort and leadership. Im quite sure its all going to be okay. He is just going to take some time and patience to build the confidence that I know is in there.

this week really got away with me!!

So the last time i posted was monday....Tuesday was uneventful but Wednesday was really great!! He pooped!! okay, so maybe not a big deal but it is a big deal when Bryce doesnt relax. Apparently on Wednesday during our walk, he felt comfortable enough that he pooped during our walk. This is so great for him!!

We went down to Carissa's for some bonding time. He was a bit whiny in the car and started tearing up the blankets in the back seat. He got scoleded a few times for it and eventually stopped. I brought Carissa her birthday gift early...a treat pouch, clicker, and some of Bryce's favorite training treats. He was a little afraid at first but soon warmed up. He likes his new kitty brothers, Apollo and Aspen. They are not too sure of him though. Carissa was able to get him to "touch" and "sit" for her. She brought him in the kitchen...he couldnt see me but could hear me. She bought him a toy so he did engage with her when she threw it. He took many many treats from her. He also got really close when Apollo and Aspen came to visit their mum. Overall it was a great visit and he seemed to get more comfortable as the night moved on.

Thursday night we went back down. He rode soooo much better! no whining and no destruction. Carissa was a little late getting home but Bryce was able to potty before she came home. He barked and growled a little but soon got over it. We all went for a walk. Poor guy was soooo scared!! he just wanted to be with me. He wouldnt take treats from Carissa at first but as soon as he realized he wasnt getting hurt, he relaxed a bit. The sites and sounds of downtown Belfast were a little scary so we went to the park on the waterfront. He sat with Carissa for a bit and she was able to pet him and snuggly a little. We even got a little training in.

After that, it was smooth sailing walking home. He walked playfully in front of us, knowing Carissa had the leash. He was sniffing along, Buddy would get too far ahead and then he'd run and bound to catch up with Buddy. A few times, Bryce even got ahead and looked back at Carissa like "cmon lady, hurry up!!" Too cute. Oh i forgetted.....we were just hanging around at her place and she said "come" a few times....each time he came to her on command. I think he just knew he was getting a treat! hehe He still came though...what a big deal!

Today we are gonna go to PetSmart for some socialization and visiting. I really think he is going to do well. Buddy and Bryce are currently playing in the livingroom. Making tons of noise and running circles around the coffee table. They are even playing keep away with the toys and cow hooves....the life of a puppy....geeezzzz!

boys will be boys...

but geez they are loud!! Right now Buddy and Bryce are in the kitchen playing. I figured they would both be tired out but no way! Im beat though.

I took Bryce out around the block first. I make the block pretty big. Two kids were following us around on their bikes and he seemed pretty freaked. Just wanted to hide me when they came close. I tried to do "friend" but he was too upset and wouldnt take the treats. So I told them that he was scared and not to get too close....then kept walking. We then came upon another lady, about my age...maybe younger, with a 3 month old chocolate lab! OMG so cute!! just wanted to play with Bryce and Bryce wanted to play with him. He did take a treat from the lady so that was a plus. We continued on our way. We got to the busier road and he was a little more scared. His tail though was not pinned underneath....it was not up and wagging but was lose and sort of relaxed!! I find that the more I talk to him while we're walking, the more confident he is. I do let him walk in front of me to help with the confidence but he looks back often to make sure Im there. Id love to walk the three of them together but it is so hard!!

We got back and I grabbed Buddy and Santana and did one more round. Buddy hates the gentle leader and Santana just kept pulling. My hands hurt! lol....Hoping for a good week weather wise so I can keep up the hour walk every day.

wow, im a slacker...

and im sure that wont be the first time i write that as a title!!

This weekend has been oh so busy!! Bryce hasn't had many breakthroughs but he is doing well. he is still driving me nuts though. Friday night we went for a visit to my friend Carissa's house. We wanted to see how he would do with her cats. He did very well. Interested but no chasing. More just wanted to see waht was up. He met Charlene and Carissa's honey, Karl. He wasnt sure at first but after a while he was able to take treats from them. Not confidently, but he still took them. This was his first long ride not being crated in the car. On the way down, he seemed very worried. Not so much on the way back. When we got home, I figured out why. He used his leash as a pacifier and chewed right through it....Oops!

Saturday, we took a ride to Bangor. He was crated this time!! We stopped at the barn to visit some friends. I wanted him to see the horses but we never got there. Everyone got to get a look at him. There were lots of people there! When Mary Beth was finished riding, I got him out of the car and we sat around and visited with George and Sylvia. He got lots of treats. Rosie and Dog wanted to investigate him, but not so much on the playing. George seemed to be a bit smitten with him. I can see why...Bryce is a beautiful boy that just needs some confidence!!

After the barn, we went to Bob's house. A bunch of my co-workers were there hanging out. I think he eventually took treats from everyone. He got lots of compliments about how beautiful he was and how quiet he was. I told them not to be fooled....once the snail is out of his shell he is a handful!!!

Today we went down to Gray for some more socialization and so I could learn how to help him some more. We learned two new things...."touch" and "friend". Hoping that he will "touch" to tell me he has to go out...and "friend" will come along when he needs to realize people are not bad!

I cant wait for him to spend some more time with Carissa and see how it goes. Im excited to teach her and Bryce these new things too. He's gonna be such a good boy!!

nothing new today...

He is doing well. Today he got introduced to the Gentle Leader. he has had free run of the house and last night was a holy terror! He got a time out and was better but I wasnt taking the chance tonight. Buddy and bryce both got the GL on and have been pretty quiet. I just need to watch him and make sure he doesnt chew. Although I dont think he will be able to get to it.

Last night was just crazy. They managed to play to their hearts content and in the process spilled the water dish....again. I almost think one of the two of the boys peed on the floor too but its hard to tell with the laminate flooring. They then knocked the gate down and I had had it! I just wanted some quiet time and I wasnt getting it. Once it got knocked down I went into the kitchen and just made lots of noise. Bryce freaked a bit and went into his crate....I had to corral Buddy to his. They were there for just a few minutes. The great thing was that Bryce came right out when I did release them.

He is doing pretty good with his manners. He has to wait before he is allowed his meal. He is allowed to have it once he hears "take it". Other things he has to do, which Buddy is required to do as well, is wait to come out of the crate; sit to have his harness taken on and off; sit and wait to go through the door; sit for treats. Hopefully his forever home will follow through with this. It will definitely make him a better dog.

I cant wait to take him to Gray this weekend. Hopefully I can get some help in curbing his new habit. If you are not paying attention to him when he is excited, he come up and nip the back of your leg. Its not painful, feels like a pin prick. This is not okay behavior though. I have been just turning around and saying "NO!" loudly but it doesnt seem to be working. He mostly does it when you are walking in front of him. Hopefully too he will be able to socialize and we can show Janet the cool things we have learned and how good he is doing. :)

first things first...

If you are reading this blog, click to be a follower! I just like to know that Im not doing this for nothing!! :)

bryce needed a bath....so I gave him one today. he did pretty well....wanted to get out like any other normal dog would do. He loved when he got scrubbed and especially liked getting out of the bath. he was rolling on the towel on the bathroom floor, butt up in the air, head down on the floor. When he shook, he showered the vanity and the walls with water! He also thought being wiped and rubbed down with the towel was pretty neat too. I made sure to give him lots of treats and praise for doing well in the bath.

Last night he finally figured out "down". i was so excited for him! Now we just need to reinforce it and then we can work on "leave it". It pretty much has "leave it" because he always has his nose into something! Nosey nosey boy!

He had an accident last night but I almost wonder if it was because I just wasnt watching. He had just gotten done playing and I usually take him out but didnt. Oh well...just need to watch better tonight. :)

his first walk...

Chris has taken him on a mini walk before but today we went out around the block. We took the usual route...down past the park, by mcdonalds and down the other road. Its pretty busy but a little quiet today since most State employees had the day off.

He did pretty decent for a first walk. I made sure he was leashed on his harness and a second on his collar, for safety's sake. When he realized we were leaving the driveway, he tried to hide behind me but I kept walking. He got scared by one person and a mailbox. He was brave enough though to walk up to it and sniff it, twice! Good job Bryce!!

We walked down by the McDonalds and down the busy road. He was not too afraid though....he sat for me and took treats. I realized that if i just talked to him, he seemed not so worried and moved forward at a better pace. I just let him take in the sights and sounds and we stopped a couple times so he could figure out what was going on. He got scared by a super loud motorcycle and a huge truck. He recovered well though.

Cant wait to see how he reacts after taking him on a regular basis. i dont think he wore himself out but he is sitting quietly with a rawhide now! yeah!!

our lazy day....

This was the first Sunday I've actually gotten to sleep in. It wasnt too late but was later than what I have been doing.

We got up and let the pups out. Bryce didnt have an accident yesterday...nor did he have one today! We are not out of the potty training woods but this is great progress. There wasnt much of anything done today except for sleeping and watching TV. Bryce has about 95% mastered "sit". He understands the command but sometimes he gets a little distracted and needs to be reminded what to do. Im so excited for him! cant wait to work on "down".

While he is still a little scared of Chris, he has definitely come out of his shell. With that though, comes him being a pain in the rear! he has tons more energy and now just wants to be up doing something ALL the time! Which means I have to be awake and watching him (so there are no accidents) and to make sure he doesnt decide to chew on something that isnt his.

Now that he trusts us more, Im hoping to get some walks in on my lunch or after work. Hopefully this releases some of that energy and he quiets down after dinner.

another field trip

My friend Penny came down from Bangor today. She brought her 6 year old Belgian Shepard down with her. Acadia is the sweetest, most well behaved girl I know...except for mommy's angel, Santana, that is!

We loaded all them up and headed over to PetSmart. I knew today would be way more busier than Thursday night and I was right. We brought Bryce in and everyone wanted to see him. He of course was very scared but overall, he didn't seem overwhelmed with it. He got to visit with a few of the associates and one of our trainer friends there fed him lots of treats! She thinks he is Chesapeake bay retriever mix....Im still leaning towards Australian shepard/lab mix. He did well and got to meet some new dogs.

Afterwards, we headed over to the nature trails behind Cony High. He seemed annoyed that the other three dogs got to run free and he had to be tied. But there was noooo way I was letting that boy go! He wasnt sure about Penny but after a while he started walking next to her and even sniffing her leg to see what she was all about! He was running and playing with KD, and Santana and Buddy. They all got to play in the dirty brook but that is ok! He got all wrapped up in his leash and fell over into the mud/water. It didnt phase him though; he got up and followed them back into the water. Gotta love dirty, smelly dogs!

We turned around and started to hed back when he discovered a big ol stick! So cute when he grabbed it on the end like puppies do. It was like a foot long and about an inch in circumference. KD took it from him but towards the end he got it back. He likes walking in the woods and Im looking forward to taking him back. Hopefully Ill take some pictures!

He is remembering how to be a puppy. He has learned to jump on me so now we start having to teach "off". Not so bad, cept when he's muddy and smelly!

bryce

Bryce is our first foster....EVER. I decided to do a blog for him because he keeps doing all these great things everyday. I felt annoying emailing everyone everyday about it but I still wanted to be able to brag. So here goes nothing!

We got Bryce last Sunday after an unintended delay. When we got home, he warmed right up to Chris, taking treats and being a little curious. Santana and Buddy were really excited to see this new creature in the crate. Buddy can be over excited at times so we weren't too sure how he was going to react. He did really great. He was pretty easy in the begining.

We've had a few accidents in the house but Bryce is learning. This morning he pottied outside. This isnt abnormal for a dog but for scared little Bryce, it is a big deal. This morning, he KNEW he did good!! He did the number one and came running for some love with big happy eyes....then he did number two and ran right over again! He was a little too exuberant the second time and jumped, but we will work on that. The big deal is that he knew he did a great job and was very happy.

This week has been full of interesting things for him. The other day, I left 3 pairs of shoes in the kitchen. yeah, im bad...he decided he needed to hoard them for some reason. It was bedtime so when I went over to put him to bed, I noticed a shoe. When I went to grab the shoe, I noticed ALL 6 of them were in the crate! It was just too cute!

Last night, we went on a field trip to PetSmart. Buddy was a jerk as usual but Bryce was really good. You could see he was very scared on the walk in and out but having Buddy helped him realize he just needed to do what I was doing....walking in the store. We met some of the store clerks and Bryce thought one of the girls was pretty sweet. Sweet enough to lick her hand when she put it out to pet him. YEAH!! big deal for him since he still runs from me in the house if I move the wrong way.

I cant wait to see how much more puppy he can act. He loves to play with Buddy and is starting to do some play bows. I cant tell you how much it warms my heart to see him be a dog with confidence instead of a scared little thing that cowers all the time.