Now that we’ve had little Jackson for about a week I figured I should post some more photos and info about how things are going.
Jack is doing really well and seems to be settling into our home quite nicely. We don’t have much in the way of a routine or a schedule yet, but we’re working on getting there soon.
- Yesterday was a turning point in figuring out food for him. He seems to like eating small amounts periodically throughout the day… just like me!
- He hasn’t quite figured out sleeping through the night yet, but he’s only 8 weeks old. Mostly he just wakes up once in the middle of the night to go out, otherwise he falls asleep pretty quickly and sleeps until about 5:30 a.m.
- House training is going very well so far, We have had very few accidents in the house and Jack has even started going to the door to let us know when he needs to go out.
- We are crate training Jack and that is still a work in progress. He cries a little bit when we put him in the crate most times but it seems to be easing up for the most part. We are working hard to alleviate any separation anxiety he has.
- Jackson is definitely teething and wants to gnaw on anything and everything he can get his sharp puppy teeth on. It’s great to feel prepared in dealing with that this time.
- The cats are doing really well with Jack. Oliver and Jackson seem to almost be pals already, and Henry is quite indifferent to Jack, as he is about most things. Both of them seem very comfortable with Jackson, though, which is fantastic.
The weather has been sort of iffy this week but we have managed to take advantage of sun breaks each day and get some great playtime outside. Jackson is a fast runner and loves to sprint around the perimeter of our backyard. I have a feeling there’s going to be a “dog track” around the outside of our yard someday soon from those four big paws.
Changing the focus from Jack a bit, Oliver cat gave us a little scare on Thursday night. He came in from playing outside and seemed to be choking or gagging on something. After a while, I decided that there was something going on so I took him to the animal ER. Indeed, he did have a very nasty, thick, sharp piece of grass caught way back in his throat. He had to be sedated for the docs to remove it. Oliver has made a quick recovery and was able to come home with me that night.
I got a glimpse at Jackson’s future of being a front porch dog. I am really looking forward to having our morning coffee out on the front porch with Jackson laying out and soaking up some Seattle sunshine with us.
We have introduced Jack to sitting, laying down and standing using food lures and hand motions. Hopefully this week we’ll graduate into the “sit”/”down”/”stand” commands using hand motions and verbal cues. He is getting used to his leash and we have not started walking much with him yet. We are going to be very strict about teaching him how to walk on a leash so as to avoid starting any bad habits from the beginning.
Things are off to a really great start. I think we are much more prepared and confident this time around!