Seven Months

What?  All the mommy bloggers do monthly updates!

I took this picture yesterday, Sunday, around 1:30 in the afternoon.  He looks sad because I would not take him to the dog park.  I would not take him to the dog park because his doctor gave explicit instructions:  he is to digest his food before we go to the dog park.  I had gotten home around 1pm and fed him.  We left for the dog park at 2:02.  Roughly.

I have said that he likes to run with the big dogs.  Really, he just likes to run.  Sometimes he is at the front of the pack and sometimes he gets body-slammed by the front of the pack.  I actually saw him come up limping twice yesterday, although the other time he wiped out all by himself.

I am happy to say that the only person he barked at was me.  First, because I was too slow in taking off his leash.  He was all, "Look!  All the running!  Hurry!  I'm going to miss it!"  The other time was when I refused to throw his ball.

I am starting to get a sense of when he isn't going to bring it back.

I am also happy to say that when there is a scuffle among the dogs, and I call him back, he responds.  I have a dissertation brewing in my head regarding the dynamics of the dog park, but I will spare you.  For now.

Suffice it to say that this is a dog that needs exercise.  For the next few months, he will continue going to Doggie Do Rite three days a week.  And I will take him for weekend trips to the dog park until I can't stand the weather any more. (It was a mass exodus around 3pm yesterday.)

We took him to fancy pet store on Saturday, after a trip to the vet.  He behaved nicely, even when the Boston Terrier snapped at him.  He is doing better with the coming when he is called.  Now we are working on "lie down".  He generally sleeps in my bed, but did fine with my mother and the cat when I was in Washington.

Hopefully, by next month, we will see the trainer again to help us out with "leash manners" and we will have settled on a permanent diet.  We will also be testing how long he can stay home by himself (Thanksgiving).

Ugh.  And it seems I have to make him a Christmas stocking.