Good day today

The flirt pole is working out great- I can see more relaxation in Pro's face and body. That makes it easier to concentrate and stay calm in different situations.

We're really trying to increase his time hanging out with us in the house- soon he'll have his own house, and he needs to know how to act.

Now that the kitties are being held captive on the third floor, they are safe and Pro can have more freedom to move around. He is able to go into the dining room more freely now- he runs in looking for kitties each time, with great excitement- a daily reminder that he will do better in a home without cats. This is a great opportunity to work on door manners- the door to the dining room stays shut unless he's sitting, and even then he is not allowed to barge through- he has to wait for the ok.

Today was Sunday, and a rare day off in these days of crazy busy-ness. It was a beautiful sunny day, not too cold. After Wednesday's big storm, the roads are too salty for the dog's feet, so we've been playing in the yard a lot. Big fun with the flirt pole for Pro, then he came in while Ziggy had some Frisbee fun. The dogs can hang out in the yard off leash now with good behavior if we keep things not too exciting. If we're doing something exciting like frisbee, the tension level rises. Though Pro listens very well and can be called away when getting too excited, it's too stressful for Ziggy, so for now we'll separate them for exciting stuff.

I was very happy to see one thing that happened yesterday. The dogs were both outside, and Pro got excited and tried to jump on Ziggy. Ziggy vocally reprimanded Pro, and Pro stopped right away and gave good body language- crossways to Ziggy, head and tail down, back rounded. He was saying "Sorry, no offense." Then I called him away.

Pro spent several hours hanging with us today, and it went great. The dogs mostly can chill out off leash in the house. There was one point where we could see a little competition developing over sitting near us and getting petted. No hard eyes, but some maneuvering for position. Pro was seeming jealous, and kept moving into position between Ziggy and us. So he went into his crate with a chew, and Ziggy got a chew in the kitchen, so everyone could chill out. After the chews were done, Ziggy came into the living room to hang out with us, with Pro in his crate. He cried a little, then settled down for a nap. Yay!



Ziggy having a good run



Pro in the living room- his eyes don't really glow like that!

Zig and I went to the Town Forest for some one-on-one time, and Ziggy had a nice run in the woods.