Playtime at the Press Household

Mack is feeling a lot better and hasn't coughed much since Friday.  He LOVES getting a little bit of wet food in the morning.  Mack also loves Lincoln (my cat) who's the same size as him; he constantly wants to play with Lincoln.  Every morning, Mack races around the house to find him (he's usually in the sock drawer).  I'm not sure Lincoln feels the same was towards Mack, but he's a great cat who puts up with all these foster pups.  Usually, Lincoln just ignores them.  But, he'll actually play a little with Mack.  Here's a funny video from the other day:

Mack Update

Guess what?!?! Mack hasn't had an accident in the house since Sunday! I'm so proud of him!  He's been staying home without a diaper while I am at work the past two days and no accidents (the days prior to that he was wearing a diaper when I wasn't home). I think it's safe to say he's housebroken! (Although I'd still recommend his future family buy a belly band to put on him for when you visit new places).

On the not so great news end, Mack is coughing and seems to have picked up kennel cough during his transport from AL to WI. There's nothing that we can really do for this since it's like a cold that needs to run it's course (supposedly about 10 days).  Even though he has his coughing fits, Mack seems to think he's hit the jackpot with this virus! He's getting a little bit of soft food everyday to wet his throat more, fish oil for a boost in omega 3s, and a spoonful of maple syrup everyday (it's supposed to lubricate his throat like cough syrup would).  Needless to say, he's in heaven with these "medicines!"

What a goofball!

This little guy has had me in stiches everyday... he LOVES to crawl!

Mack's Exciting News

Hi Everyone!  Mack, here.  My foster mom is letting me write this blog because I have two exciting bits of news to share.  First, my foster mom had me a wear a diaper all evening yesterday and all day today and I haven't wet my diaper or had a single accident!  (At night, she doesn't make me wear one because I'm a good pup and nudge her in bed when I need to go out).  She says I still need to wear it for a few more days, but I'm pretty proud of myself for making her so happy!

Second, we worked on a video for my future family to see and make them want to adopt me!  Enjoy!

I just can't stop fostering: Meet Mack!

Because I have a health condition that makes being outside when it's below 50 degrees for any substantial amount of time difficult,  and therefore housebreaking the foster pups more tedious, I had decided I would stop fostering in October.  But, after Rudy left, I started missing having a pup around.  The solution?  Mack!

On Fluffy Dog's petfinder site, Mack is called "Muscadine."  He wasn't familiar with the name, so I was told I could pick something new; Mack he has become and he's already responding to the name!  Mack is super smart; he knows "stand" and we almost have "sit" mastered as well!

Mack is very cute and would be a great pup for a first-time dog owner or family.  I babysat my niece last night (she's 21 months) and she loved Mack and he loved her!

He has made a number of errands with me and he's also a good co-pilot.  He stays calm and quiet and loves to watch out the window. 

In general, Mack is a pretty calm, composed, and quiet guy.  He's only barked a few times (mostly trying to get the cats to play).  Mostly, his "noises" are composed of snores (when he's sleeping) or making the sound of an Ewok (when he's trying to "talk" to someone or something).

We spent Sunday at my parent's and he did well with the other dogs.  He ran with the pack, but in general preferred to chew on his toys on his own.

Mack and I are working on his potty routine.  In general, he seems to know that he's not supposed to go inside the house.  He has done all his #2's outside.  #1 seems a bit more troublesome for him.  He always goes #1 when he's outside, but he can't seem to keep himself from marking when he's inside.  (For people new to dogs, marking is when a dog urinates a small amount on a vertical surface, like a chair leg).  Mack knows that it's wrong though and will run and hide when he's done it inside.  Mack is now wearing a homemade belly band (a towel with Velcro), so I'm hoping this will help.  (Here's a link to purchase "real" belly bands: http://www.bellybands.net) It's only been one day, so I'm not too worried; I think we can figure this out and get him to stop soon.  Marking can be for a number of reasons: anxiety, scent markings left by previous dogs, showing ownership of the area, not being housebroken, or just doing it out of habit. I think he just needs to get used to this new place with all the smells. Patience with a new pup goes a long way!  A good article on this is: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=2284

Despite this little hang-up, Mack seems to be the perfect dog so far!  I'm excited to be able to keep working with him!

Rudy's First Week

Rudy (Brut) is a great pup.  He's doing very well learning to live with his cat siblings, although sometimes he still really wants to play with them.  Rudy loves his bones; he has gotten all of the stuffed animals taken away from him because he's too rough of a chewer and is beginning to tear them apart (he hasn't chewed on anything else though in the house).  In the morning, I put all of his toys in his crate and without fail, by the end of the day, he's moved every one out and played with each; it's pretty cute to watch him bring the toys back and forth.  Rudy also loves to toss them in the air and "chase" the chew toys around the house.

Rudy has been doing very well with potty training.  As mentioned before, he will make noises or sit at the front door when he wants to go out.

Our next venture will be learning some commands.  I think he's a very smart pup and I think channeling his energy into obedience training will be very good for him.  For his future family, I think he would make an excellent agility pup.

And, of course, he's quite the snuggler.  He loves sitting with me on the couch or snoozing in the bed.  Here are two cute pics of him!


All snuggled under the covers!



Watching TV with my foster mom!

Brut's (Rudy's) Video

Barney got an app and a foster bro: Brut (Rudy)

Some more exciting news: Barney got an application this weekend and has been approved for adoption.  So, he'll be joining his new family on Wednesday.  We also got a message last week that there are 35 dogs on the waiting list to make the trek from AL to WI and move into foster homes up here; some of the dogs were slated to be euthenized this coming week.  When I read this, I knew I wanted to help out so I agreed to take a dog that arrived last week into my home to make room for some more.  His name is Brut, but I don't think the name fits, so I've been calling him Rudy.  He reminds me of Tramp from "Lady and the Tramp."

He's a very energetic boy and full of love.  Rudy loves attention and he and Barney fought for my lap all weekend long. 

 

We spent the weekend at my parents and both Rudy and Barney got along well with their two dogs.  Rudy was also WONDERFUL with my neice (who's 20 months).  She loved to pet and "hug" him (she would lay her head on him).  While we don't adopt to families with very young children, I always like to let people know how the dogs do with children in case there are neices, nephews, or grandchildren in the picture.  Obviously, I'm sure he'd do just as well with older children.

Rudy wasn't quite sure about the cats when he first moved in and chased them the first night.  But, by the next day, he was fine with them.  He hates/loves birds though.  Rudy must be on a leash or in a fenced in yard because he LOVES to chase them.  My parent's chickens got quite the work out on Saturday before we realized Rudy's obsession.

Rudy also loves to make noises; it's pretty cute.  While he does bark, he quiets quickly when told to "quiet."  Then, he turns his bark into these cute groans; it's like he's trying to contain his bark but just can't completely control himself.  He makes similar noises when he's trying to get your attention.  For instance, at night, he'll softly whine to wake me up to take him outside.  Speaking of going outside, Rudy has also taken to sitting at the front door during the day to let me know he wants to go outside.  For a stray, he seems to instinctively know how to communicate with his humans!

Barney: Week 2

I am just a very proud foster mom this week:

1. Barney is housebroken!  He hasn't had a single accident in a week and a half and he has a consistent potty schedule.
2. His neuter sutures are healing well and we took off his cone; he's much happier with it off!
3. He loves lounging in my bed.  I no longer crate him during the day since he's doing so well with his potty schedule and doesn't chew anything.
4. I took him to my parent's house a few days ago and, while he was a bit overwhelmed at first, he quickly warmed up to everyone.  He absolutely loves my parent's Fluffy Dog, Maddie (they adopted her a few months ago).  Here's a video of him playing with her!
6. Barney likes to watch dog videos.  I was watching some videos on my phone and he was so interested; he sat down on my lap and watched them too.  He would wag his tail and nudge the phone with his nose when he saw another dog. It was too cute!
7. Barney is starting to play!  Like I said, he met Maddie and loved playing with her.  He also has been taking bones and beginning to chew on them.  I gave him a squeaky plush toy as well; he seemed a bit confused at first, but I caught him dragging it around last night so I think he's getting the hang of it!

   

   I just love this pic!
   

   
   

8. He seems to know two commands: "sit" (which he actually lays down for) and "leave it"

My well-behaved co-pilot!

Things we're still working on:

1. Barney is not leash trained.  He stays near me and I can take him outside without being concerned about him running away, but we are not able to take walks.  The tension of the leash scares him.
2. He doesn't come when called.  I'm not sure if it's because he doesn't know his name or is afraid of being called; I definitely know that he knows I'm calling him (because when I go to find him, he's eagerly sitting up, wagging his tail and waiting for me), but for some reason he just won't come on his own.  I'm wondering if he's used to being called and scolded or hurt.  I know I'm earning his trust, so I'll continue to be patient!