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!