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Time flies by so quickly, it's good to have new life in the house. Seems like you have chosen a good little companion for you and the girls.
 
It has certainly been a busy one! We got out rather closer to our usual time and wandered along beside the river, meeting people and dogs. That tired Freddy enough for him to sleep while I made a series of phone calls sorting out all the various appointments and stuff that have rather piled up over the last week. Then we went to the vet to pick up Poppy's medicines and for a sociable visit with the reception staff and a weigh in - he is a hefty 2.1 kilos/4.6lbs.

I got an easy parking spot in town (no fiddly parallel parking for me!), and carried him round the town and into one or two shops before letting him walk on a long leash around the church yard. The footpath I had planned on using was closed following a land slip, so I ended up with all three dogs on leash - Sophy and Poppy managed to fit themselves around Freddy's stop start zig zag progress a lot better than I did! We met nice dogs and nice people, including an elderly lady in a wheelchair, and he did very well. When we got home I popped him in his pen with a bowl of biscuits which he ignored, and one of the new toys which arrived this morning - a Kong puppy bone with rope. He managed 15 seconds play before falling asleep, and I think it is going to prove a favourite. It's pink, as I refuse to get into the whole blue for boys thing!
"It's pink, as I refuse to get into the whole blue for boys thing!"
☝ This! 👏👏👏🙌 Love it!
 
Discussion starter · #67 ·
I'm afraid I am hopeless when it comes to pictures! But there may be some taken by family later on.

Yesterday afternoon we drove down to stay with my sister for a family reunion - a joint birthday party, and the first time we have all been together since before the start of the pandemic. Freddy had an early lunch and a very tiring sort-of-leash walk before we left and slept solidly all the way - nearly two hours. Just as well, as there was not much sleep once he found himself in a room with seven people! For once he did not want to settle in the little pop-up pen I brought with me - far too much going on - so he more or less got passed from hand to hand and game to game until I insisted he had a rest. He did very well, and by bedtime was so tired he fell asleep the moment I lifted him up onto the bed with the Big Dogs.

I woke in the night to go to the bathroom to a very sweet sight - we are all packed into a single bed so there is less room than the dogs are used to, and when I checked on them they were lying in a row at the end of the bed, Poppy spooned into Sophy, Freddy spooned into Poppy, with her paw thrown over him. One time I really wished I had a camera to hand!

We crept around this morning - there are two people on shake downs in the sitting room, and unfortunately someone left the door open, so they got canine visitors despite my care. I managed to retrieve my laptop, clean up the one and only poo Freddy has done other than on a pad since his first day (the pads got moved when the beds went down, so his confusion is very understandable, and he did manage to mostly miss carpet), feed the dogs, make a coffee, remove the dogs once more from th room of the sleepers, and get everyone back upstairs without too much disruption. They are now all fast asleep again, but are going to need a lazy day to make up for all the excitement yesterday.

My niece, who met him on the first day he came home, reckons his legs have grown two inches since then and I think she may be right. He has certainly done one of those puppy transformations from roly poly dumpling to slim and leggy, and is having a not very hungry phase at the moment.
 
I always find it magical when the big dogs open their world to the pup.
 
Discussion starter · #69 ·
Huge excitement - I shifted into a bigger bedroom when half the family went home and went for a snooze, and Freddy discovered another puppy in the floor length mirror! In fact a whole world of dogs and puppies and people in the mirror. Cue much bouncing, barking and invitations to play, but mirror puppies never do come all the way out, just close enough to touch noses through the glass.

He has also worked out how to pick up both hippotapotapus and his ball at once - if he drops hippo's head and picks up his rope body instead he can just manage to get enough of the ball into his mouth to carry both, and is very, very proud of himself. He is now trying it with other toys too.
 
Discussion starter · #70 ·
Freddy has also learned how to run down the three steps from my sister's back door, much to my consternation. I opened the door to let the girls out for the tenth time, and instead of pausing for me to put his lead on and lift him down as he has up till now he shot down the steps with them! As the gate is a wrought iron one that he could probably slip through I will be putting his lead on before opening the door in future, no matter how desperate Poppy is to go out.
 
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Poppy spooned into Sophy, Freddy spooned into Poppy, with her paw thrown over him. One time I really wished I had a camera to hand!
Adorable.
 
Discussion starter · #79 ·
Freddy is rapidly moving from toddler stage to small boy. He is 13 weeks old today, and the changes are very noticeable. His legs seem to have grown several inches, so steps that were a challenge are now taken in his stride; he settles very quickly at night but needs more stimulation during the day; and he is ravenously hungry again this morning after a few days of consolidating puppy fat. I think we are ready to introduce some slightly more formal training games to teach him that learning is fun = I decided that what I needed to teach him to walk with me as the first stage of teaching loose leash walking is a telescopic spoon, and much to my surprise discovered that they actually exist, so one is on order. It folds down to 8", so will fit in a pocket, and extends to 24", which is just long enough to deliver a dab of chicken paste at more or less puppy nose level - should be a fun game.

I stupidly left my jacket behind at my sister's house, complete with wallet, credit cards, house keys and Freddy's long lead. I keep a spare house key hidden in the car, so that was not a problem, but took him out on a standard 4' leash last night - he hated it and fought it nearly all the way. The extra length gives him enough freedom to bounce and explore a bit, and for me to persuade him rather than him to feel forced. This morning I clipped two 4' leashes together, which was better. Even 6' is not really long enough, although it works well for the adults. I'll nip down to my sister's and collect my stuff today - I don't really want to risk the wallet getting stuck in the post, even if it means a 200 mile round trip...
 
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