Living with a Puppy

As I wrote before, we haven't had a puppy in quite some time. The Blues Brothers are mellow and effortless. We can leave them alone for hours. They sleep all day. They let us know when they have to go outside. We were in a comfortable routine. Soon to change.

The first time we had to leave Shane at home, we put him into a crate. When we got home, there were three dogs at the door. How did he get out of that crate? Big hole in the side. No more fabric crates for Shane.

My agility class threw a puppy shower for me and Shane received a lot of very cool treats and toys. Here he is with a treat that was supposed to keep him occupied for hours. In just a few minutes, he figured out how to pop the treat out of the plastic holder. Ate the whole thing, which reappeared the next day in a not so appealing way.

Shane doesn't like to be left behind. While Woody and I were at agility class, Shane tore into the sofa slipcover. The sofa is his favorite piece of furniture. He's marked it and chewed through three slipcovers. We've lost a few pillows as well. Luckily, I hate the sofa, so it wasn't such a loss.
One day I got lazy and left the toilet paper on the floor, thinking I would put it on the roll later. A little while later, the boys are all quiet, and I get curious. There is Shane standing proudly over his recent work of art. He just loves the waste baskets, which are all now elevated off the floor.
This past winter, we had an ice storm. Shane spent quite a bit of time out there attacking the snow. We built the deck over his pee spot, so he's had quite an adjustment.

For all the puppy stuff he's done, Shane is just the most loving fun dog. He loves to play fetch with the Frisbee. We spend a lot of time in our backyard practicing agility, which he just loves.

I think I've caught you up on life with puppy Shane. He's already starting to exhibit more mature behavior. He's finishing his beginning agility classes and is entered in a show at the end of August. I can't wait.