He did great at the clinic for his treatments. He was well liked. And, even after getting what was probably a very painful shot on the first day he was still all wags and smiles on the next day for his second shot. What a nice disposition. The vet thought he was younger than 2 yrs old. The Alabama vet estimated 1-2 yrs. The clinic vet thought younger than 2. So, let's split the difference and call him 18 months :-) He came in at 62 pounds at the clinic. Like I've mentioned he needs to gain a good 10 pounds. My guess is that he should ideally be about 75. Big Boy!
Before the shots he and Winnie had a great time playing together. He was very good with her and I've linked a video showing some of it below. Also, before the shots I took him for a walk one evening. I should say he took me for a walk. He wasn't horrible and for the most part stayed on the sidewalk and followed Winnie but if I wanted to go one direction and he another we were definitely going his way.
He does like toys and chews. He's a big fella and he will even pull the fleece blanket out of his crate and carry that around like a toy. It's funny to watch.
We have a 4 foot fence around the yard and despite his size he hasn't tried to go over the fence at all. He's been content to explore within the fence line.
It seems like he does know "shake." He demo'd it in one of the videos we linked below but he had only just arrived so I didn't want to say for sure that he had done it on command. But, after more than a week now I'd say he reliably shakes. Someone thought enough to teach him a few things but unfortunately they didn't think enough to get him onto monthly heartworm preventative :-( .
He takes treats nicely and will wait his turn when I hand them out to him and Winnie. I feed him about 2 cups of dry food with each meal and he eats it all well.
He continues to do his potties outside. One night I thought he had had an accident in my daugher's room but it I think now it was just drool from where he was sleeping on the floor. There's been no signs of any other accidents. He gets out several times a day and like I said he's in the crate quite a bit these days. Oh, he squats to pee. I've only seen him lift his leg once in the yard and that was the first day he arrived. Since then he squats.
He is tall and his head is right at the level of our kitchen table and our kitchen counters are not that much higher. I've caught him a couple of times checking out what was on the kitchen counters. Again, another opportunity for some manners training.
Our daughters have had friends over and he's loved each one of them. The challenge, if anything, is getting him to not give a big hug when someone new comes over.
I haven't introduced Woody to my male dog, Miles. Miles has a Napolean complex and has a hard time with larger males. So, they stay separated by a gate. Also, I have a female standard poodle who would probably be just fine with Woody but now that he needs to stay calm I'll wait until his few weeks are over before allowing them to circulate together. In the mean time he can chill on the couch with me and Winnie.
Thanks for reading and thanks for thinking rescue.
Woody and Winnie Playing
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| Gorgeous boy or what! |
