8 month old, pooch!

Gunyr is 8 months old. Where did my little puppy go? He is huge but still has that baby face that I can't say no to. He knows so many words, phrases, and commands that its crazy. He loves his car rides, his nearly 5 days of the week at the dog park, his cookies (we get at Petco), and his walks. He has been such a blessing. Him and Bunker both. I can't imagine not having them in our family. Its so cute when Gunyr gets in trouble, Steve once told Gunyr to come and when he didn't, Steve started counting like he was talking to a child. By the time he got to three, he just stopped and said "uh, why in the heck am I counting?" We laughed about that for days. He is ready for daddy-hood.
Here are a few links of videos I put up on our YouTube of Gunyr. He has grown so much and, as you can see in the videos, loves his Frisbee.
Dog Park fun
Frisbee fun

There are more then this up as well as videos of sweet Tubbles and Bunker. I just don't have the patience to share each one on our blog as well so please go check out our home videos if you are interested.

 

Obedience Progress

Gunyr is doing so well in his training. I really want to get him in to Agility soon. I need to start looking in to local agility classes around town and getting some prices. Today he is 23 weeks. We did a little show-off session on all he has learned. Although I did leave out the sit and stay and walk out the room as he still stays in the same place. But he is doing really well with that. Hope you enjoy the video. Click here to watch on our family You Tube channel.

Waiting for the O.K.

Popcorn on the head. Such a good smart boy.

Losing puppy teeth

Gunyr is 22 weeks old! Can you believe it? He is almost 6 months old. I think I mentioned a few weeks back that I was going to do a video of all his new tricks he has leaned around 20 weeks but I just haven't gotten around to filming it. I will soon, promise. Lots of new things happening in the Cox family but I will talk about those in future posts.
I just can't believe he is growing up so quickly! Our first year together is half way over. If puppies can have Terrible Twos (at six months), he is so there! He barks, growls, groans, and whines until he has his way. If you tell him to lay down, he will give a big sigh and groan a bit and then pretty much falls to the ground in a big huff and puff fit. But if you have a goodie waiting for him after he does the trick, then he flies to the floor and drooling by the time he makes it back to the sitting position. His salivary glands are coming in nicely. He literally looks like he has shoe laces hanging from his mouth when he drools for goodies. Its funny to watch.

We have been finding little puppy teeth all around the house. Here is a photo of two that we kept. I think its the same tooth on both sides of his top teeth. He lost them days apart.

baby teeth!

22 weeks

Big-dog teeth are starting to come in

Clicker Training

At 15 weeks, we started clicker training Gunyr. He has really taken to it and we have made some good progress in his obedience. He now knows how to sit, lay down, back to sit from lay down, shake (his paw), come, stay until recalled, and fetch! We got one of the Chuck It fetch toys that make the ball go farther and he just loves it. We are now working on standing on command, catch (a treat), and of course, heel. There is a you-tuber that I follow that teaches how to do cool dog tricks like fetching a drink from the fridge, that Gunyr will be working on soon. The page is called tab289. Check him out. I will soon post a video of Gunyr's progress on our you tube, maybe around his 20 weeks so he has some time to practice more for the camera.

14 weeks (with his baby teeth still in)

15 weeks

16 weeks

big boy teeth coming in (16 weeks here)

A bit has happened since I blogged last. Tubbles had her yearly vet check up and vaccinations. I am worried about her weight gain. She is now 9 1/2 lbs. Her vet said she has had some significant weight gain since her last check up and gave me a recommendation for feedings. I still haven't started it because I am so scared of her being hungry. She has always been on free feedings; there's always food in the bowl. Now Bunker is getting a belly and I know I need to do something.


my sleepy boy. He is nine months old this month!

..and sleepy girl. She turns seven years old this month!

Got the carrier out for Bub to go to the vet and since Bunker has not yet had a yearly vet visit, he doesn't know he will soon hate carriers. Haha.

sun bathing

Play time! I love the look in Bub's face.

working while hanging with my wonderful husband.

Todays is actually a big day for my husband! He applied for a position in the company he works for about a month ago and has done about four interviews for it within that time. It would be a wonderful promotion for him and would almost double his salary. Today is that last interviews he has with the company righter-ups (without a better term for them). Hopefully he learns if he gets the promotion today but there are other candidates so who knows when we find out. If he doesn't get selected, he has decided to leave the company to join me in working from home but he will be doing it full time. Its near the same pay as the promotion he is working towards so either way, he will be moving on from what he is doing now. We prayed together before he left for work this morning and what happens next is all in God's hands.

Later that day: My husband called and he nailed his interviews! He got his promotion and is going to be the "Boss Man"! After a few weeks of training in Pennsylvania, he will be the boss! Wow, words go beyond how proud of him I am. He has only worked there a year and is going to be above those who trained him. He is such a hard working man, there is no better hands for this sort of responsibility to be in. I am just so proud of him, I am beaming!

13 weeks in action

A few photos of Gunyr at 13 weeks at the dog park. He is full of energy and can now keep up with Stephen sprinting. He is learning to stand his own ground when bigger dogs wrestle with him but he still runs to us when he gets nervous.
This morning I needed to go return some things at the store and Stephen decided he wanted to come with. We had just gotten home from the dog park so we thought it would be okay to leave him home since he was fast asleep. About an hour later we came home to his work issued shoes with a ripped out and ripped up sole.. well his second work shoe. The first sole in this other work shoe was ripped up last week. So, now he has a pair of sole-less work shoes. Wonderful. We couldn't yell because he probably did it when he first woke up and he wouldn't know what we were yelling about. I just really wish we had a crate to put him in for when we leave. Very dumb to decide not to implement crate training.

Trying to recapture his stolen Frisbee

The best icebreaker

Gunny, Gunyr's nickname that we just randomly started calling him, is the best icebreaker. I talk to people on the street that I would not even notice otherwise. We always get stopped to ask his breed, age, and to give him lots of rubs.
Gunyr has done for me what I have not been able to do in a year; meet our neighbors. I just realized it really has been a year since we first moved here from Germany. Doesn't even seem like its been 6 months. But anyways, I take him for two longer walks a day and then small outings to go potty every hour or so. All of which there is always someone else out walking their dog or whatever they do.. we run in to many people. There are a few that I have gotten to know well by them always, without fail, coming up to me every time we are out at the same time. One is a sweet older lady who has just fallen in love with Gunyr. She has two big dogs and feeds a stray cat that, on occasion, greets me as well when I come out in the mornings. Another is a younger couple, like Steve and I, who just got a nine week old Golden. She is sooo small. Gunyr was also nine weeks old when we got him and he was not that small. Maybe its the Bernese Mountain Dog in him that makes him a large puppy.
Gunyr does not seem like a 12 week old pup. Yep, he is 12 weeks old. He is now large enough to stand on his hind legs and reach the table. He can jump up on to the couch if he gets a running start but still to small to do that to get on to the bed.
He now knows how to Sit, Stay, and Come. Heel has been a real challenge and it doesn't help that we got a retractable leash.. but it is easier on my patience and nerves to just let him explore and do what he wants on our walks. Yelling "HEEL" every 5 seconds isn't working... so we'll just explore for now until his attention span is more then a bag of rocks.

A few photos of Gunyr at 12 weeks :D

Such a happy puppy.

The Kong!

One thing I would like to know.. how have we gotten through these last few weeks with this wild child without a Kong toy? We left Gunyr in our bedroom (since we don't have a crate or baby gate) to go grocery shopping. This is the second time he has been left alone since he has been ours. We left his toys and a bone thinking it will keep him occupied.. Wrong!
We came home to shredded puppy training pads. We were planning on taking him to Petco that evening anyways to some more Halo puppy food and we decided we need to get him the infamous Kong toy. You put Kong stuff'n (actual name of it), treats, whatever, in it. Takes him hours to try to lick inside it to get to the food. We got some Liver flavored stuff'n that comes in this cheese wiz bottle and comes out that way too.
We are really happy with it and he can't chew through the plasic of the Kong itself... and he is teething so he just loves to chew. I will be on the phone with a customer (since I work from home) and I will have to go offline after every call because he is chewing on something else, barking at his food or the cats, chewing the carpet, the cat tree, magazines, getting poo out of the litter box, or trying to dig in to his bed. Its so frustrating so I hope the Kong will occupy him while I am working and need silence and can't get up to correct his behavior. Sometimes I will be on a call and all I can do is watch him while he destroys the house or try to throw things at him to get him to look up but he usually goes right back to chewing on my shoes, cat toys or whatever he may have at the time.

So I wrote everything above earlier and woke up this morning to the dispenser top of the Kong Stuff'n can chewed off.. so much for using that to occupy him until we buy more. He won't pay attention to it unless there is a yummy treat to try and get at. AHHHH! [pulling my hair out] ... can I ever go back to work?

I really do keep things off the floor and out of reach! Bunker is also still a kitten and jumps up on everything knocking things down. That's how Gunyr get most of the things he chews on except for those items that stay on the floor... its like they are working together. Geesh!

Who tooted?

Crystal: [Talking to Bunker and Gunyr] Woah! I know one of you tooted, I can smell it.. whew!

Steve: [jokingly] Breath deep, babe. Figure out who did it.

Yep, that is a conversation that happened this morning. HA! Both Bunker and Gunyr toot when they get excited and sadly enough, we know who did it by the way it smells.. So thats why this conversation was so funny to us.

In three days, I started and finished the book Raising a dog named Scout.. I absolutely loved it and recommend it for all those who are starting this adventure of raising a pup because it makes all those happenings that make you want to rip your hair out and take him back to where you got him into something that is funny and its good to know that what your pup is doing and how he is acting is normal.
Another good book, that I have mentioned before, is A Dogs Purpose. Now that book is probably the best book I have read in years. It now has a second and last book called A Dogs Journey. Equally good.

At the very beginning of Raising a Dog Named Scout, it mentions how getting a new puppy makes you miss your old one. That is so true. Ever since Gunyr came in to our lives, I have been reminiscing with my husband about how Lucky would do this and Snobell used to do that.
Lucky and Snobell were my childhood dogs. They helped me learn patience and kindness towards animals. I learned how to train dogs with Lucky when I did 4H and got to work with a professional trainer. Such good memories. I missed them terribly when I left home at age 16 and got a little trailer with Steve. Steve can tell you how I cried myself to sleep with their picture in my hand. Thankfully, when my Dad and I got on better terms, I was able to see them often and was able to say goodbye to Lucky before my Dad had to put him down when he got sick and the vet said that was the only option. I don't have a digital photo of them and taking a photo of a photo would be tacky but hopefully soon I will remember to dig a photo of them out and scan it up on to here.



Puppy-hood

You know your a dog owner when you know the names of other dogs (and owners) that come to your dog park on a regular basis.

Today Gunyr is eleven weeks old! I have been trying to get my hands all things dog training and puppy-hood whether it be information online or books and magazines (Dog Fancy and Ceaser's Way are my favorites). I am so worried of not doing something right. I want him to be well rounded and sociable to both other animals and people as well as listen and obey. I am trying to get him to experience everything so he is not afraid of anything. I make it a point to take him to the dog park at least twice a week, walk him next to cars (on the sidewalk), doing multiple command training sessions a day, have him walk near water to start getting comfortable around it, bathing/grooming, etc. I still need to start brushing his teeth, clip his nails as well as a few other things I would like him to get used to while his mind is still open to new things.

I think he is teething because he loves to chew. We don't let our home be bone-less. He always has a bone in his bed, our bed and probably under our bed somewhere. I tried my best to puppy proof our home but I slacked last night and plugged my tablet in to the wall outlet to only find out 10 minutes later he chewed through the cord. Thank goodness we have extras... now its charging in the kitchen on the counter.. I learned my lesson.

When it comes to housebreaking, I take Gunyr out to potty every hour and if I don't watch the clock, he goes inside but happily on the puppy training pads then take him outside with the puppy pad to let him smell it out there as well as reward him when he goes potty outside. He is doing well with it.

Bunker has become pretty comfortable around Gunyr but Tubbles still wont come down from her cat tree unless its morning and she knows he is still asleep, then its prime time for play with Bunker. I have noticed she is less fearful with him but she still doesn't appreciate him coming near her.

I have no idea when he went from shelter pup to having horrible separation anxiety with us. We have to take him everywhere (which was great, he loves car rides) and if I need to go somewhere not dog friendly, I have to wait until Steve is home to stay with him. The first time (and currently only time) I had to leave him alone was when I let him stay in the car so I could run in to the library super fast. I gave him a bone to occupy him but I could hear him crying and screaming even at the entrance of the library.. and I parked a ways away to keep him in the shade. I tried my best to hurry and when I walked out, I could still hear him. He was so upset.This is something we are going to work on. I have done a lot of studying on the best way to overcome separation anxiety so its important to us for him to know we are coming back.

We were taking him to the Brandywine dog park until we learned about the Talley Day Bark Park. That is now our dog park. Its the only one in the state of Delaware that has a fenced in play area for both small and large dogs. We have been socializing him in the small dog park but since he is a growing boy, I can see he will soon be meeting friends in the large dog park. I met a woman with a large yellow lab and she said he was eight months old. My goodness. That is right around the corner for Gunyr. He is already bigger then when we adopted him up... such a good growing healthy boy.

Hope you enjoy a few photos of his first adventures at the Bark Park, lazy mornings at home, and a few from our walks together..

Gunyr and Pepper

Making new friends

A puppy just as old as him

silly Gunyr

taking up my side of the bed

Sleepy after a morning at the Bark Park

Meet Gunyr

Meet our sweet sweet little boy Gunyr, pronounced Gunner with awesome spelling. He is a Labrador and Bernese mix. We rescued/adopted him yesterday from the Delaware Humane Association. He was born on January 17 2013. His birth mom was in foster care and up for adoption. The litter of pups came in to the shelter for adoption themselves the day before we decided to come look at the dogs available. We were in love as soon as we took him for a walk at the shelter and applied for adoption that day.

Before we picked him up, we went to Pet-smart and got his halter and leash along with his food bowls, some healthy organic shampoo, training treats and a few other essentials. As soon as we were able to pick him up, which was the day after we applied,we drove to Petco and he got to pick out all his toys and treats. We initially named him Bloodsworth and Blood for short. Steve always wanted a dog named Blood so we did... until everyone that asked his name at Petco and outside on walks would give us a shocked look. We decided that its best to choose something else... So Gunyr he is!

Today we went for a morning stroll around the complex since it was so warm and beautiful. He loves his walks but his legs are so little, he can only go so fast but he sure tries. He has to jog to keep up. He is so fun to watch. Later we went to the dog park at the Brandywine Park. Its off-leash and he loved playing fetch. We train with positive reinforcement and barely punish unless he wines at his feline brother or sister then its a stern "Bad Dog"!. We don't believe in hitting or physical  punishment AT ALL! All it does is make him afraid of you. His legs are still too short to comfortably climb the stairs to the apartment but sometimes he will try to climb them himself and other times Steve has to carry him. And as for housebreaking him, he is doing extraordinary. We put out puppy pads and he always went on those except once. Then today, literately one day later, he will wine and let me know when he has to potty. But if I wait too long, he will go inside on the pads... so its a race against time.

We are so blessed that the Lord brought him in to our lives. He is a true blessing. We have a dog park right here in the apartment complex so there is no excuse for him to have any pent up energy. Bunker and Gunyr have been doing great and are getting along. Tubbles on the other hand is in the bedroom and will not come out. We had to move the litter box and dishes in there because she is having the same reaction as when Bunker came in to our lives but not so extreme. She is actually doing much better with this transition then the last. We are just giving her lots of extra love and attention.


Time for a walk




He is such a beautiful little man




Walking by the water




Run Gunyr, Run!



A quick drink

More running

I love Him!

Momma holding him during his first car ride

Cuddles for Daddy

His big new comfy bed

Loved watching the birds (Brandywine Zoo)

"But Mom, I dont want to shop anymore!"

"..well, okay.. as long as I get more samples"

First bath time.

A snoring Gunyr.

My little mouth breather

"I was rescued"

Look at those huge paws! He is going to be a big dog!