Hi Alisa! Yahoo!! Another Swissy owner! Baloo is SUCH a cutie!!!! We looked at a Swissy with one blue eye, but ultimately decided on Ranger, due to his temperament. Swissys are WONDERFUL! Can't have a house without at least one from here on out! Ranger is my first Swissy.
I'd be more than happy to help you in anyway I can! As I'm sure you know, Swissys are notorious for slow potty training! At about 6 months, Ranger starting understanding that the entire house, not just his crate, was his "den" and that he wasn't supposed to go potty in the house. We were fortunate, like you, that it was only pee in the house....but, MAN! When he did pee, it was ALOT and I called it the "travelling pee" because he'd walk around and pee at the same time. ARGH! Somedays I thought if I had to clean up pee one more time, I was going to throw myself out a window! Just hang in there, b/c at 6 months, you should have a little bit more leadway as to when to let him out and they can hold it a lot longer. They'll still be some accidents, but they are not nearly as frequent! Ranger is now 8 months and we have few to no accidents. It is a relief!
As far as food goes, we are currently feeding him Iams Large Breed. It is the only food that we found in our area that has the proper amounts of protein, fat, etc. that was recommended by our breeder. Yes, I was the big dork that read every freaking bag in the store! However, there has been some negative things flying around about Iams, so I am researching that. Also, we do a partial raw diet. No raw meat, cooked only and plenty of veggies, yogurt, etc. We found that the raw meat gave him some bad poops and it just sketched me out.
Don't know if you are doing puppy obedience, but I highly suggest it. It was a great way to socialize Ranger and get him used to obeying commands in the midst of chaos! Also, Swissys tend to be a little shy and wary of new things, which is good, but Ranger was very wary of people and other dogs. After obedience class, he was much more friendly. Of course, he is still protective, but knows that if Mom says this person/thing/dog is okay, then it is!
I just love it when they spread out on their backs! It is so funny to see Baloo doing that too! Ranger is up to 93 lbs and he STILL does it! It just takes up ALOT more room! LOL! Actually, I'm in North Carolina...but
.....I've actually thought about possibly moving to Texas, so I'd love to hear about your home state!
Feel free to send me a personal message or chat here through the forum.
Heather