So I thought I would pop in and let everyone know how things are going for Mr. Tonka as today marks his first week in his new home.
It went by so fast for us. We are all doing extremely well and have only had one minor incident which needed some extreme correcting but Tonka managed to recover and correct his actions very nicely.
So we are now as a family (me, BF, Gracie, Roscoe and Tonka) taking a brisk hour walk every morning around 5:30. It's not unusual for us to walk all together but we usually do the walks in the evenings and it's usually a more simple stroll. This little change has made a world of difference in all the dogs manners inside and outside of the house. They really are much more calm and relaxed when we get home from work now. At that point we all go out for the afternoon potty break and then back in to hydrate for our evening walk. They truly do respond well to structure and routine as they seem to know that it's time to drink some water and relax for a bit longer (we do that because we live in the city and the concrete is just too hot for their pads late afternoon and into the early evening) and we wait for the sun to go down a bit. Then we'll all go out for a good walk and practice basic manners on a leash and get some additional exercise. I can actually walk all three of them at my left side with maybe a minor tug (Rosco tries to eat the dead whatever it is on the ground) here and there but all considering, that's not too bad. With a quick correction and he's back with us all. Sometimes I manage to forget he's only 7 months old and still a baby. So with that I personally think he's doing wonderful. Tonka has totally set the bar for the walks. He's AMAZING on the leash. He stays at my side and never walks in front of me. He actually responds the best to corrections. Tonka really isn't crazy about excited dogs. So if another dog passes that is pulling their lead or barking it makes Tonka uncomfortable and he'll whine or bark if I don't catch it in time. My focus is to keep him focused on me and our task. He really is awesome at that and if I'm on top of it so is he.
I couldn't be happier with how things are turning out and he seems to be adjusting really well. He's learned to wait patiently for breakfast and dinner (though the bubbles he makes are sort of gross as he's waiting) and he will even relax now when everyone else is relaxed and watching tv or reading or something. Rosco and Gracie love him and he's finally starting to participate in the play time Rosco and Gracie have. Linus the cat doesn't really pay attention to him and it's almost as if Linus doesn't know that Tonka exists. Tonka is going to be neutered very soon (I've got my fingers crossed for this week) so we are curious as to how that may change his personality or behavior if at all.
The BF is taking a photography course and I've been begging him to get pictures of all the four leggers so I could post them for you all and for Stacey and her kids so he's promised me he will be doing that very soon.
I'm not sure if any of you remember that Aeryk and I decided to keep a running tally of "horse comments" so I'd like to share with you all that the total is 12 up to right now. Though as annoying as that may be I think the staring is probably more annoying. Not from people walking but drivers. It's sort of worse than watching a person in heavy traffic typing a text message on their phone. I just want to carry a sign with me that say's "Keep your eye's on the road, and no he doesn't have a saddle!"..... Passive aggressive? Maybe. But staring is pretty rude too.
Again, I'll post some pictures when I get them.
