Coming up in the world

One of the most fun things with Alfie is watching him learn about the world.

We had a vet visit this morning. He has a raging urinary tract infection. While he has been terrified of the car up to this point, I was able to get him to try to jump in on his own, and he's now trying to look out the window on the drives. He'll probably need a seatbelt at some point, but it's ok for now.

He was more sociable with people at the vet's office, and wanted to play with every dog in the room. He will learn that's not really an option, but, again-- I'm happy that he's happy.

Still scared on the table, but not cowering. It's a plus.

On to crate training...

Last night, I stayed with him by his regular crate for a while and he was going in and out on his own.

Once we went to the soft crate in the bedroom, he did well at first, but after about an hour started to cry.

I let him out for a minute and put him back. Then I moved the crate next to the bed so I could pet him. Nothing was fully soothing him.

So I laid down on the floor with my pillow right next to the crate, and that seemed to do the trick. After a while, I was able to go back to bed.

Tonight, he is stealing toys from Andre and taking them to his soft crate, which is another good sign.

Alfie has also been learning about play of all kinds.

He apparently has a natural fetch, which is fun. This is the first time he got to play ball.

And then Andre is trying to teach him how to tug with the rubber toys, but he's still not sure how that works.

Beyond the crate training, I've had cues on the brain. I'll be ready to put a cue on "sit" soon. But I think I've decided to wait a week. Next week, he's being neutered and having his hips x-rayed. He holds up a leg (alternating legs) when going down stairs, and there's the concern that he has the beginning of some dysplasia. The results of those x-rays may dictate which sports he's got in his future, and it may dictate whether I want things like a tuck sit or whether it matters. And if I want one, do I want to teach that right away, or do I just want to teach it later with a different cue?