First Days

Titus arrived on Monday evening about dinner time.  His first event was to go to the hobby shop with Alec and me.  He met Piper and Jude at home all of whom got along well.  Titus loaded into the car, walked up and down stairs, walked up and down narrow/dark/twisty stairs with a little coaxing, was very good with crating, ate like a horse, tore up the bedding in the crate, scratched quite a bit, and refused to pee with until the morning.

On Tuesday he hung out with Jude, Alec, Piper, and Jeff all day.  Started out with a one mile walk downtown with Jude, Jeff, and Piper to Breadcraft for breakfast.  The walk started off with a few issues and soon settled down to a nice walk and two massive poops, followed by an hour of laying on the floor while Jude and Jeff ate.  Piper was, sadly, left on the sidewalk.  On the walk home he encountered garbage trucks, jackhammers, grates in the sidewalk, and general chaos with little reaction.  He did appear tired though.  After a rest at home it was off to the shoe and dollar stores for errands where he was a perfect pup.  Then to the transportation museum with Alec and Jeff, and to yet another coffee shop.  After dinner at home Titus was mostly out of his crate resting on the floor and occasionally playing with Piper and the humans.

Tuesday was at home with Alec and Jude as they packed for the trip.  No outings.

Observations:

• As his Bland trainer mentioned, he does not naturally tug.  But he was playing intense tug games with Piper.
• He is a natural retriever stealing everything in sight.  Very good with "Give", and OK with "Get It".
• Titus was hesitant with the narrow stairs, but is now confident.
• Piper likes to be a bit dominant and Titus is respectful, but not submissive.
• Titus, on balance, seems to prefer humans to Piper and will follow Jude or Jeff around the house.
• Excellent with basic commands, very responsive.
• Not a barker at all.
• The one time that he was the slightest bit out of control was when he saw a squirrel.   Piper is a bad influence.

Training:

 

Will start on the weekly training schedule tomorrow (Thursday, September 1).

Health:

Noticed that he was scratching a bit the first night.  Today noted a possible hotspot and one flea.  His records show he is current with flea treatment, so hopefully he picked up a stray flea from outside.   Will keep an eye on it.

Plans:

Tomorrow after goodbyes to Jude and Alec it is off to Breadcraft first thing, then the bus to Tech, the dentist, the office, class, bus home, and perhaps dinner downtown.