Quick Update

The boys are doing very well. As far as the house rules are concerned, both boys have to sit and wait before I let them outside. Guinness is the pushy one, so I make him wait and give Basil the okay to go first. They both know the routine now and I don't have to remind them all the time now.

The food bowl - we no troubles at the food bowl. Basil has his spot and Guinness has his spot. No matter who I feed first, the other doesn't try to make a run for it and eat it.

"Go get it" or "Go find it" and "come" - this is a game that our trainer plays often. Throw a treat within their line of sight and say "go get it" and then have them come back. It's mental exercise, tires them out and reinforces them to "come". I bought Wet Nose treats and they are awesome for this because they are tiny so the boys won't gain weight for having too many treats.

Prissy pants Basil won't lay "down" on his belly if the floor is cold (tile, linoleum). Well guess what? I had an apple and Guinness went right down! I praised him and he got an apple. Guess who went down on his belly on cold tile floor quicker than lightening after that? Yup. Prissy pants Basil.

The door - The door situation is still a work in progress. Basil is still reactive but quiets down after about 3 sets of "bark bark bark bark bark bark" I tell him "quiet!" and he knocks it off. When he's calm, he sits. Then he's allowed to be greeted. It does work. Our trainer Renee suggested that when we expect company we should keep Basil in the kitchen behind the baby gate but Guinness outside and teach him what is expected of him (sitting in his bed far from the door). I was stubborn and thought I should do the reverse since it's Basil I want to train out of this behavior. But Renee was right. It's a lot more manageable esp when people have already arrived to have Guinness out. Then Basil realized quickly that he gets no attention if he doesn't calm down. I want to practice more. I might start with Guinness. He knows what's expected. He goes right to his bed without being asked to. He can be the model for Basil.

Health - Basil had an ear infection a while back and it seems to have finally cleared up and gone away for good. In the past, they tend to linger. He licks his paws at night still even though we changed his food. I think he just does it out of boredom. Ellie Mae's mom tells her to "leave it" and she stops licking compulsively, so I started doing that with Basil and it works. Basil has gained a little weight since he hasn't had as much activity. Guinness is a good weight though. Basil also has a little raisen size wart on his lip that we're getting checked out. Guinness is in good health and has no allergies. Since changing his food to Honest Kitchen Zeal, his poop and digestion seems much better. His gas doesn't smell bad anymore and he doesn't gas as often. He smells good all the time. His booboo is doing a lot better. It's all healed and eventually his fur will grow out.

Otherwise they are happy. WE LOVE THEM! I don't know what I would do without them!!! I just hug them and love them to pieces everyday.

23 Months!

Look at this handsome mug!

Basil is 23 months old. He's still weighing in at 24.5 lbs, but he's really filled out and mature looking. He has really strong leg muscles. He's getting raw veggies to fulfill his dietary needs. The only thing new is that he had some irritated patches on his paw. We think it's due to him being outside while Keith cuts the lawn. His paw cleared up right up after some TLC by moi.



His ears were getting infected again too, so we started administering the ear medicine from the vet again. We still bathe him once a week and clean his ears 2x a week which keeps him itchy free. We are so proud that he's such a good listener. We take him to play with the neighbor dogs and kids and he is soooo well behaved. Basil made a new friend Betty. He also gained a new auntie Sugar. His cousins love him too. Basil learned what a new baby is. Mommy has finally gotten used to sleeping with paws in her back and snorting in her ear. As a reward, Basil got a new harness and new toys. Basil is very smart and has "good breathing", so mommy wants him to do some agility training. He's too smart to stay home all day.



What's next for this handsome dog? Some agility/obedience training and a 2 year old BIRTHDAY PARTAYYY!!!!

18 months

Here is Basil's 18 month photo:



Our little boy is growing up. (sniff sniff) He's very healthy now. He's alert, playful, strong, energetic and still a good listener. His thighs have definitely grown more muscular. Looks like a pork chop. All his hair has grown back. He's still smart and very clever. He rings the bell when he wants a treat even if he does not have to go potty. Nice try buddy! He knows his name very well. He knows "heel" when we take walks. We went to the park and he stopped at the end of every block when I told him to stop and stay. In the mornings, he runs to all the bedrooms to check on us before he goes out to potty. He lays with us. He knows his toys. He kicks his ball and tosses his bone in the air! Pretty soon he will be learning the alphabet.

A few things we want to work on:

• learn commands to not bark at people when in the car.
• Heel more (to keep him from sniffing just anyone).
• I've been listening to Cesar Millan and how to be a pack leader. It's very insightful and I learned a few things myself.
  

Health Update

Basil has been noticeably stronger and more muscular. His thighs and abs are lean, but very muscular. When he plays, he pulls much harder. To our surprise, he was able to take our friend's hyper Boston Terrier. When he steps on us, it hurts a lot more! ahaha His face also seems different. It seems fuller and a tad more mature. Ahhh, we don't want him to lose his puppy face!

Otherwise, no itches. Every few days, we change up his diet and give him some pear, apple or cheese. We're on the move doing research and slowly changing his diet to see if there are improvements. We made the mistake of leaving his shampoo on too (thinking it would help) and he had a rash on his sac. In 3 days, I kept wiping it clean and it cleared up right away.

We started to feed him Blue Buffalo: his smelly gas had decreased and his coat looks more shiny. However, we noticed he's been itching under his chin a bit and licking his paws. Also, this last week, he's been getting the worse case of boogie eyes. K wants to take him off of it right away. We're going to move to Taste of the Wild while we research raw feeding.

We're starting to get ready for Christmas! Target has some really cute doggie pajamas.