Sherlock Holmes – May 16th

May 16th 2018,

I don’t know how best to compose these blogs. What follows seems like a bit of a stream of consciousness. I’ll try to cover things he experiences for the first time and probably check in on his problems. I suppose this blog is more self-documention for tracking his progress.

Today Sherlock has learned to both ascend and descend the outdoor stairs all by himself. He used to require help climbing the stairs, but I’d lift his legs (first forelimbs then hindlimbs) onto each step going up. He learned going up the stairs rather quickly once he gained some confidence (and lots of praise). He is such a good boy when he gets to the top.

Going down the stairs however, is a completely different story. He was afraid of falling, that was clear. So I started him on the second to bottom step, and placed him there for a few seconds. He would squirm a bit and try to climb back to the top at first. Then I tried moving his legs down the same as before, with each set of legs on different steps facing the bottom. I helped his bum to the bottom step while he held himself up with his front legs. We repeated this several times.

His general temperament at the moment is composed of bursts of high energy, medium mellow, and completely lights out.

High Energy – lots of playing with toys (fetch, tug of war), running around, putting random things in his mouth, and being 100% excited puppy mode.

Medium mellow – A bit of playing, chewing on his toys or snooping around.

Lights out – I try not to wake him when he’s fully asleep.

I have been walking him on a leash at least three times a day, and I’ve found that he responds much better to the leash attached to a collar, instead of his harness. The harness is good for some situations, but I’m finding that the collar + leash is probably going to be the go-to moving forward.

Things Sherlock experienced today:

  • Stairs
  • Home Depot
  • Car ride
  • Walking on sidewalk next to busy street

Things we are working on

  • Potty training – Mostly he is doing well with not going in my apartment. The rest of the house (upstairs of a split level) is a different story. He is a sneaky pooper sometimes upstairs, and I think it’s because he gets so excited when he sees Babi and Dziadzia (my grandma and grandpa) that he needs to relieve himself. I need to keep a better eye on that.
  • Treat tracking – Following the treat while it’s in my hand
  • Sitting down – Using a treat hover overing his head to get him to sit back on his bum
  • Staying out of the garden!! This is a tough one, but I try to pull him out by his scruff when he gets in there and hold him until he’s calm. Or I’ll also make my “stop” sound (‘Tssst!’ or ‘NUH UH!’) and give him the little poke in the side with a claw hand (simulating mom’s jaws).

 

Here’s Sherlock mid-play waiting for me to throw the toy in my hand.

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