Ludo is 15 weeks (in two days)!

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

This was, again, a really low-key week of just working from home, but more like playing-with-Ludo-from-home, really. I am lucky to have automated a lot of what I do so I can do all this playing without falling behind on anything else.  

It turns out that I'm kind of spineless when it comes to extending how long Ludo goes between potty breaks.  He's Poochie Bell trained and rings the bells every time now (plus some) and we have not had any accidents in several weeks (we had one random day about 3 weeks ago where he peed inside 3 times though he had been consistently going outside before that and has not had an  accident after that either).  There were a couple days of abusing the bells where he rang them probably 60 times each day.  Just out of silliness, I tagged Poochie Bells in an instagram photo about it and they told me to take him out every other hour and ignore the ones in between.  Well, I'm having a hard time with that because he is definitely abusing them less and when I ignore him, he'll keep ringing them as though to say "MOM!!! I REALLY HAVE TO GO!!!!" and low and behold, he goes every time I've ignored him.  This would be all well and good except the sweet pup who was sleeping through the night is now getting up like clockwork at 4:30 to go outside (and sometimes at 1 and 6:30 too).  It doesn't bother me so much, but I just know that he CAN sleep through the night. So I've created a small-bladdered monster who can't hold it.  My job this week is to read and learn how to fix my own mistakes and start him back in the right direction.

I taught Ludo "go to your bed" this week as well and it is still a work in progress, but he knows the command.  I have been working on "stay" and he understands the concept for me to get about two steps away, but then he's right back at my side.  Again-- some more reading needed on my part.  

One cool thing (well for me... and for Ludo, he just doesn't think so) is that I took him to the groomer for the second time.  Since Ludo first growled when he came home (and we've discussed this and all concluded it wasn't aggression), I've had somewhat of a subtle nervousness taking Ludo places.  Like when he bit the vet when she gave him a shot, it sort of reinforced that nervousness for me.  It's not like I'm a ball of nerves, it's more like a pleading prayer of "Please let everything think he's awesome like I do." Apparently, my sister said it happens to her with my niece... a back-of-the-mind dread of just not knowing if your kid is going to behave themse

lves wherever you take them.  Well he did!  He had a few minutes at the beginning of being nervous, but he calmed down. I stayed the whole time since it was only really a nail file + sanitary trim + trimming the hair in front of his eyes and it only took about 10 minutes total.  She used the nail Dremel, the clippers for his paws and sani trim and then she scissored his paws and used blending shears on his eyes.  She comb brushed him and *this is the cool part* kept telling me that she would expect to see some matting or tangling but that I have been doing a great job of keeping him brushed.  She had a big smile on her face and told me she was really impressed.  She also said she was very impressed with Ludo for how quickly he calmed down and she even said the words without any question or prompting from me "He is doing really awesome and there is just not one bit of aggression here."  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can't tell you what a weight off my shoulders it was to hear someone else say that.

Needless to say, I left that appointment feeling so elated that I had been doing a good job taking care of Ludo's coat and she checked his ears and said they looked great. And I was even more excited to hear her comment on the complete LACK of aggression.  It was such a great feeling.  We talked about at his next visit (which will almost certainly be a full groom) what I wanted him to look like and I told her that I like his current length and the way his ears are shaped now (I'm a fan of the natural ear shape as opposed to growing the hair out long) and so she took some pictures to reference for his next visit.  Hopefully that means smooth sailing.

I'm considering hiring a one-on-one trainer for Ludo.  He doesn't really have anything right now that warrants some private training as far as correcting behavior.  But I want a well. behaved. dog.  I am hoping Ludo can become a therapy dog at some point and in general, I just want him to be outstandingly well-behaved.  I know it couldn't hurt to do some extra training with a professional outside of group classes to get him set up for success.  I'm reaching out to some positive reinforcement trainers locally to see if it is something, cost-wise, I'd be able to swing.  

He still grows sweeter and sweeter every day.  He now cuddles with me on the couch during nap times and sometimes comes over to me and wants to be picked up and held.  He absolutely has my heart.  It is pretty crazy how he has become my life. I work during his nap times but otherwise, I'm playing with him or paying attention to him the entire rest of the day.  It's really nice though, to be able to identify when I just need a break and to be able to put him in his cage and go shopping or out for coffee or take a bubble bath (and now that he's doing better in his crate, I can take that bubble bath without just hearing him barking and crying).  It's also funny how he is so not a night owl.  He starts trying to get me to take him to bed for the night (not joking) at about 6:45 pm.  I guess that means I'm doing a good job of keeping him busy during the days!  I wouldn't have it any other way, but it truly is a full-time job.

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Joann, Ludo will be 5 months old on January 5th and right now he weighs about 24 pounds, but he's on the low end of normal for weight!  At 16 weeks he weighed 20.6, so I'm expecting him to weigh anywhere from low 40s to low 50s!

[Joann Valerio]

Such a cutie.. How much does he weigh now?

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Jessica, I followed you!!  He is Ludo.the.doodle on instagram!  I'd be interested to hear the kinds of things you'd have been interested in a trainer helping with vs. what you'd think you could do on your own.  Ludo has the basics down, I think, but at the same time, I'm not exactly sure WHAT I'd use the trainer for.  I'm having him evaluated next week with one regardless. We'll see!!

[Julie, Eloise & Beasley]

Ludo is so adorable and it sounds like you're doing a fantastic job with him!  Your blogs are great to read.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

It sounds like you are raising a very nice puppy.  Congratulations on your hard work.

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

oh and I just saw the bit about becoming a Therapy Dog and it is such a great thing to be able to do! Loki just passed his exam and it was a long journey to get there and lots of hard work training, if you can find a great trainer that really gets along with your dog I would be for that. I never found such a person, the only trainers I could find either seemed rushed and hurried and seemed to only be in it for the money, or seemed to focus way too much of their time on things that I didn't want to focus on- i.e. things I knew I could work on myself with him. I did find one trainer who seemed fantastic and really hit it off with Loki but at a meet and greet, they made some comment along the lines of "Oh yes I work with some designer dogs as well" and that just rubbed me the wrong way so we never made an appointment.  I ended up referring to the DK training group for all of my training help and just spent the time myself- which probably took a lot more time that it would have with a professional, I just couldn't find someone who really clicked with Loki and I. 

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

oh I love reading your blogs! If it makes you feel better about the shots, Loki glares at who ever is coming near him with a shot- I don't know how he does it but I swear he gives them the look of death (imagine his christmas card face X 100) and at 90lbs it scares the crap out of the vet techs, they now just bring two of them in the room and have Loki focus on the one who is holding peanut butter. What is your instagram? My boys have one, Loki_Moose_bernedoodles and I would love to follow you!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Good job Kaitlin :)  Love reading about your day to day adventures with raising Ludo.   

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Love to read your bogs Kaitlin.  I think Ludo is your "heart dog".  

[Nancy & Echo]

I'm so happy that others are seeing him as non-aggressive too.  Of course, that would be important for first impressions for therapy dogs too.  It sounds like he's very attached to you and you're doing a great job with him. I like the way you are trying to set him up for success.  Thank you so much for your blogs!