Ludo is Four Months Old This Week

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

I can't believe I've had Ludo for going on 8 weeks and he'll be four months old this week. He had his last set of shots and did great (no nipping!) and the vet said he was super charming :) I remember seeing this particular vet with Ricky and not really liking her. Well this time... she was AWESOME! She interacted with him and brought good treats in her pocket (compared to the gross dry biscuits) and had him do tricks. She switched the needle to the smallest one they had when I told her he didn't like shots (and he didn't even flinch this time!!). I'm glad to be done with the puppy vaccines and I plan to do some "happy visits" with him over the next few months when I go to pick up his Nexguard and Heartguard (I'm buying single doses each month since he's still growing) to get the anticipation of getting a shot out of his mind and just have good memories of going to the vet. He weighed 20.6 pounds, by the way. So using the x2 rule +/- 10 pounds, he should be around 41-51 pounds. I'm excited to see how it turns out!!

One thing we've been dealing with is a bit of fear on walks. In a perfect world, Ludo never would have left the yard before being entirely vaccinated, but a few days before his final vaccination, he started just being restless and I knew that our playing inside and in the backyard wasn't quite enough for him anymore. The first few walks were AWESOME. He walks loosely on a leash right at my side... if he gets a little ahead, he stops and waits for me. He doesn't even like to go to the bathroom on walks so I usually don't have to carry a bag home. However, one day on our walk, we encountered a mowing company with a big truck that dropped the tailgate of their trailer and it made a big noise, followed by big men on the stand-up mowers... He moved a little faster to get away from them but I thought nothing of it... ever since, he's been showing subtle signs of fearfulness in putting his puppy brakes on from the time we leave our house until we pass that street (one street over). I've been luring him with treats and we're just getting to the point of him being a little more comfortable. It's a bummer, but once he passes that street, he's back to normal! I also feel good that I have a plan to help him overcome any fear he has.

We also met with a private trainer today. The session was $110 for the 1 1/2 hour evaluation (in case someone down the line is wondering cost-wise what to expect) then each subsequent, hour-long session is $80. I didn't quite know what to expect because I didn't really have anything specific in mind of what to work on. I suppose just elevating his already fine behavior. As I've written here over and over, my whole goal is to give Ludo the best shot at success and to have an outstandingly well-behaved adult dog. I'm also considering training him for therapy. I think it would be lots of fun to visit assisted living/ nursing homes and reading with kids at the library. However, I was a little bit unsure if he really has the right personality for it. He's friendly and really likes people but he doesn't LOVE being petted, he doesn't snuggle-- he's kind of a lump, to be honest (a perfect lump whom I love entirely). The trainer said not to rule it out and that sometimes the dogs that are happy to greet then go lay down make great therapy dogs because they don't have to be the center of attention. He's also just a baby still and we have months before he could be tested for therapy work anyway. I'm just keeping an open mind- I just don't want to do something that he won't truly enjoy just to do it for my satisfaction.

Anyway, the trainer loved how Ludo greeted her at the door. He's not fazed by doorbells or animals outside and he greeted her nicely, then came back to check in with me... no jumping or barking or over-excitement. I actually encourage him to ignore the doorbell when it rings and if there is someone I want him to greet, I usually have to call him into the room. We spent a lot of time discussing his behavior-- her asking questions and me answering-- then she asked what my expectations were. I basically told her that I felt confident in my ability to do the training, but if she saw things I should be doing or could be doing differently, that I am all ears. I also told her that I'd be interested in her guidance in just taking things to the next level post basic obedience.

She made a couple adjustments to the way I was training him and I could see the differences by the end of the hour and a half lesson! Ludo has needed a lure to lay down on command... by the time she left, he was laying down with a verbal command only. He was also going to his bed without me having to walk the whole way there to show him what I wanted. I was impressed. She gave me some feedback on the walking issue and basically said that anywhere he is putting his brakes on, to take a step and then treat him over and over until we leave the "scary" area and to do that until he doesn't put his brakes on or show any subtle signs of fear (ears going back, etc). I really appreciated that she was not at all pushy and asked if I wanted to do follow-up sessions or to just work on things alone. I opted for a follow-up session in January and let her know that I didn't want to do lots and lots of sessions but that I'd love her continued feedback. I can definitely swing the $80/session if we did one session a month to just go over what we've been working on and to correct any new unwanted behaviors or to add in some new behaviors. All in all, a great experience.

He's also signed up to start puppy kindergarten in January. It's a six week class and will finish the day after his 6 month birthday. There is a teenage dog class, an adult dog class and a canine good citizen class he could move to following kindergarten. I'm hoping to go straight to the CGC class since the teen and adult classes would be the same information as kindergarten-- just for older dogs.

I was dealing, in my last blog post, with him wanting to get up multiple times a night. My diagnosis is that he only does this when he eats later than about 5:00 pm. I try and feed him his dinner around that time so he has plenty of time for it to go through his system by our last potty break at about 10:30 pm. We're back to sleeping through the night (or until 6:15 am anyway). He's also figured out "stay". My training on this command is one thing the trainer adjusted. I was putting him in a stay and he would stay there for about a minute and then I'd release him with "ok" and he'd run over to me to get his treat. She is now having me treat him multiple times during the stay with me coming back to him so that I reward the stay and not him coming to me.

So, things are going swimmingly and I'm excited to start getting DK Christmas cards soon. I hope everybody had a really nice Thanksgiving and start to this holiday season.

[Julie, Eloise & Beasley]

It sounds like everything with Ludo is going very well - what a fun update to read!  Ludo is so adorable.  I love the pic of him standing in the street - that's quite a look he's giving you.  :)

[Nancy & Echo]

I so enjoy and learn from your posts.  To me, Ludo looks like he's smiling in his sleep on the top photo.  It sounds like both of you are learning from each other!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I can't believe Ludo is already 4 months old! He is so cute!  It sounds like things are moving along  well with his training and I really like the way you are helping him work through his fears. Good work you two!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Wow!  I'm impressed.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Love reading your updates.  Ludo, for only being 4 months old, I think you're doing super well.  What a smart boy.  I wouldn't worry one bit about the fear at this point -- that's all part of socialization and exposing him to new things. You're doing a great job with him, Kaitlin!  Happy holidays to both of you.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Ludo ~ I think you are one smart cookie and so darn cute!  Fun to read you update Kaitlin.  Good Work!

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Yay! I'm glad it went well with the trainer! He sounds like he is coming along so nicely! Thats awesome that she is willing to work along side of you per say in training him. I'm so excited to see your card! Have a great Holiday yourself!