Second day in his new home

Gasthof, with his new Vikings dog tag, and beautiful white marking (Nick thinks it looks like the state of Minnesota)

Nick and I decided to stay at home today and get to know Gasthof better and vice versa. We wanted him to feel comfortable and loved, and to start developing somewhat of a routine. Obviously the routine will be different during the work week, but it's a start. Nick and I are both amazed at how attached both of us feel after only being with Gasthof for two days. I love him already! It doesn't seem like just yesterday (Saturday) that he was slipping and sliding on the floor of Petco (his long legs don't know how to walk on such a slippery surface) and pulling hard on the leash when we walked him outside the store. Everyone who knew him through Homeward Bound Rescue informed me he needs some leash manners, but that he seems very bright and eager to learn.

Gasthof doesn't always seem to know what to do with his long legs

!

I never grew up with any pets because of my mom's allergies. The more I was around my friends' dogs in recent years, the more I considered having one some day. That "some day" came sooner than expected. I became a home care nurse back in March of this year, and in the past 6 months I have grown to love dogs even more! Many of my patients have dogs and/or cats. Some cats seem to act up my allergies...but I didn't seem to have an issue with dogs. I had a few patients with big dogs, including one patient with a pit bull....he was such a sweetheart. I started to see more and more how important good training is for dogs, and what great companions they are. The majority of them are very eager to learn, to please, and to be loved. Many of my home care patients live nearby--the majority in Minneapolis/St Paul, Columbia Heights, and Fridley, making my house a nice, central location! This means that some days I will be able to see Gasthof for a short break in the middle of the day! I often grab a quick bite to eat at home a few days every week...so now I can hopefully let him out to run around and play in the backyard, or take him for a walk. That means good exercise for both Gasthof and me!

Just relaxing after playing outside

He didn't bark at all yesterday; the foster mom said he's a very quiet dog and in two weeks she only heard him bark twice. He didn't bark even when the dogs were barking at Petco yesterday, when the neighbor dog barked at him, nor when we put him in his kennel last night or when we took him out in the morning. We knew it would happen sometime...and I was curious to hear what his voice sounded like! When Nick and I were talking with our neighbor, Gasthof was running along our chain link metal fence playing with their border collie named Nutmeg. Boy can Gasthof jump! He made a running dash for the fence, but thankfully doesn't have enough in him to jump the fence! At his last vet check up his weight was 53 lbs. I think he may grow a little more...I'm not sure if he could jump the fence, but I'm not going to risk it. The fence is about 3 1/2 feet. Nick and I don't leave him in the backyard alone, so it shouldn't be an issue. Gasthof tried to get the neighbor's second dog, a golden retriever named Ginger, to run with him. I said "sit" to Gasthof...sure enough, Ginger sat and wagged her tail, while Gasthof continued to run back and forth. At least he was able to expend some of his energy! Hopefully he will be able to have these neighbor dogs as playmates! Another thing I noticed is that Gasthof has been very good at marking his territory along the perimeter of the fence...thankfully that is also where he poops; so far I have not stepped in any and I hope to keep it that way:) Unfortunately, our grass is quite long and sometimes it's hard to find. It's nice having a big backyard, but it's a pain to mow. So goes!

My two favorite boys: Nick and Gasthof!

I didn't take him for a walk today, but we played with him a lot outside. He is getting the hang of fetch more...he now will pick up the frisbee about half the time after I throw it, but he doesn't bring it back to me or Nick yet. But yesterday he barely even picked up the Frisbee. He seems to be getting more comfortable today...and I know that he has so much potential. I'm very impressed at how well he is doing...I know that some days may be better than others with the adjustment, but I'm glad that he seems happy. We love trying to teach him. He is getting good at sitting. Now we are working on "stay", "lie down", "heel" and "paws off" (no jumping), and "kennel". We are quick to stop a bad behavior, but also very quick to praise him.  We focus on using his name when he is doing something right, and when he does something we don't want (like putting paws up on the counter, chewing at the carpet, or taking Nick's smelly socks...lol....we help direct his energy to something good--like chewing on his nylabone). I think it's funny that dogs like the smell of feet!

Nick took breaks from watching the game to play with Gasthof.

 Unfortunately, the Vikings lost :(

As expected with adopted dogs and puppies, Gasthof also had his first little accidents in the home today. Thankfully they were both in the kitchen...easy to clean up on the tile. Gasthof met Nick's mom, Melanie, today. He really liked her, licking her and jumping up to say hello, and was very happy to receive a raw hide treat from her! He is such a sweet dog who seems to love everyone! One thing we have to work on with him is getting him not to jump up on people when he meets them. He's a quick learner, so I'm optimistic. Plus, he has us for parents and teachers, so how could he go wrong? Lol. He might just be a little late to things ;)

Books for us to read...not things for Gasthof to chew on! He likes paper, books, pens, the carpet...makes it easier to keep the house clean. We put the shoe rack in the closet for the time being, after I saw him carrying my sneakers. He is sneaky! :)

A last few comments: he sneezes just like Nick's brother, Sam. He got a sneezing fit (up to 5 sneezes in a row) today. I love his floppy ears and his brindle coat. I even gave him a quick bath tonight...he didn't love it, but he seemed to do ok. Nick said his fur felt softer after the bath. I figured that it might be nice to rinse him off. When we got him, he had scratches/scabs on his ears. I'm used to cleaning wounds being a nurse...so I washed his ears and applied a little antibiotic ointment. I hope they heal well.

Showing off his brindle and how handsome he is!

For anyone still reading, sorry that this post was long. It has been a great weekend and I want to record these moments so later on we can see where he started and see how far he came. I feel very lucky to be blessed with such a sweet, handsome, smart, loving dog like Gasthof. Now I have to go pay Nick some attention too :) I will leave you with a few pictures I took in succession of Gasthof obeying Nick's command to sit: