I can't believe it either. Look how long he is!
He's mad at me right this second because when he jumps up on the couch I open our bitter apple dabber. I don't put it on him and I don't put it on the couch, I just take the little plastic cap off the top. He can instantly smell it and he walks away growling. I laugh a little bit. Even though we missed 2 weeks (!!) of our eight week puppy class, Kirby is still ahead of the game. He can sit stay as well as down stay, and he's getting better at "leave it" every day.
I have to be honest though. The post I wrote last night was an attempt to remind myself of what an amazing wonderful dog he is. He was not acting it last night at all. Lately he's been getting into it with the cat. It used to be a cute thing where he would raise his paw, the cat would give him a look, and Kirby would walk away. He would even lay within 2 or 3 feet of the cat, no problem. Now, if he sees the cat across the room, he runs full speed at the cat and jumps on top of him. The cat falls over and starts biting Kirby's legs (hard!) Kirby then jumps off and starts doing this weird jumpy thing where he jumps up on his back legs over and over again, almost hugging the cat's neck with his front paws. He barks constantly when this happens, and the cat yowls, and it's just nonstop.
I have to be honest though. The post I wrote last night was an attempt to remind myself of what an amazing wonderful dog he is. He was not acting it last night at all. Lately he's been getting into it with the cat. It used to be a cute thing where he would raise his paw, the cat would give him a look, and Kirby would walk away. He would even lay within 2 or 3 feet of the cat, no problem. Now, if he sees the cat across the room, he runs full speed at the cat and jumps on top of him. The cat falls over and starts biting Kirby's legs (hard!) Kirby then jumps off and starts doing this weird jumpy thing where he jumps up on his back legs over and over again, almost hugging the cat's neck with his front paws. He barks constantly when this happens, and the cat yowls, and it's just nonstop.We tried body blocking... getting between the dog and the cat and saying "leave it." That did nothing. We then tried tying him up on a 6ft lead when he's in the living room. The cat, when noticing that the dog couldn't get to him, decided to come closer so he could tussle with the dog. Right now the cat is upstairs and I have a baby gate at the bottom to stop the cat from coming down. He has food/water/beds to lay on... The trainer suggested a squirt bottle, so we'll try that... agh. It's frustrating.
He's a good dog. He's fun, he's sweet, and he's really, really smart. He's growing so quickly, and we're enjoying (almost) every minute of it. :)
Yes, little Kirby is definitely a good boy; he's very clever too!
ReplyDeleteFour months!!! time does fly by...
He's so cute - I love the second pic - you can see how puffy his fur is!
ReplyDeleteKirby is such a handsome dog! Having just gone through early puppy with Sage, I know exactly how you feel! She still harasses the cats,especially at feeding time, but they are all getting better at living in the same household.
ReplyDeleteSuch a good looking dog. We enjoy watching him grow.
ReplyDeleteSound like he might be entering the adolescent phase! Keep up your training and he'll eventually get back on track.
ReplyDeleteSomeone once told me that it takes 3 years for aussies to really mature to adults - my Simon's 2 1/2 and I'd say really at about 2 he started to show signs of maturing, but he's still a lot of puppy. But this teenage phase is the worst - stick to your guns!!
He is so good looking. We use a squirt bottle too on Mister Higgins. He hates it :) Now you just have to reach for it and he stops whatever he's doing. Works like a charm! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteKisses,
Emma Rose