How Sweet It Is....

I cannot believe that this sweet little puppy has been in our lives now for the past four months!  It feels like he has been a part of our family for years.  He is so laid back and calm.  We received his big boy cape a week ago and this now allows us to take him into public places of business.  His first trip was to the local bank so I could deposit some checks.  The trip only took a few minutes and he was very well behaved, as expected.  His second trip was to Peter's lax tournament for the day.  The weather was beautiful and he enjoyed seeing lots of people.  Again, his behavior was fantastic!  One funny thing, Gabriel does not like the heat or sun, when we take him to outdoor events he wants to be in the shade!!!

Surprise!!!

My usual routine coming home from work is to open the garage door, let Gabriel out of his cage and head outside for hurry time!  Well, this afternoon when I opened the door I was greeted with Gabriel sitting in the middle of the stuffing from his dog bed (green batting) in pieces!  He had totally dismantled the cover by unzipping/chewing the cover and had chewed the inside to smithereens!  He very casually walked out of his cage went outside and never looked back.  Needless to say he now only has a piece of remnant carpet as his bed in the cage.  We have been a little lax with his training but picked up the slack this weekend and spent quite a bit of time working on his commands. 

Another funny story about our baby occurred again this weekend.  I was cleaning and a quarter dropped off the refrigerator onto the floor.  As I continued to place the items I had in my hands away I turned and the quarter was not there.  I immediately went to Gabriel who was next to me and looked at him and asked if he had the quarter.  Of course he did not answer but looked at me with his mouth closed (almost like he was hiding something).  Now I know the quarter was on the floor and had disappeared in the 2 seconds it took me to put the papers away.  I looked around on the carpet where he was laying, the only thing I did not do was open his mouth.  I figured if he had it he would make a clinking sounds with it in his mouth.  I went back to the kitchen to look under the cabinet.  While on my knees looking I heard a clink in the other room and looked back and sure enough he had the quarter in his mouth.  When I ran back in there he tried to get it but thankfully I beat him to it!  I swear he knew all along he was not supposed to have it and was hiding that darn quarter in his mouth until I left the room.  Thank goodness he did not swallow it!

He is the funniest puppy!  :-)

Gabriel's First Sleep-over

Gabriel spent the weekend over at Kim's house, one of our local puppyraisers.  She was the person who introduced us to CCI and is the Capital Chapter President.  She offered to puppysit Gabriel while we traveled to Charlotte for our son's wedding.  I dropped Gabriel off on a Wed. afternoon and once in her house he never looked back.  I would like to think this is indicative of a well-balanced puppy that is comfortable but I am sure it is just because he is a puppy.  He spent the weekend with Winnie, Novella and Orchid.  When we came to pick him up Sunday evening, he appeared as if he grew a foot.  He left smaller than our house dogs and came home taller than they are.  I was expecting him to come bounding over to me with excitement but we were met with a quick look and he proceeded to continue playing with his new friends.  Not sure if he was showing off his new friends or just plain forgot who we were.  He has been sleeping off and on all day today possibly resting from his fun weekend.

Our Funny Puppy

Gabriel loves to ride in the car and is starting to know when I get his cape and say car he heads for the door.  Once in the car he sits in the passenger seat like a person until we get to our destination.   Once there he waits patiently while I put on his cape and leash and release him from the car.  After investigating our surroundings, usually a lacrosse field at one of the high schools he is ready to settle down.  He loves rocks to chew on.  I usually travel with one toy but somehow he finds the rocks.   Tomorrow we spend the day at a puppy workshop!  Hope he behaves!

Thief~

Okay our sweet little puppy is getting a little full of himself!  He likes to take things and run away, he will take a shoe that is bigger than he is and try to hide it behind a piece of furniture.  He will grab the towel off the floor run with it.  Today he ran into the kitchen, went into the pantry, grabbed a potato out of the bin and took off running with it into the family room.  He proceeded to nosh on the potato, guess it feels good on his little puppy teeth and gums.

Learning???

Gabriel is figuring it out....he is such a great little puppy!  He has learned how to sit, lay down and come to us by command.  He is learning how to walk on a loose leash next to us and to sit when we stop.  He likes his cape but hates the gentle leader he needs to start wearing on a regular basis.  We are attending a CCI workshop for Puppyraisers next weekend, I hope he makes it through the day.

Aside from his daily training one of his favorite things is to pull the towel I keep under the water dish, which upsets the dish, water spills all over the kitchen floor and he runs throughout the kitchen and family room dragging the sopping wet towel.  He then sits in the other room looking at me like an angel!  He is so adorable!

First day home

Gabriel's first day home was uneventful, but so fun to have a new puppy in the house.  He was very sleepy from traveling and spend a lot of time resting.  He did not like being left alone downstairs at bedtime but only woke up two times a night.  Every few days he will sleep through the night and wakes up at 5:00 am. We are trying to limit his water intake in the evening to eliminate this issue.  He loved playing with Bailey and Baxter and probably thought he was right at home with two dogs to hangout with!