Growing up

It's hard to see how fast puppies grow when you just see a photo of them all alone. I snapped this photo this morning of Edge sharing the dog bed with Tama (and Don Juan in the background). Edge is just slightly smaller than Tama at almost 18 weeks. He's still all puppy as evidenced by the teeth marks on the stair closest to Tama. Not to mention the handle on my husband's TV-watching recliner, hordes of papers from my office that look like they've been through a soggy paper shredder, My son's baby picture, lots of my son's toys and Edge happily de-fleeced my husband's favorite sheepskin slippers. No adult teeth yet, but I predict from all the chewing that they are coming soon.



The things we are working on are:
1. Edge goes to a weekly conformation class so we get some ring experience before he begins to show.
2. He goes to a weekly puppy kindergarten.
3. He consistently will sit and down. We're past the luring stage with treats, and working on sits and downs by hand and verbal cues only.
4. He has a very consistent "watch me"
5. Putting on a leash is still an issue with the boy. He's in his "Don't touch my collar phase". But once the leash is on he loves the walks.
6. Doing nails are also not a pleasant experience for anyone involved. We practice touching the paws and pretending to clip or clipping a couple nails daily. Lots of screaming still going on!
7. Daily socialization. I take him everywhere I go.