37 Weeks

Dear Asshole,

Oh, you 85-lb mouth...

Just when I think you're maturing and we're turning a corner, then you start eating poop.

And yesterday morning, you ripped (not chewed. RIPPED.) a hole in yet another bed.

Granted, it was one of the oldest dog pillows we've had, BUT it was also Leo's old pillow. Not that we were saving it. It was the only option after you ruined the nice, new one I bought you.

For the love of all that is holy, though, why can you not just leave shit alone?! I am so tired of spending money I don't have replacing all of the things you tear up.

Before you came along, I had just observed that I finally had everything I ever needed/wanted for the dogs, and marveled at the basket of still new-looking and mostly unused dog toys, a little bit sad that nobody really played with them, anymore.

Well, you  made short work of those.

I spent and hour and a half yesterday morning sewing the torn fabric of that dog bed back together. Then, knowing you'd never leave that alone, I ventured out to spend yet more money I don't have buying iron-on patches, which I know from past experiences with other puppies, will only get chewed through.

That bed you chewed through? It was stuffing, inside a liner, inside a duvet cover,inside of another duvet cover- and YOU CHEWED THROUGH ALL OF IT!

I turned it over, thinking maybe that would keep you from being interested in the mended spots, for the time being.

Then, last night, you put yourself in your bed by yourself, even though it wasn't bedtime, and you  just hunkered down, put a corner of the bed in your mouth and YANKED a whole new rip! In the other side! Real fabric that unravels, rather than the felt of previous dog beds.

I am really so sick and tired of this shit.

I'm tired of mending the dog toys, of having everything look some degree of damaged, of buying various training aids and calming diffusers, sprays, etc...

Walks are going better, at least.

And you're doing well with being told "off!" and "leave it!" from a distance when you get caught attempting to eat poop.

Sometimes, you even drop it when told.

36 Weeks

36 Weeks
82-ish lbs.

Had a great time when Grammy, Pampy and Auntie came to visit. Did very well and enjoyed having new people in the house. Keeps looking all over for them now that they are gone.

Last week, Kal started eating poop- his own, the girls'... all of it- and I keep the yard pretty picked up, believe it or not. He literally will follow behind them and scoop it up as they're dropping it, or go out first thing in the morning and eat whatever he pooped out during his nighttime potty breaks (still having at least one of those each night) instead of doing his business. He's getting better at leaving it alone when told, though the first time he just stared right at me and kept on going.

I started giving him a pre-biotic last week, just in case the round of antibiotics he was on last month destroyed his gut flora. This week, I'm reducing it to every other day. Once it's gone, I won't continue. Seems to be helping with the diarrhea issues of two weeks ago, though it might also be the cause of the sudden interest in poop- especially since Kansas has taken an interest in his, and is also part of the problem.

Also, after luring him into the bathtub with a treat during his bath last week, instead of just picking him up, he's now decided getting in/out of the bathtub is a fun trick and climbs into the tub to go exploring pretty regularly. He's always been fascinated with the bathtub and routinely sticks his head behind the shower curtain to investigate, and then slides all the way behind the curtain to play around, but this takes things to a whole new level.

He is easily entertained, at least.

35 Weeks

35 Weeks Old
8 Months Old
81.5 lbs

Not much to note, really. Kal is coming along nicely. His main issue at the moment still seems to be playing to rough with his sisters and not leaving them alone when they've indicated they've had enough. My poor girls. They are pretty beat up... Keeping them separated is all I can really do. It's nice to look back and recall all of the efforts and compare/contrast them against his behavior now and realize that he's really maturing and doing well.

Some days we walk, some days we don't. It depends on how I feel. Plus, there's so much construction in the neighborhood at the moment, it's really hard to find a route that's long enough while also safe enough at the same time.