Lucah has grown some since the last post. He is topping out at 47 lbs and over 40" long. At the shoulder, he is 21 inches. So he is packing the size on. But we don't think he is doing it too quickly.
Since Lucah now has most of his shots, he is allowed to go out and be around other pups in a very controlled environment. He has been to the dog park once, went to a doggie daycare for 2 hours and has been on a couple of short walks. We can't over exercise him at this state because of his growth. His bones, joints and tendons can be very fragile, so we have to be careful of how much exercise he gets. Overall he has been taking to the outside world pretty well and is learning that not every dog wants to be sniffed.
Yesterday we went to our first obedience class. Centinela Pet and Feed uses Canine's Best Behavior a local training organization in the L.A. area. Akiko and I raced down the 405, went to Target (to buy chairs), and showed up prepared and 3 minutes late(which in L.A. is early). The only thing we didn't have was the dog. Apparently, the first class is only for people. We sat, we listened and bought stuff.
The one big thing we got from this class was we learned that something Lucah always does was a sign his food might not be agreeing with you. Lucah scratches his sides, not to excess, but he will give himself a couple of swipes and keep walking. It's not enough to be an issue, but we did notice it.
We arrived with food questions, but me being a guy, I didn't want to ask during the class. I thought it could wait, and I didn't think the trainer would know because of the specificity of the question. Akiko pushed me to ask anyway...so I did. Though Heidi (the trainer) could not answer the question, she did point out the scratching could be a sign of food not agreeing with him, also ear infections (which he has had).
So where this leads us is we have switched foods. Exciting? Not really, but it makes me feel better since we were having protein issues. A minor development, but a major change. Now we run into issues of where to buy and how slowly to switch.
Lucah's new brand will be Innova Large Breed Puppy.
Back to the Class
Being the first class we had to get to know one another. The strange thing about dog people is they seem to live through there pets. They take the identity of their dog when around other dog people. When we were going around the class we each talked about our dogs, but that's it, we didn't say our names, or what we did, or even if we had kids. So as for we all know we have no names, just dogs. This is pretty normal dog owner behavior. I have known people for years and not known their names, but knew their dog's names. One guy I knew actually helped me get a job, and I still kept forgetting his name.
Another thing I noticed was that everyone has screwed up their dogs in a cornucopia of ways. Everyone fit a profile; there was couple with the over energetic dog who jumps and bites. Another couple with the dog that can't walk on a leash and has too much energy. Another guy with a dog who tears up everything and has separation anxiety. We owned the dog that already knew things and was going to be the star of the class. Since I am an asshole I immediately put everyone into a category
and put us at the top of the heap. Maybe I need to feel superior to feel secure, but I am sure we are going to have the best dog there and will wow everyone with Lucah's abilities.
I might be setting us up for some disappointment.
