Poor Ami. Sounds like a lot of excitement for one morning.

Poor Ami?!?! Poor Wayne, he just wanted to sleep in *just a little later* than normal. Amy, I really shouldn't laugh but when you describe situations such as this one, I can't help it!!

Luuuuuccccyyyyyy!!!!

An uneventful morning today. That was very eventful. Z'ev graduated from exclusively hand feeding through the crate wires to having a bowl just inside the crate door. He sits, makes eye contact and I oen the door, dump a small handful of kibble in the bowl. Repeat.

I also was able to remove the food bowl when he was done...bowl out with the right hand, left hand on the other end of the crate with a piece of string cheese. I'm not THAT brave

He seemed to tolerate Ami in the kitchen eating his breakfast (within hearing distance but cannot see him - the sunroom is around the corner about 25' away. No complaints even when Ami went into the family room (there's a drape across the opening between family room and sunroom. But, Ami decided he needed a good scratch before settling down and after a bit, Z'ev started to whine and fuss. WHich got Ami in high curiosity mode. So Ami is now curled up on the bottom of our bed. After giving Wayne seriously happy wakeup kisses!

Another update...I hope I'm not boring people!

Yesterday was a good day - we graduated to feeding small bits of kibble in a bowl in the crate and removing the bowl when done (I still have my fingers )  This morning, he tried refusing the hand held kibble but I wouldn't feed until he had taken at least a dozen hand fed pieces.  He now sits without prompting after finishing the handful in the bowl, stays in a sit while I open the door and dump the next bit in the bowl.

And - he had some tethered kitchen time, he really likes the bathmat I use to absorb Ami's water dribbles I tried to get a picture of him sleeping peacefully but everytime I got the camera in place he lifted his head ("can't a guy get some sleep around here?!!?":



Now, however, he is in the crate in the next room over, hears me at the computer and his whining and digging at his crate to come out.  He'll have tethered kitchen time again but only once he's settled for at least 10 minutes.

You are definitely not boring me. I'm enjoying reading about some of his (and your) antics and beginning to not be so fearful of an accident.

What you've been able to do with him in such a, relatively, short time is really amazing!

Nice to read through this I have just been following along on FB.

Nope, not boring us! I don't post responses much but I am reading and following along! Please keep up with the updates and good work.

I did forget one incident from yesterday - at his evening kibble, he gets half hand fed and half in a peanut butter plugged Kong. As I was getting up off the floor, I bumped his crate with my elbow. Which elicited a growl and hovering over his Kong though no snarling or lunging. And, he quickly went back to enjoying his treat. So, I will be modifying the Kong a bit - he still gets it but I will stay there with him and sporadically offer string cheese while he finishes.

Oh Amy one thought on you being worried regarding water. I know my dog sleding friends who have outside dogs only water their dogs twice a day in the winter as it freezes and they dogs all do well and stay hydrated. They do sometimes add kibble to the water or something like that if they need to encourage a dog to drink more.

Thanks, Elise, for the info.  That's sort  of what Z'ev does, now.  He takes a long, deep drink on exiting the crate most times.  And probably half the time going back in he will have at least a short drink.  I'm less worried now that his pee is paler yellow.  

A good day, today.  Ami and Z'ev had treats in the kitchen, on leash, without incident.  Z'ev spent afternoon in the kitchen, mostly trailing his leash not tethered.  First, he decided the raised hearth was an appropriate throne, then sacked out under the window by my chair at the table.  He even stayed there sleeping while i heated up chili and had lunch at the computer!

I can tell you, however, that making breakfast tethered on a 5'leash wrapped around your waist and attached to small dog is something to be experienced!

Oh... And that chili? Phenomenal going down. Two hours later, I'm miserable and Wayne is going down the differential, digestive or cardiac. Mylanta and simethicone later, we decide maybe I should avoid that chili Damn. A very good poor of Texas Red

If I'm lucky, this video will post - Z'ev enjoying his after dinner kong. Of note...I open the crate and give him a cookie and the eye contact...

https://www.facebook.com/1765740395/videos/10202684503791501/

And...I'm to tired to figure out how to get this to play if it won't - feel free to friend me on fb if you can't see the video.

I can't friend you on facebook because I don't have a FB account (and won't have)
"You must log in to continue" (to see this video ...) drats!!

so is you tube the only way to post a video on here? I really don't want to make it public.

Ok, ok...I splurged on the data.

And here's the update I posted...

Z'ev enjoys his end of day kong - half his kibble ration with a big plug of peanut butter. He really, really, really loves his kong!
Today was a good day - he had cheese bits fed through his muzzle at my end of the table while Wayne fed Ami cheese bits at his end of the table. While he initially was kind of lunging at the cheese with one eye on Ami, he rapidly turned to me to just enjoy his cheese.
And - to top it off, little boy had a 2 mile walk with Ami and Wayne on the other side of the road. We tried this last week and got about 600' before we decided it was more than Z'ev could tolerate and we went our separate ways. Today, there was a minor bit of whining, rapidly turning to just enjoying his walk...right up until he was frolicking a bit in the snow, buried his head and snow-plowed then exploded out of the snow in a joyous leap back and to the side...smack broadside into Ami. Ami was not particularly bothered but Z'ev had a momentary wail. We separated the dogs, continued on our way as if nothing happened and the rest of the walk was uneventful. So good to see this little boy begin to relax!
Oh - and he does need house manners! Starting to let him drag leash in kitchen (he's always muzzled out of the crate). So - he wants to check out the counters, the table top...doorbell rings and he is a whirling dervish trying to get there...met my DIL and snuggle right up, sitting and asking for lots of lovin'

This morning was a special kind of treat...,

Came back to the house after Z'ev's morning walk, opened the door, released Z'ev from "wait" and pow...smack dab into Ami wanting to play in the front hall...

Wayne let Ami in from the back yard. My walk was shorter today 'cause I forgot to take my inhalers...

Wait, you ran into Ami or Z'ev ran into Ami?

I, mired in somnolence, opened the door, looked back to release Z'ev from "wait"...opened the inside door, Z'ev came trotting in, Ami came bounding out in play mode, the 2 collided...Ami was ecstatic, Z'ev was "WTF" and I...well, I was in a foggy stupor thinking "huh?!!?" And then Wayne showed up from bed..."I thought you'd be gone longer"

Ami went out, Z'ev came in.

So guys. Wondering. Is it maybe time to just let the 2 of them state their purpose in the back yard? Ami will back off if challenged. After, of course, I remove the bones...

@TwisterII - my thoughts as well <LOL>

@amymeme - I like that, he's nice about taking it from you even if it was a little quick, it didn't look like he wanted to take fingers as well.  But "Cookie, yeh, I'll take one! But there's more in this kong, I think!"

ETA: yeh, I've been wondering how long before the two of them were ready to have a meet and greet. Back yard with two long lines?

Al - contemplating just that. I've tried Z'ev on long line a couple times and that boy can get tangled quicker than you can say "boo!!!" Supposedly, he was tethered outside for the past year but he certainly does not act like he knows how to manage a tether. I bought an extra 20' tether so I could also give him some "outside under the pine tree with doghouse time" but I'm afraid he will get tangled and perhaps hurt himself. We have an extra dog house just waiting for a nice load of straw. Gives him a nice view overlooking everything, he could have an hour or two outside just to himself if I were sure he wouldn't hurt himself.

Avalanche is my only dog who I can tell - go get yourself untangled and he will. Sasha's pretty good about not getting too badly tangled but when she does she just "tells me about it". Sky, on the the third hand, can get tangled in a weed!! I relate!

Many / most of my mutts have been on leads because of where I was / am; other than getting themselves tangled too far away from water, I've never had one hurt themselves.

Z'ev sounds excited like kenzi gets. She lashes out when she is hindered in meeting dogs and is actually worse if you dance around it too long. What I did with her and keno and with her and Kye is I put kye in his crate in the house and let kenzi in to smell him. The crate keeps anyone from being able to bite anyone and makes it easier to separate if the excitement gets too high without inciting someone wanting to bite. Kenzi won't calm down if she is on leash. I always meet inside in a smaller space (first time was sunroom, second time it was kitchen) because they have less area for me to have to chase them through if something were to break out. If they smell each other through the crate or baby gate just fine, once they are both calm then you can let them in with each other and just watch. If one of them gets too excited (for me it's always kenzi) then remove that dog for a moment and come back when it's calmer. The first time kenzi met Kye she got a little over excited. No growling but I could tell by how tight together her ears got and she stomps her feet a lot. When she gets that jittery it's time to remove her for a moment. The second time she met him her ears were more relaxed and then we let them out together and they played. Do it one dog at a time for the first while. We actually started with keno, but if keno was there at the same time kenzi was there he would get too excited which would escalate the situation. We left him out until kenzi was comfortable then let both dog meet Kye simultaneously.

Thanks, Jenn - we tried Z'ev in the crate and was a no go. He freaked and plastered himself against the back wall and wailed. I think I'll try the backyard with long lines. Will let you know how it goes.

Kenzi is my nervous attacker. I let her be outside the crate and the new dog inside. Lets her feel in control. Not sure how Ami is with being in the crate though.