Frazier's first week...

Frazier has now been staying with us for a little over a week and we are really getting to know each other...

Again, I can't express enough what a loving, sweet, snuggly dog he is! His favourite place is right by your side on the couch getting his belly rubbed and face smushed (and what a smushable face it is!) while giving you kisses! He is just the biggest sweetheart ever...!

At the beginning of his stay, our resident dogs Bela and wednesday, were a bit jealous and trying to figure out who this new kid was stealing their attention. They were acting quite "bitchy" and bossy and Frazier wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Here he is, just trying to play, what's their problem?? :)
But as the week has progressed the three of them has setteled in together and are getting along great! Bela is definatly the alpha, as Frazier has no problem with that! He'll even give her submissive kisses and roll onto his side to let her snuggle... :)

Frazier can be quite vocal at times, especially during play, or if he's excited/frustrated, but it's something we're working on and he seems to respond really well to training. He just needs to figure out the "Quiet" command. Occasional barking while playing or alerting to strangers is not necessarily a bad thing, but no one likes a loud mouth, so we're happy to see how quickly he is responding to training...

Since he is not particularly interested in treats (he completely ignores dry treats) we've been using soft "jerkey" style treats (strong flavor and scent) for training and he loves them!
He knows his basic commands (sit, lie down, stay, come), but I don't think they were reinforeced very strictly, so we're brushing up on them and he's doing really good, he just needs some reminding and some consistency...
And tasty treats for rewarding usually does the trick! :)

He LOVES his walks and really needs his morning walk or he will whine and wimper until you take him out. He does get really riled up while preparing for a walk, but he are teaching him to sit nicely before putting on his collar and leash.
He will also pull to get out the door, but we don't allow him to go through the door ahead of us and he has to sit and wait before going outside. It's a little bit of a work in progress, but he is learning. Good calm behavior = You get what you want...

While out walking he is great on a leash! We use a slip collar but barely need it, he walks very nicely next to us without trying to pull ahead. He LOVES other dogs, so when seeing another dog while on a leash he will try to pull towards the dog to "say hello", but he doesn't obsess over it, and he will nicely keep walking when asked.
His earlier anxiety while walking downtown seems to have completely diminished. I think the fact that he feels more settled in helps him relax and trust us, so he doesn't have to feel anxious...

He has been GREAT with everyone he meets. He loves people and loves meeting new people. He has been very sweet when meeting children, loving the attention and gently lettling them snuggle them, even giving kisses to anyone who wants one. He DOES have a tendency to jump up on people when meeting them, so we're working on the "Down" and "Gentle" commands and he's been doing really good.

For any potential adopter with young children my only concern would be the "jumping up" factor, he might accidentally knock a young child over, but he would never intentionally hurt anyone. He doesn't even rough house (given his mature age), so it would only be during greeting. He is a strong, muscular dog and doesn't realize his own strength sometimes...

He is still very anxious during car rides. I'm not sure how much exposure he's had before and it seems to be sensory overload. Our pug/boston terrier mix Wednesday used to be a nightmare in the car, darting from side to side, barking and crying like crazy and panting like there was no tomorrow. But now she sits nicely on my lap looking out the window or lies down for a nap. It's all a matter of desenzitising and eventually they learn it's nothing to worry about.
In Frazier's case, since he's so comfortable in his crate, I might even suggest to keep a travel crate in the car for him, so it doesn't have to be so overwhelming for him...

He is just the nicest, sweetest, happy-go-lucky dog ever and he will make someone a wonderful easy-going companion!