Duchess and Blackie Settle In

Over the past few days, Blackie and Duchess have settled into the daily routine very nicely. Here is what we have been working on:

Duchess is perfect just the way she is. She comes when calls. She hasn't had any mistakes in the house since we got her bowels straightened out. Her skin is now a lovely light pink instead of a bright red (from the concrete in the shelter, I suspect). She doesn't look as bloated as she did when she first came home and she has begun looking like a 10 year old - rather than a 20 year old. She does have an appointment with our vet to have her skin and fatty tumors checked.

Blackie is a good boy, too. He comes when called. He loves to play ball. He takes treats gently. However, we have been working on his house training, since he urine marks in the house. When he first arrived, he would lift his leg to mark every 30 to 60 seconds. So, he needed to be tethered to me, be outside or be in his crate.

Over the past few days, he has come to learn that our bedroom is also his bedroom and he has stopped lifting his leg completely there. He still has trouble downstairs, since that is where the dogs tend to spend the day. That is also where the most toys are. He tried to mark the corners and the toys. He still needs to learn that inside is not the place to go, but is doing a much better job. In fact, we can get up in the morning, go downstairs and outside - and, he waits until we get there! This is quite a change for being in a house for just 6 days (after being in a shelter for 2 months).

Each night, Duchess lies down on the large LL Bean dog bed next to my nightstand. Blackie always joins her there and they sleep through the night. Maggie took Duchess's place last night and Blackie curled up next to her, but then woke up and growled because he didn't recognize her. She just sent him some calming signals by turning her head away and licking her lips and he went back to sleep.

Then, a friend brought her 4 year old grandson over. Blackie played fetch with him and Duchess followed him around. They did OK - I wouldn't want them to be in a home with a lot of noisy children, but one or two quiet ones would be perfect.