Dexter is 3 Months Old!!

First off, I AM SO SORRY I HAVEN'T POSTED LATELY!!!!

Dexter's 3 month birthday was on October 26th, he is approximately 36lbs now and is learning new tricks everyday (including tricking me to let him in the bed or on the couch)!  We started puppy classes last Tuesday and to say the least, it was exhausting!  Dexter is doing great with the commands; our homework consists of sit, lay down, up (stand up), and watch.  He has also developed a picky pallet for beef flavored Natural Balance (the treats that the trainer had).  He will not do tricks for the all natural/organic salmon/chicken treats any longer - bring on the beef! (We invested in enough of this beef flavored goodness for the next month and to be honest, it smells just like beef jerky... but no, I haven't gotten the nerve to try it just yet).

"Play-time" during puppy class was somewhat of a disaster... Dexter dominated ALL the dogs in puppy class... not only is he a rambunctious and easily excitable puppy, he is at least twice-three times the size of every pup in class.  There are owners and puppies in the class that are great... and then there are also the owners that are absolutely terrified that Dexter is going to crush their adorable little rat-like fur balls that they have the nerve to call dogs. Ooops... that might have been a little rude.

Anyway, Dexter HAS made friends outside of school! His best friend right now is a golden retriever named "Jemmy" who we have met up with a couple of times at the mission.  Her owner is a nice older gentleman named Max, who loves watching the two of them play just as much as we do. They roll around and do summersaults together and they always seem sad to go. Our next date is conveniently scheduled for right before our puppy class... in hopes that "Play Time" won't be so crazy.

What are you looking at?

Loving his snake that auntie Erin bought for him!

Sweet Little Man

 Dexter is now engaging in multiple family time activities... cooking in the kitchen (he knows "out of the kitchen", but has a hard time obeying it), eating dinner (he knows "no begging" or "go lay down", but again, has a hard time obeying it), watching movies, and snuggling.

Dexter watching one of our favorite shows... DEXTER! 

Below are a couple pictures from our boat trip with Kim and Leslie. Erin and Rupert came with us too!! Dexter did a great job of peeing on the fake grass!

Our little family

Beautiful Ladies and Their Dogs! :)

 Our dog is now EXTREMELY LONG... and he likes to show it off....

STRETCH!!

Passed out after Puppy Class

Just hangin out in the fake grass...

Another fantastic nap

Kisses!

A couple family members met for lunch on the pier in Santa Barbara last weekend and met Dexter for the first time!!

Dad Meets Dexter

 All in all... we have had a great time raising our pup! Dexter is, although at times difficult and frustrating, an amazing dog and a wonderful son! :)

Dexter is 10 Weeks Old!!!

Dexter is 10 weeks old!!!

Dex has come so far from last week. We are working towards our "100 people to meet weekly" goal. I think we've surpassed it each week. He is great with dogs, cats, kids, people of all sizes, shapes, and colors. He officially knows how to sit and lay down on command (unless extremely excited or hungry, then the lay down command is worthless). His sleeping habits have become phenomenal! He sleeps all the way through the night, no accidents, and pee's for about a minute and a half... so long that his little legs start shaking from squatting for so long! He also sleeps in some pretty adorable positions during his daytime naps!

Squished face during a daytime drive

Hind legs up and ready to go

On the way to work with dad

We have our second vet visit tomorrow (Wednesday), we'll see how she thinks we're doing. We just signed up for our puppy 1 class with Perfect Puppy Academy which is every Tuesday from 10/26/10-11/30/10!! We are very excited for the socialization and learning process to really begin!

Over the past week Dex has experienced his first bath, a road trip, loud fire engines in close proximity, and another puppy friend who LOVED to play with him!! He enjoyed everything new this week except for Patrick scaring the hiccups out of him... which actually worked, however a bit scary for such a small (yet rapidly growing) puppy!

After his first bath... sitting patiently to be allowed out of the tub!

In a good "Lay Down" position

I'm sitting, can I have my treat now?

Dexter's 10 week old weight: 26.6 pounds!!!

Until next week... and another 5 lbs....

Meet Dexter the Dane, aka Dex, aka Mr. Big

After years of yearning for a puppy, my dream became a reality when we found Dexter. His one bight blue eye and floppy ears melted my heart. We picked him up on Sunday, September 19th at 12:45pm and I was greeted with wet kisses and snuggles! He slept the entire way home and I couldn't have been happier; our little family all in the new toyota truck together, beginning a new chapter of our lives that was sure to be both amazing and trying.

Night 1: Dexter put himself to bed in his crate after a long day... crate training? Check.
Day 2: Dexter poops outside... we both gag... potty training headed in the right direction... Check.
Day 3. Dexter learns to sit!! Check.
Day 4: Dexter learns how to walk up stairs!! Check.
Day 5: Dexter meets the vet!! All went well minus the mouth opening. He was a healthy 20.5 lbs. Gaining a pound a day? Check.
Day 6: Dexter met multiple different people outside the TJ's. Beginning socialization... Check..
Day 7: Dexter had his first outdoor dining experience at Milk & Honey. Good Manners and more socialization... Check.
Day 8: Dexter goes on a boat!! Check!
Day 9: Dexter pees in his crate because in his sleep deprived state Patrick told Dexter to go back to bed in the middle of the night. Crate training... Uncheck.

There have been lots of ups and downs in the last week, but our little man has been a joy to have around most of the time and we are so happy to have him as apart of our family! We will continue to update you on his progress!

   

Dexter and Patrick on Day 1 - bringing the pup home

  Dexter with all of his toys... GIVING THE STINK EYE

Dexter and Dad on their way to work

Dexter on his 9 week birthday!