The Enzo Blog: Weeks 3& 4

I'm so excited. Enzo made some major progress today. We went to the dog park and as soon as we were in the gate his tail was up and he looked quite interested in the dogs. Within a few minutes he was running around with about three other dogs, including a beautiful great dane (below). It was really hard to get a picture because they were running fast and in the shade. After a few minutes of being chased he came back to me, a little overwhelmed. But, he was having fun.

A little while later he met a 5-month old playful black puppy. Enzo got excited and even did the play bow that dogs do, trying to engage the puppy. He did this a few times. I was so excited. I've never seen him do that with another dog, only with me a couple times. He ran around with the puppy for a while. Later he chased another black standard poodle puppy named Lewis that was about his size, but looked like a Newfoundland, with long, soft puppy hair that had not been groomed yet. Enzo was clearly having fun being a "normal" dog not afraid of the world. In between these romps he sometimes just sat or wandered, but usually had his tail up. I think we'll try to go to the park more often. In celebration of the progress, we went to Hedge House for lunch. He's now getting better at getting out of the car, so that's also good. On our way in, a young man sitting outside at a table at Pix Patissiere (next door) saw us approaching and said from afar "Excuse me ma'am, I love your dog!" Enzo settled in at Hedge House well. The last stop of the day was the Portland Nursery. Again, he got out of the car okay. He also seems more comfortable in the car. I think he's finally figuring out that we go fun places in the car. I almost forgot about his day at No Bonz yesterday. The times I saw him on camera his tail wasn't down and the staff said he was better. So, he's going to be a regular there on Mondays and Fridays. Time to go work in the yard! The sun is out today.

Well, it seems that the 4th week is about the time when there is no longer something new to report each day. Enzo is still making progress. More and more he is showing his playful side, at least when we're at home. He runs and runs around the yard. Sometimes it seems like he's playing a game of tag or hide-and-seek, but I'm not sure what the rules are. He did okay his first day at No Bonz. Since the new school year has started, and I have to be on campus more, Enzo will be there Mondays and Fridays now. So, you can look for him tomorrow on the webcam. On Monday I was able to tell him apart from the other black dogs because his tail is shorter. I think going there more often will be good for his socialization and confidence. We're making some progress on the crate training. He'll eat and drink water in there, but I can't get him to stay inside with the door closed. The weekend forecast is good, so I might try a pub visit again. Hopefully he'll get out of the car!

My apologies for the delay in posting. The network drive was down over the weekend. On Saturday I took Enzo to the nearby dog park. He did not want to get out of the car, which is his new "thing." I literally had to drag him out. I was worried that the other dog park visitors would think I was torturing my dog. Once he got out, he was fine. We hung out there for an hour, walking around. He didn't engage in any activities with the other dogs, but he did sniff a few and observed and walked around (see right). As with most things involving Enzo, it will take a few tries to get him comfortable. Today is his first day at No Bonz doggie daycare. Again I had to drag him out of the car. I just checked the webcam a few minutes ago and saw him walk by a few times. His tail was not glued down, so that's a very good sign.

I realize that many of my posts have highlighted what Enzo needs to overcome, his stressing over everyday things like getting out of the car. But, he's also progressing so much. He loves to run in the yard. When I get home from being gone, or just when we decide to go outside, he runs around the yard, making a loop on the lower and upper level, perhaps a few times. If I have just arrived home and he's excited about that, he'll make the loop then arrive at my feet, sit, and wait eagerly to get petted. In the early morning he routinely comes to my bed, putting his head on the bed, or even his front paws, asking to be petted. This morning it was particularly good, because I had slept through the early alarm to get us to No Bonz at 7:15 am when it opens. (They wanted him there early, so the other dogs would come while he's already there, rather than him getting there and meeting a bunch of dogs all at once.) He enjoys sitting outside in the yard and so far doesn't really react to the people and dogs walking by. He is a very sweet dog, who loves affection, but doesn't always overtly show it like other dogs.

We just got back from a walk, where it started raining on the way home. Fall has arrived. Enzo is doing pretty well on our walks, but the tail is still down the whole time (see right). He's learning "wait" at the intersections. On the walk we stopped at the vet and got Enzo microchipped, just in case he gets lost. Last night I took Enzo to the original Lucky Lab brewpub. But, he refused to get out of the car. I don't think he liked the noises nearby. I tried to coax him out a couple times, but with no luck. A friendly dalmation even came to the car and invited Enzo to get out, but he wouldn't budge. So, he stayed in the car while we had a beer. At least I now know that he's okay staying in the car by himself. He still freaks out every so often for unknown reasons. For example, today when we were leaving for our walk I went back in the house to get a jacket. I set the leash down outside, he started running around the yard, then slinked back in the house. He jumped up on the couch. I didn't get mad at him, and nicely asked him to get off, which he eventually did. He was clearly scared or worried about something. He is often very hesitant when we start our walks. I expect that he'll get better over time.

I took Enzo to No Bonz About It doggie daycare today for an introductory visit to see how he might do. He did okay. They kept most of the dogs in one area and let one or two into the area where Enzo was. He sniffed. They sniffed. He wandered around. The staff petted him. He liked that. It will take him a few visits to feel more comfortable and hopefully play with the other dogs. He's going be there on Mondays, starting this Monday. We'll see how it goes. You can watch on a webcam, using the link above.

Speaking of cameras, I couldn't get mine to work right to video tape him while I was gone yesterday to see what he does. So, nothing to report there.

Yesterday, Sunday, was a pretty simple day, not a lot to report. We took a long walk, again to the Fremont/Beaumont Village area, but no stop at Starbucks this time. We did stop at Green Dog to pick up a bully stick and order an ID tag. Enzo loved being petted by owners Christine and Mike. He was far more comfortable than the last time we were there, almost two weeks ago. He enjoyed the bully stick when we got home (see picture at right). It's so hard to photograph a black dog, also seen as a black blob.

Enzo is starting to get more into a routine. He goes out first thing in the morning and "takes care of business." He then eats at least some of his breakfast, and he eats much of his dinner while I'm doing the same in the evening. However, he did leave me a pile of you know what in the living room while I was at the gym and grocery shopping yesterday, as he had the day before while at breakfast and the farmer's market. I suspect that this has something to do with the stress of being left, and I hope it doesn't last long. I'm going to videotape him today while I'm gone to see what goes on. I also think I will start trying to crate train him sooner than planned. That's about the only advice I can find from the books I've read, since he's only doing it while I'm gone. Since he's eating better now, I'm going to start putting the food away at other times. Hopefully, if food goes in at one time on a schedule, it will come out somewhat predictably as well. And, with school starting in a few weeks, I'm going to check in on starting him at doggie daycare. He'll start with a trial visit. It may take a little time for him to get used to it. But, he seemed to really enjoy hanging out with the dogs at Jeanne's house.