It's hard to believe that we've only had Jake for a little over four months. This summer has flown by and Jake has become such a part of the family that it feels like he's been here forever. I guess that's when you know it's a good fit.
Jake is a typical "teenager puppy" with a high energy level but he's also great at keeping himself occupied. He doesn't need someone to play with him constantly. He'll lay on the floor chewing on a toy, tossing it up in the air and running around with it... all by himself. When he wants someone to play with him, he usually chooses Charlie and will sit and bark at her until she gives in. Otherwise he seeks out Sally the cat and will start a wrestle session with her.
He's picked up some of Charlie's bad habits, like barking at cars from the upstairs window and barking at dogs as we drive around in the car. I filled little plastic containers with dog food and when they start barking, I shake the container and say "No Bark!" Then I toss them a few pieces of food in a game of "go find it" and it distracts them long enough to redirect their attention and stop the barking. Hopefully we can cure them both of this bad habit soon!
I've also decided that I'm tired of tip-toeing around dogs in the kitchen while I'm cooking or eating, so we've started to keep the dogs out of the kitchen during food times. One dog was bad enough, but two dogs is too much and my tiny kitchen isn't big enough for all of us during meal prep. They sit in the hallway at the threshold and watch, but no entry while food is out! After the food is put away and dishes are done, they get a treat in their bowls as a reward for good behavior. This has been so wonderful for me and I'm enjoying being in the kitchen without the dog obstacles.
Jake loves walks, especially when Charlie joins us. He seems more focused and brave when Charlie is along. Otherwise he kind of dawdles and doesn't seem to know what to do. Also, he doesn't have the endurance like Charlie to walk for a lot of miles, so we go for shorter walks together and then I go for a long one by myself. The three of us typically walk down by the Wisconsin River trail for our morning 5am walk when it's quiet and no one else is out since Charlie doesn't do well with her noise reactivity. In the evenings, I take Jake for a walk with just the two of us around the neighborhood for about 30 minutes and then drop him off before I head out by myself.
While he loves his walks, Jake's favorite activity is swimming! He's a water dog for sure. Anytime we get near water, he goes right in. Charlie enjoys swimming if it involves fetching, but she prefers to just play along the shore most of the time. Jake, however, will go swimming just for the fun of it. He'll paddle in circles and go check out leaves or bubbles floating on the surface. I'd like to get him out on the kayaks again, but it's just so hard with both dogs. Maybe we'll have to try a canoe or other boat where we can all be on the same vessel. Or maybe leave Charlie home and see how Jake does by himself. Summer is slipping by fast so we'll have to do something soon!
Jake continues to grow and I'm afraid I'm going to lose the little side-bet that Alan and I have going on his adult weight. He is now at 50 lbs and is heavier and taller than Charlie although he looks leaner (probably because her hair is longer). He doesn't seem aware of his size, though, which causes him to sometimes inadvertently hurt people. He accidentally head-butts us all the time, he paws at us with his enormous feet and long nails which sometimes draw blood. He also runs full speed into Charlie at times and I can hear him knock the wind out of her. I'm sure under all her fur she's covered in bruises from him! I suppose he'll grow into his size mentally one of these days, but I'm afraid he might always be a clumsy goofball (although his clumsiness is adorable and makes us laugh all the time).
Speaking of long nails... Jake HATES to get his nails trimmed. The first time I had my groomer friend over to help me trim his nails, he squealed like we were killing him, peed all over us and even released his anal glands in fear... and we hadn't even cut a nail yet, we were just getting ready. I've slowly started getting him used to the nail clippers by giving him spray cheese while touching the clippers to his feet, but not actually clipping anything. I've also had him watch Charlie getting hers done so he can see it's not something to be scared of. I'm almost ready to start clipping one nail a day while giving him spray cheese to see how he does. Baby steps.
Jake had a vet appointment today to assess his last baby tooth that refuses to come out. It's tight against his top canine and I'm afraid it's preventing the adult tooth from coming through fully and it is also trapping all kinds of stick debris and food in between. So he'll have surgery this Friday to have it removed... and a free pedicure included! Yay!
We continue to be amused by Jake and his cute little antics while also completely adoring him. He's my little snuggle bug. He gives me full-on mouth kisses (gross to some, but it's his thing), he stares at me lovingly with those beautiful amber eyes and follows me wherever I go. I know this little boy is all mine at heart and I couldn't be a luckier dog-mom.