6 months with Dillon
Dillon turned 6 months a few weeks ago and we are getting that where did the time go feeling. The ways he’s changed are too great to quantify really, it’s amazing to see how a ball of fluff teddy bear puppy turns into a potentially handsome lad. I say potentially as his head is still to grow and he’s yet to fill out. Currently he’s like a lanky teenager to look at, all legs and the awareness of a hamster with a bucket on it’s head. With legs growing as quickly as his the ability to control them seems a far off thing.
He has managed to get through the first few months of his life with some incidents but nothing really major. Apart from the claw incident and kennel cough (which he only had for one day really) he’s not had any injuries or illness. He just went onto junior food and that is a great step for all dogs. It’s a major key point when their feeding goes down to only twice a day from the puppy frequent feeds. Of course, he’s still a puppy but that word seems less and less apt day by day. I am still sure my husband may be swapping puppies in the night as there was a time he’d literally be bigger when he woke up from the night before. Dogs grow at an insane rate.
Dillon is about the size of Barley in height (creeping higher day by day), but he’s not filled out so is a skinny leggy version. His head has less of a cone shape and you can see by his neck his ruff developing and the likely hood of his head broadening to fill out. We are of course biased but his return to a giant bear rather than puppy bear that he was, is one we like.
Training is going fairly good, we have good and bad days and recently he’s been attempting to sing in his head about a lot of it - this is the curse of the 6 month puppy phase. The best bits are the wait, stay and leave. The worst bits are really the coming (you are fine unless some random leaf falls down within a mile radius or a bird farts somewhere in the county) and walking to heal. He is getting used to some road walking and discovering scary lorries which usually result in a hiding in the verge whilst staring and shaking his right leg. We still do basic obedience (pre grading puppy class) and gun dog training every month. It’s going well but the hard work has to keep up for a while yet.
As far as personality he’s a thinker it seems. He’s also a very happy chap when it comes down to it. It is rare his tail isn’t wagging as he does almost everything with great enthusiasm and grinning. Yes, we are sure he is grinning. Compared to Barley he’s a lot more wanting to please and less stubborn. Time will tell if he learns off his foster mum Barley how to be a grumpy so and so. He’s not the most outgoing of dogs I have ever had and without Barley he’s not brave about a lot of things so we are encouraging him.
The way Barley has taken on the role of mum to Dillon we couldn’t have asked for anything better. She has turned out to be a great mum to him. Barley used to not really play with other dogs but she sure does make it up with him. They are pretty inseparable and it’s great to see he’s got her on his side at all times. Barley has taught him doggy things we couldn’t and he’s one well socialised puppy as a result - even dogs that bark and growl at him he wants to make friends.
All in all it’s been a speedy but great first few months with Dillon. When we brought home the little ball of squeaking we couldn’t have dreamed he would fit in so well. It’s always a risk how your pack will be effected by introducing another dog, but this has worked out really well. The house also feels great having 2 dogs in it. Having 2 dogs is a bit more work yes, but having the age gap we have is actually working well as Barley is so undemanding it’s given time to focus on Dillon along with having someone that speaks his language to help. Dillon teaches me so much as dogs do and he’s got a big place in both our hearts already. He’s a puppy so he can be trouble at times, but one look with those deep eyes and I defy anyone’s heart to not melt.