Day Six, July 19, 2009

Morning:

Looks like we've gotten Elvis over much of the leg hiking and pooping. I won't go nearly so far as to say he's housebroken, but since Wednesday, there's only been one leg lifting episode. Of course we've got our guys on a pretty frequent "go outside and potty" schedule, but still, he's going out there and not in the house, so strides have been made.

I've been in the kitchen baking a cake, and he's not been thrilled with the noises coming from there, but, for the most part, he stayed around...probably because Haley was in there the entire time and Skeeter showed up about the last 10 minutes. They get to lick the bowl, and he wasn't brave enough to stick his head in, but he watched and I suspect in the next week or so, he'll take a step forward there.

Also, he's now at 11 pounds, which means he's going in the wrong direction, but I won't start cutting him back until tomorrow morning. Not sure what I'll start with, but I suspect it will be 1 1/2 tbsp twice a day instead of 2 tbsp. I'll have him on that for three or four days and then weigh him again.

He hasn't completely gotten over his fright from last night in the kitchen, but he didn't regress as far as I was afraid he would. He's a bit timid with Randall here in the den, but a little reassurance and he seems OK. With me, he's gotten to the point that I can generally walk up and pet him. Sometimes he sidles away, but usually he stands his ground....sometimes with the whites of his eyes showing, but it's still a big improvement.

Afternoon/Evening:

Not too much to report here since Randall and I spent all afternoon working on a headboard project (it's done YEAH!). I can report that Elvis joined us at the dining table tonight and got several bites of couscous before the other two inhaled it all. He also managed to get in and snag some cooked carrots that Randall had picked out of his dinner. He's not brave enough yet to stick his head in a sauce pot, but if it's on a plate, he'll get in there and get a couple of bites.

He also went running out the back door with Haley and Skeeter after they finished their dinner, headed to the back fence and actually gave a couple of woofs on the way. This is very good. I've been waiting for the point where he's claimed "ownership" of the property and wants to "protect" it. He's actually a bit ahead of where I thought he'd be on this.

Elvis did spend most of the afternoon under my chair (or under Randall's desk) while we were doing the headboard. There was lots of banging and cussing, so he laid low. *g* He's out with the others now, though, so he did a quick bounce back.