Hank - 02Oct2019

Monday was the first day I was at work and I'm calling it a great success. I let everyone out upon getting up, made everyone breakfast, and then let everyone out again before I left for work (about a 2 hour time frame in the morning). I crated Hank, and everyone else was lounging around the living room. Jason works from home and so he went off to the den where his desk is. I constantly checked in on Hank through the Nest camera and was pleased when he chilled out and laid down.

Jason does come and go through the house during the day and, let me skip to Tuesday real fast, I saved a few clips from the Nest cam, showing how Hank did notice him come into the kitchen, but never said a thing and eventually just sat back down and watched. Hank is in the black crate under the tv.

I come home at noon for lunch, change clothes (so my work clothes don't get smothered in dog hair) and then I've gone outside with the pooches and played. It's been hot here the past few days (summer still lingers) and so in case they were out a lot while I was at work, I filled up a water bowl, the kiddie swimming pool (that Lola and Ringo love) and a 5 gallon bucket. Hank prefers the bucket:

Let's skip back to breakfast time - Tuesday morning, Hank is already getting into the routine:

Here are a few pics of how and where everyone eats, and Hank waiting to be released from breakfast:

Millie is in the crate on the other side of Hank. I monitor the entire breakfast process to make sure no one steals (they all will and then there are some fusses).

Right after breakfast Tuesday morning, I missed Hanks cue that he needed out, and I found myself cleaning up a pile of steaming poo (not surprised by the liquidness at this point - family change and diet change-and btw, he did go by the back door and not in some random place) but did manage to realize I had my fecal sample for him now! After work Tuesday, I loaded Hank in the truck and we headed to the vet. Stool sample did show a few hookworm eggs and so we got treatment for it (Strongid) and we currently have an appt next Wednesday for an exam and heartworm test. I'm going to try and contact the clinic that has treated him in the past (the actual place here in town closed down) since he has a rabies tag and I'd love to know what kind of shots he's gotten already. Otherwise we'll plan on just getting him a big boy round of regular annual vaccines. And Hank weighed in at 61 pounds - I'm shooting for 68-ish on him and we'll see how he looks at that weight. Feeding him raw at 3% of target weight means I'm feeding him about 1 pound of chicken/beef heart/pork loin/some liver, twice a day. 

On the ride home, I realized we were getting back later than I'd planned and I had to pull off on the side of the road for a scheduled chat with my course instructor for school. I had Hank attached to a seat belt in the second row of the truck on his collar (usually like to use a harness but don't have one for him right now). Hank is fine in the car while you're moving, but he got a little restless with us pulled off on the side of the road (note for the future if you leave him in the vehicle while you go in to a store?). I caught him doing "something" out of the corner of my eye (licking something on the floor?), but then he stopped. We got back on the road. And while I was going 60mph, all of a sudden, Hank jumped up in the front passenger seat. I knew his seatbelt attachment wouldn't allow this and it took me a second to comprehend what he'd done:

The end in the seatbelt is still in the truck, here is where he chewed through that thing in 15 seconds. Damn. And note for later! He is good in the front seat though, I'd just prefer him 1) not on the leather and 2) buckled in there. The front seat airbag turns off automatically based on the weight up there (too small for an adult, it turns off).

Closing note for now - I've never been around labs. So my observations might be a big duh for those that have. Hank does not have an agenda. My Sadie (the Diva Weim), does. An example:

Sadie wants that bone that Hank has. Hank is just happy to have the bone and chew on it. If Sadie were to try and just take it from him, Hank might get into it with her. Sadie will wait. Or play "look! there's Elvis!" fakeout to trick him. Or wait for Hank to be distracted in some other way. And then she'll pounce on the bone. And be a bitch about it until I take it away. Hank will move on past the loss and turn to whatever is next to him and start playing with that (or it). Hank wants attention from his humans, interaction with the pups around him cuz they're there (he fit in fast with a pack after being an only dog his whole life). He'll jump right in the middle of a pile of pups or humans and not even say excuse me (although he does "speak" dog fairly well and responds appropriately to a snarl or bark). Exercise is fantastic for him (leash work needed). He LOVES to play fetch in the yard. Pretty happy go lucky. I think he'd do best with another/other dogs that do NOT have an agenda. Not saying a fight can't break out, but Sadie and Ringo here are the biggest agenda holders (Ringos is more Heeler/bossy). 

Hank - almost a Weim 27Sept2019

I walk to work. And everyday for over the past 2 years, I've seen this chocolate lab on my way. Just a puppy when the family got him, he was quickly trained on an underground fence to stay in the yard. He knew his boundaries and there was no limit to the pleasure he would take in staying hidden until I was walking right past his house, and then come tearing out, barking to beat hell, and promptly sniggering after he got the reaction he wanted out of me (to jump suddenly, scream like a girl, and then look frantically around to see if anyone saw me get scared by this pup).

Anyways, here we are today. This pups family is getting divorced and dad has to go on the road at a moments notice and mom couldn't take any pets to her new apartment. Kids are about 8-10ish and moved with mom into the apartment. They said they were taking the pup to the shelter. I said I could take him home. Last Friday night, I picked Hank up in my truck, along with his crate, a bed, and his food bowl. It was already dark and I had 5 of my own dogs in the house waiting on me. I took Hank to the fenced backyard and let him sniff around a bit (left his leash on in case I needed to grab him). I let each of my dogs out, one at a time, to meet Hank. Sadie was a little snippy and a bit of a diva about intros, Millie was okay, Ringo was overly aggressive and I had to pull them apart (but they let me), Buddy was alert but okay, Lola got him riled up just by coming out and being all razorback looking. Everyone did fairly well, given they didn't have much light so that put everyone on a little edge. Everyone did fairly well, given they didn't have much light so that put all on a little edge. This was around 8pm.

Here we are at about 9:30pm the same night.

Hank's dad said he was crated at night (instead of saying "crate" they said "load up") - he went in his crate without issue that night, little bit of moving around, but otherwise, he went right to sleep. Buddy woke me up about 5am Saturday morning to go out, and everyone but Sadie went out then and did their business. I put him back in his crate when we came back in and he went back to sleep.

Saturday morning I fed everyone (Hank in his crate, Millie in her crate, everyone else disbursed in the dining room). I needed to work on a paper for school but it was obvious that Hank was anxious and not gonna rest like everyone else does after breakfast. I moved my computer and work to the back porch, hooked Hank up with a multi-noise, vibration, shock collar (I didn't want to just throw him in the backyard with all of the other dogs and the chickens (in their coop) and Bridget (cat) on the back porch - he needed to be watched with everything). I let all of the dogs out and then proceeded to spend the next 5 hours doing my paper and watching the dogs. He really didn't do much different than I'd watched him do at his own house during the day when humans weren't around. I got my paper finished and submitted. I zapped him with about half full power of the vibration when he started sniffing around the chicken coop and looking too interested. Same thing when he'd go on point with Bridget (that might take some time if it can even work).

My boyfriend and I needed to go to the grocery store that afternoon and so we just put him in his crate, Millie gets crated when we leave, and everyone else gets left out. I watched him on video and he laid down after a bit so he doesn't appear to mind the crate that much (even though he does have tons of energy to expend). Came back and he was cool but def willing to come out. Saturday night was about the same, fed, played a little, went to bed. 

Sunday morning we got up, fed the pups (which Hank was on Old Roy kibble, and I'm switching him pretty fast to Earthborn Coastal Catch kibble and Raw - so far he's had pork loin, beef heart, and chicken), then got ready to go for a run. We chose to take Lola and Hank with us. I have a hands free leash hookup so I can have 2 dogs with me. I have an extra prong collar that I fit on him (everyone wears one now when we walk/run). He still pulled pretty good for having that collar on him but I was able to manage him (he pulled more than Buddy, my male adult Weim about 75 pounds) has ever been able to on this collar). Leash walking needs work but is doable. I had him hooked to me for the first few miles and Jason ran with Lola (she's great to go running with - she just goes forward at a steady pace, no peeing on stuff, no sniffing stuff - it's a walk/run!). Last mile I took both Lola and Hank. He did fairly well - started actually slowing down a little about a mile and a half in and was more running beside me/not pulling as much the last mile.  He could probably do that most days.

We spent the rest of the day at home, relaxing, playing in the backyard. I grabbed a few pics in the house:

 Left to right: Sadie, Millie, Hank, Buddy, and Ringo in the back.

 Skinny boy, trying to plump him up a little. Gonna get a fecal and heartworm test done asap to see if we're fighting any worms and to get him on heartworm preventive.

Hank giving Lola a kiss.

Hank likes to play fetch and he can play by himself:

Millie was already teaching him the fun of playing "hand off" with their fave rubber Chuck It balls (that I have on Subscribe and Save with Amazon b/c we're constantly losing them).

Patiently waiting for breakfast this morning:

And if anyone is wondering, that clear mat is a ScatMat (again, Amazon). It's electrified on one side with 3 settings. It keeps everyone out of the kitchen that doesn't wear shoes. It's usually on high and will make you jump if you touched it. Hank figured out what it was in the first 5 minutes he was in the house and has pretty much respected it since. I hope he doesn't talk too much to Sadie, who has recently figured out the fact it's only electrified on one side and if she flips it over, she can walk past it!