Wednesday, June 12, 2024

I guess it’s time for a pupdate! Our boy is about 4 months old now.

We adopted Eddie Otis in April and I feel ridiculous every time I say his name, but I have no regrets. Our kids call him “Eddie” and refuse to say the “Otis” part. They also think Eddie is too close to Ernie, our last dog, and they’re right.

Tom sent me a funny IG reel that says there are 3 stages to owning a labrador. Stage One is “you’re the cutest baby that ever babied”. Stage Two is “piranha a_hole”. Stage Three is “you’re the best dog there ever was”. So, we are in stage two. My arms are proof. He is very “mouth forward”. Mason says I am the recipient of the most bites or bite attempts because I am a human squeak toy and I react too much.

Let’s go through a day of Eddie Otis…

He wakes up in our bed around 6:00.

I feed him and then we start our day outside with birds, sticks, and he lets me read my devotional and blogs. Some week days Tom walks him around 6:30 if he has come back from the gym. Ideally, I would go to the gym right when Tom gets home from the gym, but full disclosure that has only happened once so far.

After Tom leaves for work around 7:30, Eddie Otis and I straighten up the kitchen if it needs it and then we go walk.

I listen to podcasts while we walk. He is pretty good on the leash. At first he “helps” me with it in his mouth, but then he is interested in all the good sniffs to be sniffed. He loves meeting dogs and other people while we walk, but this early there aren’t many out yet.

He is really weird (for us) about cars. He is very interested in all the cars that go by. He stops and stares and then tries to go after them. It could be a problem. We have had several cars stop and roll down their windows and say how cute he is. We are friendly around here.

We leave his crate door open all day and he has two dog beds. But, this is where he ends up several times a day. He loves the cool tile and usually takes a toy in here with him and falls asleep.

He takes a nice morning nap and this is usually when I get things done.

Depending on what is going on, we take another walk whenever he seems like he has energy to burn. He will come outside while I read sometimes and sometimes he just stays in his dog wash while I go out. If I leave the house, he gets crated.

He is really good with the command “sit”, but that’s about it right now.

Other funny things about him:

He loves water like you wouldn’t believe. We fill his bowl and he does this cute hoppy thing because he’s so excited.

He is very treat motivated, but so am I.

He loves his two dog puzzles. I ordered an advanced one and he had no problem. (My child is gifted.) I actually think I like this one better because the pieces don’t come out.

He did so well in the car on a 3 hour ride (two times) last Sunday.

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Mason took this photo from the back of the car.

I start dinner around 5:00 and he is either taking another little nap or playing with toys or anything he can get out of the kitchen recycling bin.

Tom gets home and then we walk on the playground off leash. He plays one or two rounds of tether ball:

If it’s a good day, his friends can come out from their fences and say hello. He is a very social dog to other humans and canines.

On the weekends, he gets to swim in the river and go on the boat and he has more time with Tom.

He eats dinner around 5:30 and takes another nap after his playground walk usually. Then, he gets wild. His wild and crazy time is usually from 7:00-7:30. He is very bitey during this time and I usually go take my shower and let Tom enjoy this.

Tom goes to bed at 8:30 and takes EO with him. EO goes out to potty a few times a night. He won’t jump down from our bed and wants to be carried down the back steps at night. This is becoming a problem for me because he is probably about 30 pounds now and very long.

You can tell how big he is getting from the above photo of Mason holding him!

I probably told you way more than you needed to know and I’m sure we are not doing things by the book!

Life has sure not been dull with Eddie Otis around!

Cheers!

Amy

20 thoughts on “Pupdate”

  2. He’s so big! I love the pictures of him on the boat and sleeping in the car. I also love that he sleeps in the dog wash! Dogs are funny with cool places to lay in the summer. Y’all are doing great with him! We should have socialized our dogs more and gotten them all used to walking on leashes.

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  6. I love hearing about Eddie Otis! He’s so cute and that puppy stage is just the best. We have 2 labs and some kind of herder rescue dog so we too have a wild household. EO seems to be adjusting to his home and routine! Enjoy–

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  7. If I get another dog, I’m blaming you 😜 Eddie Otis is just the cutest 🥰 I still have scars from the puppy days!

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  8. Human squeak toy 🤣sounds like you all in a great routine. The tile must feel so good and cool to him. So cute.
    Homer is so funny when he knows we’re taking him for a walk. As soon as he hears the leash, he walks in a circle a couple of times, sits down on the corner of the living room rug and then backs up a bit and sits down again until we clip the leash on his collar
    Also, only with Hadley – at night, when she opens the freezer, he hops off the couch because he knows she will give him a lick of ice cream 🤣

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  9. What a cutie! I loved hearing this update. He weighs almost as much as Mollie, but she looks taller with long legs. She also knows sit, and is starting to catch on to “lay down.” Does EO ask to go outside or do you just let him out when he seems restless? Mollie’s issue is jumping up on people, not so much biting. We’re working on it!

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    1. Yes, she does have longer legs and looks taller! He is doing well with potty training, but usually it’s us knowing that it’s about time for him to go out or if he’s in bed with us he gets up and usually nudges Tom. He doesn’t really jump on people yet, but that could be coming. His issue is definitely biting. We feel like maybe he is getting better and learning “soft mouth”. Labs had to be bred to bring back the prey they hunted with a soft mouth so we know he has it in him!

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  10. You don’t realize how big he’s gotten until the photo of your son holding him! I have a photo of Jack (our Westie) biting a rubber tire toy and his little toothless gums. I never realized dogs lost teeth until we had our Westies! We’d find those little things everywhere. Jack likes his crate, too, but he also likes to sleep on the tile now that it’s gotten a bit warmer.

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

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