Wow has he ever grown. We can't believe this big, strong, handsome guy was just a little lumpkins smaller than Nicholas. Back then he was so little that he slept between us on our bed - we were always afraid he would fall out and hurt himself. Now he's bigger than me.
And look at his big fat mouth! Remember when it was this small? Then this big?
Besides everything, one thing we love most about Zander is that he is such good natured. He's really taking "the terrible two's" in stride. About this time dogs like our Zander start to fill out and come into their maturity. Some of them get hard to handle - but not our Bubby. We had a stretch where The Hammer Of Discipline came down and we really watched his every move. But now he's just our big Bub and we love him very much.
Now that he's learning to control himself I'm teaching him my favorite command, "guard Momma." We use this when the barnyard gets too aggressive with me. He's very excited about learning how to stand his ground with ne'erdowellers and to back off when I tell him. Of course this could go badly so we keep him on a short leash....as it were.
The one thing that will change, however, is the balance of power between he and Kai. There has really only been one small scuffle between them... but we've noticed small changes that show her deference to him.
For instance, Zander has started to take the "best" spot in the dog area. He also pushes his way out of the door in front of her. Even tho he still rough houses with Kai we've seen some changes in this play. When he get tired of her pinning him - he'll just get up and walk away. This is the way it should be. Even tho he is younger he is bigger and more powerful so will be "above" her in the pack order.
We knew when we got Zander that he would eventually be our pack leader. He already stands a head taller than the rest of the dogs and it's the way of things that he will use his size and strength to be in the lead spot. But for now, as he's making his way thru this stage, we are just going to enjoy every second of his smiling face, his big Bub kisses, and charming personality.
Happy Bring Home Day, Zander! We are so glad you are here!
Posts
3 comments:
What a handsome guy Zander is. He looks a bit like our old Norwegian elkhound in the face, coloring and all, but his head is larger and squarer. We lost our Midget last summer at the age of 14. He was our gentle giant. We still miss him. I hope you have many more years with your Zander.
He look damn regal!
Beautiful face!
Post a Comment