Socialization

Levi has been a little bit shy lately so we are trying to work especially hard on more socialization.  I think it is mostly with other dogs that he is shy, but loud noises and barking dogs also seem to make him a little nervous.  We've been on a few outings over the past couple days.  He came with me on a couple errands yesterday and then we went to Petco so I could buy him a present for his 4-month birthday.  We then went to a nice dog park close to where we live.  We went in the middle of the day hoping that it wouldn't be very busy and it turned out to be perfect.  There were a few dogs there when we arrived and he really enjoyed playing with this one medium sized puggle (pug and beagle cross).  When that dog left he found a terrier to play chase with for a little while.  Pretty soon though all the other dogs had gone home so we decided to call it a day as well.

Today Levi and I joined dad on some errands so we could go to Home Depot and Farm Supply (both dog-friendly stores).  There were a lot of people in Home Depot that wanted to pet him.  He did really well and only tried to jump on one person.  He also got exposure to new sights and sounds there.  Outside of Farm Supply there were a couple dogs in a truck that were barking at him which made him a little nervous, but overall he did really well.

Outside of Home Depot

And a few pictures I took of him over the past week at home.

He is starting to calm down and actually lay down on his own now rather than me always having to put him in his crate to make him take a nap.

He is also doing a lot better with potty training and hasn't had a real accident in several weeks.  (That doesn't count his excited leaking when Melissa comes over.  He can't help that though, she is just so much fun!)

He also hasn't been as mischievous about trying to get into everything.  This grants him a little more freedom to wander around the house more.

It is nice to see him starting to mature personality-wise.  Even if he is cuter as a tiny puppy, I'd rather take this version of him which I can enjoy more.

Happy 4 Month Birthday Levi!

Today Levi is 4 months old.  It feels like I've had him for so much longer than 2 months.  We had a great time last week up in Davis, but now we are back in Templeton until September.  On Sunday Levi got to go over to his brother Jamie's house for a play date.  They had so much fun chasing each other, wrestling, playing in the plants, digging, sharing sticks, and playing in the kiddie pool.

I decided that for each month older that Levi gets I will list some of the things that I love about him as a way to remember the things I am thankful for at each stage of his life.

1. He is a cuddler and still tries to lay on my lap even though he is getting too big to fit.
2. He walks so well on leash (most of the time)
3. He loves people
4. He is really smart and a quick learner

He is getting so big (now weighing in at 32.6 lbs) and is losing his fluffy puppy hair.  My little baby is growing up.

American River

Today Alicia and Heather came with Levi and I to the American River in Sacramento.  There are several access points to the river but I chose one that said it was good for swimming because I thought the current wouldn't be very strong.  We got a little lost on the way there because the directions online weren't that great but eventually we found it.  Unfortunately there wasn't drive up parking so we had to park in a parking lot and then go for a little trek through sand and plants to finally get to the water.  There were several little paths so we just followed one until we eventually hit a small beach on the water.  I thought that it was supposed to be a large beach but it seems like there are just several little beach areas along this stretch of the river and depending on what path you take you get to a different area.  The water was really nice and clear, but a little cold.  Levi didn't seem to mind though.  He retrieved his bumper in the water for a little while and then we just hung out and he played in the sand and plants. 

The trip back to the car was where our journey got interesting.  We didn't remember the exact path that we had taken so we ended up on a different path heading back.  We got a little lost trying to find our way back through all of the plants and trees and the sand was so hot that Levi couldn't walk on it so I had to carry him.  Now that he is getting heavier this is becoming more challenging, especially for a 10 or 15 minute walk through sand.  We eventually found our way back and all was well.  I think I will try a different part of the river next time I go so we don't have to find our way through the bushes again.

Retrieving in the water

Taking a rest break

Ducks swimming past

Time to dry off and head home

Green Belt

Hi everyone, this is Levi... mom said that she was tired and didn't want to blog about our adventures so I decided to do it for her.  Aren't I so helpful.

I am finally old enough to go places where the big dogs can go now, so today mom took me to the "green belt".  I don't know why she kept calling it this because the path is paved, not green, but there was a lot of grass for me to romp around in so I didn't complain.  I also got to meet a nice golden retriever named Earl who was playing fetch with his owner.  He sure was big!  I really wanted to play with him but he would rather chase the ball.  Oh well.

mmm, the grass smells so good

Aren't I pretty?!

This is me watching Earl chase his tennis ball wishing he would come play with me.

Back at home mom snuck into my picture.  Doesn't she know that the pictures are better if I'm the only one in them.

Point Pinole Regional Park

Levi and I are back up in Davis for a few days and today he got to see two of his brothers for the first time since leaving the litter.  I met Christine and Don (with puppies Thistle and Ronan) at Point Pinole Regional Park in Richmond, Ca.  We found a nice lawn to let them play together and then we did a little bit of retrieving there.  Levi isn't very good about retrieving on land but Thistle and Ronan did great.  Then we walked on one of the trails that led down to the beach.  The boys got to retrieve bumpers and a fake dummy bird from the water.  There were small waves which Levi was a little unsure of at first, but soon he jumped right in and was swimming and retrieving his bumper.  After they had retrieved for a while in the water we continued our walk along the trails until we got back to the parking lot.  It was really beautiful there and the weather was perfect, not hot but not too cold either.  Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera so I don't have any pictures. :(

Tomorrow Levi has a play date with Jamie (his other brother) who also lives in Davis, and then on Saturday we might head out to Lake Berryessa or to the American River for some more swimming.  We have to take advantage of all of the water up by Davis before we head back to Templeton.

Bob Jones Trail - Take 2

I took Levi out to the Bob Jones Trail again today in Avila Beach.  I can't believe how much he's grown since the first time I took him.  We made it almost the whole way to the beach, but the last part wasn't shaded and it was getting a little bit warm so I decided to turn back.  Levi hardly needed any rest breaks this time (which also meant less time for pictures).  He was very good, and people kept commenting on how well behaved he was.  I can't wait until he gets his final vaccine next week so that we can start venturing out to new places.

Kobe's Bed

I mentioned in a previous blog that mom had taken Kobe's bed home and was going to make it into a pillow for me. I realized that I forgot to post a picture of it when she was done.  So here's a before and after picture...


Thanks Mom!

Lake Nacimiento

I've been home from Honduras for a few days now and I can't believe how much Levi grew while I was gone.  He is now 16 3/4" tall and 27.8 lbs.  This is what he looks like now...

He's not a little puppy anymore. :-(

We've been going in the pool more, and he will now go onto the first step without any coaxing.  He has tried to go further but then he falls in because there is a pretty good drop to the next step, and that scares him.  Maybe by the end of the summer he will have mastered swimming in the pool.

One of his favorite things to do is to climb on the floaty rafts.  Unfortunately, I think this is going have to come to an end since he has now put holes in two of the rafts.

Today I took Levi out to Lake Nacimiento (about 40 minutes away) in hopes that he would learn to swim.  He was nervous at first and wanted to cling next to me.  I walked into the water a little bit deeper so that he would have to swim if he wanted to follow me.  It worked and he swam out following me.  After a couple times of that and realizing that he could then swim back to shore he got a lot more comfortable and would go in without me.  I tried to get him to fetch his bumper and he would swim after it but then he didn't know to grab it so he would just swim into it and then turn around.  Finally he got it and was retrieving his bumper like a pro.  I was so proud of him!

And here's a little video of him retrieving.