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.