Duke #20 Black Labrador Mix Male 8 Months Old ID#3088

Duke is an 8 month old pup who came from Mississippi, and is learning the ropes in a foster home.  Please read his blog from the bottom up.

November 27, 2022

Wow!  Duke has made huge progress over the Thanksgiving weekend.  He has come out of his shell a lot. He now goes out on his own.  Only to do his thing and then runs right back in, wagging and jumping around like he accomplished a huge task.  So cute!

His resourcing of food with other dogs has been improved.  Sometimes,  I have to remind him what is expected and is corrected easily.  I think with time, this behavior will be corrected completely.

He is now playing with toys and us.  He was too scared to play with us at first but that has changed.

Thanksgiving day he met many strangers and did very well.  He was timid at first but went up to everyone for a greeting.  Then sat with them, which I was totally shocked.  He was a big hit.  Everyone loves Duke.  He is so gentle and handsome.  All that meet him talk about how handsome he is with his shiny fur.

Duke had a vet appointment last week. The vet really loved Duke.  We had to lift him into the car.  He was scared but let the vet do his thing. The Vet just thinks Duke needs more time to adjust and he will be running around.  Which happened a few days later.

We are still working on getting out the front door.  We aren’t quite sure why he won’t go to the front yard or walks. I’m sure with more time and patience he will come around like he has with everything else.

November 13, 2022

Dukes first week from the farm has been a little challenging for him, but each day he is showing more confidence.

Duke is the sweetest.  Even though he is a little shy, he will allow strangers to pet him.  He crouches for a second but then enjoys it. He, at times, even goes up to strangers for attention.   He hasn’t met many though.  Duke feels most comfortable in his dog bed. We had tried to take Duke on walks, but as soon as a car drives by he stops and wants to return.  He has successfully walked around the property yesterday for the first time and wondered for a few minutes.  This was a big step for Duke.  He hasn’t left my side much.

Today I left for a few hours and when I returned he actually showed excitement and wagged his tail for the first time. That was such a big thing for me.  I think I was more excited then he was.  He’s such a good pup.  We don’t crate him when we leave.  He is more comfortable on his bed.  He will go in a crate unwillingly, but doesn’t fight it once he is in.  At night he sleeps in our bedroom on a dog bed.  Duke is such a beautiful puppy but not so much of a size of a puppy.  Duke is a whopping 70lbs at 9 months. At this time he doesn’t act like a puppy.  He does like to chew on his bones but doesn’t know much about playing yet. He has some interest in balls and one stuffed animal. Duke listens really well.  He is such an “easy” puppy. He is easily corrected by just asking.

We are so proud of how far he has come in a week.  By next week I expect him to be playing, walking, going out on his own and many other puppy like stuff.

November 7, 2022

Today was Dukes third day.  He made a big accomplishment today.  He learned how to do hardwood steps.  He was so proud of himself.  After  he realized he could do it, he went up and down a couple times to show off. Duke is doing a little better each day.  He slept the whole night through without any accidents. He hasn’t had one yet.  I would say he is house trained.  He goes to the back door or whines when he needs to go out.

Duke is still uncertain about his surroundings.  He follows me everywhere.  He has done a little exploring around the house but has no interest in play or walks.  I tried to take Duke for a walk today but as soon as you put a leash on him he sits and resist or tries to chew it off.  It will take time for him to get used to it.  He is used to roaming free. I gave Duke some toys even though I knew he wouldn’t react much.  He carried the ball for it a few minutes but wouldn’t chase, or play with a stuffed animal.  Thankfully, he doesn’t know what begging is yet but I did try to give him some treats.  He will reluctantly take them if I place them on the floor.

Dukes favorite things to do right now is sit on the deck and take in the noises and scenery.  If he isn’t there he is following me around trying to figure out what is he doing here.
I haven’t seen much of his personality coming out yet.  I’m hoping next weeks blog we will have more about his likes and dislikes.

November 6, 2022

Today is the end of Duke’s second day with us.  He has started to get a little more comfortable with us.  He has been coming over and asking for comfort. Most of his day was spent either sitting on our deck or watching us paint.  He might have some grey spots now from the paint.  His fur is the most beautiful coat I’ve seen.  Pure shiny black. He is a very handsome, gentle fella. He is not quite sure about this house thing yet. He walks in sniffs then walks back out and sits in his spot.  He did this most of the day until we started painting.While painting we tied him on a very long leash.  It took him about 3 seconds to chew through it.  It wasn’t a small one either.  So, one thing for sure, Duke will need some kind of fence; although,  so far he hasn’t left our side.

He hasn’t had any accidents.  He even cried when he wanted to go out to the yard.  He is still scared.  He is very cautious about any movements he makes and hasn’t slept a wink all day because he was skittish about noises.  He met the resident dogs and they all seem to pretty much ignore each other.  They are giving Duke his space and letting him decompress.

Today was definitely better than yesterday.  I’m expecting within a couple days he will be playing around and wagging his tail.

November 5, 2022

Duke arrived very early this morning, 4:30 am.  When we first met Duke he was shaking like a leaf.  He has calmed down since then but has found a corner of our kitchen and hasn’t moved much.He has had a rough two days.  He started his journey early Friday morning, road in a truck for a day, lost his brothers and sisters and now has new siblings and new humans.  Duke has never been in a house so it’s no wonder he has been scared.Hopefully, within a couple days he will be running around and settled in.