At almost eight months old, Mavis is turning out to be a great dog. I started to say great little dog, but at nearly 31 pounds, she’s crossed the boundary from “small” to “medium”. Despite believing she’d be less than 25 pounds, I couldn’t be happier.
Mavis is at least three times as big as my ideal dog. Were she not so sweet and gentle, her size would be an issue. If my feet aren’t firmly planted, she’s big enough to knock me off balance with a jump or a hard tug on the leash. The risk is ever-present, but ongoing training helps.
When it’s just us, Mavis is very well-behaved. Around others, excitement gets the best of her. She lives to bring joy and love to everyone she encounters and is baffled by people who don’t want to be her friend. She’ll wait a few minutes for the rejection to wear off and then tries again.
Her excitement is a too much for some–we’re working on it–but the joy is obvious. Most of the people Mavis meets adore her. After an exuberant greeting, she usually calms down and sits on the feet of her new friend.
While I was in Kentucky, lots of people asked about Mavis. Some even suggested giving her a Facebook page of her own. I could, but she’s not that interesting. Compared to content-rich Tootsie and her antics, laid-back Mavis is a bit boring.
Catching Mavis being cute is more difficult too. Tootsie would do the same thing over and over for hours on end. Not Mavis. She likes to play, but is in no hurry to fetch and often loses interest after a few throws.
After five visits to daycare so far–including a three-night sleepover–she’s adjusting to the chaos of a play area with up to 15 other dogs. Each time I check the cams, she’s a little less likely to be at the gate looking for me. She follows the attendant around a lot, and more recently, was playing with other dogs.
She has a standing daycare appointment once a month when the maid comes. I hope to take her once a week–more if she gets excited about going to the playroom. Last time (two days after her sleepover), she ran inside the facility but balked when they came to take her back.
More than anything, Mavis loves walks. We go for a long-ish walk around 7 every morning and another, much shorter walk in the evening. She never gets enough. I’m looking forward to cooler weather for longer walks.
To go somewhere in the car, I use a five-foot leash. For walks around the neighborhood, I use a 10-foot retractable leash. She likes to roam from side to side–like a hunting dog. In places where the traffic is too close for comfort, I say “short leash” and she stays close to me, whether I lock the leash or not.
Good walks involve lots of communication. “Wait” means sit until I say “Okay”. “Cross” means it’s okay to cross the street. She’s pretty good with “leave it,” but acts like she’s going after things so I’ll say “leave it” and give her a treat. “Drop it” means don’t let Daddy have it, no matter what.
We’re together all day–within reach most of the time. I crate her when I go anywhere without her, but rarely for more than two or three hours. She’s not much of a lap dog (probably for the best given her size), but often lays beside me with her head on my arm, thigh or foot.
Adjusting to life with my big, friendly dog has been pretty easy. The best part is taking her with me for what I once called a run. The more we go, the better she does and the more she seems to like it.
Although I no longer run, Mavis gets me to exercise more. Unlike my previous dogs, skipping walks isn’t an option. In this heat, keeping her to just two walks a day has been the challenge.
It’s practically the middle of September. Highs are expected to remain in the upper 80s and above throughout the 10-day forecast. Ugh.
I’ll survived. Cooler weather will be here soon enough. I’ll keep you posted. As always, thanks for stopping by.