Does your puppy chew your walls?

My husband put temporary cheap paneling over the walls that our Jack Russell puppy was chewing. In this picture, hubby is painting the paneling the same color as our walls.  It's a good thing we had some paint left over in the garage.  You can hardly tell the difference.  Well...sort of.

It's a good thing Gumbo is so cute.

Gumbo is now 9 months old.  We are seeing some positive changes.  He's 99% potty-trained now. We've given him more access to the other rooms in the house.  Every evening when my husband comes home from work, we take Gumbo on a 30 minute walk and then let him be supervised in the front room for about an hour. That's where he is in this picture.  He likes to play catch and could do it for hours.  We bounce a rubber ball off of our coffee table and Gumbo jumps up to catch it. He would make a really good soccer player: move over Pele.

Gumbo is more affectionate and sweet, which is great since a little part of me was worried that because of his puppy biting, he would grow up to be a vicious dog.  His mouth is always going though.  Chew, chew, chew.  He no longer bites our clothes or shoes, which is a relief because I spent the summer practically naked to keep him from jumping up and tearing my clothes.  We bought some Bully Sticks and they keep him out of trouble for a few hours.  He is still up-rooting our plants. Hopefully, he'll get over that soon because my husband and I love to garden.  Sigh... Someday we'll have a "super awesome dog" which is how the breeder said he'd be at 18 months or so.

We bought another crate so that he can be upstairs with us in the room where we spend the most time. We never used a crate with our other Jack Russell because we thought it was a mean thing to do, even though the breeder said how necessary they are when training a puppy.  Gumbo loves being in his crate and we never use it as punishment: the crate is where treats come and good things happen.

He is a very finicky eater.  My husband wakes up early and tries to get him to eat his breakfast.  They have a routine: he throws a ball and plays catch with him, hoping that he will stop and take a bite between throws.   It takes a long time, but my husband is very committed and patient.

First Christmas with a Jack Russell Terrier Puppy

Gumbo's First Christmas:

Will He Ever Hold Still to For A Picture?

Well, we've made it.  My husband and I have managed to keep alive a very active and mischievous puppy for six months now.  We've saved his bacon so many times: we've kept him from chewing electrical cords; from causing a dangerous gas leak, from drowning in our koi pond; and from putting everything in his mouth, including knee-high nylons someone had carelessly thrown on the ground in front of our house.  My husband had to risk getting bit when he fished out the nylon out of Gumbo's mouth.  I can't abide litterbugs or people who don't clean up their dog's poop when they take them for a walk.  

This is a picture of our Jack Russell

who passed away in June 

It was a sad Christmas for us, since we are still grieving for our JR who died seven months ago.  We were lucky to have such a sweet dog for fourteen years.  Their temperaments are very different, but both dogs have been loving and a joy to watch as they go about their antics.  Maybe it's harder for us this time around since we are 14 years old than when we got our 1st JR?  We are both 61.  Gumbo is a real character and very funny and smart.  He reminds me of Milo in the movie "Mask."  Especially the animated version of Milo. 

Animated Milo from the Movie "Mask"