Hunter - Update

Hunter waiting to go for a walk

Well, we have had Hunter for almost 6 months now!  And what a long 6 months it has been! LOL

Reading back to my last post about him in January, it seems like he has made huge strides.  But living with him day to day, he still is a holy terror!

Back then, I said he didn't go on the furniture anymore.  He seems to just go through phases.  Sometimes he is great and sometimes he goes on a ton.  Still not nearly as much as he did in the beginning though so that is good. All we do when he goes up is yell at him to get down.  If that doesn't work, we pull him or lift him down.  We have smacked him on the nose some, but I'm not sure if that helps at all.

Hunter keeping an eye on his "pets" Chip and Dale LOL

The biggest achievement I think is that he doesn't run out the front door anymore.  I can now go in and out of the door without squeezing myself with the door and hurting myself.  I think we have accomplished this by doing two different things.  The first is that when we walk him, we make him sit both before we open the door and after we open the door to begin walking.  We used to have to tell him to sit at both times, now he normally does it on his own.  I also often sit with him a few feet away from the door when people go in and out to show him where to be and how to act.  At first, I had to hold on to his collar for dear life to keep him from running.  Then I switched to petting him while sitting there.  I think I still pet him, just because I feel better with a hand or two on him.

Hunter chilling...waiting to go outside probably

Well, now that I think about it, it is also a pretty huge achievement that he doesn't bark uncontrollably at everyone who walks in the door anymore.  He still is bad with a few people, but he is generally great.  We have had two different dog sitters stay with him now (just for the day, not overnight yet).  We have had many friends over.  We have found that the best place to introduce him to new people is outside in the backyard.  Maybe he has fewer insecurities / possession issues out there.

This has been a long journey -- and one that we had no idea we were getting ourselves into.  But we have the most adorable dog ever and it is so worth it!

Hunter getting a tan on the lounge chair