King Louie

Week 1

Louie's had a big week. He's gone to work with me every day, where he sits in my cubicle with me in his little carrier/bed and sleeps most the day. He got a clean bill of health from the vet. He met my roommates' three big dogs and their cat, and he met my boyfriend's two cats as well. He likes their cat toys better than they do.

He met some neighborhood children who have a tendency to let out loud squeals at random moments and scare him to a shaking ball of fur. He went to a puppy play session, but the puppies there were too big, he just watched. He met some well-behaved children at a park, but he was very scared of just the sight of them.

He will "go potty" almost every time I tell him to (as long as I pay attention and take him out when he needs to go) -- he definitely knows what I want him to do, and he knows outside is preferable to his potty pads, which he'll use if he has to. When he goes outside, I tell him he's a good boy over and over and he wags his tail. The other night he even whined to let me know he needed to go outside! Of course, he also whines to let me know he's bored, lonely, worried, or hot, so I didn't know that's what he was whining about until after he went on the potty pad.

He loves playing in the yard. He will "c'mere" when I ask him to, as long as I sound really excited about it and he isn't preoccupied with something even more exciting. When he decides he's going to "c'mere" he leaps into action and runs to me as fast as his little 2 pound body will carry him, his floppy ears blowing in the wind. I tell him he's a good boy and he gives me kisses on the lips (if I pick him up so he can reach.)

He loves to rest his head on my shoulder and watch the world behind me. I like to nibble on his ears. I think he likes it when I do that, because sometimes I get kisses.

He can be very stubborn -- if he wants to cuddle with me and I don't let him, he whines and yips and tries to jump out of his playpen (which worries me, because he could really hurt himself!) He doesn't like it if I'm in the bed and he isn't! I've been trying to trick him by cuddling him to sleep and then putting him in his bed, but he just ends up waking me up in a couple of hours. I let him sleep with me last night, and he slept right through the night! I just don't know what to do about that.