The first week is always the hardest, both dog and family have adjustments to make. I always tell families that it takes a good 2 weeks to really have the ‘dog settle’ down and the family to fall into a routine. I will go into depth on all these areas later, here is a brief week one summary.

Temperament: Stiggy is a mix of Pack mentality combined with a little ‘fight’ defense. Which means, he wants to learn and be part of our ‘pack’ (family) however he naturally falls into more of a defense approach. As Stiggy learns he is not pack leader (which he struggled for many times) he will give up his defensive attitude and relax more. Stiggy is still settling down, learning what the rules are. I still see a little anxiety in him.

Walking on Leash: I believe he has not been leash trained. However, he falls right into line with only a little correction. I walk him 2 x daily, morning and night. These walks are for a ‘job’, not a leisure ‘sniffing’ around walk. This is one area that I have complete control over him. When Stiggy is acting out/anxiety, I strap the collar on, and we go for a walk. This is the best way for him and I to ‘balance’ ourselves.

Socialization: Stiggy is pretty Socialized. He seems to love new places, noises, scents, people, etc. Stiggy gets a little startled at motorcycles and the garbage truck. I have not taken Stiggy in stores, or really crowded areas for the first week. We have walked close to the road, on gravel, parks, and in our downtown area. People either love him, or they look scared to death of him (losers)

Play time: Stig loves to play, alone or with Moxie! She does have her toy time, which she will play by herself for awhile. Anything that squeaks is her favorite. Will not play fetch- goes to the ball and sometimes brings it back. Soft toys he chews up. Tug of war with rope, but he is really strong….(Must play to win , and sometimes that is hard for me)

Food: He is a little food aggressive. Stig tries to gulp down his, and then go for Moxies. I sit with him and feed him portions of his food by hand, then take it away when he is eating- then have him sit to get it back. This shows him I am in control.

Basic Training: The basic ‘sit’ command Stiggy is doing. Stig has to sit for everything even for love! He knows the command, but does it when he wants to. Stig will always sit for food, but on anything else you have to ask twice. I sit everyday and put him in the down position and lay over him. This helps show I am in control and the pack leader. Going in and out the door has been the most difficult task, but we are working on it. Almost Potty trained!!! Almost……

Conclusion:

Stiggy is stronger than me physically but I am stronger mentally. It took all week to establish that.

Big Stig (affectionately nick named) is a good boy and we love him!