Lou and the Guinea Pig Brush

 When we adopted Lou three months ago he was understandably very nervous and skittish. A couple of things that made him very uncomfortable was bumping into things, and being touched with objects that were not hands.

Since then, he has come around nicely, and we have learned what bothers him and what doesn’t.

Lou loves to be touched and petted, but only if he is comfortable with whatever is touching him. He will happily choose a chin scratch over a treat. But he dislikes it when I try to touch him with most foreign objects. 

There are two things that he doesn’t mind me using on him. One is my silicone scalp shampoo scrubber (it’s his now). The other is my son’s guinea pig brush. 

Brushing is good for Lou. He has dry skin that flakes, and although he doesn’t scratch, he just melts when you scratch him in certain parts. I don’t know why he loves this tiny brush so much. Maybe because it is soft. Or maybe it is small enough where he doesn’t feel threatened. In either case, it takes a while to brush out Lou. But he absolutely loves it. 

Never a dull moment with these dogs.

Mom

Gus and the puppy meetup!

      I went to a puppy reunion the other day!

I was able to visit with my littermates and play with dogs my own size. There were two litters at the meeting place. One litter was my litter and the other litter was a group of Great Dane puppies born in foster care. 

It was easy to tell the two litters apart because all my brothers and sisters have a merle pattern. We also don’t have big floppy ears like full Great Danes. But although we all have the same coat pattern, it is still easy to tell us apart.

Not all my littermates made it to the reunion, but I can introduce you to my two brothers and three of my sisters. They are all different, but also a lot like me. 

I’ll start with my cool brother.

My rude brother. (He tried to pick a fight with me at first)

Me! (Yes, I was eating dirt)

And my sisters. All sweet and friendly.

My funny sister.

My shy sister.

My hot sister. 

See why I say that?

We all look very much alike, and we are all close to the same size.

I was called the chill pup by the humans, but I don’t think Lou agrees with that!

Mommy made a video about it. Please watch and have a giggle.

Woof!

Merle Great Dane mix Gus - 8 - 20 weeks old

Our morning routine

Mommy here.

I’m taking some time to do something that doesn’t involve cleaning, chasing puppies, or teaching ‘sit’ and ‘down’ while tossing treats.

I have had quite a lifestyle change since adopting two dogs. Granted, I didn’t have much of a life before, so I can’t say if it is for better or worse. 

It took several weeks to crate train Gus, but he is still a morning riser, and sometimes his little bladder doesn’t always make it to the backyard. So he is my alarm clock that I can’t turn off on the weekends. 

Despite my earlier mornings (they are really not all that early) I feel my productivity has dropped a bit, mostly because I still do not feel we have a smooth running routine yet. But things are getting better. And the dogs seem happy.

For now, this is our current weekday morning routine:

Anywhere between 5 and 6 AM - Gus whines and barks to go potty. Lou rarely goes so early, preferring to nip the back of my arm with his front teeth and slam his rump against my legs to fully wake me up.

6 -7 AM - Zoomie time! After Gus comes back inside, he horses around with Lou while I make some coffee. During this time, Lou will ask to go out to potty, announcing his grand presence at dawn with a bark or two. Sometimes I sneak back to my room to take a nap. (Shh!)

7 AM - Breakfast! Lou eats on the screened patio while Gus eats inside. Keeping them apart during meal time is much more peaceful for both of them.

7:15 -7:30 AM - I try to finish my coffee during this time. I am eternally grateful for insulated mugs! The dogs have learned that when Mommy is holding the pink mug she is not going to want nudges and kisses. 

7:30 - 9 AM - This is the time frame where the Dad is getting ready to leave for work and the kids for school. Each one leaves at a different time, so it is a big time window. Also during this time, I am usually wiping up a pee puddle or two because Gus is so excited to see the human kids come downstairs.

9 - 9:30 AM - Backyard time while Mommy washes up and gets dressed. Sometimes this can last up to 9:45, but I am working on that.

9:30 AM - Sit down at my desk. The dogs find their spots… and I get to work.

And so goes our morning! 

About Gus

 I am Gus! My full name is Augustus, but Mommy calls me GusGus, or just Gus. I am 19 weeks old, so I am still a young puppy.

My biological mommy was surrendered to a rescue when she was pregnant with me and my littermates, and I was born in a very nice foster home. 

My doggie mommy is a Great Dane, and my daddy is a Shepherd mix. Human Mommy had my DNA checked to see exactly what the mix was. Here are the results:

Great Dane - 57%

Boxer - 16%

German Shepherd Dog - 14%

American Eskimo Dog - 7%

American Pit Bull Terrier - 3%

Bulldog - 2%

Chinese Shar-Pei - 1%

I have gray eyes, and my coat color is called merle, which is a dappled pattern caused by the Merle gene. 

I am rather shy and I don’t like to approach strangers, unless they have a tasty treat.  I like to play with Lou and eat anything that’s on the floor. I think mulch is especially tasty, but Mommy always takes it out of my mouth.

But what I like best is to find a nice spot where I can stretch out my front legs and take a nap.

It was nice meeting you! Woof! 

A quick introduction

 Greetings! Allow us to introduce ourselves.

I am Lou, a 2 year old Great Dane.

I am Gus, a 4 month old Great Dane mix.

Mommy rescued us when Lou was two years old and Gus was eight weeks. We are so grateful that we are going to make sure she never forgets what she did! To start, we have put our nose art all over Mommy's glass doors so the place can look nicer.

We will let you know how life after rescue turns out. Woof!