Click!

Okay. I promise I will stop talking about Oscar's bodily functions after this post. At least for a long time. Even though right now he's also having flatulence issues. I am unfortunately well-acquainted with the extra-horribleness that is dog-farts, from my stint as a Nanny; I was hoping I would have a fart-less dog, but apparently not. This, however, is another . . . er . . . issue. Which I will try to solve and just leave you hanging as to how that went.

Right now the thing I'm stoked about is that somehow, in the projected time-frame (3-4 days, she said), the animal behaviourist's housetraining techniques seem to have worked. All of a sudden yesterday it was like a light went on, and Oscar was able to spend the entire afternoon out of his crate in the kitchen with my parents and without me, and contain himself. That evening, when we went into the living room (his current favourite place, although my bedroom is quickly moving up in the rankings), he actually "asked" to come up on the couch. Up to this point, even when it's been obvious he's wanted to sit with me, he has kept his distance. Last night I helped him up (not having known stairs until 3 weeks ago, he's still not up to par in jumping up on things ) and he stayed their glommed against my leg for about 3 hours.

Today he's run around the house all day and not messed anything. I took him to the vet and he actually went over and sniffed people's fingers when they greeted him, which he's always been too shy and skittish to do before. It's funny, these little doggy things that you would think should come naturally to them, that you might think you would want to curb . . . I'm just so excited he's not running away from everybody anymore and that he's actually coming to me when he wants me. He still doesn't come when I want him, which is a little frustrating. I anticipate some setbacks, too. But for now, I'm just happy with some small improvements.