Play date!

Colette, Miikka, and Brook awaiting beef liver treats, aka dog crack

At the risk of this becoming a blog solely about Miikka, here are a couple more pictures of him. On Saturday, he had his first play date with other dogs - Colette and Brook. While Amber, Vincent, Benjamin and I had a very good dinner, Miikka and the girls got to know one another. Miikka was a bit intimidated by them - they are, after all, much larger than he - but not actually scared of them. Which is a good thing. Most dogs he is going to meet in the future will be bigger than he is, and I want him to be able to interact without fear or aggression. Brook and Colette were very well-behaved towards the baby. By the end of the evening, he clearly wanted to play, but would only make advances from the safety of my lap!

Me, me, me - I want some dog crack too, please!

Vincent was also doing his best to teach Miikka to stand on his hind legs. I have been working on the commands "Drop it," which Miikka has down quite well, especially if treats are forthcoming, and "Down," (meaning, lie down) which is a little more difficult - he is already so close to the ground I don't think he really sees the point in lying down just to get a treat. Ah well. Tonight is Puppy Kindergarten, and we shall see if he is any more confident, now that he has met other dogs outside of class.