Henry in the Snow

Henry absolutely hates the rain, but didn't seem to mind the snow...especially in his waterproof, flannel, reflective jacket. That dog dresses better than I do.

Socializing Henry

Lately we've really been putting an effort into socializing Henry. Eventually we'd love to get Henry a little brother or sister hound he can snuggle with so he doesn't have to be home alone while I'm at school and Chris is at work, but to do that we have to teach him not get SO incredibly excited when he sees other dogs!
I actually think he tries to 'tree' dogs when he sees them....hm.
Lately we've been taking him to weekend races, dog parks, and hiking with my friend's Black Lab. Instead of avoiding dogs when we see them on our runs and walks, we bring Henry up to them.  If the owner looks nervous about Henry's barking we just explain to them that he's perfectly friendly, just loud. So far everyone has been awesome about it and, just like we do, finds Henry irresistibly darling. We brought him to the vet last week for a checkup/vaccination updates and found out the vet has a dog park behind it - less than 2 miles from our house! Henry went there 3 times last week, and played with some Pitbulls, who were actually delightfully playful and gentle.
The vet also told us Henry "is a keeper" - we agree!
A few days ago our friend brought his 10 week old puppy over for some play time. His dog, Rocky, is a rescue too, so we thought Henry might be able to show him the ropes. Henry was incredible! He didn't bark at all, was not even remotely territorial (even when the puppy stole his toys, licked his food bowl, and drank from his water bowl) and played really well with the little guy.
The funniest thing that happened was Rocky went onto Henry's bed with all of his blankets and laid down and Henry came over and literally started pulling the blankets out from under him. Eventually he shared his bed but at first he was very confused why there was a puppy hogging up all the space.

Henry and rocky sharing Henry's blankets and bed

Henry teaching Rocky how the big dogs howl

I'm so proud of our little hound - he's come such a long way. This weekend Chris and I went to Park City for a night and left Henry at a dog hotel. I literally almost started crying on our way out the door, I've never left him anywhere before, so it was hard leaving him.... but according to his "doggy report car" he did really well and I think he had fun howling with all the other dogs and running around with them at play time. 

We have to leave him again at Christmas time but he seemed perfectly happy when we picked him up, and is now curled up dead asleep on his bed so I feel better about it. 

I just hope he doesn't think we left him there forever, or that its a pound! Perhaps I'm over thinking this.

Til next time!

-Katie

Henry's rawhide

THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE

It was supposed to be a Christmas present...but he spotted it when we came in the door and got so excited that we had no choice.

Pumpkin Carving

We carved pumpkins for halloween! Can you guess which one Henry "carved"?

Heating Pack Hound

What I've learned in the past week: if it's edible, it will be eaten. Even if it's not edible, it will be eaten.

I'm not sure if Henry thinks that he's not getting enough attention, or if he's not getting fed enough (not possible.) but in the past week here is a list of things my little hound has sniffed out and consumed/tried to consume:

1. A protein bar
2. 2 electrolyte tablets
3. A gatorade squeeze pack
4. Extra strength tylenol
5. 6 pack of beer
6. A heating pack

The first 3 happened when I was following Chris' ultra marathon in my car. I had a big cooler filled with his food for the race and it was me and Henry's job to make sure he got all the calories he wanted - and more. Apparently Henry missed the memo and thought the food was for him, because when I got out of the car to take pictures of Chris starting the race I came back to Henry's head in the cooler. 

I popped the unlock button on my key chain and I've never seen a dog pop his head up so fast - or look so guilty.

I was mildly concerned because the protein bar had some chocolate in it but I called my mom and researched and it wasn't nearly enough to make him sick. As far as the electrolyte and the gatorade goes - well, his tummy was making some odd noises. But he didn't show any signs of not feeling well - not even so much as a burp.

Ugh.

After the race Chris and I left Henry in the car for - literally - 15 minutes to regroup and let Chris eat some. Henry is usually really good about the car and he lays down and falls asleep. Apparently he was mad about being left and he ripped apart a 6 pack of beer and extra strength tylenol. I was really worried when I found the tylenol  packet ripped apart ( first of all - how did he even get to that!?) but after we looked we realized all of the actual tablets were there - he just ripped apart the packaging.

What an angsty teenager. We definitely dodged a bullet with that one.

Things were pretty calm the new few days and Henry didn't scoop out anything else. We keep our house pretty dog-proof and Henry has never gotten into anything he wasn't supposed to - until the heating pack.

You would think a plastic heating pack wouldn't interest a dog but this isn't just a dog, this is a Henry. While I was on the couch studying Henry somehow got to the heating pack sitting on the ledge above my bed, ripped it apart, and ate every last bit of gel and every last bead. I heard some shuffling around so I went into investigate. 

I found an extremely guilty looking Henry, surrounded by plastic and blue heating pack balls. This sent me into a HUGE panic. I immediately called the vet and she did some research for me about the company - we found out that the gel was non-toxic but he balls expand in the heat so (exact words here) "they'd have to come up."

Ugh.

Did you know that 4 tbs of hydrogen peroxide and some belly rubbing will cause your pup to promptly throw up? I do.

She suggested I bring him outside but I live in an apartment complex and I didn't want my dog spewing heating pack all over the grass - so into the bathtub Henry went. Looking as miserable and defeated as ever.

He gorged down the first tbs of hydrogen peroxide but resisted in the 3 following - I was forced to wrestle him down and pour it down his throat. 

After that he stood in the bathtub, humiliated, while I grabbed both his side and shook.

Within 5 minutes he was projectile vomiting blue. It looked like he had eaten a Smurf.

And of course he didn't put his head down and throw up in the bathtub like I had planned - he put his head up and barfed all over the floor, the side of the tub, and then finally the bottom.

Oh, Henry!

"Did I do that?"

Super sad and drinking some water after throwing up the heating pack

After about ten minutes of sulking he was fine and was back to his old self - running around like the little spaz he is and chasing me. Only he did burp more.

Oh well...he can throw up as much as he wants or needs to - as long as he's okay. I was fully prepared to rush him into the vet for surgery!

Oh, and here's his Halloween costume: Arrrrr!

Chilly dog

Chris and I love the cold weather...but I'm not sure Henry is convinced yet

Busy day for the hound

Sir Henry had a busy day today! He's a pooped pup. We went to Henry's first cyclo-cross race today where there were tons of dogs and bikes everywhere whipping in and out around him. He was really nervous at first and it took a lot of treats, coaxing, and walking back and forth to get him where he was finally calmed down enough to be near all of the bikes and dogs. I think he get nervous and that's when the howling comes in - but he only howled for a few minutes before calming down. I walked him back and forth far away from everything and let him get a good look at everything and then he was fine. He ignored the other dogs for the most part and really focused on us (we had tons of treats for him). Overall I was really happy with his behavior and thought he did awesome - especially because he hates when people ride bikes (or horses). The good thing about him is that once he gets used to something he's completely fine so after a while he ignored the bikes/riders for the most part.

We found out that the park where the bike race was at had a dog park so we headed there after the race and let Henry run around with some friends for an hour - his behavior was awesome! The only time he barked is when he first got there and then when the other dog he was running around with didn't play with him (aka played chase with him). But he played really great with the 3 other dogs that were there. We were really proud of him and I loved letting him run around without a leash on. He also did a really great job with recall, whenever he ran away to the other side of the park we tried calling him and most times he came bounding back to us - a great sign! 

The dog park was right next to a river so after we took him to the river for a drink and swim session. He did so good in the dog park with coming back to our calls and staying next to us that we let him off his leash to go swimming for a bit. He wandered away a bit (just enough to make me a little worried) but we started walking the other direction and called him and he came sprinting back to to us - I'm so proud! 

Henry going for a dip

 

Doesn't he look like he's smiling? When his ears are back like that I call them Dobby ears

The glass table: puzzling dogs since 1952

We get a little bored here sometimes out in Brigham City, Utah....so we create our own fun - much to Henry's dismay

No Henrys were harmed in the making of this blog - he got to eat the noodles and potatoes right after we snapped the picture

Sir Henry Antics

It's been 4 months since we adopted our goofy hound. When we first were considering getting Henry (now Sir Henry) we were worried that he wouldn't have a personality because life had beaten him down so much already. We thought he might never recover from how cruel the world had been to him when he was so young, and even when we first met him after he had been put into a comforting foster home where he was taken care of he seemed to care little about us. He got really excited when we got there, but then walked away and barely looked at us after that. But Henry touched our heart like no other pup had, so we just had to have him. After we took him home we noticed he didn't lick us like other dogs, he didn't snuggle up next to us, and after an initial greeting he didn't seem to want to be around us much. I went through a bit of a post-adoption depression because I thought Henry was always going to be disconnected from us, like he didn't fully trust us to not leave him. But after months of cuddling, hugs, snuggles (much to Henry's dismay), treats, runs, and toys... I feel Henry has finally accepted that we're his family, he's stuck with us, and he's more loved than any dog in the world. Lately he's even taken a liking to jumping up on us to lick our faces - like some kind of Golden Retriever or Lab!
And now, 4 months later, we finding now more than ever he has more personality than any dog we've ever met. Every morning he wakes up, goes through his routine of stretching out (he has a great downward facing dog and serpent pose), and comes over to our bed to lick our faces. If we don't immediately leap out of bed to play with him and get him breakfast, he picks up our clothes off the floor and shows them to us. If that's not enough to get our attention, he'll scratch at the bedroom door. After we get him breakfast (and he runs around like a madman because he's so excited for food) he meticulously pulls apart his toys, tries to sneak off with some of our breakfast, or he simply goes back to sleep if there aren't dogs on the TV. If there ARE dogs on the TV, he searches the entertainment table for them - because he's convinced there are puppies hidden behind it.
After we let his breakfast settle we usually take him for a daily 3-5 mile run, for most of which he pulls us like a sled dog.
After coming in and getting a treat and drinking half his water bowl, he takes a second nap on the kitchen floor.
The rest of the day is spent rearranging our clothes on the floor, ripping apart his toys, snoozing in various parts of the room, and following us around until we give him treats.
Before bed he gets his nightly "rub down" where we pet him until he falls asleep. And, unless he wakes up to growl at dogs barking or snoop around our room, he sleeps through the whole night.

And now for your viewing pleasure, antics of Sir Henry the Hound caught on camera:

Henry watching the news about puppies

Henry searching for puppies behind the TV, as he is convinced they live back there

Henry re-arranged our room as he pleased - it did not look like this before his "handy work" of taking all of our dirty laundry, pillows, blankets, and his toys and spreading it around the room - we're still not quite sure why he does this

Admiring his work - you love it, right mom!?

Henry decided he liked our bed better...so he made us trade

Another one of Henry's favorite past times: staring at the cows in the backyard

Guarding his castle

Henry meticulously pulling apart his squeaky toy

Looking innocent as he chews on Chris' sock

Searching for lost toys under the couch

"I know I put them under here somewhere..."

  

Meticulously pulling off one limb at a time

Getting mad at Chris for taking his toys

More pictures/news to come later about the little goober...right now he's stretched out on his bed snoring loudly for all those to hear.

Hiking in Utah

Henry obviously has strong opinions about which side is his "good side"

Hiking Mt. Ogden

Mt. Ogden again

All ready to hike in Brigham City

Henry ducked out last minute

Serious driving time

Lead the way Sir Henry! 

His face got so dusty!

Henry creeping around his new home

Here are two videos I took of Henry getting acclimated to his new home. He refused to go into the bathroom or closet for a long time but I eventually coaxed him into realizing that he wasn't going to die if he went into the closet. The back porch is a whole different story.

Henry in Utah

Thus far Sir Henry has absolutely loved Utah - cows, horses, altitude, running and all. He adapted really well to the change and although being extremely excited when he originally got here, he's done really well! He met the dog downstairs, Ruby, yesterday and when he attempted to "mount" her she really put him in his place. Honestly, it was probably good for the guy. In Mass the dogs he hung out with around the neighborhood were all significantly smaller than him so he was the boss of them but here all the dogs are his size, so he has to learn to get along with them! When she growled at him he literally leaped into my arms and tucked up his legs, making both me and Ruby's owner laugh - he's such a sissy! But after that he was really well behaved. I want him to meet the German Shepard downstairs because he's extremely well trained and I think he can teach Henry good behavior.
But the past 3 days in Utah have been awesome. We bring Henry for a 3-6 mile run every morning, which he loves, and he takes off out the door like a sled dog. We'll definitely have to film it sometime. He pulls so hard and is so excited I have to use both hands to hold the leash, otherwise he'll rip right out of my hands. It's absolutely no use trying to pull him back because he's so strong and so excited. But i'm so proud of him because now when he's running and he sees other dogs or when other dogs bark at him he completely ignores them - running is too important!
Here are some pics/movies of Henry in his new home! He stills gets really nervous about new places, and creeps around like a kid in a haunted house. He still hasn't gone on the balcony, but he goes out a little further every day - we're letting him take his time on that one.

Henry's favorite spot: on his fluffy blanket laying in the afternoon sun

Henry seems to think my air mattress is his bed...after my real bed arrives next week it's all his but until then, off my bed!

.....or not

After me yelling "HENRY! HENRY OFF MY BED! COME ON HENRY! HENRY, TREAT!" ...he just shifted to a different position. What a hound.

Post- run panting - one happy dog

So now Henry's life revolves around snoozin, treats, running, hiking, and playing with the dogs around the apartment. We bought him some new toys at Petsmart yesterday - which he promptly destroyed in about 5 minutes. Livin' the dog's life.

And They Say Hounds Don't Fetch...

We weren't positive we'd ever be able to take Henry off a leash, nevermind get him to fetch.  He never ceases to amaze...

Henry Can Fetch!

Since it's been a while since I've blogged, I'll fill everyone in on a few different updates.

A couple of weeks ago, Henry and I spent the weekend at my Aunt and Uncle's house in NH.  He got some quality time with their black lab, Mace, while I spent a couple of days fishing off the coast.  Mace and Henry have always gotten along great, so they had some fun hiking together on the local trails and bumming around the house.  He's really been much more calm around other dogs lately.  He hardly ever barks when they approach.  That includes the time that two pit bulls off leash ran up to him on the trail while we were running.  The only problem now is that he usually starts howling after they've checked each other out.  He's definitely improving though!

I've also started to take him off the leash to go out back to the bathroom now.  He really enjoys the freedom a lot and it makes a huge difference in his enthusiasm when we play.  Earlier in the summer I would have been really nervous about this but over the past few months I've gotten a good sense of reading his body language and general interest level.  If I can see he's starting to get more interested in a dog barking down the street than playing with me, I'll get him excited to get back inside for a treat.  He also seems genuinely interested in staying with me now.  He never lets me out of his sight inside or outside and my biggest problem when we worked on recall was that he wouldn't let me leave him alone.

Since I've been able to take him off his leash, we've been able to play some new games. He's actually playing some crazy form of fetch at this point.  When I throw him the ball, he'll chase it down and swat his paws at it until he can get it under control.  Then he just sprints around in big loops pretending that he's keeping it away from me.  When he gets tired he'll flip over on his back and wait for me to come take it away.  Like I said, definitely not normal fetch but I'll take it!  Plus, hound fetch is more fun.  I'll try to get a video of it at some point.

Happy Trails,

Chris and Henry 

Updates from afar

Because Chris hasn't been blogging lately about my puppy (Shame on him) I decided to update his blog for him based off of what Chris has been telling me the past month.
So *ehem* updates on Sir Henry the Hound.

Henry went through a wee bit of a bratty teenager stage a few weeks ago and decided to start chewing on things. Things such as handwarmers, the couch, the carpet, etc etc etc. He has since grown out of this little phase (thank goodness). We're still not sure why he regressed in his whole 'domestication' process but with some steering in the right direction he's back to his good 'ol boy self. He's still a little mischievous stinker sometimes so we have to keep an eye on him.
He also has been going through a bad bout with ear infection - poor baby! Chris noticed a few weeks ago whenever he barked he would shake it head and he would shy away when Chris tried to touch his ear. So he took him to the vet and we got antibiotics for 2 weeks that didn't work, so we took him to the vet again and got new anti-biotics and hopefully these will do the trick. Apparently he's been looking better so hopefully it keeps up! I can't stand knowing that he isn't feeling well.
Chris and Henry still run practically every day and Chris has been teaching Henry to run next to the mountain bike, which he apparently loves. When Chris took Henry to the vet they weighed him and now he's up to a very healthy, muscular 50 pounds. His ribs and chest bones don't show anymore and apparently he's quite the muscle head now from all the running. Just as long as he doesn't get chunky!
Henry's latest thing has been throwing up in the car when Chris takes him for rides - which could be potentially problematic for their cross-country road trip they have to take in 3 weeks. The problem is Henry gets really worked up when we go any speed below 40 mph so I think he whines himself into a fit and barfs. We'll be working on keeping him relaxed....I think for the big trip Chris is going to put the crate in the car so that'll help. Hopefully Henry will just sleep the whole way!

My birthday was yesterday and I got a card in the mail of Henry with a bow on his head. My poor abused puppy....we take so much advantage of his cute face. Can't help it!

In the past few weeks Henry has also mastered sit, stay, lay down, roll over, play dead, and come. He's been getting really good at being off the leash in the yard and when people are sitting out on the porch he stays right next to it. Chris has been working really hard with recall - which Henry is slowly getting the hang of. Last week the family was out on the porch and another dog, Macy, saw something and went after it. Henry went to go too and Chris called him back, and Henry came back! When Chris told me that I was so proud. We're so blessed to have such a smart little guy.

So that's all the updates on the hound dog. He's still the center of our world and we just love him to death. I think he's really helped Chris with us being apart this summer - whenever I call or Skype with Chris, Henry is sitting right next to him. For example:

I was skyping with Chris and Henry came over, laid down, and wiggled his way in. He was watching me move around on the screen, so cute. He really is a cuddle bug.

I'll blog again in a few weeks....as soon as Henry comes to Utah! I can't wait to show my hound the trails!

Love,
me

Happy Birthday, Mom!