Good progress with Max
Mar. 9th, 2009 11:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
urocyonIt was a busy weekend. Both Max and I probably got more exercise in a couple of days than we had in the previous couple of weeks! I suspect he hasn't got as much energy to burn as he did a few years ago, but he still has quite a bit. I get the impression that his previous humans were mostly letting him out into the back garden (and fields behind that), rather than taking him for walks. They couldn't even find his lead when we went to get him.
I'm trying to take him for one walk of about a mile after my coffee, then another at least two miles in the evening. Enough of the pent-up energy is worked out that he's tiring more quickly, and I may cut back the length of the evening walk a bit before long. He also got a little reflective high-vis vest yesterday, which is temporarily doubling as a windbreaker. We spotted it at Tesco, where it was labelled as an XL, for a Staffie! :/
It's probably good for me, too. Saturday, I was pretty worn out, but seem to be in enough better shape again that I'm mostly springing back OK, and not needing as much in the way of pain relief as I did at first. Maybe the improved vitamin status will let me build up some muscle mass again! I thought to pick up some new B-complex yesterday, which will hopefully provide more usable nutrients; I knew the big bottle I'd had rattling around was pretty old, but noticed yesterday that it expired in 2005. Oops.
It has taken a bit of encouragement, but Max is doing much better walking on the lead. If he tries to pull, I just stop moving until he puts slack in the line again. Max is not stupid at all, just stubborn at times, and used to running the show! This morning, once he'd finished trying on the leash-pulling for a while, we went for several minutes at a time without having to stop. Walking him is already much more pleasant, and easier on still weak and spasmy muscles.
Ingvar got to take him out to pee and for walks more over the weekend. Besides my getting worn out, Max needs to learn that Ingvar is co-leader of this pack. Friday night, after we met Ingvar at the station for the walk home, Max kept looking at me to see if he needed to pay attention to Ingvar. *chuckle* Reinforcing that, indeed, he does seemed like a good plan. Ingvar commented last night that he was turning into a mama's boy, but I think he just needs to get used to both the twolegs running things.
He has mostly stopped the whining, since it isn't getting the kind of response he wants. Last night at bedtime, he didn't whine at all, and didn't much this morning when Ingvar left. Yesterday he was still doing a bit of pro forma crying, but much less than Saturday. Today, he's mostly quiet when I leave that end of the house.
All the cats have been in the main part of the house since Saturday, with the door shut to the TV room and kitchen. They're still wanting--and getting--extra attention, but are much calmer. Besides its being more convenient, having the kitties in the main part of the house makes sense psychologically. Max also got an old duvet added to his bedding in the crate (which has turned into a comforting spot for him): another item Feist has spent a lot of time lying on. He was snuffling at it pretty intently last night, after it went in, but calmed right down. Hopefully that will help reinforce that the cats were here first.
On the whole, I'm pleased at the progress. Things are looking up.
I'm trying to take him for one walk of about a mile after my coffee, then another at least two miles in the evening. Enough of the pent-up energy is worked out that he's tiring more quickly, and I may cut back the length of the evening walk a bit before long. He also got a little reflective high-vis vest yesterday, which is temporarily doubling as a windbreaker. We spotted it at Tesco, where it was labelled as an XL, for a Staffie! :/
It's probably good for me, too. Saturday, I was pretty worn out, but seem to be in enough better shape again that I'm mostly springing back OK, and not needing as much in the way of pain relief as I did at first. Maybe the improved vitamin status will let me build up some muscle mass again! I thought to pick up some new B-complex yesterday, which will hopefully provide more usable nutrients; I knew the big bottle I'd had rattling around was pretty old, but noticed yesterday that it expired in 2005. Oops.
It has taken a bit of encouragement, but Max is doing much better walking on the lead. If he tries to pull, I just stop moving until he puts slack in the line again. Max is not stupid at all, just stubborn at times, and used to running the show! This morning, once he'd finished trying on the leash-pulling for a while, we went for several minutes at a time without having to stop. Walking him is already much more pleasant, and easier on still weak and spasmy muscles.
Ingvar got to take him out to pee and for walks more over the weekend. Besides my getting worn out, Max needs to learn that Ingvar is co-leader of this pack. Friday night, after we met Ingvar at the station for the walk home, Max kept looking at me to see if he needed to pay attention to Ingvar. *chuckle* Reinforcing that, indeed, he does seemed like a good plan. Ingvar commented last night that he was turning into a mama's boy, but I think he just needs to get used to both the twolegs running things.
He has mostly stopped the whining, since it isn't getting the kind of response he wants. Last night at bedtime, he didn't whine at all, and didn't much this morning when Ingvar left. Yesterday he was still doing a bit of pro forma crying, but much less than Saturday. Today, he's mostly quiet when I leave that end of the house.
All the cats have been in the main part of the house since Saturday, with the door shut to the TV room and kitchen. They're still wanting--and getting--extra attention, but are much calmer. Besides its being more convenient, having the kitties in the main part of the house makes sense psychologically. Max also got an old duvet added to his bedding in the crate (which has turned into a comforting spot for him): another item Feist has spent a lot of time lying on. He was snuffling at it pretty intently last night, after it went in, but calmed right down. Hopefully that will help reinforce that the cats were here first.
On the whole, I'm pleased at the progress. Things are looking up.
