Louis is getting the royal treatment. He has all but taken over our kitchen with center stage in the busiest room of our house.

This is how it should be:). He is going to NYC, and from what I remember from my visit in the late 80’s/early 90’s, it is a bustling place full of activity and noise and people.

We’re taking Louis everywhere with us to get him used to as many people and situations as possible.

He seems to be doing very well in his puppy safe zone.  He is learning to use his new turf litter box and that transition is going well.  He has never had a poop accident, and just 2 pee accidents, so he has a pretty good record considering his age.  I do have to spray Bitter Apple on the edges of his turf every day to discourage him from chewing on it.

He has several toys to play with in his space.  He is beginning to chew on his antler that his NY mama sent him, and he readily plays with the other toys she sent.  I have a couple of bully sticks for him as well, and a little plushy toy bone that he throws in the air and chases.  He also has a tennis ball and loves chasing that around.

I have been feeding him exclusively out of the red Kong ball, just visible in the bottom corner of his Iris Pen in the above photo.  This requires him to use his brain to eat, and makes the process interesting and gives him something to do.  When I’m not in the kitchen with him, he goes in his crate and I close the door.  This is so important.  Puppies really should not be left unattended, even in their puppy safe zone (unless overnight, or gone for an extended amount of time), because they can still get into trouble doing things like chewing the litter box, the edges of their crate, or having pee or poop accidents and then walking through it.  Even now as I’m typing, he’s chewing on the tag that’s on the white bath mat/bed in his open space.

At night, I have been crating him and getting up somewhere around 1-3 am to let him potty.  This part of the process is quite intense and leaves me somewhat sleep deprived, but he will be well-trained when he goes home, and that is my goal!!  I maybe should put a disclaimer here–I will have gone through all the motions to get him well-trained, whether or not he learns his lessons, well, that depends on each individual puppy!

So far, he hasn’t been too active or wanting to get out of his space.  The way it’s set up with just two sides kinda pushed up against the wall, isn’t exactly the most sturdy of set ups, but because he’s not free, even within his space, unless I’m actually in the room, it has been working so far.

I’m liking the new litter box.  It’s not messy like the pellets can be.  He was raised on pellets, so seeing him make a successful transition has been very rewarding.  A grass turf system like this seems to work with one older puppy/dog, but with a litter of puppies, it could get pretty messy if they walk in their poop and squish it into the grass.  This is another key reason I am always nearby when he’s walking around.  If he poops, I can grab it immediately, and there is no chance for him to squish it into the grass, which believe me (as I have lots of experience), is super gross, and a cleaning nightmare.

Thank you Toni (his new mama in NYC) for sending us his litter box and toys.  He is doing very well at this point, and things should only keep getting better with time.  He can walk on the leash now, and completely can ride in the car without getting car sick.  Check.  Check.

July is going to be here before we know it!