Kodiak

Yes, I'm finally getting around to posting an update on Kodiak. He's doing very well - packing on some weight now that he's eating properly, and I've seen definite improvements in his behavior. He absolutely loves Reyna and Duncan, plays with them as much as possible, and gains a ton of confidence from them.


He's slowly getting better on the leash. He's not as frightened at seeing and feeling someone holding to the other end as he was a week ago. Kodiak doesn't like to walk towards the road end of the cul-de-sac, but he's mostly okay with walking away from the road.


Kodiak is also getting better with people. I've had several folks pop in to visit, and he's less likely to run and hide each time. This morning, in fact, he joined Reyna and Duncan in barking at the visitor. For a few seconds, anyway. I realized today that my visitors have all been female, so I called John and asked him to come by sometime this week. That'll give me a good idea of how he responds to men, and if there's going to be any real trouble there.


New places still shut him down pretty fast, but after multiple trips to the same location, he does show improvement. It helps to have Reyna or Duncan around to show him that the new place is fun.


Kodiak definitely still has some issues to work through. Loud noises frighten him (even ones he's heard several times), and sudden movement worries him quite a bit. He still only comes to me about 75% of the time I call him. The rest of the time, he hides or runs away. I've not figured out what worries him those times that doesn't bother him the rest. He's also still afraid of the dog door, but we've made some progress with that. Until he gets comfortable with it, I'm taking him out every couple of hours. He's decided that he refuses to use the pee pads in his crate, but he'll hold it for several hours if he's confined. The other issue we're working through is an odd one - he'll be fine with something one day, and then terrified of it the next for no reason that I can see. Of course, just because I didn't see what caused the trouble doesn't mean his little puppy brain didn't register something frightening.


Overall, though, I'm really pleased with how far he's come over the last couple of weeks. I'd say he's well on the way to being ready for adoption early next year.


Being a puppy, his cuteness knows no bounds. He has a typical German Shepherd thing going on right now - one ear will stand up, then the other, then they're both up, then one flops, then they both flop. He also bounces like a complete lunatic when he's excited, with his head and his butt both going as fast as possible and with no coordination whatsoever. So cute! Another thing he does is moan and bark when he plays with squeaky toys. Here's proof...

And here's a clip that shows just how patient Reyna is with him. All the noise is Reyna, but she's tolerating everything Kodiak does. Near the end of the clip, Kodiak is actually tugging at her ear, and she doesn't even try to eat him in retaliation.