Raising Katsu

Katsu will be 16 weeks old this week. He is growing so fast it constantly amazes me. I knew from the moment I held him 9 weeks ago that I was in trouble that this amazing puppy would steal my heart, and he has done exactly that...along with my slippers, couple pairs of socks and a few dish towels.

He so far has not spent one entire night sleeping in his kennel, and I know somewhere Caesar Millan is cringing at the mere thought of sharing his bed with one of his loyal canines, but you will find Katsu sleeping between the bf and I somewhere near the foot of the bed. Is this a permanent sleeping arrangement you may ask? I don't know the bf may have to move to the couch when Katsu gets bigger ( I am joking ). We are in deep and are actually considering knocking out a wall so we can create a larger bedroom so we can get a larger bed to accommodate Katsu and the two kitties. I will say this that he NEVER had an accident in bed, and we only went through a couple of weeks of having to take him out in the middle of the night to go potty, but since then he has slept through the night every night. Katsu does kennel during the day when we are both at work and does amazing, but at night he wants to be with his pack.

So far Katsu has done only minimal damage to items around the house with his razor sharp puppy teeth. He has slightly chewed on a couple pairs of shoes...the shoes are still wearable. The power cord to my laptop may or may not still work and Katsu is probably more effective at shredding paper than my paper shredder...two copies were made of last weeks shopping list.

We have been taking Katsu on walks three times daily when the weather permits (he doesn't like the heat or rain, yeah summer in the Rose City) and I/we have decided a halti lead is in his future. He pulls constantly it seems like and we need to gain some control. Not to mention I feel a bit like my dogs posse when I walk him. We are stalked...err I mean stopped constantly and asked about him it goes something like this "Oh my god he is so cute" "What kind of puppy is he" "Where does he come from" "Can I pet him" It happens at least 5 times or more turning a 30 min walk into a 1 1/2 hour walk. I have had people follow along withe me to get coffee, stalk me in their suvs and point and stare. I know Katsu loves all the attention and it is a great tool to socialize him, but some days what I want to say back to these people "yeah super cute until it is four in the morning and he is trying to chew your earlobe from your head because he has decided that it is time to get up." Honestly the earlobe thing doesn't hurt that much, and just look at that face!

Katsu has gotten all leggy and lost all that downy soft puppy fur, but the coat that has come in is spectacular with all its golden stripes. I found the best dog shampoo for him and I really love it. I loved it so much I sent and email with a couple of photos of Katsu...well the dog shampoo place loved him so much they are going to put his photo on bottles of their dog shampoo and send me a free bottle. My dog is a model. Maybe I should send his photo to the dog food company and tell them how much he loves their kibble...a free bag of food would be nice considering it costs roughly 2.00 per pound.

I don't think all the attention has gone to his little puppy head. I am pretty sure somewhere under that exotic coat lies a normal dog that will emerge someday from the crazy puppy he is today...I hope so...lol. Honestly I would be happy if he learned down, come, quit trying to eat your sister and leave the white kitty alone...oh and stop pulling on the leash...after that he can do whatever he wants.

We have taken him on the Max and into different neighborhoods, so far he has done really well in all situations and will all dogs and people. Smaller fast moving children spook him, but hey they spook me to.

He is challenging, stubborn, bullheaded, lovable, adorable, toothy, and mine and I sure love him bunches.