# The Squash Files



## sassafras

Well, Squashie is home. Time to start a puppy thread!

Checkin' out the new digs...









Checkin' out big sister...









Strike a pose!









Come, puppy! The beginning of a recall...









Maisy and Squash had a BLAST playing. Most of the pictures I tried to take more or less came out as one white streak and one black streak. But once they got too tired for chase, Maisy started a game of keep away, which was easier to take pictures of...

Tease!









I can haz that?









ETA: Whoops, posted the same picture twice. The corrected finale:

It seems, sir, that we are at an impasse. 











I'm sure there will be lots more to come.


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## ioreks_mom

oh my gosh, i am in love!! he is gorgeous!  i think my favourite so far is the strike a pose picture.


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## sassafras

I'm in love, too. ;-)


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## theyogachick

He is HUGE! How old is he now...and how much does he weigh? He looks like he is going to be a monster!

I love how well he seems to be getting along with Maisy.

How is Pip taking to him?


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## sassafras

theyogachick said:


> He is HUGE! How old is he now...and how much does he weigh? He looks like he is going to be a monster!


They're 11 weeks this week if my math is right. I'll weigh him tomorrow, but I think he's like 100#, or at least it feels that way at times. 



> I love how well he seems to be getting along with Maisy.


Me, too. I was pretty sure they'd be buddies, but it's nice that so far reality is matching up with what I thought and hoped.



> How is Pip taking to him?


Pip isn't super thrilled but not miserable, he's somewhat curious but mostly just keeping his distance. There's some lip lifting and "stay away" growls when Squash gets too close. Squash has only pushed it and got an air snap once so far, and is still curious but being a bit more respectful of Pip's space now. I'm just refereeing and trying to redirect Squash away from Pip to give Pip some space while they all get used to each other, and taking frequent puppy-in-the-crate breaks/time-outs to let everyone chill out.


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## Shaina

Very very cute -- love that last pic and caption lol


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## sassafras

Ahhhh, everyone is fast asleep.

It's funny... Pip is WAY better with (more tolerant of) Squash outside, and Maisy is WAY better at toning down her play with Squash inside (outside she gets waaaay overstimulated). So Squash is mostly getting alone time with Pip outside (with Maisy inside) and alone time with Maisy inside (with Pip crated).

It's going pretty well. A lot of refereeing for sure. But also they're having a lot more "down time" than I thought they would, they're all really tiring each other out. Except Maisy seems obsessed with pulling the fleece throw out of Squash's kennel - while he's sleeping on it, but he doesn't notice at all, just keeps on snoozing lol. :|


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## amavanna

omg he is soo sweet! I feel so breed ignorant! What breed is he? I am terrible identifying puppies all babies look the same to me ! He really IS a big boy! I can't wait to see him grow up!


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## sassafras

amavanna said:


> omg he is soo sweet! I feel so breed ignorant! What breed is he? I am terrible identifying puppies all babies look the same to me ! He really IS a big boy! I can't wait to see him grow up!


Well, his mom is an Alaskan Husky -- he's one of nekomi's puppies. Well, one of Linney's puppies.  Daddy is... ?

Just a few more, then I'll quit for the day. I'm addicted to how adorable he is right now.

I wish this was better centered and more in focus, but... he just looks so crazy-puppy-happy that I can't help but love this pic.









Pip grudgingly admitting some curiosity regarding Squash's existence.


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## Deron_dog

Sooo darn cute! And I have to agree with everyone he's HUGE! He looks to be twice the size of Wally at 11 Weeks! but gosh I love him I can't wait to watch him grow up!!


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## amavanna

Sharpend Squash!










This one was my favorite


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## Inga

Holy smokes! I think Squash is the right name because at that size, this guy is going to do some squashing in his day. So cute. You could lose him in the snow if it were not for his nose and eyes.


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## amavanna

yea you really could editing the photo was funny cause some effects I wanted to use made the pooch disappear lolol


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## sassafras

Started doing a little bit of clicker training today. Just some really simple stuff like charging the clicker, attention, sit. Maybe it's just that I'm used to rescue dogs who come with some baggage to be undone, but this little boy is really sharp!


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## FlashTheRottwuggle

Thank you for creating a thread. Now I'm not the only puppy crazy poster here! LOL



sassafras said:


> They're 11 weeks this week if my math is right. I'll weigh him tomorrow, but I think he's like 100#, or at least it feels that way at times.


Yes, 11 weeks this week. Cinnamon feels heavy too but she was at only 18 lbs at the vet last Friday. I don't know why but looking at Squash's pics and looking at the pics of Nutmeg (now Aspen) on facebook, they look so big and Cinny doesn't seem that big. Must be perspective. 



sassafras said:


> Pip isn't super thrilled but not miserable, he's somewhat curious but mostly just keeping his distance. There's some lip lifting and "stay away" growls when Squash gets too close. Squash has only pushed it and got an air snap once so far, and is still curious but being a bit more respectful of Pip's space now. I'm just refereeing and trying to redirect Squash away from Pip to give Pip some space while they all get used to each other, and taking frequent puppy-in-the-crate breaks/time-outs to let everyone chill out.


This sounds like all my crew except Flash at the beginning. Timber still isn't too sure. 



sassafras said:


> Ahhhh, everyone is fast asleep.
> 
> It's funny... Pip is WAY better with (more tolerant of) Squash outside, and Maisy is WAY better at toning down her play with Squash inside (outside she gets waaaay overstimulated). So Squash is mostly getting alone time with Pip outside (with Maisy inside) and alone time with Maisy inside (with Pip crated).
> 
> It's going pretty well. A lot of refereeing for sure. But also they're having a lot more "down time" than I thought they would, they're all really tiring each other out. Except Maisy seems obsessed with pulling the fleece throw out of Squash's kennel - while he's sleeping on it, but he doesn't notice at all, just keeps on snoozing lol. :|


This is funny because Timber plays well with Cinny outside (although all of them do) but doesn't want her near him inside. Flash is the most patient and takes the most abuse (especially from those razor sharp teeth). I have to put Cinny in her x-pen for time out so Flash can get a break.



sassafras said:


> Well, his mom is an Alaskan Husky -- he's one of nekomi's puppies. Well, one of Linney's puppies.  Daddy is... ?


Werewolf or Gremlin is what I've narrowed my two guesses down to. Possibly Sasquatch. That would work good for Sass's Squash, ha ha!

Love the pics...keep 'em coming!


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## sassafras

I just weighed him and he's 19.6 pounds.


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## MaloreyAnimal

He is a cutie! I love his color, all white, then the splotches on his face.


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## sassafras

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> Yes, 11 weeks this week. Cinnamon feels heavy too but she was at only 18 lbs at the vet last Friday. I don't know why but looking at Squash's pics and looking at the pics of Nutmeg (now Aspen) on facebook, they look so big and Cinny doesn't seem that big. Must be perspective.


I wonder if part of it is that my other dogs are smaller than yours -- Pip and Maisy are only around 50# each. He's nearly half their size already!




> Werewolf or Gremlin is what I've narrowed my two guesses down to. Possibly Sasquatch. That would work good for Sass's Squash, ha ha!



Heheh. I think from your descriptions that Squash is actually a bit mellower than Cinny. (Speaking relatively, that is - he's still a puppy after all!) 




> Love the pics...keep 'em coming!


Oh, don't worry about that.  In fact, here's a video from this morning:






I have a couple of other videos that I haven't uploaded yet, I'll get to them later. 

ETA: Yea, he smashed right into my knee there at the end.


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## FlashTheRottwuggle

sassafras said:


> ETA: Yea, he smashed right into my knee there at the end.


LOL! Every time Cinny runs through the kitchen, she runs head first into the bench that goes to the table. You would think she'd learn after a few times.


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## waterbaby

Awww, I love him. His nose is so cute! He and Maisy look like they get along really well.


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## Mr Pooch

Sassafras i didnt know you took a pup too (one of my favorites along with Clove  ) i'll be following your thread to see him grow. His neck looks massive in the first set of pics! He is going to be a big lad.


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## nekomi

Oh, I LOVE the video, Sassafrass! And I see Squash still has that wierd fuzzy lump on his tail!? What is up with that?


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## sassafras

nekomi said:


> Oh, I LOVE the video, Sassafrass! And I see Squash still has that wierd fuzzy lump on his tail!? What is up with that?


I have no idea! He doesn't have a lump on the tail itself and it doesn't seem to bother him, it's just a weird little hair bump!


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## kafkabeetle

sassafras said:


> I just weighed him and he's 19.6 pounds.


Jeez, he's the same size as Sydney! That's one big puppy!


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## sassafras

kafkabeetle said:


> Jeez, he's the same size as Sydney! That's one big puppy!


Yea I keep telling Maisy and Pip that they better be nice to him now, 'cause he's gonna get bigger than them! 

So my husband took the big dogs to bed early tonight so I could have a little alone time with Squash for playing and clicker stuff. And here's what happened... (I'm biased, but my little boy is so $#@% funny and cute!)






He's actually usually a bit zanier than this, but he'd been playing with Maisy for quite awhile and I think he was getting a bit tired out.


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## nekomi

LOL!!!!! Aww, I just love when Squash flops right over in the beginning of the video. Awwww... he's so adorable


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## Tavi

Awww he is just too cute for words! Love the photos and the videos! And I have admit I'm right there with nekomi on the last vid..that flop just had me cracking up! Adorable-Overload!!


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## melaka

He's very cute and I bet will be one handsome dog when he grows up. Great videos.


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## Deron_dog

Gosh he is just too cute for words, my Fave from the begining I'm soooo glad you got him Sassafras. And I can't wait to watch him grow up! I need your address now so I can come steal him, please thank you.


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## sassafras

Deron_dog said:


> Gosh he is just too cute for words, my Fave from the begining I'm soooo glad you got him Sassafras. And I can't wait to watch him grow up! I need your address now so I can come steal him, please thank you.


Ha! You'll have to pry him out of my cold, dead fingers first!

Some from today/tonight...

Wait, wut?









My doggies!









Self-imposed exile:









Raggs cat observes the fray from a safe vantage point:









This is how he was snoozing in his crate today at work... and this crate is already getting too small. :|









Mmmm... antler. You can juuuust sort of barely see in this picture that he's starting to get a few light brown flecks on his ear tips...









Hypno-cuteness









Thanks for looking!


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## nekomi

Oh. My. Gosh!!! Little (not so little!) Squash is looking SO adorable and so happy! 

Awww, this thread just makes me smile every time I open it. I'm so glad he's settling in with you SO beautifully.


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## sassafras

nekomi said:


> Oh. My. Gosh!!! Little (not so little!) Squash is looking SO adorable and so happy!
> 
> Awww, this thread just makes me smile every time I open it. I'm so glad he's settling in with you SO beautifully.


I'm glad it can give you a smile after the frustration you're dealing with lately.  He is such a sweet boy, we're so happy to have him.


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## kafkabeetle

I know this is all about Squash. But I wonder, do you know what mix Pip is? He's sort of, well, awesome looking.


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## sassafras

kafkabeetle said:


> I know this is all about Squash. But I wonder, do you know what mix Pip is? He's sort of, well, awesome looking.


We think that Pip is something like a springer spaniel or english setter with some sort of bully breed. Sometimes we call him a hairy pit bull.  He IS a pretty awesome boy, a bit shy but very, very sweet. 

And actually, he's turning into quite the referee... if the young kids start to get really crazy overstimulated he just sort of wades in and they chill almost instantly. He doesn't even usually growl or anything. It's actually pretty cool, I usually have to physically separate Squash and Maisy (crate someone) to get them to calm down, but he apparently just has to wander through with his awesome presence. It's like having an assistant.


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## kafkabeetle

sassafras said:


> We think that Pip is something like a springer spaniel or english setter with some sort of bully breed. Sometimes we call him a hairy pit bull.  He IS a pretty awesome boy, a bit shy but very, very sweet.


Interesting. He's definitely distinctive. I have a soft spot for mystery mixes with wild markings. Seems like Squash is going to have the look too, judging by that crazy nose of his. I wonder what those tannish spots are going to do as he grows.



sassafras said:


> And actually, he's turning into quite the referee... if the young kids start to get really crazy overstimulated he just sort of wades in and they chill almost instantly. He doesn't even usually growl or anything. It's actually pretty cool, I usually have to physically separate Squash and Maisy (crate someone) to get them to calm down, but he apparently just has to wander through with his awesome presence. It's like having an assistant.


Aw, sounds like it couldn't get much more perfect for your pups.


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## nekomi

Also: Looking at these pics, it's hard to remember that when he was born, Squash was the scrawny, skinny runt!

So is he doing OK with the housetraining? Clearly, he's comfortable being in his crate.  Did he have any problems adjusting to sleeping in the crate by himself, without his siblings?


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## Deron_dog

sassafras said:


> Ha! You'll have to pry him out of my cold, dead fingers first!


Cold....(check) Dead (check) Fingers (check) YAY He's Mine!!!! Great pictures he's such a cute little Character!!


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## sassafras

nekomi said:


> Also: Looking at these pics, it's hard to remember that when he was born, Squash was the scrawny, skinny runt!
> 
> So is he doing OK with the housetraining? Clearly, he's comfortable being in his crate.  Did he have any problems adjusting to sleeping in the crate by himself, without his siblings?


*He's* doing fine with housetraining, *I've* needed the rolled-up newspaper a few times.  I'm just not used to a puppy this young, so it's taken me a few days of experience to really fully absorb all the theory. But we're getting into a nice routine and things are going fine. The few accidents so far have been 100% my fault.

He didn't seem to have any problems adjusting to being alone in a crate. The first night, I slept downstairs with his crate right next to the couch. Since then, we move the crate upstairs to the bedroom at night. Maisy has a soft-sided crate up there she usually chooses to sleep in, and his little crate is right next to it, so maybe he doesn't feel alone. Even at work he doesn't seem bothered, but the office area is a loft that overlooks the back half of the clinic, so there's almost always stuff for him to watch if he wants to. Usually he just sleeps though.


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## ioreks_mom

sassafras said:


> We think that Pip is something like a springer spaniel or english setter with some sort of bully breed. Sometimes we call him a hairy pit bull.  He IS a pretty awesome boy, a bit shy but very, very sweet.
> 
> And actually, he's turning into quite the referee... if the young kids start to get really crazy overstimulated he just sort of wades in and they chill almost instantly. He doesn't even usually growl or anything. It's actually pretty cool, I usually have to physically separate Squash and Maisy (crate someone) to get them to calm down, *but he apparently just has to wander through with his awesome presence*. It's like having an assistant.


i have a cat that does that. he just walks into the room and the dogs calm right down. 

i LOVE LOVE LOVE the first of the new pictures you posted. he is just too adorable for words! such a handsome guy <3


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## Tavi

Ah I swear he just keeps getting cuter every time you pick up a camera!! LoL


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## sassafras

It is FINALLY warm enough (i.e. daytime highs out of the single digits) today to go play outside for awhile! 

Ima get that stick!









I told you!









Mmmm... tasty stick.









My handsome boy. 









The crate we got for him is fine for sleeping, but it's already too small for time-outs and "I gotta throw in a load of laundry" breaks. So in lieu of purchasing an ex-pen I got Maisy's old crate out of retirement and set it up in the living room, and it's working swell.










A few videos... 
Seriously, these two could do this ALL DAY.





Unfortunately I missed him being REALLY silly, but he's so darn cute anyway.






Thanks for looking!

Shortly after our puppy application was approved, I ordered Squash a Fetching Tag. He is in the running for January tagline of the month, and we could win a free tag! (Top 3 win tags.)

His tagline is "that's a sheep", because when I very first asked my husband about him it went something like this:

Me: I have an idea for a Christmas present! *shows picture of 3 week-old Squash*
Him: That's a sheep. You want a sheep for Christmas? Ok, I'll think about it.
Me: Just so we're clear, that's a puppy.
Him: I know it's a puppy. But it's a sheep.

So if anyone is so inclined to vote for him, it would be awesome.


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## sassafras

Some more from the last few days...

When Squash needs a break from Maisy, his two hideouts are under the futon and in the soft-sided crate...



















Of course I'm biased, but I think he just has the handsomest profile. 


















But.... I WANTZ kitty! Stupid gate!









I lurve my antler!










Squash and Maisy seem to have finally reached some kind of play equilibrium where they don't have to be playing ALL THE TIME. They take breaks from each other for naps and toys. I'm very happy about that, seriously the first few days they were go go go every waking minute they were together and only stopped with forced breaks/ crate time. Also, normal poops today! Yay normal poops!


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## kafkabeetle

I like his cute white eyelashes. You can see them really well in the profile shots.


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## FlashTheRottwuggle

sassafras said:


> Also, normal poops today! Yay normal poops!


Funny what we get excited over, isn't it? LOL


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## Mr Pooch

He is such a handsome dog!!! one of the best looking ive seen. Reminds me of a polar bear and is defo on my top 5 DF dogs list.

If i hadn't see his mum i wouldn't believe he is half husky! looks all bully breed and a damn good looking one at that.


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## BrittanieJo

Mr Pooch said:


> He is such a handsome dog!!! one of the best looking ive seen. Reminds me of a polar bear and is defo on my top 5 DF dogs list.
> 
> If i hadn't see his mum i wouldn't believe he is half husky! looks all bully breed and a damn good looking one at that.


Totally agree. One of the most gorgeous dogs I've ever seen. I can't wait to see him grow, perhaps he will gain some looks of his mum down the road which would be interesting! I love his nose.


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## sassafras

Aw, thanks guys. Of course I agree with his utter handsomeness. ;-)



Mr Pooch said:


> If i hadn't see his mum i wouldn't believe he is half husky! looks all bully breed and a damn good looking one at that.


Heheh, we had our first puppy class last weekend, we had registered online. When we arrived, the instructor looked at him, looked at his list, looked at me, and said "soooo... Alaskan Husky, huh?" Heheh, I told him there had been a rooster in the henhouse, but it's sort of pointless to say "Alaskan husky cross" since Alaskans can be crossed with anything anyway.

One of the other puppy owners took one look at him and said "oh, nice American bulldog, I had those for years!"

So yea... I don't think he's gonna look much like mom, although I don't think there was much doubt about that anyway. 


ETA: He has officially outgrown his first crate. If he outgrows this next one in a week I think I might be very afraid.


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## princesstiffany

sassafras said:


> Aw, thanks guys. Of course I agree with his utter handsomeness. ;-)
> 
> 
> 
> Heheh, we had our first puppy class last weekend, we had registered online. When we arrived, the instructor looked at him, looked at his list, looked at me, and said "soooo... Alaskan Husky, huh?" Heheh, I told him there had been a rooster in the henhouse, but it's sort of pointless to say "Alaskan husky cross" since Alaskans can be crossed with anything anyway.
> 
> One of the other puppy owners took one look at him and said "oh, nice American bulldog, I had those for years!"
> 
> So yea... I don't think he's gonna look much like mom, although I don't think there was much doubt about that anyway.
> 
> 
> ETA: He has officially outgrown his first crate. If he outgrows this next one in a week I think I might be very afraid.


i think you should be very afraid. he is such a little stud muffin, i am glad we get to see him grow up, he was a favorite of mine 

this also kinda makes me wonder about all the mixed breeds we try to identify without knowing both of the parents. genetics is a wonderous thing!


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## kafkabeetle

princesstiffany said:


> this also kinda makes me wonder about all the mixed breeds we try to identify without knowing both of the parents. genetics is a wonderous thing!


I know, right! It makes me wonder if Sydney is part Alaskan husky. Or great dane! Or papillon!


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## DJEtzel

Awh, those recent pictures of Squash are to die for! He's looking so man-puppily.


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## Deron_dog

Alaskan husky Huh? Best line ever LOL!


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## sassafras

DJEtzel said:


> He's looking so man-puppily.


I know, right? Sometimes I look at him and think "are you really only 12 weeks old?" especially in profile.

He's 25# today. :O


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## FlashTheRottwuggle

sassafras said:


> He's 25# today. :O


I weighed Cinnamon last night...24.8 lbs!


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## waterbaby

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> I weighed Cinnamon last night...24.8 lbs!


Woah, she's catching up!


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## FlashTheRottwuggle

waterbaby said:


> Woah, she's catching up!


I do have to admit, she had a pretty full belly when I got the notion to try to weigh the dogs. So it might be a little less than that.


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## sassafras

It kind of looks like one of his ears is trying to stand up today. I don't have my camera with me right now, but I'll try to get some more pictures later if it's still doing it to get the pointy-eared dog experts' opinions.


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## sassafras

Well I couldn't really get good pictures of half-mast ear, and today it doesn't look so much like it's trying to stand up anymore. But here are some cute pictures anyway!

This makes me laugh. Squash and Maisy have decided that they like to go into the travel crate and play tug and wrestle. 









This isn't a great picture, but I like it because it kind of makes him look buff. 









Thinking deep thoughts...









And apparently thinking goofy thoughts...









Thanks for looking!


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## DJEtzel

I LOVE that last picture, he looks like he has so much personality!


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## FlashTheRottwuggle

The first pic of that set tells me that Squash and Cinnamon are DEFINITELY related. I can tell by the wide open "I'm going to eat you" mouth! LOL


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## sassafras

DJEtzel said:


> I LOVE that last picture, he looks like he has so much personality!


I know, right? He's so sweet and funny, and that is just like the perfect picture of his "pondering if my next move is sugar or spice" face! 



FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> The first pic of that set tells me that Squash and Cinnamon are DEFINITELY related. I can tell by the wide open "I'm going to eat you" mouth! LOL


If only there were audio with it, I'm sure you'd recognize the sounds coming out of that gob, too lol.


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## FlashTheRottwuggle

sassafras said:


> If only there were audio with it, I'm sure you'd recognize the sounds coming out of that gob, too lol.


Kind of like the sounds the gremlins make in the movie Gremlins, huh?


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## sassafras

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> Kind of like the sounds the gremlins make in the movie Gremlins, huh?


LOL, yes! I was actually a little alarmed the first time I heard it.


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## sassafras

Ah, everyone is snoozing right now and I'm feeling all lovey-mushy about my doggies. So sorry to bore everyone with a lot of jibber-jabber. 

Squash is officially too big to fit through the cat-holes in the baby gates today! That makes life a bit easier. 

It is so funny to watch Maisy and Squash playing. They love to wrestle and chase, but eventually one will settle down to chew on a toy, so the other settles down with a toy. Then #1 has to see what #2 has, and maybe takes it. #2 maybe tries to get it back, maybe goes to find another toy. Then the cycle repeats until everyone falls asleep. Pip and Maisy never really play or every played with toys with each other like that. And every once in awhile when I think Maisy is getting sick of her tagalong little brother, she's right back there with him, it's so cute.

I love how he has crazy days and quiet days. I call the quiet days "growing days" because he seems to want to snooze more, I figure something must be happening in there! Then some days he is just plain nutty! And he can be SO serious one minute and SO silly the next, and then look up with just the sweetest little face your heart just melts.

All in all I am loving my Squashie.  In some ways a puppy this age is harder/more work than I thought, and in some ways easier/less work. During the 4 am potty trips I am often reminding myself that his development is measured in weeks and it makes me happy, then later when he is snuggling up for puppy tummy rubs and I remember his development is measured in weeks it makes me a bit sad. I'm such a sucker for my doggies.


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## kafkabeetle

sassafras said:


> All in all I am loving my Squashie.  In some ways a puppy this age is harder/more work than I thought, and in some ways easier/less work. During the 4 am potty trips I am often reminding myself that his development is measured in weeks and it makes me happy, then later when he is snuggling up for puppy tummy rubs and I remember his development is measured in weeks it makes me a bit sad. I'm such a sucker for my doggies.


I know what you mean! I bet everyday he looks a little different.


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## sassafras

kafkabeetle said:


> I know what you mean! I bet everyday he looks a little different.


Yea, this weekend it seems like his face is changing a lot. 

This afternoon we went over to see some dog-loving friends and their 9 month old GSD. Squash needed just a few minutes to think about the situation, and then they played and played and played and played for about an hour and a half (with some enforced breaks along the way), mostly chase and low-key wrestling. They both played really well with each other, and he adored my friends... when he got tired he was just as likely to run over to their laps for some snuggling as mine. 

Then he fell asleep in the car before we'd even pulled out of their driveway.


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## BrittanieJo

sassafras said:


> All in all I am loving my Squashie.  In some ways a puppy this age is harder/more work than I thought, and in some ways easier/less work. During the 4 am potty trips I am often reminding myself that his development is measured in weeks and it makes me happy, then later when he is snuggling up for puppy tummy rubs and I remember his development is measured in weeks it makes me a bit sad. I'm such a sucker for my doggies.


I feel the same! Aggie is 7 and a half months old and I just wonder where time went! We are battling new issues now and I long for the days when pooing in the house was the worst she did! lol. Dang teenage times are worse I think!


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## sassafras

My husband wasn't able to go into work today because of the weather, so Squash stayed home with him instead of coming to work with me. (If I got stuck in the snow somewhere I didn't want him to be with me, so he's safe and warm at home.) 

And... this is kind of silly, but I kinda miss him.  I haven't been in a separate location from him for more than a couple hours at a time since he came home. 

So to console myself, here's some pictures I haven't posted yet.


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## FlashTheRottwuggle

Awwww...poor Sassafras! :grouphug:

I'm pretty used to being separated from Cinnamon (and the others) but I don't know what's going to happen when my son finally finds a job (please!!!!). He lost his job a couple weeks after we got Timber and both Shanika and Cinnamon haven't been home without him yet.


----------



## sassafras

I usually bring him to work with me so he can get potty breaks, so it's just weird that he's not here. Not that I'm with him every second, but I have a crate in the office by my desk and I'm used to him just being around.


----------



## sassafras

Photo dump!

These give you an idea of how much snow we have right now. Last week it had thawed enough to see the sidewalk and some fringe of grass.





































You see how nice I sits?









My doggies last week (Squash 12 weeks old)









My doggies today (Squash 13 weeks old)









I don't know why, but I absolutely love this picture. He's not even that in focus, but something about him being off-center and the sparkly snow...









Thanks for looking!

Just weighed him... 30.1# today. :O Around work we're guessing he'll end up around 70-75 pounds at this point.


----------



## sassafras

Sass mouth!

















But serious dog is not impressed.









Maybe play bow will work?









Nope.









Finally... they sleep!

























Handsome boy... you can sorta see the spots coming in on his ears.









Thanks for looking!


----------



## ioreks_mom

he is getting so big! he is so super handsome <3


----------



## nekomi

Awwwww, he is looking SO gorgeous!  What a handsome boy. He is already looking so grown-up - and HUGE!!!


----------



## nekomi

I just downloaded the photos to my computer, and I LOVE the file names! "Squizzard!" LOL I *love* it!  

Aww, little Squash. Whoever would've thought you'd turn out to be the biggest in the litter!? I think back to when he was born, so skinny and tiny and scrawny, and I just shake my head. Amazing!


----------



## sassafras

nekomi said:


> I just downloaded the photos to my computer, and I LOVE the file names! "Squizzard!" LOL I *love* it!


LOL I was in a mood where I was naming all the files "Squ-something". Heheh.



> Aww, little Squash. Whoever would've thought you'd turn out to be the biggest in the litter!? I think back to when he was born, so skinny and tiny and scrawny, and I just shake my head. Amazing!


I know, right? He's very robust now. 

In other news, I think somewhere warm has frozen over... Pip napped on the couch with Squash, and I have photographic evidence!


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

sassafras said:


> In other news, I think somewhere warm has frozen over... Pip napped on the couch with Squash, and I have photographic evidence!


Oh come on Pip! Even Timber has let Cinnamon sleep closer than that! LOL


----------



## BrittanieJo

sassafras said:


> In other news, I think somewhere warm has frozen over... Pip napped on the couch with Squash, and I have photographic evidence!


The stories about Pip make me think he's the grumpy old man of the group who will come around eventually like in all the movies.


----------



## sassafras

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> Oh come on Pip! Even Timber has let Cinnamon sleep closer than that! LOL


Yea, I like how he's practically falling off the end LOL.



BrittanieJo said:


> The stories about Pip make me think he's the grumpy old man of the group who will come around eventually like in all the movies.


Yea, that's him to a T. My husband often says, "Pip doesn't care for most things" heheh.


----------



## sassafras

Big sisters make the best pillows...










And this is one of those, "I don't want to encourage this, but you're making me laugh" moments...










(He also seems to think it's a good idea to try to walk on top of his crate lately. :/ )


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

Cute pics!

We came home from some errands the other day and Timber was sitting on top of Cinnamon's crate looking out the window! :\


----------



## sassafras

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> Cute pics!
> 
> We came home from some errands the other day and Timber was sitting on top of Cinnamon's crate looking out the window! :\


LOL. Doesn't the top cave in? I can see ours getting swaybacked when Squash tries to walk across it! He's very into trying to get on top of things lately.


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

sassafras said:


> LOL. Doesn't the top cave in? I can see ours getting swaybacked when Squash tries to walk across it! He's very into trying to get on top of things lately.


Timber has an eerie way of distributing his weight. He walks on snow while the others sink. When he jumps in my lap, I can't believe he is a 65 lb dog. He feels light as a feather because he has placed his feet on the arms of the chair and gently lowers into my lap. Flash on the other hand is like getting hit by a Mack truck!


----------



## sassafras

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> Timber has an eerie way of distributing his weight. He walks on snow while the others sink. When he jumps in my lap, I can't believe he is a 65 lb dog. He feels light as a feather because he has placed his feet on the arms of the chair and gently lowers into my lap. Flash on the other hand is like getting hit by a Mack truck!


Hopefully Squash will get better that that by the time we go skijoring.


----------



## sassafras

I no need crate... I just sleeps here...









Daaaaawwwwwww!


----------



## ioreks_mom

look at those feet! so big  what a cutiebum!


----------



## sassafras

Oh my GOD Squashie was being such a hellion tonight. I sent him to bed with my husband. :/


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

sassafras said:


> Oh my GOD Squashie was being such a hellion tonight. I sent him to bed with my husband. :/


I'm sitting here looking for the "Like" button and realize I'm not on Facebook anymore! :laugh:


----------



## Not a Boxer

I can't believe little Squash was the runt of this litter! He is HUGE! And gorgeous.


----------



## Jare

sassafras said:


> Big sisters make the best pillows...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And this is one of those, "I don't want to encourage this, but you're making me laugh" moments...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (He also seems to think it's a good idea to try to walk on top of his crate lately. :/ )


Gosh Squashie is so cute! I hope his nose stays splotchy, its my favorite part of him. Aija had a splotchy nose as a baby but it sadly filled in black ):

His on the table picture reminds me, Aija is going through this thing right now where EVERY TIME we're in the kitchen and I turn my back she leaps onto the dining room table. I'm not sure whats going in inside her lovely pit bull brain but shes being a TURD lol. We can blame squashies table adventures on being a curious dare devil puppy, but Aija is quite a bit older than Squash so I'm sure shes just being a brat.


----------



## sassafras

Man, he's been up and playing ALL day today, just one 20 minute nap in the middle of the afternoon. And now he's fighting the sleep monster.


----------



## sassafras

A few pictures from the last few days.

I like how this really shows how the speckles are coming in on his ear.










Squashie paws. 










Best pillow EVER...










...but he can sleep without it, too.










Thanks for looking (again!) !


----------



## CoverTune

Omg, he's just too freakin' cute!


----------



## sassafras

Thanks, CT. Of course I agree. 


He looks so grown up in this picture...









Derp.









Action puppy!


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

You get such great pictures of Squash! Cinnamon is either moving too fast or sleeping when I try to take a picture!


----------



## sassafras

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> You get such great pictures of Squash! Cinnamon is either moving too fast or sleeping when I try to take a picture!


Well, I take about 10 pictures of a white blur or just his tail leaving the frame for every one picture that's good enough to post.


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

I've started taking videos and using the software to go frame by frame and take still pics out of the video but most of them are still blurry.


----------



## sassafras

Oh, frabjous day! It's warm enough for dogs to play outside long enough to tire themselves out AND all 3 of them played harmoniously together. Whee!


----------



## sassafras

So, SO sleepy.


----------



## nekomi

Oh, his little EARS! Oh my goodness - look at them halfway up! Adorable... I knew they would eventually go back up; for about a week in early puppyhood, they went halfway up like that. 

Give him a hug for me


----------



## sassafras

nekomi said:


> Oh, his little EARS! Oh my goodness - look at them halfway up! Adorable... I knew they would eventually go back up; for about a week in early puppyhood, they went halfway up like that.
> 
> Give him a hug for me


Heheh, they're going up, down, and all over! 

3 doggies, 15 weeks (I forgot to take a 14 week picture!)









Happy Squash! I almost never get pictures like this because when he's in a jolly mood he's usually super zoomie, too.


----------



## sassafras

I decided to start introducing him to being around my skis today. Yea, I don't think he's going to have any problems with them. :biggrin1:


----------



## ioreks_mom

i was showing my husband squash pictures last night. we are both in love with this boy! he is so adorable


----------



## waterbaby

Love the last pic. How are _you_ getting used to them?


----------



## sassafras

waterbaby said:


> Love the last pic. How are _you_ getting used to them?


Well... I got them on, tooled around the yard a little bit, and got them off again without hurting myself. So that's a victory. 

But I can tell it's been a long time. I'm fairly wobbly on them yet, but it will all come back.


----------



## waterbaby

sassafras said:


> Well... I got them on, tooled around the yard a little bit, and got them off again without hurting myself. So that's a victory.
> 
> But I can tell it's been a long time. I'm fairly wobbly on them yet, but it will all come back.


I'm always wobbly. I've just learned to compensate for it.  I do feel bad for Sophie though. She's always looking back at me like, "WTF are you doing?? Please don't fall over.".


----------



## sassafras

waterbaby said:


> I'm always wobbly. I've just learned to compensate for it.  I do feel bad for Sophie though. She's always looking back at me like, "WTF are you doing?? Please don't fall over.".


Heheh. I'm already preparing myself mentally for some "agony of defeat" level falls when we do get started someday.


----------



## LittleFr0g

I just love seeing pictures of Squash and his litter mates. So, so cute!


----------



## sassafras

I was looking back over the pictures I've taken since he's come home, I can't believe how much he's changed already.

These pictures were taken 2/11:



















These pictures were taken today (same bed):


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

sassafras said:


> I was looking back over the pictures I've taken since he's come home, I can't believe how much he's changed already.


I feel the same way about Cinnamon. I'm beginning to think I better find an even BIGGER house to move to just for her! LOL


----------



## sassafras

4 months, 40 pounds, and ready to open his tree-trimming business!


----------



## DJEtzel

Frag was 38lbs at 4 months. :O You're gonna have a BIG boy.


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

Just weighed Cinnamon...38 lbs.

For some reason that picture of Squash makes him look gigantic. I guess because there is nothing to compare him to in the picture and he so muscular and well built.


----------



## sassafras

I know he looks sort of freakishly huge in that picture. Here's a couple from today with Maisy. (Still pretty big though, heh.)


----------



## Shaina

Holy smokes he's giant lolol. How tall is he (inches)? Hard to imagine he's only 4 months old and 7-8 pounds lighter than Kim...who's well into the tallest jump height class in agility...


----------



## sassafras

I don't know how tall he is, and he's sleeping right now. I'll try to remember to measure him here in the next few days.


----------



## sassafras

Shaina said:


> Holy smokes he's giant lolol. How tall is he (inches)? Hard to imagine he's only 4 months old and 7-8 pounds lighter than Kim...who's well into the tallest jump height class in agility...


He's almost 21 inches at the shoulder.


----------



## Shaina

sassafras said:


> He's almost 21 inches at the shoulder.


How big is Linney?


----------



## sassafras

I don't know how tall she measures, but I believe nekomi has said she is around 40-45# IIRC.


----------



## Shaina

sassafras said:


> I don't know how tall she measures, but I believe nekomi has said she is around 40-45# IIRC.


Funny...it just amazes me how they are all turning out! Glad you guys are doing such a great job keeping us updated on Squash, Cinnamon, and Clove!


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

It's hard to measure a wiggle-butt but Cinnamon is about 19" at the shoulders.


----------



## sassafras

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> It's hard to measure a wiggle-butt but Cinnamon is about 19" at the shoulders.


I know, right? I'm sure there's a margin of error of an inch or so on my measurement, too.  I bet they'll end up being pretty close as adults. She's really keeping pace with him!


Tonight was Squashie's first beginner obedience class. It's funny, between puppy class and puppy play group, I think he's gotten used to being the biggest dog in the room. He seemed a little taken aback when he walked into a room of various sized dogs including adults bigger than him and bigger than Pip & Maisy (who are only about 50# each). But he got over it really quickly and he was such a rock star. Just really, really calm and relaxed during doggie down time when the trainer was talking, and I was happy with his focus when we were practicing skills. He even asked to go potty. I was so proud of him.  He really is such an awesome dog and really perfect for me, very mellow but still very interested in engaging.


----------



## sassafras

Photo dump!

Poor kid... he tries so hard. Someday, Squash. Someday.








(Also note fully charged laser kitty in upper left. Poor kid is getting it from all sides.)

Handsome boy.









Derp.









Handsome again.









Almost as big as big sister! (Lookit that manly chest!)









Thanks for looking!


----------



## sassafras

43.3 pounds today. :/


----------



## BrittanieJo

sassafras said:


> 43.3 pounds today. :/


Wow Aggie is 4 months older than him and only weighs 20lbs more! He's gonna be a big boy! And a handsome one! Perhaps he can teach Aggie what mellow is, she's only mellow after a several mile walk. Not that I'm complaining too much I enjoy losing weight!


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

Cinnamon weighs in today at 41.6 lbs! We iz in trouble! LOL


----------



## sassafras

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> Cinnamon weighs in today at 41.6 lbs! We iz in trouble! LOL


Heheh. I was at Maisy's nosework class tonight and the instructor was asking about Squash and how everyone was doing together. She asked me if he was catching up to her size and I had to explain that he's pretty much as tall as her now. And she was like "He's weighs HOW MUCH? And he's HOW OLD?" LOL


----------



## sassafras

Q: Could he possibly be any cuter?
A: No.


----------



## waterbaby

sassafras said:


> Q: Could he possibly be any cuter?
> A: No.



I can't disagree with that at all... And hey! Your snow's almost gone!


----------



## sassafras

waterbaby said:


> I can't disagree with that at all... And hey! Your snow's almost gone!


They're forecasting possible snow again next week.  Hopefully it's too far ahead for them to be right.


----------



## waterbaby

sassafras said:


> They're forecasting possible snow again next week.  Hopefully it's too far ahead for them to be right.


This is pretty much the never-ending winter. We're considering going for _another_ ski trip next weekend to kick off spring break (yeah, spring break...). They've kind of lost their luster at this point.


----------



## Bird-Dog

Is he having trouble gripping the ball or is he consciously tossing it to himself? My girl tosses baby carrots around (and pounces on them) before eating them and it looks almost identical. As for the question, I'm going with the safe bet that he'll break through the cute ceiling again in this thread...he's just too adorable NOT to.


----------



## sassafras

He doesn't have any trouble, he just likes to pounce on it and throw it for himself.


----------



## Bird-Dog

Self-entertaining dogs are awesome.


----------



## sassafras

Squash Zoomies!


----------



## nekomi

sassafras said:


> Q: Could he possibly be any cuter?
> A: No.


SO ADORABLE! Awww, Squashie.  Give him a hug from his first momma 

In the zoomies video, I see the infamous butt-tuck run several times.  LOL! Sooo freaking cute. I need to get a camcorder.


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

A little OT but I had to show you this dog Sassafras because he made me do a second take. At first he looked like your Pip to me but after looking at the pictures of Pip, this dog has more black and gray throughout, but still....

Nick









He probably doesn't look anything like Pip to you since you see him everyday but he made me take a second look.


----------



## sassafras

Heheh, no I definitely see the resemblance. Any time I see a black-eared, white and black dog I think it looks like Pip, even if it doesn't look that much like him. 



nekomi said:


> SO ADORABLE! Awww, Squashie.  Give him a hug from his first momma


He gives a chin-nibble in return. 



> In the zoomies video, I see the infamous butt-tuck run several times.  LOL! Sooo freaking cute. I need to get a camcorder.


Is that an Alaskan thing? I've never had a northern breed before! I just take these videos from my little point and shoot digital camera.


----------



## sassafras

This week Squash seems to be outgrowing his "puppy pass" from Maisy, and growing into his "adult pass" from Pip.

46# this week, right on Pip and Maisy's heels (who are each around 50 pounds).


----------



## sassafras

Who couldn't love this face?


















And this butt?









And this profile?









And those ears?









And that tail?


----------



## theyogachick

LOL--I agree. Love everything about him.

As a side note, Gracie has a new obsession with sticks. I am starting to wonder if she has been looking over my shoulder and learning from Squash


----------



## sassafras

Well Squash probably learned it from Pip, so it might be like some ungodly doggie chain letter.


----------



## ioreks_mom

he is just gorgeous. i really love looking at the pictures that you post. 

i am so jealous that all your snow is gone. we are having yet another storm and have gotten about 9 inches since last night.


----------



## Active Dog

My goodness Squash has turned into a stunning young man, he looks very much like his mommy now that his nose is getting pointer.


----------



## theyogachick

I love the subtle spots on his ears!


----------



## sassafras

Aw, thanks guys. Of course *I* think he's stunning, but I'm biased. 

AD, his muzzle has been getting longer in the last few weeks especially. He's starting to look like there might be some husky in there, and people aren't telling me I have a lovely American Bulldog every time I turn around anymore, heheh. (Not that I would mind having a lovely American Bulldog, but then I always get a slack stare when I tell them he's actually an Alaskan husky mix. :/ )


----------



## Shaina

He's adorable  



sassafras said:


> Is that an Alaskan thing? I've never had a northern breed before!


No, it's a dog thing lol. All three of mine do the butt-tuck zoomies when they are full of p*** & vinegar, so, about daily . It's common but it always always makes me smile...sign of a happy dog


----------



## sassafras

Shaina said:


> No, it's a dog thing lol. All three of mine do the butt-tuck zoomies when they are full of p*** & vinegar, so, about daily . It's common but it always always makes me smile...sign of a happy dog


Ah, come to think of it I have seen Pip do it. But haven't noticed it in Maisy or my previous dogs. Hm.


----------



## theyogachick

I agree it is a dog thing. Gracie gets them so bad her rear end seems to go ahead of her front end. Very amusing.

Maybe Maisy is too dignified for butt tuck zoomies


----------



## bfoster

Beautiful!!! I love the name, too


----------



## sassafras

theyogachick said:


> Maybe Maisy is too dignified for butt tuck zoomies


LOL, well she's kind of a speed demon so maybe she doesn't want to waste her forward momentum.


----------



## BrittanieJo

If he was a black dog from the back he and Aggie would be identical. They stand the same and everything! He's too cute!


----------



## sassafras

You lookin' at ME?









Besties! If they're awake (and sometimes if they're not), they're together.


----------



## Shaina

sassafras said:


> You lookin' at ME?


No...no sir...not at all sir...sorry sir...


----------



## sassafras

I just ordered Squashie's first skijoring harness! Just a puppy harness to get used to the feel of wearing it and moving in it, but still... *happy dance*


----------



## sassafras

LOLZ!









Oh, sorry. I be serious now.


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

Cute!

I'm so jealous! By the time I get home from work, all Cinnamon wants to do is eat and nap. I can't seem to get a chance to get any good pictures. Hopefully if we ever get moved that will change!


----------



## sassafras

Chicken. The key is practicing sits with a camera in one hand and chicken just a bait bag away. 


ETA: Plus, he's so dang nosy, he doesn't really nap unless put in his crate. Even when he's so overtired he's evil. :/


----------



## nekomi

Geez, his feet are still HUGE!!!!! Wow!!!

I'm so excited about the skijor harness. You'll have to post a pic of him wearing it!


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

sassafras said:


> Chicken. The key is practicing sits with a camera in one hand and chicken just a bait bag away.


LOL...I thought you were calling ME a chicken when I first started reading this post!


----------



## sassafras

lol, DIANE'S A CHICKEN! 

Squash's Thursday morning experiments:

"Sit? Will you believe me if I tell you that I have never heard of such a thing?"
"What? You're going to keep replacing me in my down-stay until I actually stay? Even if I just lay here and bark at you the whole time I'm staying?"
"It's never worked before, but if I carry on for 15 minutes would you let me out of my kennel? No? How about 20 minutes? But... you're on the phone, don't you want me to be quiet?"

He's been sorely disappointed on all counts.


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

LOL!!! Good boy, Squash! That's telling her!


----------



## sassafras

Little does he know that this is the age I usually GET my dogs, so I actually feel much more equipped to deal with adolescent BS than everything we've been through so far. Poor Squashie. 


ETA: Actually the barking during the stay was hilarious. It was SO obviously frustrated sass--mouth LOL.


----------



## nekomi

Awwww Squash. Sounds like he's hitting that "age", alright! Ginger is there, too. Just last week we were doing flawless Down-Stays and Sits, this week she's running pell-mell away from me through the house when I call her, with an evil puppy grin on her face.


----------



## sassafras

So, you'll love this.

Here's the set up... The dogs are not allowed upstairs until they go to bed with us, because the second floor is the cat's "safe zone". We have baby gates blocking access to our kitchen, which you have to walk through to get upstairs. When Pip needs a brain break from Squash, he stays in the kitchen because he doesn't care about the cats and won't go upstairs and bug them.

Lately Squash has become enamored of the cats. He doesn't seem predatory, but he wants to be by them and lick them and paw them. Yesterday, he learned he can jump over the baby gate -- and it's like, this really graceful gazelle-like leap. Nothing like what you would expect from this great beast of a floppy puppy. So after a moment of stunned silence, I chased him and his evil puppy grin upstairs.

A-ha! I thought. I know, I'll just put a visual barrier there and there's no way he'll still jump. So I leaned one of those folded-up two-step kitchen stools up against it and watched to see what he would do. Without pausing even for a nanosecond, he leaped over the gate THROUGH the loop that the handle of the stool makes when it's folded up. Again, utterly graceful. He didn't knock the stool over or disturb it in any way. It was like a freaking circus act, all I have to do is light that sucker on fire!

Ok, I thought, I'll just mount it a little higher, but at least when Pip is having kitchen time I won't need to worry about it because he's intimidated by Pip and surely he won't do it with Pip there in the kitchen. Most of the time he'll barely walk BY Pip when they're in the same room together. Again, he didn't even pause for a nanosecond, he just flew over the gate and blew by Pip, who just sat there with a stunned expression on his face. I asked Pip, "Why did you let him do that!?" and at least Pip ran upstairs and herded him back down so I didn't have to run up the stairs AGAIN, but... sheesh. 

God save me from teenage puppies. 

(So far mounting the gate a bit higher in the doorway is working, but I think I'm probably going to have to invest in an actual hardware-mounted, TALLER gate. I'm just using the cheap plastic kind you get at Target.)


----------



## nekomi

> It was like a freaking circus act, all I have to do is light that sucker on fire!


ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Haha! I'm dying over here. SO funny.  

Geez, something about these pups and JUMPING lately! I just got back from the vet with Ginger. While we were there, she just leaped the most graceful tall jump onto a big cement wall next to the clinic entrance. My vet and I were both stunned.  Of course, now that she's discovered her amazing jumping ability, she spent the rest of the vet visit leaping onto the waiting area benches.

So maybe Squashie has a future in agility!? I would pay to see that!


----------



## DJEtzel

I have the regalo easy step walk through gate, which I would recommend. It's not REALLY tall, but it's taller than typical department store gates. I paid less than $50 for it from amazon, and it was easy to assemble. Keeps the big dog out, but not the little one. I'm sure Frag could jump it as it's mounted (pressure mount) on the ground if he really wanted to, but it's unlikely, and I could mount it up higher if it weren't for the bar you have to step over. 

Just a suggestion if you'll be needing one!


----------



## sassafras

nekomi said:


> Of course, now that she's discovered her amazing jumping ability, she spent the rest of the vet visit leaping onto the waiting area benches.


LOOK WHAT I CAN DO!!! 



> So maybe Squashie has a future in agility!? I would pay to see that!


You know, when I saw him jump through the "hoop" that was my first thought! The place where we're taking obedience has an "agility for fun" class, I might check it out with him someday. 



Thanks, DJ, I appreciate the suggestion.


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

Cinnamon has started jumping on top of the crate to escape the ex-pen but so far an old chalkboard leaned at the bottom of the stairs deters her from even trying to go up. I had a baby gate that was about 35" tall and Timber jumped over it when it was at the top of the stairs. He jumped over and onto the stairs to get downstairs and then jumped over going upstairs to get back up. So for the new house I bought 2 of the Dreambaby Extra Tall Swing Close gates from Amazon. It's odd, I wanted white which were about $65 each but the black were only $55 each so I settled for black. Must be the white ones are in higher demand. These gates are 39.4" tall so hopefully they will be tall enough to keep everyone out of the kitchen and in the rooms I want them in when we aren't home. The gates are single hand operation to open and swing close automatically to close. Hopefully they work like I'm wanting them to.


----------



## sassafras

Oooooo, that one looks pretty sweet.


----------



## Shaina

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> Cinnamon has started jumping on top of the crate to escape the ex-pen but so far an old chalkboard leaned at the bottom of the stairs deters her from even trying to go up. I had a baby gate that was about 35" tall and Timber jumped over it when it was at the top of the stairs. He jumped over and onto the stairs to get downstairs and then jumped over going upstairs to get back up. So for the new house I bought 2 of the Dreambaby Extra Tall Swing Close gates from Amazon. It's odd, I wanted white which were about $65 each but the black were only $55 each so I settled for black. Must be the white ones are in higher demand. These gates are 39.4" tall so hopefully they will be tall enough to keep everyone out of the kitchen and in the rooms I want them in when we aren't home. The gates are single hand operation to open and swing close automatically to close. Hopefully they work like I'm wanting them to.


I have that gate, though mine's 42" I believe...not sure they make that size anymore. Works great except Webster figured out how to open it...but he's my Houdini dog so whatcha going to do? At least once he's free he doesn't do anything (provided all the food is locked up)...just curls up somewhere sunny and comfy and sleeps...


----------



## Independent George

Shaina said:


> I have that gate, though mine's 42" I believe...not sure they make that size anymore. Works great except Webster figured out how to open it...but he's my Houdini dog so whatcha going to do? At least once he's free he doesn't do anything (provided all the food is locked up)...just curls up somewhere sunny and comfy and sleeps...


He must be reaching his ears through the bars to open the latch. You just can't trust that dog - I think you should send him to me ASAP.


----------



## dagwall

I have similar gates keeping Jubel out of the kitchen. So far he respects the boundary and hasn't tried to go over but I have the feeling if he really tried he could. They are only 32" and pressure mounted about 2" off the floor.

A dog that comes to our dog park occasionally actually makes his first order of business when he arrives to jump over the fence and run down to the creek. Then he'll come back and hang out in the park for a bit. The park is fenced with about a 5' chain link fence and Cosmo just leaps to the top and pulls himself over. I'm scared having Jubel see this as he MIGHT try it eventually and probably make it. But it is fun sometimes to see the peoples reactions when Cosmo goes over if they haven't seen it before.


----------



## Shaina

FlashTheRottwuggle: We have that gate...lol


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

Shaina said:


> FlashTheRottwuggle: We have that gate...lol


I love it! At least if it doesn't work, I will be thoroughly amused! That had me LMAO!


----------



## Independent George

Shaina said:


> FlashTheRottwuggle: We have that gate...lol


My other post disappeared into the ether, so I'll repeat: Web is clearly a troublemaker who is a bad influence on your other dogs. You should send him to me immediately.


----------



## Shaina

Webster is a dangerously smart self-educated dog who isn't afraid to think outside the box lol. I'd had that gate for about 3 years now...he's still the only one who can get through it. How he figured out where to grab it and that he has to pull back and up simultaneously at just that spot I'll never know. 

Should've seen our faces the first time we realized he was somehow getting from one side of the gate to the other though, lol. Hence the hidden camera setup...I put the camera in place and walked outside. Little Turkey waited til I left the house and was at the window almost immediately afterward...


I G -- Nope, mine, sorry  Webster keeps me on my toes lol. And he's a super duper snuggler to boot.



P.S. I do hope the gate works better for you guys lol. Like I said it does contain Kim, who is more respectful of barriers, and Mira, who is unaware that she could easily jump over it.


----------



## sassafras

LOL Shaina. Well, for now just putting the gate several inches higher up is doing the trick, so I'm going to cheap out and keep doing that for now.


My parents have been snowbirds in Florida since Christmas and they just got home this week. I went up to see them and brought Squash to meet them for the first time today. I was SO proud of him. He had NO problems waltzing into a new and unfamiliar house like he owned the place, he sat politely to be petted (very VERY important as my parents are both in their early 70s), and rolled over on his back for tummy rubs, and settled down and either watched the bird feeders in their backyard or slept most of the time we were chatting. He lurved my dad -- all dogs seem to -- and my parents just fell in love with him.

That's my boy.


----------



## Shaina

Another two humans wrapped around Squash's great big paw lol


----------



## JessCowgirl88

aw your little man is the MOST preciious and handsome pup!! i adore him!! hehe his personality is just so amazing and he just beems it! such a happy guy! you hve inspired me to make a thread like this for my chisum even though he isnt a pup anymore really 9 2yrs old) but just got him from the pound, and last owner didnt leave him in the best condition D:

<3 ur pup though!!! plan on watching this thread to watch him grow up!


----------



## nekomi

> My parents have been snowbirds in Florida since Christmas and they just got home this week. I went up to see them and brought Squash to meet them for the first time today. I was SO proud of him. He had NO problems waltzing into a new and unfamiliar house like he owned the place, he sat politely to be petted (very VERY important as my parents are both in their early 70s), and rolled over on his back for tummy rubs, and settled down and either watched the bird feeders in their backyard or slept most of the time we were chatting. He lurved my dad -- all dogs seem to -- and my parents just fell in love with him.


Awww, this is awesome! What a good boy. You've done such an excellent job with him.


----------



## sassafras

Aw, thanks. *blush* 

So anyway, this happened today. If you remember papasan chairs, that "dog bed" is the cushion from a papasan love seat that I had in college. When the frame died, we kept the cushion as a dog bed but it's folded in half. He's so goofy, and for once my camera was RIGHT NEXT to me when I needed it!


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

LMAO! I love at the beginning when he peeks out and looks at the shelves like "hmmmm...what movie do I want to watch? Oh wait, here comes Maisy! Hide!" LOL


----------



## sassafras

Sit down and mark the date... Pip play bowed to Squash today.


----------



## Miranda16

WooWoo! You may get your dream one day squashie boy


----------



## Charis

This video reminds me of the pics of him as a little bitty puppy between the cushions (if I remember correctly also how he got his name). Must have a thing for being under stuff


----------



## Independent George

sassafras said:


> Sit down and mark the date... Pip play bowed to Squash today.


Wait, wait wait wait wait wait...

Pip _plays?_


----------



## JessCowgirl88

awwwwwwwwwwww how cuuute!!!! i have to agree at first its like hmm what movie to watch then its like when he looks at you " wut? oh snaps she see's me!!" and then hides again LOL


----------



## sassafras

Independent George said:


> Wait, wait wait wait wait wait...
> 
> Pip _plays?_


LOL... it was post-worthy!


----------



## sassafras

Someone has stolen my little puppy and replaced him with a long-legged, giant monstrosity!





































Still the same completely heart-melty adorable face, though.


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

OMG!!! 

I noticed last night that Cinnamon looked almost as tall as Timber. I want my baby back! :Cry:


----------



## theyogachick

Holy

:jaw:

He is HUGE! (and lovely!)


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## ioreks_mom

wow!! 

how old is he now?


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## sassafras

5 months! (Crazy, huh?)


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## ioreks_mom

holy cow! he is really huge!! and super duper handsome too


----------



## Independent George

Sas-Squash, indeed. He actually looks lankier now, though.


----------



## Mr Pooch

Damn he has got huge!!! but soooooo handsome!!! Looks even more like a mini polar bear now!haha

Defo on my DF wish list.


----------



## sassafras

Mr Pooch said:


> Looks even more like a mini polar bear now!haha


Hahah, the instructor at his obedience class says that every time she sees him!


----------



## JessCowgirl88

holy moly he is HUGE! still SUPER cute!! i just wanna huggle him


----------



## Tavi

Man he looks outstanding...but I have to ask, do you bleach him? He's so white! How on earth are you keeping him so clean in this muddy season!! ^^ I need your tricks!


----------



## sassafras

LOL actually he usually comes in from outside pretty gray, but it usually just sort of brushes off easily.


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

sassafras said:


> LOL actually he usually comes in from outside pretty gray, but it usually just sort of brushes off easily.


Colt is like that. Comes in total mud and a few minutes later, he looks completely clean. I'm guessing that's where all the dust in my carpet comes from. LOL


----------



## CoverTune

The face looks all grown up.. but that sit is ALL puppy!! lol


----------



## sassafras

LOL yea, he still kind of has the floppies.

55# today. He seems to be slowing down a bit. (53# last week).


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

Naaaah! He's just gathering up strength for the push to 70#. LOL

BTW...your signature picture almost looks like a reverse oreo cookie! LOL


----------



## sassafras

Our last level 1 obedience class was tonight. The instructor really likes Squash, and as we were leaving she told me that she thought he would make a good therapy dog someday if it was something I was interested in working towards because "dogs with his temperament are few and far between."


----------



## Deron_dog

YAY Squash!!!! Being a Therapy dog would be Awesome! Seeing Squash going to see all those poor people and making them as Happy as he has you! Its so rewarding!


----------



## sassafras

Squash believes in upcycling! 

This ordinary bucket once held ice cream. Then water for thirsty dogs. And now, it's a dog toy!




































Oh, noes.... it suddenly occurs to me that I am thirsty again!









Oh, good. Mom put another bucket of water out here for me!










more...


----------



## sassafras

But then...


















Now I haz ALL the buckets!









Uh oh... tired and thirsty again...









If you get me another bucket, I swear on my cute face I will not destroy it this time. (Yeah, right.)











And a couple of the big dogs...

Pip, guardian of Pip street.









Maisy, aka the black blurry streak, in her photographable, post-bucket state.









Thanks for looking!


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

How much does Squash weigh now? Clove is 51 and Cinny is 54. He doesn't seem to be as leggy as they are but it could just be the angle of the photos. He looks GREAT btw :becky:


----------



## sassafras

He's about 55# now. He goes through spurts where he looks SUPER tall and leggy like a colt, and then times when he looks a bit more... meaty. He's in a meaty period right now.


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

sassafras said:


> He's about 55# now. He goes through spurts where he looks SUPER tall and leggy like a colt, and then times when he looks a bit more... meaty. He's in a meaty period right now.


My goodness...they are going to be big dogs! Is he eating you out of house and home? LOL. He has the cutest nose of all. I hate to ask this but are you on FB? I can't keep everyone straight on here/there!


----------



## sassafras

He actually doesn't eat as much as you might think. Depending on the day he might eat anywhere from 2-4 cups (plus whatever gets stuffed into kongs and bully sticks, etc). I'd say average around 3 cups a day or so as meals, plus a few kong's worth of kibble/canned food. One very nice thing about him is that he's not the type of dog to just eat whatever is put down in front of him, he eats what he's hungry for and leaves the rest. 

No, I'm not on Facebook at all so far. I'm sure someday I'll succumb.


----------



## sassafras

My little boy is growing up. 

It's cold and raining today, really gross out. So nobody's getting as much yard time or walking as usual and I was dreading the puppy chaos. But after a few quick training sessions the dogs are... all quietly chewing on bully sticks. Ahhhhh.




ETA: AND he just ASKED to go outside. Oh happy housetraining day!


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

It's funny the things that can excite us humans! Sounds like training is going well. Do you mind if I post some of his photos to the DF page on Facebook? Oh, we have a "contest" to guess how big they are all going to be when all growd up. I'm glad I found this thread...I didn't realize his nose was so spotty!


----------



## sassafras

Sure, you can post some of his photos to the FB page.


----------



## sassafras

Uh oh. Speaking of getting big...


----------



## theyogachick

OMG---the Dane sit!


----------



## sassafras

theyogachick said:


> OMG---the Dane sit!


I know, right? LOL.


----------



## LittleFr0g

Wow, I haven't been on this thread for a while, but Squash is getting huge! And so handsome!  How old are the puppies now?


----------



## sassafras

22 weeks, if my math is right. (They were born the week of Thanksgiving).


----------



## LittleFr0g

And he's 55 lbs already? Wow, he's going to be a big boy!


----------



## lauren17

Wow he's getting so big! Are there any guesses on what breed(s) the father was? I love Squash, he's one of my favorite DF dogs


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

lauren17 said:


> Wow he's getting so big! Are there any guesses on what breed(s) the father was? I love Squash, he's one of my favorite DF dogs


We are beginning to suspect Great Dane or a mix thereof.


----------



## lauren17

Great Dane was my guess too. Squash reminds me of a friends Great Dane/lab mix only her dog s black, but structurally they are pretty similar. The pups sure did take after their daddy whoever he might be, I would never guess husky on any of the pups lol. I need to go look at your Cinnamons thread to see what she's looking like now!


----------



## sassafras

So I haven't taken any pics of Squash's puppy harness yet because... well, it was ridiculously huge LOL. Nothing at all against the people I ordered it from -- I had a nice long talk with them about his age, size, growth, etc. and specifically requested one bigger than he needed at the time for him to grow into. So I put it away for a few weeks and took it out again tonight. It's still a little bit big, I think, but this one isn't for pulling but just getting him used to wearing it. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, so I'll try to get some better pictures outside, and hopefully if I put the dang thing on wrong someone will enlighten me.  But anyway...




























He's so handsome in red.


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

sassafras said:


> He's so handsome in red.


OMG he is so handsome and looks so grown up in this last pic! And yes he is handsome in red! That's funny because my son wanted red for every one of the dogs. I put Colt in red because I love it against his blondness.

And after I posted I needed to edit to note that I can see Linney's blond streak on Squash's head and down his back!


----------



## sassafras

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> And after I posted I needed to edit to note that I can see Linney's blond streak on Squash's head and down his back!


My husband remarks on his streak all the time, heheheh.


----------



## Nargle

Is it just me or does Squash look like Brian Griffin? Lol. I think it's the muzzle and the big black nose. He's getting so huge! Can't wait to see how he looks when he's fully grown!


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

I wish DF had a "like" button. Then I wouldn't have to post that I agree that he looks spectacular in red (which is my favorite color).


----------



## kafkabeetle

Nargle said:


> Is it just me or does Squash look like Brian Griffin? Lol. I think it's the muzzle and the big black nose. He's getting so huge! Can't wait to see how he looks when he's fully grown!


Hahaha, he totally does! Or he did as a pup. Now he looks like Brian's giant cousin.


----------



## Nargle

kafkabeetle said:


> Hahaha, he totally does! Or he did as a pup. Now he looks like Brian's giant cousin.


Yeah, now that he's getting bigger and lankier the resemblance is starting to fade.


----------



## sassafras

LOL, his face DOES look like Brian! That can be his middle name. ;-)


I thought I would just walk up and down the alley a bit with him in harness today. So as it turns out, it's a little tricky to coordinate that with a puppy who is used to LLW and document it photographically.  Definitely will get hubby to help me from now on.

NOOOOO alley! Pip and Maisy be in the yard!









So we're doing WHAT again?









Going to see friend neighbor dog?









This smells good...









Oh... wait... did you mean...?









You DID mean!! This is actually kinda fun once you get in the groove!









Thanks for looking!


ETA: His tail is kind of freakishly long, lol


----------



## Shaina

sassafras said:


> ETA: His tail is kind of freakishly long, lol


Just wait til he grows into it lol

And I also agree: red suits him well


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

How much does he (i) bruise you; and (ii) clean off the coffee table with that tail?!


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

alphadoginthehouse said:


> How much does he (i) bruise you; and (ii) clean off the coffee table with that tail?!


LOL...when Cinny hits the door on the way outside with her tail, it sounds like she's going to bust the aluminum screen door. And the noise is so loud, Colt takes off like someone shot at him! LOL


----------



## sassafras

You know, Squash is actually really "soft" with his tail. Now, Maisy... Maisy could probably get work as a dominatrix.


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

sassafras said:


> You know, Squash is actually really "soft" with his tail. Now, Maisy... *Maisy could probably get work as a dominatrix*.


This made me giggle. One of the good things about small dogs, I'm pretty safe from the tail. Using my legs as a spring board...now that's a whole other story!


----------



## sassafras

Heheh.

I've been going through some of my camping stuff in anticipation of the camping season (3 weeks 'til first camping trip, squee!) and I found this inflatable dog bed I got on clearance at the end of the year last year. I blew it up yesterday afternoon to make sure it was intact, and... Squash claimed it. Too bad he won't fit on it for too much longer. 










Squash doesn't share his camping bed.



















And... we do a charity walk for our local humane society every year. This was Squash's first year (obviously) so we decided to just take him so we could focus on him in case he was intimidated by the crowds and noise. He did fabulously, had a few uncertain moments that he quickly bounced back from (mainly related to the big floppy rain ponchos a lot of people were wearing because it was raining) with plenty of yummy treats and "look at that!" We didn't take a lot of pictures, but since I put a sign-up sheet to collect pledges up at work I always take a picture of me and whichever dogs attend to make a little thank-you sign.

Me and the boy. 










We didn't walk the whole way, it's 5 miles total and I didn't want to walk him that far at his age. So we turned around at one of the early checkpoints. Even with his protracted walk, he was SO worn out from all the excitement and activity he fell asleep as soon as we got back in the car.

Plz to go in kennel and nap now?


----------



## sassafras

Squash loves his sticks...




















And... I was sifting through the pictures since he came home, and I'm just struck dumb by how much he's changed. My handsome boy.


----------



## kafkabeetle

His coat's starting to get a little blondish, isn't it?


----------



## sassafras

You know, it's funny because that's starting to show up in pictures, but I don't notice it very much in person. 

Of course, at least part of it is dirt from wrestling with Maisy outside.


----------



## sassafras

Handsome boy.


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

Me thinks there's a love affair going on between the 2 of you. :becky: And I think it's wonderful that the PP bunch found such wonderful homes.


----------



## sassafras

Squash likes to throw the ball around for himself. I happened to snap this just as he was about to let go... his eyes in this picture just crack me right up. 











Pip and Squash bond over their love of sticks. This is actually kind of a big moment, because Pip can be resource-guardy with his sticks, especially with Squash. So this is good to see, and went on for quite a while.


----------



## sassafras

Unless I am unable to count to 24, I believe the PP puppies are 24 weeks old today. Man how time flies.


----------



## nekomi

It's crazy, isn't it!? It still feels like just yesterday that I was helping Linney give birth. I am SO happy that all of them are doing so well in their new homes! Squash is looking fabulous, BTW.


----------



## sassafras

Thanks.  He's growing into such a fantastic dog, we just love him. He's still very puppyish, but you can see this sort of kind, gentle soul emerging as he matures. He's just started getting into cuddling/snuggling in the last week or so, and he's very exuberant about it... he's Squash'd me a couple times when I'm sitting or laying on the couch.


----------



## nekomi

Awwww! He's such a neat dog. His temperament sounds amazing... do you think you'll pursue therapy work with him like your trainer had suggested?


----------



## sassafras

I am seriously thinking about it. We're enrolled in a leash walking class that starts this weekend, then after that's done we'll do intermediate obedience. If we do well in those classes and we pass the CGC, I'll probably pursue it. There are a lot of requirements involved in getting him certified as a therapy dog but I do think it would be amazing and rewarding. I've never had the dog with the right temperament for it so I've never really given it any serious thought before.


----------



## nekomi

That's awesome.  I'm so proud of Squashie and so thrilled with all the great work you've done with him!


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

nekomi said:


> That's awesome.  I'm so proud of Squashie and so thrilled with all the great work you've done with him!


I still say they need a "like" button on here! It is so much fun watching these puppies grown into teens!


----------



## sassafras

I heard the boy howl for the first time today. He comes to work with me almost every day, he stays in a crate by my desk. This afternoon a couple of dogs really got each other going in the kennel area - barking, howling, carrying on -- and he joined in the chorus with some full bore, long drawn out howls. So that husky is definitely in there!


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

We have at least one howlfest every day around our house. Timber has started initiating them by himself even.


----------



## sassafras

So Maisy's been really awesome as my assistant Squash trainer. I have a hard time with "line out" and "hike" with him when walking him alone because his leash manners are pretty good and he tends to hang by me. But Maisy's unmanaged, default leash manners are terrible (never thought this would be a good thing) and he will follow her to the ends of the earth, so she's actually been a big help. I think she also is understanding Gee and Haw better than he is at this point, which is helping him learn them, too. I think by winter we'll be ready!

This weekend I think I'll try them on a coupler instead of on the 2 leashes. He still gets easily distracted and veers off, while a walk for Maisy is often something like a mission in which she is dedicated to reaching the horizon ASAP.


----------



## sassafras

Every time I think I've seen the cutest they can be, they do something like this...


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

Wow! And I thought Colt could get dirty! LOL

Very very cute!


----------



## sassafras

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> Wow! And I thought Colt could get dirty! LOL


Heheh, yesterday when I got to work one of my coworkers said "Squash's color looks so different! He looks all grey and speckly!" 

I hated to tell her that it was because he was filthy.


----------



## ioreks_mom

wow! they are just the cutest <3


----------



## sassafras

Well our first camping trip of the year was kind of a FAIL. Why?

Because we were driven home by these little SOBs...










I've lived in Minnesota for a long time, and I've done a lot of camping, and I'm not exactly scared of ticks... but I've NEVER seen them so bad in my life. Anything I set down and left for more than a few minutes, I'd come back to find at least one on it. They were on the tent. They were on the picnic table. They were on my camp chairs. They were on my extra pair of shoes. They were on the car, the firewood, the dog bed, the dog, and me. I can't count how many I flicked into the campfire, I stopped counting. Constant tick vigilance is NOT RELAXING, so I packed us up and came home. Then I had to flick three more out the window on the drive home, found 2 more on the dog on the final tick check before we came into the house, and found 3 more unpacking my stuff from the car. :/ So annoying.

Got a few pictures, though, before we abandoned ship.

This is what Squash did while I set up the tent.










This is what he did while I built the fire. I hope he ate a few of the little effers there in the grass.










This is what he did while I ate dinner.










And this is what he did on the ride home.










At least it's super easy to do tick checks on a white dog.


----------



## sassafras

Yea they were just INSANE. I don't mind finding one here and there, in fact I expect it. But seriously every time I turned around more had magically appeared. My timing must have just perfectly coincided with them emerging this spring, this week has been warmer after unseasonably cold weather for a few weeks.


----------



## Independent George

This is the perfect time for an anteater pic!


----------



## nekomi

He looks SO amazing! What a good boy. It's amazing how utterly mellow he is! Nothing seems to phase him, huh?

Sorry you got driven off early, though. Sounds like it was really bad!


----------



## sassafras

He IS a good boy, it doesn't seem to matter what we do, he just rolls with the punches. When I was packing up especially I was grateful for his mellowness, because once I'd had enough and made the decision I just wanted to pack everything up as fast as possible and he happily amused himself while I was doing so. 

Yea, it was the worst I've ever seen. It was a like a freakin' tick army. Ah well, I've got campsite reservations at least once a month for the rest of the summer, and by next month already it should be too warm for the little buggers. (Of course, then the mosquitoes come out but at least the campfire smoke and bug spray keeps them away.)


----------



## sassafras

This is what happens to your white dog when the dogs are outside and you don't realize it started raining...



















Oh, and btw mom, I don't like sit-stay (especially when you're walking around back there) and I'm not afraid to say so (but he still does it, good boy).










Might have to break down and give him a bath today. Later today.


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

He is such a good boy! :clap2:


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

Personally, I LIKE him speckled. LOL He's such a good boy.

Oh yeah, and Colt wants Squash to know how proud he is of him. Also Colt would like to add that the technique to get the mud on top of your head is as follows:



















See...muddy and happy! Colt says "Keep up the good work Squash!" LOL :wink:


----------



## sassafras

Nooooo, Colt! He doesn't need any more ideas on how to get dirtier!!! 



Actually there's really no point to a bath right now anyway. We'll be laying some sod later in the year, but until then our backyard is pretty much dirt. I'm not going to bathe him so he can get muddy again tomorrow. :/ And the dirt pretty much falls off of him once he dries out, anyway.


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

sassafras said:


> And the dirt pretty much falls off of him once he dries out, anyway.


That's how Colt is. He hates water SO much, I don't even try to bathe him and next thing you look at him, he's clean as can be.


----------



## sassafras

We got caught out in a sudden torrential downpour on our walk today, so now he's super clean and soft again anyway.


----------



## Sibe

Mud, mud, glorious mud.


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

Sibe said:


> Mud, mud, glorious mud.


How funny...must have been a fun time!


----------



## sassafras

Haha, he put his Mud Boots on!


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

Dammit...I'm going up and down the page looking for the LIKE button! LOL


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> Dammit...I'm going up and down the page looking for the LIKE button! LOL


I try to do the same thing...


----------



## sassafras

6 months old!


----------



## ioreks_mom

haha! mouth full of dirt and all  <3

happy 6 month birthday handsome boy!


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

He IS so handsome. Happy 6 month big fella!


----------



## sassafras

I ordered a scooter today! Squee! Hello, summer training!


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

sassafras said:


> I ordered a scooter today! Squee! Hello, summer training!


:Cry: I'm so jealous! I've been wanting one of those! Where did you get it?


----------



## sassafras

I got it here. It's the "Dirt Dawg" -- I wasn't feeling splurgy enough to get one of the more expensive models.


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

You didn't want one of the 3 wheel kind? I would be afraid I would fall off!


----------



## sassafras

I am far too Xtreme! for 3 wheels!





Also, too cheap.




In other news... I took Squash to a dog park for the first time today. Not the big dog park I usually take Pip to -- that one is over 4 acres of woods and way, way beyond the boy at this point. I took him to the small (maybe one generous city block sized) one that I don't generally like but was good for my purposes today. I went at the most off-peak time I know of and we didn't see any other people/dogs the whole time, which was also good for my purposes today. I mostly just wanted to see how he would react to being off leash in a larger, more unfamiliar area than our yard and practice some recall and following.

I just let him sniff and explore for a bit, then practiced some recalls, then practiced just walking off from him to see what he would do, then we played fetch for awhile. He did AWESOME, I'm so proud of my boy. His recalls (over admittedly short distances and with no other dogs around, but still) were great. When I walked off and pretended to ignore him/that I wasn't paying attention to him, he kept track of where I was and regularly ran over to "check in" with me without being called -- which is a quality I value very highly and find very important for going to the bigger dog park. If I was engaging him, he'd stick close to me while I walked around the park. And 10 minutes of fetching sticks did more for his "drop it" than the work we've done at home so far (ah, the glories of finding just the right motivation).

When we got home, he almost blew my utter adoration of him by slipping by me before I could grab his leash as he was getting out of the car and trotting over to the neighbor's back fence gate (he goes over there to play with their dog sometimes). But then he redeemed himself by doing a perfect recall. He's such a good boy, I just love this dog. 

Unfortunately my camera battery died just before we came home, so I won't be able to post pictures until later tonight. But I had to brag or my head would pop open.


----------



## sassafras

Ok, here's some pictures from the great dog park adventure described above.

Just chillin'.









U called me? (recall)









3 "Ima get that stick!" moments



























I haz a stick!









Oh noes! Dropped stick! Engage reverse bootleg immediately! (x2)


















You gonna throw that stick or what?


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

You are doing great work with him. He looks totally happy in all the pics. I am so thrilled to be able to watch the PPP grow up!


----------



## Independent George

Did we ever settle on an over/under on how much the punkin' pie puppies' final weight?


----------



## GottaLuvMutts

It's been a while since I've checked out The Squash Files, so I just went through the last few pages. He's gotten so big - sasquash indeed! Hard to believe it's been 6mo!


----------



## sassafras

Holding steady at 67# today, for the 2nd or 3rd week in a row. Maybe he WILL stop at some point. :/

ETA: The Boy in relation to a camp chair.










I call this his "sitting by this chair is DUMB AND BORING" face. He just doesn't understand that people need some perspective.


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

Independent George said:


> Did we ever settle on an over/under on how much the punkin' pie puppies' final weight?


I don't think so, but I think it's a good idea. Someone with a PPP should set the goals and then we can vote on them. Ooh, I don't know how to do the poll post...who does? That would be fun...yes, I need to get out more! :becky:


----------



## dagwall

haha your 'small' dog park you don't like so much... it looks very nice to me. Might be slightly smaller than the one I go to but mine is mostly dirt with a little grass and the last two winters have taken out most of our trees (shade). We are supposed to get some improvements this summer though. Resurfaced with gravel and two pavillions (12'x12' I think I heard) added for shade. Our new facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Annandale-K9-Community/197996316908354


----------



## sassafras

Well what I don't like about it is that people tend to stand around chatting while there's really nothing for the dogs to do but form mobs and play Thunderdome... things can get very snarky very quickly. Our big dog parks are several acres of trails through the woods where people are walking through with their dogs and the dogs don't really form groups of more than a few at a time, and even those tend to form and unform and reform as people walk their separate ways. I very very rarely see problems there. BUT, they are also not the place to take a young dog just starting out learning to stay close while off leash.


----------



## dagwall

As far as I know there aren't any of those huge parks in my area that sound like they are more for safe off leash walking than what I think of as a dog park. All the dog parks in my area are more of what you describe as 'thunderdomes." Which if people are watching and moderating their dogs appropriately aren't too bad. 

I guess it's a pretty two sided in comparison. In the smaller parks you can easily keep an eye on your dog (of course some people still don't do this as well as they should) but in the larger parks it's quite possible for you dog to run off and find trouble before you can stop it if they aren't great with recall over a huge, fun, shiney distraction going on WAY over there.


----------



## sassafras

dagwall said:


> I guess it's a pretty two sided in comparison. In the smaller parks you can easily keep an eye on your dog (of course some people still don't do this as well as they should) but in the larger parks it's quite possible for you dog to run off and find trouble before you can stop it if they aren't great with recall over a huge, fun, shiney distraction going on WAY over there.


For sure, yea. I mostly use the small park for practicing recalls until I'm comfortable going to the big park, I just have to be careful about going at slow times because most of the crowd at the small park here DOESN'T watch their dogs adequately.


----------



## sassafras

71# today. :/


----------



## HersheyBear

wow he's gotten so big!! almost reminds me of an american bulldog in the body. or a Dogo.


----------



## sassafras

HersheyBear said:


> wow he's gotten so big!! almost reminds me of an american bulldog in the body. or a Dogo.


When he was wee, people CONSTANTLY complimented me on my adorable American bulldog puppy.


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

HersheyBear said:


> wow he's gotten so big!! almost reminds me of an american bulldog in the body. or a Dogo.


Holy Crap! I think he's going to be a biggun...but still so adorable. 

Our park is divided (big and little dogs) for which I am very grateful. Most people watch their dogs pretty well, but there's always one that can mess it up for you. It's usually a dog that is just obnoxious and their human is oblivious that their dog could very well get hurt because it is getting in the wrong dog's face! Both of mine can be a bit snappy when another dog doesn't pay attention!


----------



## sassafras

Here's a couple of videos from this morning:


----------



## sassafras

Derp!











I love this picture. "Surely, you don't approve?"











The keep away is on the other foot, now!


----------



## sassafras

The X-Backs are here! Maisy is in heaven. Squash is coming along nicely.


----------



## PomeranianLovers

Love the pics! Your dogs are so cute!


----------



## sassafras

I don't know what they're both looking at, but I'm a wee bit worried they're conspiring to pull off some evil scheme.


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

When a dog and a cat are involved, you know it canNOT be good. :becky:


----------



## brandiw

So cute! What a beautiful kitty; I love the fluffy ones!

I can't get over Squash's legs, they look so long!


----------



## sassafras

They ARE so long!

Blurry pic, but the boy can pull! At some point he realized he was half Alaskan husky.


----------



## DJEtzel

How does Pip feel about the pink? XD


----------



## sassafras

LOL, I actually apologized to him for that. Pip canicrossing was a failed experiment (he was totally not into it), so he won't have to worry about it from here on out.


----------



## Allyfally

I kept thinking Squash reminded me of some dog breed so bad, but I just couldnt put my finger on it. 

Then suddenly I realized, its not his looks that remind me of it, but his expression... 

He just reminds me of Dug, from Up. =)


----------



## sassafras

Allyfally said:


> I kept thinking Squash reminded me of some dog breed so bad, but I just couldnt put my finger on it.
> 
> Then suddenly I realized, its not his looks that remind me of it, but his expression...
> 
> He just reminds me of Dug, from Up. =)


LOL.



"What? This is comfy way to chew!"


----------



## xxxxdogdragoness

I agree, those baby pics of squashy would make superb Xmas cards


----------



## sassafras

So... part of our "wind-down for the evening", pre-bedtime ritual is that each dog gets a Kong stuffed with a mixture of canned and dry dog food. They are all separated for this because Pip guards his from the other dogs and Maisy and Squash spend so much time plotting to get each other's that they don't really wind down. Squash gets his in his crate in the living room.

He's always picked it up and dropped it a lot. It's a bit noisy when he does it in the crate, but I've never really thought much of it, because he's the kind of dog who will throw a ball for himself or fling toys around for himself. I always figured he was just playing with it. But tonight I actually watched him for the first time while he was doing this...

He's not playing with it. He's deliberately flinging and banging it around to dislodge bits of food stuck on the inside of the Kong so it is easier for him to get them all out. Srsly. Good thing he's so sweet and good-natured, or I'd be preparing for "Rise of the Planet of the Squashes" any day now.


----------



## ioreks_mom

that is so cute!

iorek also does that. well, he doesn't throw his kong around, he picks it up and then drops it on the fat end with the hole to knock the treats out. he actually taught brom to do this too


----------



## winniec777

LOL - Poca does that, too. At our last house, she would also climb the stairs half way and bounce the Kong down the steps again and again until she shook loose whatever was in there. Then I taught her to ask Daddy to help her. Now when she gets frustrated with it, she'll go drop it in my DH's lap. Or on his head if he's lying down. Good girl!


----------



## Active Dog

He is so big!!! You don't think he has Dane in him do you?


----------



## DJEtzel

Active Dog said:


> He is so big!!! You don't think he has Dane in him do you?


A lot of the pumpkin pie owners are suspecting GD in their puppies at this point.


----------



## sassafras

Active Dog said:


> He is so big!!! You don't think he has Dane in him do you?





DJEtzel said:


> A lot of the pumpkin pie owners are suspecting GD in their puppies at this point.


Yea, I do think there's some Dane in there. He's 76# at 7 1/2 months, so... with a 45# pound mother, daddy had to have been something enormous. He's very leggy, too, so I don't think any giant "bulky" breed are in the mix.


----------



## Twinney

I've been lurking on this thread for a long time. Squash is soo handsome. And despite him being 4x bigger than her, he reminds me of how Kola looked before age 1.

Is there a chance of maybe some Wolfhound in there?


----------



## sassafras

Twinney said:


> Is there a chance of maybe some Wolfhound in there?


Who knows? It's possible. Mystery puppy!


Here's a few recent pics, I've been remiss lately...

Waiting for the ball:









Got the ball!









Jolly Squash...









Handsome Squash...


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

He is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo handsome. :becky:


----------



## sassafras

Squash ate a banana. :/


----------



## eliza

he is such a handsome boy! i just love his nose, haha. :')


----------



## sassafras

I'm feeling so mushy and sentimental today...

My pack then...




















My pack now...




















Just amazing. I don't know where the time went. Although I miss wee Squash, growing-up Squash is a pretty exceptional fellow as well.


----------



## DJEtzel

Wow, what a difference.


----------



## BrittanieJo

I can't believe how big he is! The before and after shots are just amazing.


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

Maisy looks so little now!!! How much does she weigh? I know Squashie is 70+.


----------



## sassafras

Maisy and Pip are each around 50#. At his last weigh in (maybe a week or two ago) Squash was holding steady at 78#. In the "then" pictures I believe he was about 20#.


----------



## DJEtzel

He's got to have dane in him. Frag's 78 lbs at 2 years! 

I can't wait to see him full grown!


----------



## ThoseWordsAtBest

I actually laughed out loud and said "Oh no!" when I saw how huge he was compared to Pip and Maisy now. Clovito (new incarnation of his name, Danny Clovito) is no where near as big and his body is shaped completely different.


----------



## Mr Pooch

Forget dane or pit bull i believe Linney had an affair with a polar bear 

He is too handsome,he reminds me of a Dogo. Twab any clove pics around?


----------



## ThoseWordsAtBest

No I am terrible at loading up the photos and a bad dog owner. I just got a new lap top though so the lack of photos on here isn't my fault this time!


----------



## sassafras

He is rather... square in the shoulders lol. But he's surprisingly slender from the side (not as tucked as a dane though).


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

Sooooooo, the difference between before and after is that they make a bigger mess??? LOL I love it. 

I love Cinnamon towering over everyone else and tell people "oh she's just a baby, she's not even 8 months old". I love watching the jaws drop.


----------



## sassafras

FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> Sooooooo, the difference between before and after is that they make a bigger mess??? LOL I love it.
> 
> I love Cinnamon towering over everyone else and tell people "oh she's just a baby, she's not even 8 months old". I love watching the jaws drop.


I know, right? One day I was doing canicross with Squash and Maisy together, and when we stopped for a drink of water there was a woman with a little girl in a stroller nearby. She was curious about the belt and harnesses and so was asking us questions about what we were doing, and explaining it to the little girl. When I told her Squash was not quite 8 months old she asked the little girl, "which one of those doggies do you think is the older one?" The little girl would NOT believe that Maisy was older and Squash was still a puppy. She kept saying "that one! that one!" and pointing to Squash, LOL.


----------



## princesstiffany

he gets more handsome every time you post pictures...but to be honest, i dont think i would ever guess in a million years he had any husky him lol


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

I LOVES Squashie, but is glad he belongs to someone else! I love big dogs but they are not for me. I do much better with small to smaller medium dogs.

Roxxy thinks he is handsome too...but doesn't want to two-time Nubs. He's her favoritst!


----------



## sassafras

You know, when I was a wee lass I wanted huge dogs -- my dream dog was an Irish Wolfhound. My first pack of dogs was all in the 60-80 pound range, and when Pip and Maisy each stayed around 50# I found I was kind of enjoying having smaller dogs. So, given Linney's size, the plan was to have a pack of medium sized dogs. Best laid plans, LOL.

BUT, having said all that, even though his size wasn't what I was expecting... after all these years I am really enjoying finally having the big-a$$ dog I always wanted.  (Fate, I guess.)


----------



## Independent George

What makes that second set of pictures so great is the exploded stuffy combined with three big, goofy smiles.


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

I LOVE big dogs! Although I thoroughly enjoyed obedience classes with Flash, it annoyed me sometimes that she was so...short. I consider her a "small" dog but my family considers her a "big" dog. Every day I find myself more and more in love with Cinnamon. Matter of fact, I'm beginning to find myself really falling for the Great Dane look and with all the blowing coats around here, finding less favor with the huskies. I don't think I could ever fall out of love with huskies but I could find myself looking at Great Dane mixes more down the road.


----------



## Abbylynn

Absolutely beautiful puppy! Liked the video!


----------



## sassafras

Well, we officially broke the 80# barrier today (81.1#).


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

sassafras said:


> Well, we officially broke the 80# barrier today (81.1#).


SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. I think he's going to be the biggest one of all. :becky:


----------



## sassafras

And he just spent half my lunch hour playing with my boss's JRT cross, who is all of 17# LOL. It's amazing to watch him play with little dogs because he and Maisy play pretty rough-and-tumble together, but with these little guys he is really careful. He's such an awesome dog.


----------



## kafkabeetle

sassafras said:


> And he just spent half my lunch hour playing with my boss's JRT cross, who is all of 17# LOL. It's amazing to watch him play with little dogs because he and Maisy play pretty rough-and-tumble together, but with these little guys he is really careful. He's such an awesome dog.


This dog (Odus)









And this dog (Oscar)









belong to my boyfriend's dad. And they are best friends. I have a picture somewhere of Sydney playing tug of war with Odus and it was the funniest thing. He basically just held the rope in his mouth and didn't move an inch, while Sydney tugged away with all her might.  But anyway, I love big dogs that love little dogs!

Oh, and I agree you should dye him in zebra stripes, as mentioned in another thread.


----------



## sassafras

This was our project during the heat wave when we couldn't really walk adequately. Keep in mind that I generally suck at trick training - so yes, for me success with this most simple and basic of tricks is cause for celebration.


----------



## theyogachick

Super cute!

How did you teach him to do that? I taught Giz a long time ago, but forgot how I did it.


----------



## sassafras

First, from a down I lured his nose to his right shoulder until he ended up laying down on his left side. Then, I lured his nose over his back with my hand at the level of his shoulder -- our trainer gave us that tip, I found that if my hand was too far towards toward his head, he'd just pop up and turn his head to the left instead of rolling over to his right. One he grokked what I was after, I faded the lure and refined the hand motion like you would with any skill. 

He's so big that I had to stand behind him to lure him properly and move to his head, but with a smaller dog I think you could start at the head.

ETA: Also, if he sorta did it but didn't roll over the whole way, I would just physically help roll him the rest of the way. Not sure if that's technically a "no-no" or not but it seemed to help him "get it".


----------



## sassafras

I just wanted to share a few pictures from a camping trip up to Northern MN this weekend.

Handsome boy.






































Gunflint Lake









The Sitting Rock









Sunset Sitting Rock









A few at Lake Superior



























More...


----------



## sassafras

Silly Boy


















Sleepy Boy


















Car ride home.










Thanks for looking!


----------



## +two

He is indeed a very handsome boy. I like the 'stoic' look he has in the first picture. And I ADORE his name... thats great!


----------



## CoverTune

Holy grown up puppy! How old is he now?


----------



## sassafras

8 months! 

Everyone at the campground LOVED him. I'm not sure how this happened, but he ADORES children, and he's so silly that the wee ones all loved him back. Hardly anyone could believe that he is an 8 month old puppy, LOL.


----------



## ThoseWordsAtBest

Seriously. Trade me. I love him.


----------



## Allyfally

He's so flipping gorgeous!!


----------



## FlashTheRottwuggle

I may be biased (LOL) but the PP litter has to be some of the most beautiful / handsome puppies in the world! Nice pictures! I love the lake ones!


----------



## sassafras

Thanks everyone!



ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> Seriously. Trade me. I love him.


I must politely decline. You can pry my Squashie out of my cold dead fingers. ETA: Although now that he's sitting next to me on the couch barking at me, my feelings are wavering ever so slightly. 



FlashTheRottwuggle said:


> I may be biased (LOL) but the PP litter has to be some of the most beautiful / handsome puppies in the world! Nice pictures! I love the lake ones!


It's not just you. I can't even tell you how many people commented about what a handsome/ beautiful/ unusual-looking dog he is. And he's so friendly and outgoing with everyone that he had a lot of fans. 


And he was like a supermodel at the lakes, lol, he'd just strike a pose and hold it long enough for me to snap away with the camera.


----------



## ThoseWordsAtBest

sassafras said:


> I must politely decline. You can pry my Squashie out of my cold dead fingers. ETA: Although now that he's sitting next to me on the couch barking at me, my feelings are wavering ever so slightly.


Oh he does this too? Nevermind.


----------



## sassafras

I don't think he does it as much as Clove, but he does do it.


----------



## ThoseWordsAtBest

Clove typically does it in the evenings, as if to say "No, all the stuff you did with me today was NOT enough."


----------



## sassafras

Squash mostly does it when he isn't getting his way.


----------



## dagwall

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> Clove typically does it in the evenings, as if to say "No, all the stuff you did with me today was NOT enough."


I get that with Jubel from time to time. Oddly it's more frequent on days we actually did do a lot together. After taking him out to go potty if he continues to be a pest he has to go upstairs by himself (or possibly with my brother) while I go back in the basement without him. He'll usually go into one of our rooms and sleep then.


----------



## sassafras

sassafras said:


> Well, we officially broke the 80# barrier today (81.1#).


Holding steady at 81# today. This is the longest he's gone without gaining weight. Maybe he's done. (yea, right :/ )


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

sassafras said:


> Holding steady at 81# today. This is the longest he's gone without gaining weight. Maybe he's done. (yea, right :/ )


I sure wish I could find the DF or FBDF post where we guessed final weight. All I know, I think I was off by at least 20#. He is such a big beautiful boy!


----------



## sassafras

Oh, look, Squash and Maisy are together somewhere... :/











Then the big galoot made himself a pillow...


----------



## +two

WOW! He looks like a Big Boy!


----------



## ThoseWordsAtBest

Shambles is gonna catch up! 6 lbs up since the worm butt incident. He looks very beefy now. Of course I'd share that if I knew where my damn camera was.


----------



## sassafras

He could catch up! Squash has been holding steady for a few weeks now.

LOL, here is Squash's reaction to the video posted here:


----------



## sassafras

Got The Boy in front of the scooter with his sister today. It was a bit... chaotic at times, but here's what they CAN do... (I love how Squash tries to stop and play in the middle of it all and Maisy just keeps chugging along, lol).


----------



## ThoseWordsAtBest

I really like that his main goal there was to just shove her over to play.


----------



## ioreks_mom

oh my gosh! squash looks like a giant!


----------



## sassafras

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> I really like that his main goal there was to just shove her over to play.


LOL, she's so serious about the pulling and he's being so goofy... and that's his go-to strategy with her lately: Sit on her or push her over.


----------



## +two

That was awesome! You must be pretty brave to be recording and scootering! 

Squash is a goof ball.


----------



## ThoseWordsAtBest

sassafras said:


> LOL, she's so serious about the pulling and he's being so goofy... and that's his go-to strategy with her lately: Sit on her or push her over.


For Shambles it's body slams and when they reach a place where he can't slam them (the back of the couch) bark in their face.


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

He makes Maisy look like a puppy! Must be that GD in him...and yep, he's still all puppy!


----------



## sassafras

Sometimes mom keeps treats up there for training...









Maybe I should have a look.


----------



## sassafras

So I was sitting on the couch and glanced over to see... this ear.





















After about 5 minutes, it fell down again...










I'm interested to see if this was just a fluke thing or if that ear decides to pop up for good someday (I don't think there's much chance of the left one going up ever).


----------



## kafkabeetle

sassafras said:


> So I was sitting on the couch and glanced over to see... this ear.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After about 5 minutes, it fell down again...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm interested to see if this was just a fluke thing or if that ear decides to pop up for good someday (I don't think there's much chance of the left one going up ever).


Or he could just end up with a funky Sydney ear.  Kind of looks like it in the last picture.


----------



## Shaina

At his age, it'll probably just be like Kim's ears. Floppy/tipped but with enough leather that at the right angle or with a slight breeze they will stand for a while.


----------



## sassafras

This is his new favorite place to nap. I don't know why. He actually prefers it to the couch. :/


----------



## Michiyo-Fir

I'm surprised Squash is so big considering his mom is pretty small! Actually all of the pumpkin pie litter pups are growing up huge! I'm really curious about what dad is.


----------



## alphadoginthehouse

Michiyo-Fir said:


> I'm surprised Squash is so big considering his mom is pretty small! Actually all of the pumpkin pie litter pups are growing up huge! I'm really curious about what dad is.


The conclusion is Great Dane. If I remember correctly, Squashie is over 80#.


----------



## sassafras

He's been hovering between 81-83# the last several weeks.


----------



## Active Dog

Michiyo-Fir said:


> I'm surprised Squash is so big considering his mom is pretty small! Actually all of the pumpkin pie litter pups are growing up huge! I'm really curious about what dad is.


I guess Linney likes those big boys


----------



## sassafras

I came out of the shower to find that right ear up for a few minutes again. snrk


----------



## Independent George

Just another 1200 or so more replies, and the Squash thread will be catching up to the Papillon thread.


----------



## sassafras

Tricks practice. He lurves him some jumping.







He also loves leg weaves. Which at his size I can only imagine look hilarious to the casual observer.


----------



## sassafras

Just because he amuses me...










(Yes, I gave it to him.)


----------



## sassafras

Hey, mom, is it ALMOST my birthday?










Yes, Squash. Almost.


----------



## Charis

sassafras said:


> Hey, mom, is it ALMOST my birthday?
> 
> Yes, Squash. Almost.


Wow does time fly!

How is squash celebrating?


----------



## Independent George

The punkin' pie puppies!!! I can't believe it's been a year.


----------



## sassafras

Charis said:


> Wow does time fly!
> 
> How is squash celebrating?


We'll actually have agility class that night. I told my husband I was going to make him wear a birthday hat, and he rolled his eyes but then he suggested a "deadbeat dad" themed birthday party.


----------



## +two

sassafras said:


> We'll actually have agility class that night. I told my husband I was going to make him wear a birthday hat, and he rolled his eyes but then he suggested a "deadbeat dad" themed birthday party.


lol. I love it! (and I love Squash)


----------



## sassafras

So yea, I didn't teach him how to do this, he taught himself. And I just happened to see him doing it. Clever boy.


----------



## Abbylynn

He is a smart pup.....and also very pretty.  He will get it sooner than later I am sure......just a little more practice.


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## sassafras

Squashie, on the anniversary of your birth, a retrospective:














































So glad I gotcha, Squashies!


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## FlashTheRottwuggle

Squash is so handsome and regal (in a goofy way)! Love him to bits! Sister Cinnamon sends her love!


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## ioreks_mom

happy 1st birthday handsome guy!


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## +two

Dear Squash, be my valentine. (I am reserving my spot early, ladies.)


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## lucidity

I love that chronological bunch of photos!! Check out how the pigment on his nose changes. Love his nose. Squash is so cute.


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## alphadoginthehouse

lucidity said:


> I love that chronological bunch of photos!! Check out how the pigment on his nose changes. Love his nose. Squash is so cute.


I thought it was just me! :becky:


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## sassafras

Oh god, I love his nosey. I'm glad he's kept at least some pink on it, I think it's adorable. Also, it's hard to tell in the pictures but he has a splotch of brown/liver on his nose kind up on the extreme upper left (his left).


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