#SAGApupVolt Is Seventeen Weeks Old!

in my mom and dad's flowerbed!

On Sunday morning he weighed 16.5kg, so he's gained 1.3kg in the last week. He's growing right before our eyes! He's now eating 170g of food three times a day, and he sits and waits till he's told "okay" before he eats.

We had a good giggle earlier this week. Volt is awake early (he's now sleeping until almost 6am, *YAY*) but just before 7am he likes to go back to sleep for an hour or so, usually by the kitchen door or on Thelma and Louise's inside mattress. The spanner in Volt's works is that we leave just before 7am to get my husband to work! I usually call him, holding his leash, and we get into the car and head to the Gautrain station. On a couple of mornings this week I called him to me, and after looking at me and the leash for a few seconds- he turned around, went straight into his crate and curled up to sleep! On Tuesday and Wednesday morning we left him to sleep because it was just so damn cute, but unfortunately for Volt we can't allow him to dictate our routine and on Friday we were back to normal.

asleep on the lounge floor

After speaking to our PDS on Tuesday, it has been decided- much to my husband's relief- that we don't need to do any more "drown proofing" with Volt. I told SAGA how, when my husband and I were swimming, Volt was curious and came up to us in the pool- but as soon as I reach for him or touched his collar he backed off or lay down flat, so SAGA is happy that he has been put off swimming on a whim. The pool has been over full for the last few days thanks to some heavy thunder showers at home, and I discovered he still likes to stick his face in the water when he thinks no-one is watching, but more than that he doesn't like at all.

On Wednesday morning I went to a meeting and I took Volt with me- in his training jacket. He was as good as gold for the duration of the 90 minute session (except for a wee bit of whining) and I was very proud of his behaviour. He was greeted by several staff members after the meeting and that got him excited, but overall he was very good. He did get a wee bit nauseous in the car on the way home but because his tummy was empty there was no mess.

a favourite toy!

What he has started doing lately is snatching a taste of the cat's food when he thinks I'm not looking! Naughty bugger! I don't know if he's having a growth spurt and he's super hungry, or if he's pushing some different boundaries for a change... but I'll be watching him.

I block the lounge door with the couch and he waits for me there,
without jumping on the couch!

And you have got to see this! This is a video (off my phone) demonstrating how close Volt and Turk are! This is the first time I've actually seen them snuggle and I was quite surprised since I started filming them because they were playing!

Then on Friday morning, just to make sure I'm kept on my toes, I felt a hard bump just over Volt's right shoulder blade. He doesn't seem to be in pain at all and doesn't mind me rubbing or touching it, but I called our SAGA PDS anyway. She said that his inoculations (that he had last Tuesday) could form a lump that will disappear in a few weeks, or his microchip may actually move over time since its inserted just under the skin. As long as the bump doesn't get bigger or painful I must just keep an eye on it.

Volt bringing me his stuffed dog toy - if he growls or tugs I let go so he's doing it less and less,
and if we say "leave it" he lets go immediately

On Saturday, we left the house at about 2pm to visit with friends, and because it was quite a drive and we felt like having a relaxing braai, we decided to leave Volt at home with Thelma and Louise. It was the longest he's been at home without supervision and he was just fine! I didn't have a completely wrecked garden when I got home and all the dogs were in one piece.

On Sunday we went to visit my parents for a bit and took Volt along. He has met my mom's two dogs but they haven't played together before. My mom's fox terrier cross was the most interested in Volt but it took a long time before any form of play happened, and Volt pulled out all the stops to try and encourage Topolino! Toppy's favourite play is grabbing a toy and having someone try to take it from him- in this case it was a Coke bottle and Volt!