Dexter's First Day

I'm so tired after my first day with Dexter. We met him half way, took him for a walk before putting him in the car to head home. After 3 hours of driving, I then took him for another long walk that lasted about an hour and a half. The idea is that this way Dexter will learn he is a long way from home.

The walk was also a good way for us to learn about each other. Dexter was trained to be a service dog for a little girl with Autism. When Boxer Rescue Ontario learned that Luke has Tourette's they decided that this made us an ideal match for Dexter. Because of his service training, Dexter knows more commands than most dogs. However, Dexter's owner has Fibromyalgia which prevented her from exercising him and keeping up his training. As a result he has a few bad habits that will need to be unlearned, but we've made excellent progress right on the first day.

Luke's reaction to Dexter has been very interesting. He's been running hot and cold. He's both excited about a new pet, and apprehensive about slobber and licking. We bought Dexter a crate, which we found to be very useful when he became anxious. He has a blankie from home, and his favourite toys in the crate. He was whining and pacing, so I put him in the crate and he settled right down. Which was when Luke decided to sit about 2 feet away and just talk to Dexter.

I think we all have a lot to learn, but so far, so good.