Max moves in

Part of my motivation in wanting to keep fewer foster dogs was my intention to give them more time, attention, and training, particularly house training.  A dog is much more adoptable if we can say that it has lived indoors, is house-trained, crate-trained, and generally well mannered.  I brought Anna indoors because it was obvious that she had been a house dog and I wanted to be able to tell potential adopters how she was indoors.  With the number of resident dogs that we have, there is a limit on how many fosters I can accommodate indoors and generally that limit is one.  But after Anna got adopted, Max moved up a notch and he moved indoors today.

The choice of Max over Ochie or Franklin was based on the fact that Ochie and Franklin are easily managed outdoors while Max is driving me crazy.  Although the Prozac has helped a lot, when I am outdoors and doing anything that doesn't involve him, he is frantic and he still goes into his scream and spin routine.  I just want to kill him.  So I brought him inside where he's with me.  He does act as though he's been indoors.  The stairs were new to him but after one trip down with me holding his collar he mastered the task and now does it on his own.

Maya immediately asserted herself as hall monitor, supervisor, and she who must be reckoned with, but that's good, Max needs that.  He settled into a crate nicely, although the real test will be if he will stay in there at night and when left alone during the day.

To further cement our bond, while exercising his body and mind, I took him on a fast hike today, over 5.5 miles on muddy trails, which we both enjoyed.  He spotted a couple deer and I saw an owl.  We both should sleep well tonight.  Hopefully this will settle him down, allay his anxiety, and improve his adoption prospects.  That's the only way I'm going to get rid of him.