Comparisons

I found my notes from when Icon was a puppy and of course I can't help comparing the two of them. I surprised myself because I actually kept really good notes from when Icon was 8 weeks and 3 days (the day I brought him home) until he was 12 weeks. And at that point my notes just stop. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe it was at that time that Apollo had his 2nd TPLO surgery and I was very busy with him and his rehab, so something had to give. I'm sure I kept training Icon, I just didn't have time to write about it.

Some differences between Icon and Rampage that I've noticed from reading the notes is that Rampage is more independent than Icon ever was. I mean, Icon pretty much always wanted to interact with me and followed me around everywhere but given a choice, Rampage would choose to play on his own. So I need to take his choices away for now. But he's really quite inventive in finding things to play with!

Rampage is very aware of the world compared to Icon at his age. When we were at the trial and when I went to train he watched other dogs on the course (calmly as of now), Icon didn't notice until he was around 5 or 6 months (and he was NOT calm about it). Rampage will hear a bird sing and look for them in the air. He'll hear me start talking to someone on the phone and will tilt his head and look at me. He watches TV! None of my other dogs watch TV even now, although I know it's not an uncommon phenomenon in the dog world. Of course he's also very selective in his hearing when he wants to be.

I had thought that Rampage slept an inordinate amount of time, but reading my notes from Icon he slept a lot too. I guess I noticed it with Rampage because I was home with him for a week and a half before going back to work. I was at work with Icon where he got to sleep pretty much all day with a few play sessions in between.