Malcolm

Mavis at Six Months

I can’t believe Mavis is halfway through her first year of life! She’s growing so fast and it feels like she’s been a part of our family forever.

New Things

  • Mavis passed her AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test and graduated from Puppy Level II! She starts her adult training classes to work towards earning her Canine Good Citizen title next week!
  • The brown spots of her fur are looking a little lighter as she’s getting older.
  • She can now jump into my truck! She has only done it twice, but I’m proud of her nonetheless 😉
  • She’s currently having her first sleepover at her my parents’ for a few nights (Jimmy and I are having a staycation!).
  • She continues to solve food puzzles like a champ, and it’s so neat to watch her figure them out.
  • She is getting better about being held and touched, and is way less fearful of other dogs. She did great with my siblings and parents’ dogs on Thanksgiving!
Petco Positive Dog Training Puppy II Graduation with cocker spaniel puppy

Mavis after her AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test and graduation from Puppy II classes!

New Likes

  • Chasing a laser. It’s hilarious to watch her run after it because she tries to grab it with her paws, haha.
  • Whimzees dental treats. These take her forever to chew and have been a lifesaver in keeping her busy when she’s being naughty.

Brown and white parti color cocker spaniel puppy six months old

Hard Things

  • Mavis is now in the adolescence stage of puppyhood and can really test our patience! She will act like she doesn’t know certain commands, or will bark at us for attention. The key has been to be very patient and make sure she gets a lot of exercise each day.
  • She and Malcolm get into trouble together!

Happy Things

  • She continues to pet sit with me (we walked six dogs together today!) and is my little working buddy.
  • She adores Lola and always wants to be with her.

Black lab mix and cocker spaniel puppy cuddling

I think that’s everything for Mavis’ six month update! She’s just a little ray of sunshine in our lives and we are absolutely loving her!

I’m Impressed

I have to say, I am quite impressed with Jimmy’s hair braiding skills! We were waiting to see if any kids would come to our Bible school class at church on Sunday morning, and I asked him to braid my hair while we waited. Totally normal, right? 😉

Simple braid in blonde hair

I told him that I want him to learn how to do french and fishtail braids next!

Since I’m on the topic of impressive things, I’m just going to keep going! Here’s what else has been impressive in my life recently.

Brown and white parti colored cocker spaniel puppy kissing girl

Mavis has been letting me hold her and pick her up more and more! After she was attacked, I thought she was always going to growl and yelp when being held. It has definitely taken a lot of patience to help her become comfortable and even learn to enjoy touch again, but it has been worth the wait.

Outer Banks

My parents went to the Outer Banks and ran a 5k in 30 minutes! Plus, I think their selfie skills are pretty impressive 😉

Cocker spaniel puppy, chocolate lab, and black lab sitting together

I was able to get these three chickas to sit together and look at the camera for a picture!

Malcolm and Jimmy took a nap together. Malcolm is usually running around like a wild man, so it definitely surprised us that he sat still long enough to snuggle with his papa!

Jimmy and I were able to get our Christmas pictures and cards ordered. I found a Groupon for portraits at JCPenny, and another for Christmas cards, so I got that all taken care of! Does anyone else love Groupon?

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is just beautiful. I’m continually impressed by the views of the city every. single. day.

Petco Positive Dog Training Puppy II Class

Last but not least, I’m impressed with Mavis’ obedience! She is doing great in her puppy classes. The trainer has us doing some of our work in the aisles for extra distractions. I even have some footage of her in action near the end of my most recent vlog and on Instagram.

What has impressed you lately?