One Year of Maverick

Mav actually turned ONE on May 18th, but we got him on July 13th. 

(I will remember this, always, because it was the day of the assassination attempt on President Trump. And if you want to liken that event to the kind of anarchical chaos Maverick has brought to us, go ahead.) 

So, the downside is that we can never ever get rid of him because of the way Sutton says "Oh Maverick!" and hugs him 12 times a day. The upside is that he is unflinchingly loyal and loves us so much so he's becoming a very good dog. 

He still chews on things. He still will maul and annihilate a Little Person and eat the foot off a doll. His actual favorite past-time has been seeking out Sutton's sippy cups, running out the doggy door with them, and chewing the lid off to get the remnants of milk on the inside. It's not been uncommon for me to find piles of take-and-toss cups laying in the yard. (We went through a lot of take-and-toss cups in the last 6 months.) He would actually open her bedroom door in the middle of the night (her door in MO didn't latch properly so he just needed to ram it a bit), grab the cup, and I'd find it in the yard in the morning.)

And he really doesn't like being in trouble because he will run away and pee at the same time. The only time this happens is usually when he tries to steal food from the kitchen counter (he ate half a mushroom pizza once and has lived for me to tell that tale).

The good news is that with a third dog, you kind of just assume they'll survive things and he's proven to be resilient. 

He was completely crate-trained and then something happened when school was over and he realized that I wasn't leaving for work anymore and he started to rebel and now he doesn't go in the crate and we just let him loose in the basement while we're gone. We've determined that as long as he has plenty to chew on, he's fine.  

Sutton's handiwork

Since we've been in Kansas, we've leash-trained him and Scott will take him out for his first hunting season this fall. 

He's definitely the biggest dog we've had at about 46 pounds at one year old and he's solid muscle. He was the only boy in a litter of 3 pups and it shows. He's determined and in charge but Scout puts him in his place. 

Maverick is a very good dog and we've been on a learning curve, having not just a puppy but training a teenage dog again. The puppy part goes fast; the teenage part is the hard part. 

Give him an antler, he's happy

Scout and Mav had birthdays the same week. Mav was too overwhelmed and insane over a plate of salmon in front of him, so no cute pictures. 

He's such a good dog and too smart that he's almost dumb, if that makes sense. 

He always looks slightly like he's been caught doing something he shouldn't. He loves to curl up on our feet and be petted and see what's going on. He's exactly like Jett in this way. Scout does not possess these traits (Scott always said that "Scout is his own dog", while Jett always needed our approval and now Mav wants our approval too.)

He always looks like this spaniel.

We've also figured out that Mav is a terrible swimmer. Like, he'll do it, but he looks like he's drowning. Jett was the same way. At least Mav will run and and jump into the water. Jett would just stand on the shore. 

Scout is graceful and quiet and paddles with ease. .

..and honestly, Scout and Mav have the same markings, come from the same breeder, and they HAVE to be related, yet they are so different. 

Puppy flashback from last year