In our development with Markus, we’re constantly pushing for the next thing. We’re always trying new things to train and work with him - so much so that when something doesn’t go the way we expect it to, we can become discouraged or even frustrated.

Taking the time to reflect where things began helps us to appreciate where we are today and it gives us the boost for another day. Putting in perspective that Markus was a rescued dog who had difficulty being adopted because he was labeled as aggressive helps us to appreciate how far he’s come in his time with us.

The Paws & Reflect series is our way of pausing to appreciate all the progress Markus has made from his days as an aggressive dog at the rescue shelter. We revisit his past to help us put into focus all the great things he’s already accomplished with us.

This is the first of many periodic check-ins we're going to do to see how things are going. I can't believe I'm already doing a three-month check-in. I guess in the bigger picture, three months is really not a long time and I can remember picking Markus up from the Sea-Tac Airport like it was yesterday, but the time has really been a blur. If not for this blog, it’d be really hard for me to recall any of things we’ve done or trained together. 

In the first three months, there were so many of our initial questions and concerns that have been answered. As a result, we've found a really nice daily routine with Markus that he’s getting comfortable with. He's really gotten comfortable with us and it's been great to see. We’re finding that when we’re around the house, he makes it a point to be around us or at least to check up to see what we’re up to. He really seems to be settling in and calling this place home, which we’re happy about. 

Of the questions or concerns that have been answered, perhaps the two that gave us the biggest sigh of relief was that he was housetrained and that we were able to leave him at home for long amounts of time. For us, these were major question marks and our times and routines would’ve changed drastically if Markus needed to be potty trained or if he needed to go to a daycare. It's been such a blessing that both of these were able to work out perfectly and that’s not lost on us.

It's also been great to see how far he's come already in 3 months of living with us. I remember when we first had the radio or the TV on and it confused him to no end. Today, if either of those are on, it doesn't bother him anymore. Of all the things that we knew we would have to train Markus on, it never occurred to us that technology could throw him off. It made me realize just how integrated technology has been in our lives and how to a dog who has never seen or heard anything like it, can be absolute mind-blowing. It really helped me to appreciate the little things a bit more.

I'm also so proud to have seen Markus' progression. He's picked up on so many tricks in a short amount of time and I can see why they say that Jindos are an intelligent breed. He went from not having ever used the stairs to conquering them and now he goes up and down them as if he's always known. This gives me so much hope because even if he has behavioural issues, and there have been some that we've seen, I feel confident that as a quick learner, we can work with him to smoothen those out.

Thinking back to the days when we were trying to adopt him, we were so close to not being able to get him. Certainly, there have been moments where we're able to see what the organization meant when they said that Markus would be an aggressive dog, but it's not anything we’re unable to work with

We've seen him start to become more territorial around the neighbourhood with other dogs. There are certainly dogs that challenge Markus and it's also on us to figure out with him what are the things that we need to look out for (age, breed, the way a dog approaches him, etc.) that seems to threaten him the most and make sure we don't put him in those situations. This is something that we're committed to doing and we know that it's not going to be easy.

For us, the past three months have definitely been a learning experience and our routines have changed. For starters, we walk a lot more now. We were already walking quite a bit to begin with, but now that we're guaranteed to take Markus out for at least an hour a day rain or shine, we're racking up the steps on the pedometer. And that's not a bad thing at all. It gets us out of the house to take a walk and breathe in that fresh air first thing in the morning or in the evening.

One thing that we didn't expect is the part about coming home to an excited dog. We've heard stories of dogs not really caring when their owners come home and they won't leave the couch or the bed to greet their owners at the door. Luckily, that's not the case for us. Whether we've had a good day or a bad day, whether we've been away for an entire work day or just an hour, Markus is always there ready to greet us at the door. When we've been away for longer, he’s so excited to see us that he starts to jump at the gate until we open it for him. Small things like this make a tough day so much better.

Three months ago, we were so nervous as first time dog owners. I remember we were debating if the timing was right for us (or rather if we were ready to adopt a dog). Looking back even just these three months, I'm glad we decided to adopt when we did. We were doing a lot of reading and research on raising a dog, but nothing would’ve prepared us more than just going out there and adopting one and we're glad we did it when we did because it got us the dog we have now. 

All of that said, I also want to recognize Markus in all of this. As far as newly adopted dogs go, he's been such an easy dog to raise so far and we have yet to come across any of those horror stories that we hear with people and their dogs. He's seamlessly entered into our lives and ours routines and, even though there have been fundamental changes in our lives, he's been an absolute joy and pleasure to raise. We hope that as we spend more time together and as he gets more familiar with us being his owners, he'll open up even more with us.

We’re so grateful for your support of The Markus Project. We mostly choose our locations through searching and word of mouth. If you know of a park, trail or location you think we should check out, please share it with us. We’d love to know!