Arthur Ale Jenkins - the poop machine

It's been a while since my last post - but then again, I know that my audience isn't very large so I'm sure there aren't too many to disappoint. I've been quite busy in the last week because last Sunday my boyfriend, Alex, and I brought home an 11 week old black male pug. He's adorable and has quite the character to match. I have wanted a pug for at least the past 7 years, I have just needed the right living situation to bring him home to. The week after Alex agreed to getting a dog I found Jenkins. Alex has been a bit skeptical up until the moment we met Jenkins. I was very pleased to hear Alex say that we couldn't of found a better dog on the ride home - a week later he still feels the same way.
The first major adjustment that we have come across, other having an adorable poop machine live with us, is that our schedules now are much more structured than they were a week ago. In the past, both of us have been used to getting up before work for just enough time to get ready and get out the door. It is very evident that the both of us are not morning people. Now we have to get up early enough to feed Jenkins, wait for him to poop (he poops a lot) and then give him an hour's worth of attention before we go to work.
Whomever is the first one home from work has the job of feeding him, waiting for him to poop and then spending as much time as possible playing with him. This is by no means a task for either one of us and we can't get enough of him.


Jenkins is litter box trained and spends his unmonitored time in our kitchen with his crate, litter box, toys and food. When he is able to roam around the downstairs when we are home he will walk into the kitchen without hesitence so I don't think that he views the kitchen as a jail cell.


Right now, Jenkins is putting us to the test with our 'no chewing on anything that isn't your's' policy. I'm pretty sure that this is a stage and he will grow out of it, it's just trying because we know we're not supposed to shout "NO" at him all the time. Alex has come up with the brilliant idea of yelping like a crow whenever Jenkins seems to get his teeth on us. It seems to work well, although, guests who are over visiting Jenkins aren't quite sure what to make of the noise.
As for the litterbox, my co-workers say that I am demasculating my dog by letting him use such a feline item. I disagree, this way he doesn't have to poop in front of all the neighbor dogs!