It's been an interesting few days since Icon came home late on Saturday night.
The initial meeting with Ceili went very well. She was in the kitchen when Icon came in and sniffed around. She ran away and he just looked at her, gave the dog equivalent of a shrug, and kept going. A little later, he found her again and gave her a good sniff (from a respectful 12 to 18 inches away). She had a puffy tail and splayed legs, but no hissing or swiping. She has hissed at him once, when he surprised her on the stairs, but he didn't seem too bothered by it.
The initial meeting with Alex also went better than expected. We had asked him to say hi to Icon and were prepared to have that be the extent of their encounter for the first day (which was Sunday). Instead, he immediately wanted to sit next to Icon and pet him. We got a measuring cup so that Alex could give Icon treats without having to touch them and Alex used it without protest.
He was very intrigued by Icon's leash. The trainers had suggested keeping the leash on during the day to help with control, but Alex kept picking it up and giving Icon commands. In the interest of maintaining the training, we've hung up the leash early, but it is making things more difficult as Icon adjusts to a new home. We're having to give more corrections than we were needing to do in Cambridge.
It also surprised me that Icon follows me around the house all day, unless told to stay. Even if I just run upstairs for a minute, by the time I get what I needed and turn around: there Icon is.
Nathan is having a hard time not playing and interacting with Icon. We've given him the job of Icon Police, to let us know if Icon gets up when we've told him to sit or down, or if Icon starts snuffling after something on the floor. It gives Nathan a chance to be near the dog in a way that shouldn't affect the bond between Icon and Alex.
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