[bfollowell]

OK, those of you familiar with the whole Jackson & Bear saga know that the boys came home to stay last Friday. I was supposed to puppy sit last weekend and they were supposed to come home to stay today but they just never went back.

Suffice it to say it has been a very hectic week (major understatement here).

My current issue is when I take the boys out to go potty. Jackson is doing so well and Bear is not. When we go out, I put them down and say, "Go potty boys". Jackson will start sniffing around and squat within a minute or two. I praise him generously and give him a puppy treat. Bear, on the other hand, thinks it's playtime and just wants to run around sniffing and playing and wrestling with Jackson and eating dead cicadas. After I praise on Jackson and give him his treat it gets even worse. Bear becomes so focused on getting his own treat, or better yet, getting Jackson's treat, that he has lost any focus he might've had, which probably wasn't much to begin with.

I think I know the answer to my own question but, what do I do with them? I'm pretty sure the answer is going to be something common sense like take them out separately but I guess I'm just being lazy. I really hate to do that when it's so much easier to take them out together. I really want Bear to do better though and I'm really thinking that will help him. I'm not saying he's going to be superdog instantly but I'm pretty sure it will help him focus a little more if his brother isn't out there to play with.

Opinions?

Thanks guys and everyone have a great holiday weekend. My sympathies to everyone that doesn't have the whole week off like I do next week! Sorry, I couldn't keep myself from rubbing it in.

- Byron