Savvy's Foster Dogs: Rochester, Ellie Mae, and McDuff

Well, we just finished our first Xmas of the year. A few of my girlfriends (and 2 kids) came over for the afternoon. I knew Rocky would be skeptical, so I kept him on a leash at first. But after a while he was still barking, and I was nervous about him with the kids, so I put him in his crate. He was fine back there. He really was fine with the kids too, they were just very high energy and were scaring him. He didn't try to nip anyone, but just to make sure it stayed that way, I think putting him away was the best idea. Duffy was really indifferent to having people over. He pretty much stayed by me the whole time, but when the older boy (3yo) came over to give him a hug, he didn't even bat an eye. Ellie was scared and hid behind anyone who would protect her, but she let the boys pet her too as long as they were calm.

Other than that excitement, Rocky is still being a great dog. He's still not understanding "down," but I'll keep working with him as long as he's here. I do think he's a little jealous of Ellie and Duffy's attention, because he does try to sit in my lap an awful lot. I have to keep reminding him he's not a lap dog. And for the record, Duffy is also not a lap dog, so I don't let him sit in my lap either. Rocky just doesn't like that Duffy often gets the spot right next to me.

Ellie Mae is doing much better on her potty training. Still not housebroken, but between her and I we've pretty much figured out a schedule that works 90% of the time. We had 1 bad day last week (and it was really bad, so I'm not sure what was going on. I thought maybe full moon, but that wasn't it...so just a rough day), but other than that we're down to 1 or 2 accidents a week. And she is more frequently heading toward the back door, even if she's not quite figured out how to let me know that she needs to go out (by scratching or whining or ringing the bells).

Duffy is such a sweetheart. I'm confident in saying he is housebroken. He has had 1 genuine accident in the 2 weeks he's been here (coincidentally on the same day Ellie had her breakdown. Which is why I think there was something in the air that day.). We did have a pretty rough bout of territory marking, which did subside and we haven't had anything in a week. He also doesn't seem to know any tricks, but I'll start working with him on "sit." Duffy is obviously not his given name, as he doesn't respond to it at all. So if you're looking for a great dog with an opportunity to come up with your own name...this is it!
Edit: I forgot to mention Duffy's weight gain! He's obviously still scrawny, as I've only had him for 2 weeks. But he is visibly putting on weight. I also can tell when I pet him, he's still boney, but not as boney.