As promised, here she is: our new puppy. We drove to Ohio Monday and spent the night at a hotel with a water park. Very fun! Then Tuesday we went and got Keely and drove home. It was a fantastic trip, but exhausting. I didn’t even feel like eating anything until midday Thursday.
The last three nights have been a crash course in remembering what sleep deprivation feels like. Keely’s a great pup, but she’s little and needs to go out…frequently.
She is of course the most beautiful puppy on the planet; there is none to compare. Except for when she’s a fireball and nipping at the boys faster than anyone can react. She clearly adores the boys already, looking for them if they’re out of sight and seeking them out for snuggles when she’s tired.
The boys, for their part, have been adorable as well. Having a puppy is a lot like having a new baby. Of course, none of the boys know/remember what that’s like, so this is pretty new for them. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but they’re really doing great with her.
They’re already learning all about cleaning up after puppy messes. The first shriek of “SHE POOPED!!!” followed up by “OH! UGH!!! THAT STINKS!!!” while they cleaned was hilarious. I have to say, the experience certainly motivated them to want to take her out whenever necessary.
It’s really great to walk downstairs and find a boy keeping an eye on the puppy. If it’s nap time (which happens a lot since she’s so little) there’s usually a boy holding her close. As soon as she wakes up she’s whisked out for a walk, and then brought in to eat and play until it’s time for nap again.
Hubby was teasing her a little after bedtime tonight and she barked fiercely at him. Both TechnoBoy and The Mercenary demanded to know what had happened when I stopped in their room to turn out their lights. When I said that Dad was teasing her, they were both quite disapproving of Hubby’s behavior.
I knew that having a dog would be a good thing; it didn’t occur to me that they’re learning all sorts of parenting skills in the process.
Shhhhh! Don’t tell them they’re learning something.
Earnest Parenting: help for parents who love their new puppy.
AWWWWWW… So cute! We’ll have to come and see her soon or you can bring her with you for lessons or both! Wishing you a quick house training experience!
Aww… such an adorable puppy!
We had this puppy last January and now he’s gotten bigger. We still love him, but he’s still the cutest when he was smaller. How we miss those times…
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Does she like chicken?
She is beautiful..
Doris, we’d love to have you come meet her! We can’t take her out too much until she’s gotten all her immunizations.
Louise, thanks! I’m trying to remember to take pictures because I know this phase will pass even faster than it did with the boys. Which can be a good thing.
Doug, I dunno. We schlepped the chickies off to new homes 2 days before we got the puppy. They ran out of green things to eat in their pen and I felt bad for them so we moved them to new pastures a little earlier than planned.
Office Cleaning Seattle, thanks! We kinda like her.
Very cool good luck in Keller’s contest.
She really is adorable. I don’t know if she is your first but they are hard work aren’t they!
Great thing about dogs though, high maintenance, high reward…
Lovely pup, enjoy her..
Start your training early though!
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Jared, thanks!
Martin, yep she’s our very first. I’m still adjusting to saying “our dog” or “our puppy” because it’s not something I ever thought I’d say. She is a lot of work but is already settling in to the family and we’ve been teaching her some tricks like Sit, Come, and Off. Getting her to only chew on her own toys is a bit of a challenge, and we haven’t completely mastered the housebreaking but we’re getting there. She’s very smart, and once we figure out the right rhythm together, I know we’ll do well.
House breaking can be a bit of a chore but she will finally get it. I am a great believer in kids being brought up around pets and particularly dogs. They get over fear of dogs early on then and that is great for later in life.
martin
http://www.trainingdogshelp.com
.-= Martin´s last blog ..Dog Training Help =-.
Martin, we’re making progress on the housebreaking! The puppy will tell me at night when she has to go out. During the day it’s still up to us to figure out the best time, so we’re still having accidents here and there. But we’re coming along.
The boys are all learning their own lessons about having a pet: that she’s not a toy, that she requires their time and attention, that she can love them back the way they love her. All wonderful things!
Just checking to see whether your puppy continues to give you joy (and less sleepless nights!)
Hope things are going well for you and yours
Martin
Hi Martin!
Yep, puppy is still growing and thriving. We've gotten into a stealth-chew-anything-she-can-find mode, which has been a surprise for the boys (never mind their mother's 87,245 warnings on the subject) but they're coping. And my floors are getting cleaner, lol.