Reality Relief

After posting the "attack" issue in a couple of fabulous dog forums, I feel more human again. From my sister-in-law to everyone in the forums, the consensus was one incident does not indicate an aggressive dog. Sunday afternoon and Monday, I took Bella to an area where a lot of folks walk their dogs and none elicited the reaction she showed with the little lab. Not even close. She met dogs of all different sizes, ages and temperaments and was universally well-behaved. I still want to be alert to the potential, but it's no longer consuming me.

I must admit today, however, I am exhausted from puppy parenting. I know these puppy traits will pass and with them will be a certain nostalgia, but the constant monitoring is all-consuming and really makes me wonder why on earth someone in their mid-50s would choose to have a child! I can barely keep up with a puppy and that is tons easier in comparison.

I'm on a new scheme to train in small increments throughout the day. Over and over and over again. No session is terribly long, but just enough repetition for her to get some of these commands ingrained. Biting is a big issue and that has to stop. She's also nipping at legs...herding dog. That will also have to stop.

The other big one is starting and stopping on walks. Ten feet forward, sit, another ten, lay down, another ten, sit. I've got to figure out a way around that and it may be with food although every time she gets a kibble, she sits to eat it. 100 chews. Mother would be proud.

Awful!

Today in our first puppy class, Bella attacked another, smaller puppy. The pup was about a quarter of her size and quite shy, but not submissive. All the puppies seemed to dominate this one, but none attacked. Bella got over the top of her and went for her neck. Before I could even react, the instructor swooped in and removed Bella. No shouts, no "No!"—just got her out of the situation.

I've written so frequently about the turmoil with Lucy's aggression and how it dominated everything we did. The last thing I wanted was another dog to have this same issue. When I spoke with the instructor after class, she said (in so many words), if Bella was showing this behavior now, it was part of her personality. I don't think this is the place to swear, but I'm certainly thinking that way. I am so horribly discouraged.

I know she's young and I know I have the advantage of time and training on my side, but I donotdonotdonot want another aggressive dog!

Love Fest

Here is Bella snoozing on my husband's leg. Oh! Such a lovely puppy!

Bella has done two nights with only one mid-night wake-up. Five hours of crossing her legs successfully! It's been great. Though I find myself still in a bit of a sleep-deprived fog, I know real sleep is not too far away.

I took her in the car yesterday and will again today. Tomorrow is her first shots from the vet, though she did get the first puppy shots from her breeder. On Sunday we begin puppy class. For these two events, I want to make sure that I am able to successfully travel with her. I'm presently using her bed (crate) for this and it seems to work well.

I'm excited about the class starting up and am eager to see her with the other puppies. Although we've been doing a moderate amount of training (name recognition, leash walking, sit, a bit of come), I want to get started with guided training. My husband says I know what how to train a dog and that's probably true. None-the-less, I haven't worked with a puppy in decades and want the guidance. It's the clicker training which I'm excited to try.

Bella's Home!

Bella is here and my! What a puppy! We're thrilled to pieces and exhausted from all the middle of the night outings. She's been very good about letting me know when "it's time." A bit of squirming in her box which is by my side of the bed is enough to let me know to take her outside.

Everyone exclaims over her cuteness and of course, I have to agree. In reality, what puppy isn't cute? But since she's mine, she probably is the cutest of all.

She's fairly mellow for an 8-week old and able to self-entertain. Separation is a bit of a problem; she doesn't want me out of her sight, but once she figures out the situation, she quiets down.

She's met Hannah (a friend's 14-year old pup), Molly (Bella's cousin—same mom, different dads), Amber, Annie, Josie and Cherry—the neighborhood dog crew. She is a bit intimidated by the younger, bouncier ones (Amber, Molly and Cherry), but very enamored with Annie and Hannah who are old, sedate, about the size of her mom and similar coloring.

Puppy Kindergarten starts Sunday at
Ahimsa. I signed up for classes beginning on Monday, but with confusion happening between the vet, shots and class schedules, that fell through and I lost the opportunity. Bella gets her second set of shots on Saturday and that's where the glitch was; she needed those for the vet's okay. The owner at Ahimsa offered the Sunday class and although I originally bulked at that day and time, I think it will be great. One it's with the owner and two, it's early enough that there will be plenty of time with the rest of the day to play.

So into the land of puppydom we go!

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is our lucky day! The puppy comes home! Today will include last minute frantic scurrying to get us ready. I need to get some chicken wire to fence off the veggie beds (the rest of the gardens will be on their own), the big crate needs to be set up and the baby-gates found.

Will the puppy like us?

Bringing in Supplies

I am so excited. It's funny how much different I feel about this puppy versus the sweet Tucker. I find myself quite 'ga-ga' over the puppy's imminent arrival and perhaps that's the calm before the storm. The basement is stocked with puppy food, treats and toys. Reading is frenetic. The orientation last night was exhilarating.

Who is this puppy? The thing I keep thinking is that for a while it will be pandemonium, and then...and then...it will be bliss. Yes, there will be ups and downs and whys and hows and all the things that go with dog-owning. But unless this puppy is a complete bomb (which I don't anticipate), there will be all the years of dog-owning bliss when I look into that furry face and glow with love and pride and happiness that this pup is part of my family!

Restart

It seems longer than it's been since I've posted and like much of life, so much has happened! We had a lovely Memorial weekend, but it was odd being dogless. The flip side was nice though—there were no issues about what to do and when, nor how to accomplish it with a dog. And then the phone call about the aussie-lab puppies...

A friend joined me to look at the five pups. She's a "puppy aficionado," so I'm uncertain whether it was advantageous to bring her along or not! Talk about aiding and abetting!

The pups were kept in a barn stall and were in the process of being weaned from their mom. The mama dog is absolutely wonderful: very petite, very nurturing, very attentive. Her five pups were a mix of her and her handsome consort: two black girls, a black merle boy (the only boy), a brown merle girl, and a tri-colored girl. The tri was already spoken for, so the others were available for consideration.

I fell for a little black girl who exhibited typical lab characteristics—happy go-lucky and friendly, such a delightful dufus! Yet I found the little brown merle girl interesting too. Initially the brown merle was a bit too independent for my liking, but as I watched her quietly explore, I became quite smitten. When she tuckered, she came over and laid down beside me. What's not to like?

Four days later, I took my husband (resigned and silent) out to see them. [Can we have a shaft of sunlight beaming down on us and heavenly music playing?] I have never seen someone do such a complete 180! He kept exclaiming how cute the puppies were while he played and laughed and patted them. The little brown merle took a shine to him and for the next hour, stayed by his side. So guess who we're bringing home? The posted picture is from my first visit when she was six weeks old and just about to konk out from an hour's worth of play.

It's been nearly two weeks since we've seen her; we wanted her a solid eight weeks old. I get to pick her up Friday morning and my same puppy-friend is coming along. We don't have a name yet, though the list of potential names is long. I'm excited to see how much she's changed in that time. All the other puppies are gone except for the little tri girl, so luckily our pup still had her sibling and mama there for comfort.

Last night I attended an orientation for puppy training and classes begin in two weeks. I have a stack of puppy books laying in the breakfast nook. I'm dreaming, thinking, stressing, happily contemplating all things puppy. More later when she's joined the fold!