Trial Run

We did a trial run for camping this past weekend getting ready for three weeks on the road. Bella took over the van "couch." Nary a second thought—it was hers. (This will require steadfast work on our part to convince her it isn't always hers.)

She was able to finagle a huge stick into the van as evidenced by the blurry picture. It isn't, of course, in the van in the shot. She was working up to that. She worked the angle, the run in and the leap.

And like all good dogs, she recognized the packing phase for what it was. FUN TRIP AHEAD! How do they learn this so quickly?

A small concern is that she just entered the "brat" phase. I'm a little leery of three weeks in close quarters, but am hoping the exercise and excitement of new environments will sufficiently tucker her out!

Teething

Bella lost her front teeth (top and bottom) a couple of weeks ago. For a few days she had nothing up front to tear with, but her adult teeth didn't take long to break the surface. For another couple of days, she had a double layer on the bottom (baby and adult teeth next to her canines) so we named her The Land Shark.

Her other teeth must be loose, as we're seeing blood on some of the things on which she chews. She has also become a prolific drooler. We're hoping this is just because of teething; it's so unbecoming in a girl-dog!

Mountain Biking

We took Bella for a 1/2 mile mountain bike ride yesterday. I know puppies should not run on a regular basis. Not good for their growth plates. But a 1/2 mile (if that), I figured was okay. I wanted to see how she did off leash and with bicycles on the trail. Stellar!

Her Aussie heritage came to the fore. She was constantly waiting for the last person to catch up. She stayed on the trail. She came when called. What a good puppy!

Clean Puppy

Bella gets a bath!

Getting the grimy ears clean!

Looking almost dog-like!