Good morning, good morning the little dogs say. We got up at 6 to go out to potty and play in the ‘coolish’ time of day. I’ve also been watering the grass in the dog yard to encourage it to grow. It’s really enjoying this hot weather as long as we water it. In a year or two, it may take over the whole dog yard. The only problem is it turns brown in the winter so it will have to be ‘overseeded’ every year or I’ll have depressing brown grass too much of the year.
Turns out I probably didn’t need to water the grass today because it stormed this afternoon right before Cindi got here. MiraBella had puppy class after Indy had obedience class and then we were going to do some more water practice but we ended up only getting to do puppy toenails and letting my MeeMaw (that’s my grandmother) meet MiraBella. MeeMaw hadn’t seen and brown PWDs in person (I don’t think she’s seen any curlies either since we don’t have any.)
I finally figured out how to get the flip to use its program on my new computer but I don’t remember how I did it (on the old one, I just had to plug it in but on this one I had to pick something.) I hope it remembers to do it on its own next time. Hopefully, there will be video from the Movers and Shakers Sothern Splash water trials on Youtube by the time you read this.
MeeMaw’s chair is right in front of the puppy’s room. She may not have a great view of the tv but she has a prime puppy viewing spot and they are entertaining her. Maybe she’ll help me sing them to sleep since they are songs she used to sing to us. Nighty, nighty, nighty…
Sunday, July 25, 2010
June 24 Pupdate
My goodness, what a day. Since the Blog is going to be a little more erratic as we have less time with the puppies, you may want to have it email you when it gets updated. I have been trying that out and so far, it works.
Cary’s plans have changed while his new family is potentially welcoming a new grandchild into the world. Hopefully all is going/has gone well with that. As a result we get to enjoy him for at least an extra day (I haven’t heard when they are coming for him yet so I haven’t had to hit the Fudgesicles.)
Indy’s Cindi and MiraBella (and Indy) came over and we took the old puppies to the pond for some training. It took a little while to get ready because the boats had to be pumped out and I couldn’t find the section of hose that puts the water into the pond. We finally gave up and Cindi just held it so that the water shot out into the pond. I made sure that the electric source battery thing (thanks Roger for introducing us to that) didn’t get wet.
We are trying to overcome SammieDoodlebug’s thrird dog syndrome and get her back into the game. I think we are making progress and she came happily off of the boat when called AND did the same when I called her into the water. She anticipated once but I think if we work on it in a pleasant manner, we’ll be ok. We decided that part of her problem is getting bored with doing the same exercises every time so we are including some from Working (she’s known the apprentice ones for 2 years now) and even Courier - Including jumping to ‘nothing’. She doesn’t jump like Indy but she leaves the boat with enthusiasm and purpose so that’s fine with me.
Indy started practicing his Courier exercises and can do the boat to boat exercises without me even calling him until he gets to my boat. He is making good progess with going to the shore and getting his float line, too. I sent them home with a hard Courier ball and a rope to get started. We had toyed with the idea of him using an inflatable ball but since we had ‘the incident’ with one getting punctured at trial and going flat (with Jack) we seem to have settled on a hard ball.
After the practice, we brought the puppies up to play, too. We put life jackets on 2 of them (we only have 2 that size so I put it on the 2 that tend to get sunk by one of the others. I’m not naming names but it’s the littlest one here.) They had a great time and swam along with the big dogs and the people. They ran in and out of the water and played on the hillside some too. Eventually, SammieDoodle took them on a little excursion up the road into the woods. She seemed to keep them with her and they all came back together so only Cindi worried much.
They seemed to have a good time and managed to stay cooler than we did. I never thought I’d be happy to get into the pond.
I’m ready to take a bath and head for nighty, nighty, nighty.
Cary’s plans have changed while his new family is potentially welcoming a new grandchild into the world. Hopefully all is going/has gone well with that. As a result we get to enjoy him for at least an extra day (I haven’t heard when they are coming for him yet so I haven’t had to hit the Fudgesicles.)
Indy’s Cindi and MiraBella (and Indy) came over and we took the old puppies to the pond for some training. It took a little while to get ready because the boats had to be pumped out and I couldn’t find the section of hose that puts the water into the pond. We finally gave up and Cindi just held it so that the water shot out into the pond. I made sure that the electric source battery thing (thanks Roger for introducing us to that) didn’t get wet.
We are trying to overcome SammieDoodlebug’s thrird dog syndrome and get her back into the game. I think we are making progress and she came happily off of the boat when called AND did the same when I called her into the water. She anticipated once but I think if we work on it in a pleasant manner, we’ll be ok. We decided that part of her problem is getting bored with doing the same exercises every time so we are including some from Working (she’s known the apprentice ones for 2 years now) and even Courier - Including jumping to ‘nothing’. She doesn’t jump like Indy but she leaves the boat with enthusiasm and purpose so that’s fine with me.
Indy started practicing his Courier exercises and can do the boat to boat exercises without me even calling him until he gets to my boat. He is making good progess with going to the shore and getting his float line, too. I sent them home with a hard Courier ball and a rope to get started. We had toyed with the idea of him using an inflatable ball but since we had ‘the incident’ with one getting punctured at trial and going flat (with Jack) we seem to have settled on a hard ball.
After the practice, we brought the puppies up to play, too. We put life jackets on 2 of them (we only have 2 that size so I put it on the 2 that tend to get sunk by one of the others. I’m not naming names but it’s the littlest one here.) They had a great time and swam along with the big dogs and the people. They ran in and out of the water and played on the hillside some too. Eventually, SammieDoodle took them on a little excursion up the road into the woods. She seemed to keep them with her and they all came back together so only Cindi worried much.
They seemed to have a good time and managed to stay cooler than we did. I never thought I’d be happy to get into the pond.
I’m ready to take a bath and head for nighty, nighty, nighty.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
July 23 Pupdate
It’s been a fun filled day here today. While I was washing my hair this morning, Jack alarm barked for me to come downstairs. (This is actually different than Jack’s bark that he just wants me to come back) so I came down to see what was going on. Pink! was running around the rubber room. Apparently, she can now come over the little ex pen so after I finished my hair, I rebuilt the puppy pen with the taller ex pen.
Then Rowdy (fka Limey) came for a visit. We let him play with Pink! and Cary for a little while before we worked on his hair. He was living up to his name at first so we let Jill and then SammieDoodle speak to him about how to behave and the puppies had a much better time playing. It is still amazing to me how the littlest puppy can tell the biggest puppy how they want to play and because they want to play, he respects that. Rowdy is much bigger than Pink and Cary at this point.
After the other puppies helped tire him out a little, we worked on grooming. He was pretty good on the table for getting his butt shaved but we didn’t try to do his muzzle, just scissored a tad around his eyes.
Then the puppies went swimming in the pond. They all just swam for the joy of swimming and would go out past the people. Then they’d play on the bank and hillside and come back for more swimming. I think a good time was had by all – at least until the bath time. Then there was minimal whining and some singing by Cary. He really enjoys being held wrapped in the towel (or not wrapped in the towel for that matter.)
Rowdy is doing well with his sits and downs and the other 2 puppies are doing very well with their retrieving of ‘live’ objects to hand. I haven’t started on ‘dead’ retrieves with them.
Jack finished up his course of steroids so if he can just maintain his range of motion for 2 weeks on continued exercise restriction, he can go back to having a life. If not, we’ll have to look into other possible causes.
For now, we’re going nighty, nighty, nighty.
Then Rowdy (fka Limey) came for a visit. We let him play with Pink! and Cary for a little while before we worked on his hair. He was living up to his name at first so we let Jill and then SammieDoodle speak to him about how to behave and the puppies had a much better time playing. It is still amazing to me how the littlest puppy can tell the biggest puppy how they want to play and because they want to play, he respects that. Rowdy is much bigger than Pink and Cary at this point.
After the other puppies helped tire him out a little, we worked on grooming. He was pretty good on the table for getting his butt shaved but we didn’t try to do his muzzle, just scissored a tad around his eyes.
Then the puppies went swimming in the pond. They all just swam for the joy of swimming and would go out past the people. Then they’d play on the bank and hillside and come back for more swimming. I think a good time was had by all – at least until the bath time. Then there was minimal whining and some singing by Cary. He really enjoys being held wrapped in the towel (or not wrapped in the towel for that matter.)
Rowdy is doing well with his sits and downs and the other 2 puppies are doing very well with their retrieving of ‘live’ objects to hand. I haven’t started on ‘dead’ retrieves with them.
Jack finished up his course of steroids so if he can just maintain his range of motion for 2 weeks on continued exercise restriction, he can go back to having a life. If not, we’ll have to look into other possible causes.
For now, we’re going nighty, nighty, nighty.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
11 weeks old
I can't believe the puppies are 11 weeks old tonight. 4 of them are spending their birthdays in their new homes and 2 (Pink! and Cary) are still here. Cary is supposed to go to his new home on Saturday and Pink is supposed to be here until the 29th. I don't know what I am going to do without them.
We had a great time at the water trial. We took Pink and Cary and Indy's Cindi's MiraBella and Amy brought Carrera so we had a passel of puppies with us. It made for an interesting time getting them out to potty (we carried them out) but they were very good and quiet for the most part. They'd settle down quickly when we turned out the lights so we did that rather early (not that we weren't tired enough to do that anyway.)
The puppies were very good in the ex pen corral we made for them at the water trial and they got lots more socialization. We had a few volunteers to help us wrangle while they swam, too.
On Sunday, they got their little muzzles shaved. Some of them took it better than others. Cary whined a little but held still, MiraBella was about the funniest because she would fuss until she got a kiss but would immediately start again when the clippers touched her. All in all, they had a good first expereince with it.
Indy and Cindi got his Working Water Dog title; that's 2 titles this July for him. SammieDoodlebug decided that I was trying to trick her after the boat ride and wouldn't come off the platform so she did not get her Apprentice Title. We're working on it; I really hope to get her enthusiasm back.
Pink! and Cary have been working on sits and downs and walking along with me (and sitting on both sides of a door) and retrieving. They are doing well but they can't retrieve if I have treats. They can only do that for the joy of doing it again.
One of my favorite things to do with them these days is to sit on the edge of the wheelchair ramp deck and then lie down. The puppies cuddle and climb all over me and generally remember to be gentle. It's awfully sweet.
It's almost time to get them ready for nighty, nighty, nighty...
We had a great time at the water trial. We took Pink and Cary and Indy's Cindi's MiraBella and Amy brought Carrera so we had a passel of puppies with us. It made for an interesting time getting them out to potty (we carried them out) but they were very good and quiet for the most part. They'd settle down quickly when we turned out the lights so we did that rather early (not that we weren't tired enough to do that anyway.)
The puppies were very good in the ex pen corral we made for them at the water trial and they got lots more socialization. We had a few volunteers to help us wrangle while they swam, too.
On Sunday, they got their little muzzles shaved. Some of them took it better than others. Cary whined a little but held still, MiraBella was about the funniest because she would fuss until she got a kiss but would immediately start again when the clippers touched her. All in all, they had a good first expereince with it.
Indy and Cindi got his Working Water Dog title; that's 2 titles this July for him. SammieDoodlebug decided that I was trying to trick her after the boat ride and wouldn't come off the platform so she did not get her Apprentice Title. We're working on it; I really hope to get her enthusiasm back.
Pink! and Cary have been working on sits and downs and walking along with me (and sitting on both sides of a door) and retrieving. They are doing well but they can't retrieve if I have treats. They can only do that for the joy of doing it again.
One of my favorite things to do with them these days is to sit on the edge of the wheelchair ramp deck and then lie down. The puppies cuddle and climb all over me and generally remember to be gentle. It's awfully sweet.
It's almost time to get them ready for nighty, nighty, nighty...
Thursday, July 15, 2010
July 15 Pupdate
July 15 Pupdate
We had a partial reunion this morning. Casrrera (fka Purple) and her new brother Salazar came to hang out in our room while their mom changed ot a room that hoefully, had a/c. She seemed to get right back into the group and then climbued up on top of the crate – repeatedly.
She rode over to the water site with us as well so her mom didn’t have to bring the crate back down to the car. We kept her in the ex pen corral with the other 3 puppies at the water trial site. They were very good and played and napped and hung out like good dogs.
It’s kind of fun to have that many of them together again. We even took them swimming a couple of times. They enjoyed that but that’s not a lot of surprise. The pond was really warm so It was kind of like swimming in the bathtub.
Carrera is spending the night with us since Salazar had such a big day and needed some help relaxing. The puppies are all chewing on some cow tails the Dog Cindi borught. That quieted the puppies down last night as well. Smart of dog Cindi, huh.
We are just waiting for it to get dark so we can do last call and go to bed. We’ll be up early anyway, we might as well get some rest tonight. So Nighty, Nighty, Nighty to all. Maybe we’ll get to write again tomorrow.
We had a partial reunion this morning. Casrrera (fka Purple) and her new brother Salazar came to hang out in our room while their mom changed ot a room that hoefully, had a/c. She seemed to get right back into the group and then climbued up on top of the crate – repeatedly.
She rode over to the water site with us as well so her mom didn’t have to bring the crate back down to the car. We kept her in the ex pen corral with the other 3 puppies at the water trial site. They were very good and played and napped and hung out like good dogs.
It’s kind of fun to have that many of them together again. We even took them swimming a couple of times. They enjoyed that but that’s not a lot of surprise. The pond was really warm so It was kind of like swimming in the bathtub.
Carrera is spending the night with us since Salazar had such a big day and needed some help relaxing. The puppies are all chewing on some cow tails the Dog Cindi borught. That quieted the puppies down last night as well. Smart of dog Cindi, huh.
We are just waiting for it to get dark so we can do last call and go to bed. We’ll be up early anyway, we might as well get some rest tonight. So Nighty, Nighty, Nighty to all. Maybe we’ll get to write again tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Rowdy's (fka Limey)pupdate
And now for an update on the adventures of Rowdy:
Rowdy (formerly known as Limey) came home to Cincinnati on the 4th of July and did very well on the 3 hour ride home. The first couple of nights he needed a trip or 2 outside to potty in the middle of the night, but has been sleeping through for the last several nights. I usually do the last potty call between 10:30 and 10:45. After singing a lullaby or 2 I settle him in his crate for nighty, nighty, nighty. He's awake between 5:30 and 6:00 which is OK because we are early risers. The next hour and a half is raucous play time....much chasing Blackjack, wrestling with toys and zoom, zoom, zoom all around the house. Poor Blackjack isn't sure what to make of him. Blackjack is an 11 year old neutered male PWD who has always thought that every human and other dog is his friend. Even when confronted with an aggressive dog, his tail still wags madly and he has no idea he's in danger. I believe he was born without the instinct to defend himself. He has been letting Rowdy chase and bite him without correction. I started rewarding Blackjack for barking at Rowdy, but he still hasn't been able to get the puppy to back off. I have to intervene and give the old guy a break.
Rowdy settles back down for a rest by about 7:30. I have set up an ex-pen attached to his crate in the kitchen. This gives him plenty of space to play quietly, and keeps him out of trouble!!! He is pretty quiet all day and is content to nap and play in the ex-pen unless he needs to go out to potty. Thanks to Cristi and Jill he knows that outside is for potty. We've had several accidents in the house, but they occur when he's playing and suddenly HAS TO GO. That's OK - he's a smart little guy and it won't last forever. For the most part, the weather in the Cincinnati area has been hot and sunny since bringing Rowdy home. We've been swimming in the pool with both dogs. Rowdy has been doing some short swims toward the steps and has gotten better at both swimming and getting out of the pool. His swimming has gotten more relaxed. Sunday we put him on a surf board type float and pushed him gently around the pool for a few minutes. I want him to get used to the sensation of floating so he's ready to ride on a boat for water work.
By late afternoon/early evening he's ready for another session of zoom, zoom and play. We have discovered that a paper shopping bag with handles is a great toy and he can stay busy attacking and shredding it for a long time. This was discovered when he grabbed the handle of a bag I had set on the floor for a moment. He dragged the bag and its contents around the family room while I chased him. Thankfully, I have a shelf full of various sized shopping bags (you never know when you're going to need a good shopping bag). The ones from Pottery Barn Kids are the best so far, but any store's paper bag will do as long as it has those twisted paper handles....good for dragging and chewing. Speaking of chewing, the biggest challenge has been keeping things out of his mouth while he's outside. True to PWD form, he wants to eat everything....plants, rocks, bits of branches and tree bark. I spend most of our time outside fishing things out of his mouth. The first day home I went online and looked up all of my indoor and outdoor plants for poison potential. Who knew that geraniums and philodendron could be toxic to dogs?? I don't have much of a green thumb and only grow plants that are almost impossible to kill. Thus, the philodendron inside and geraniums in my patio pots outside. All of them had to be moved.
Anyway, I hope I haven't bored anyone too much. "Allyn all" he is a sweet and beautiful little boy. I am looking forward to years of companionship, water work, agility........... Here’s hoping he and all of his little siblings grow into wonderful big PWDs.
Rowdy (formerly known as Limey) came home to Cincinnati on the 4th of July and did very well on the 3 hour ride home. The first couple of nights he needed a trip or 2 outside to potty in the middle of the night, but has been sleeping through for the last several nights. I usually do the last potty call between 10:30 and 10:45. After singing a lullaby or 2 I settle him in his crate for nighty, nighty, nighty. He's awake between 5:30 and 6:00 which is OK because we are early risers. The next hour and a half is raucous play time....much chasing Blackjack, wrestling with toys and zoom, zoom, zoom all around the house. Poor Blackjack isn't sure what to make of him. Blackjack is an 11 year old neutered male PWD who has always thought that every human and other dog is his friend. Even when confronted with an aggressive dog, his tail still wags madly and he has no idea he's in danger. I believe he was born without the instinct to defend himself. He has been letting Rowdy chase and bite him without correction. I started rewarding Blackjack for barking at Rowdy, but he still hasn't been able to get the puppy to back off. I have to intervene and give the old guy a break.
Rowdy settles back down for a rest by about 7:30. I have set up an ex-pen attached to his crate in the kitchen. This gives him plenty of space to play quietly, and keeps him out of trouble!!! He is pretty quiet all day and is content to nap and play in the ex-pen unless he needs to go out to potty. Thanks to Cristi and Jill he knows that outside is for potty. We've had several accidents in the house, but they occur when he's playing and suddenly HAS TO GO. That's OK - he's a smart little guy and it won't last forever. For the most part, the weather in the Cincinnati area has been hot and sunny since bringing Rowdy home. We've been swimming in the pool with both dogs. Rowdy has been doing some short swims toward the steps and has gotten better at both swimming and getting out of the pool. His swimming has gotten more relaxed. Sunday we put him on a surf board type float and pushed him gently around the pool for a few minutes. I want him to get used to the sensation of floating so he's ready to ride on a boat for water work.
By late afternoon/early evening he's ready for another session of zoom, zoom and play. We have discovered that a paper shopping bag with handles is a great toy and he can stay busy attacking and shredding it for a long time. This was discovered when he grabbed the handle of a bag I had set on the floor for a moment. He dragged the bag and its contents around the family room while I chased him. Thankfully, I have a shelf full of various sized shopping bags (you never know when you're going to need a good shopping bag). The ones from Pottery Barn Kids are the best so far, but any store's paper bag will do as long as it has those twisted paper handles....good for dragging and chewing. Speaking of chewing, the biggest challenge has been keeping things out of his mouth while he's outside. True to PWD form, he wants to eat everything....plants, rocks, bits of branches and tree bark. I spend most of our time outside fishing things out of his mouth. The first day home I went online and looked up all of my indoor and outdoor plants for poison potential. Who knew that geraniums and philodendron could be toxic to dogs?? I don't have much of a green thumb and only grow plants that are almost impossible to kill. Thus, the philodendron inside and geraniums in my patio pots outside. All of them had to be moved.
Anyway, I hope I haven't bored anyone too much. "Allyn all" he is a sweet and beautiful little boy. I am looking forward to years of companionship, water work, agility........... Here’s hoping he and all of his little siblings grow into wonderful big PWDs.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
July 13 Pupdate
The remaining puppies are doing well. They are very quiet in the night and I have been getting up around 6 but not from hearing them. They are staying quiet at least that long. I haven’t been waiting to see when they do start to fuss, I just get up anyway. That way we can go outside before it gets too miserably hot. It is easier to keep just 2 of them cool when we are out in the heat of the day but I still miss the others.
We are getting some much needed rain today and the puppies and I have enjoyed some of it. They are truly little PWDs and rain is just another form of water after all.
Now that the litter is almost ‘done,’ I have figured out all kinds of extra things to do with the blog. I have discovered how to allow other authors so they can guest blog (which is how we got the Carrera update earlier today) and alledgedly, I can schedule posts or email them in (this will be the test of a scheduled post but the test I emailed hasn’t shown up yet.) I think I even found where to have blogger tell me when something is posted (which will help me know if the scheduled post has gone through.)
Pink! and Cary are going with MiraBella and the rest of us to the NC water trial tomorrow. The old dogs, Jack and Jill, are staying home but the “old puppies’ SammieDoodlebug and Indy are entered. Carrera is going to meet us there with her new brother who is also entered. It is going to be hard to get along without Jack but he is still on severely restricted activity so he needs to stay home to stay calm enough.
The puppies are snoozing so I’d better go get some stuff done before last call. We’ll be busy busy busy in the am. Nighty, nighty, nighty to all.
We are getting some much needed rain today and the puppies and I have enjoyed some of it. They are truly little PWDs and rain is just another form of water after all.
Now that the litter is almost ‘done,’ I have figured out all kinds of extra things to do with the blog. I have discovered how to allow other authors so they can guest blog (which is how we got the Carrera update earlier today) and alledgedly, I can schedule posts or email them in (this will be the test of a scheduled post but the test I emailed hasn’t shown up yet.) I think I even found where to have blogger tell me when something is posted (which will help me know if the scheduled post has gone through.)
Pink! and Cary are going with MiraBella and the rest of us to the NC water trial tomorrow. The old dogs, Jack and Jill, are staying home but the “old puppies’ SammieDoodlebug and Indy are entered. Carrera is going to meet us there with her new brother who is also entered. It is going to be hard to get along without Jack but he is still on severely restricted activity so he needs to stay home to stay calm enough.
The puppies are snoozing so I’d better go get some stuff done before last call. We’ll be busy busy busy in the am. Nighty, nighty, nighty to all.
Carrera
Sunday July 11th:
So we start on our journey home, Carrera (purple) was pretty quiet. We stopped at a Wendy's as I was starving and decided I'd risk an awful stomach ache as they have a drive-through and I can pay with a credit card there. She got sick at that point, just a little though and I wiped it up as best I could.
We stopped at the first rest stop in VA to see if she wanted to pee, but she wanted nothing to do with being a leash and even less to do with walking. I tried for a bit calling her, but she seemed to be totally disinterested so I put her back in the car and we continued on. (Salazar did water a bush there so all was not lost). There was an awful accident on 81 where traffic came to a complete standstill before Staunton. I called Matt and he routed me onto RT11 which is some 2 lane country road. Seems it was a good idea as tractor trailers were doing it too. Matt said the backup was over 8 miles and wasn't moving at all. I never saw what happened, but it slowed me down a lot.
We stopped at another rest stop and true to form, she refused again to do anything. I grabbed a hazelnut latte at McDonalds and could hear her get sick again :( Looked like just a little bit of foam. Seems she is like Salazar and does okay as long as you are moving, but doesn't like slowing down. We got home at 930pm and my mom came over to help the transition. Both dogs had dinner, Carrera ate with Matt out on the deck and Salazar ate inside with my mom and me. She seems to enjoy her expanded region of grass to run around. There is a slope to our yard so she would run up and down.
Playing ref between her and Salazar, trying to pay 200% attention to Salazar, and still watch her is challenging. He is pretty jealous. She poo'd and peed before bed like a good girl. Salazar was allowed to sleep in our bed last night to show him he's higher on the totem pole and he seemed to appreciate it. Carrera cried a minute or two but hushed down quickly and was quiet until Matt's alarm went off at 5am. I took her out promptly as I'm sure she was awake and she peed right away, good girl.
We went back to bed, her in her crate, Salazar and me in the big bed and Matt going to work. At 630 we got up, I tried to feed them on different sides of a baby gate but not visible to each other and failed. So I took her outside and fed her and then put her in the crate and sat with Salazar. We then went outside and played for a while, he is still getting used to her. I then put him inside and walked around with her to see if she had to pee. Now she's in her crate napping and Z is passed out at my feet.
Good pup pups. She seems to be eating the TOW Salmon okay. She gets distracted easily though and we do some hand feeding to make sure she eats. This morning I was feeding her and having her sit. She did very well riding in the crate and didn't fuss. I'm assuming she peed in her crate and got sick as the bedding was damp. My mom brought over some dry bedding for her last night. She should be getting used to my voice as well, the trip was long and who doesn't sing along with "Don't stop believing..." lol
How are the others?
Monday: July 12th
The video shows her retreiving a tennis ball. Salazar and I were outside picking up poo so Matt worked with her alone. She also enjoyed playing with the pugs and was much more vocal and outgoing.
Alright, now to see if this works!
Amy, Matt, Salazar and Carrera
So we start on our journey home, Carrera (purple) was pretty quiet. We stopped at a Wendy's as I was starving and decided I'd risk an awful stomach ache as they have a drive-through and I can pay with a credit card there. She got sick at that point, just a little though and I wiped it up as best I could.
We stopped at the first rest stop in VA to see if she wanted to pee, but she wanted nothing to do with being a leash and even less to do with walking. I tried for a bit calling her, but she seemed to be totally disinterested so I put her back in the car and we continued on. (Salazar did water a bush there so all was not lost). There was an awful accident on 81 where traffic came to a complete standstill before Staunton. I called Matt and he routed me onto RT11 which is some 2 lane country road. Seems it was a good idea as tractor trailers were doing it too. Matt said the backup was over 8 miles and wasn't moving at all. I never saw what happened, but it slowed me down a lot.
We stopped at another rest stop and true to form, she refused again to do anything. I grabbed a hazelnut latte at McDonalds and could hear her get sick again :( Looked like just a little bit of foam. Seems she is like Salazar and does okay as long as you are moving, but doesn't like slowing down. We got home at 930pm and my mom came over to help the transition. Both dogs had dinner, Carrera ate with Matt out on the deck and Salazar ate inside with my mom and me. She seems to enjoy her expanded region of grass to run around. There is a slope to our yard so she would run up and down.
Playing ref between her and Salazar, trying to pay 200% attention to Salazar, and still watch her is challenging. He is pretty jealous. She poo'd and peed before bed like a good girl. Salazar was allowed to sleep in our bed last night to show him he's higher on the totem pole and he seemed to appreciate it. Carrera cried a minute or two but hushed down quickly and was quiet until Matt's alarm went off at 5am. I took her out promptly as I'm sure she was awake and she peed right away, good girl.
We went back to bed, her in her crate, Salazar and me in the big bed and Matt going to work. At 630 we got up, I tried to feed them on different sides of a baby gate but not visible to each other and failed. So I took her outside and fed her and then put her in the crate and sat with Salazar. We then went outside and played for a while, he is still getting used to her. I then put him inside and walked around with her to see if she had to pee. Now she's in her crate napping and Z is passed out at my feet.
Good pup pups. She seems to be eating the TOW Salmon okay. She gets distracted easily though and we do some hand feeding to make sure she eats. This morning I was feeding her and having her sit. She did very well riding in the crate and didn't fuss. I'm assuming she peed in her crate and got sick as the bedding was damp. My mom brought over some dry bedding for her last night. She should be getting used to my voice as well, the trip was long and who doesn't sing along with "Don't stop believing..." lol
How are the others?
Monday: July 12th
The video shows her retreiving a tennis ball. Salazar and I were outside picking up poo so Matt worked with her alone. She also enjoyed playing with the pugs and was much more vocal and outgoing.
Alright, now to see if this works!
Amy, Matt, Salazar and Carrera
July 12 Pupdate
July 12 Pupdate
I’m a little behind on my blogging (too many Fudgesicles?) but I’ll try to do better. With a new computer (Wed) and a water trial, I’m not sure how successful I will be but keep checking.
Bagby (fka Royal) and Carrera (fka Purple) left with their new people on Sunday. By all accounts they made it home safely and are settling in well. I will post Carrera’s report since I can’t figure out how to allow guest bloggers.
Rowdy is settling in to his new home and playing more with his new older brother and swimming n the pool. He is supposed to come visit next Monday for some playing and grooming. He was the only one not here to get his behind re-lionized on Sunday. His mom is going to send us a guest blog soon, too.
Since MiraBella (fka Green) went back home with Cindi Sunday night, I am down to 2 puppies here. Needless to say, I’ve had to have a lot of Fudgesicles.
Cary and Pink! are dong fine without the others and are enjoying each others company for the most part. They have the occasional little puppy spat but since there aren’t other puppies to play with, they definitely make up quickly. I have also noticed that they are learning more and more about right and wrong ways to use teeth.
Cary has been asking for more tummy rubs in the last couple of days – maybe because he is less likely to get stepped on by another puppy in the process. He sits by the ex pen until he is sure you are coming and then he flops over to have his tummy rubbed. Very cute!
Pink! is very cute and still seems quite fearless. She hasn’t come over the top of the crate like Carrera did but she’s right in on any action. She can move the little crate by pulling on the rug I have under it. I am pretty certain it weighs more than she does but that’s no deterrent.
So far, the defenses in the dog yard have held. I hesitate to say that because the puppies always break out after I do...
Nighty, nighty, nighty to all.
I’m a little behind on my blogging (too many Fudgesicles?) but I’ll try to do better. With a new computer (Wed) and a water trial, I’m not sure how successful I will be but keep checking.
Bagby (fka Royal) and Carrera (fka Purple) left with their new people on Sunday. By all accounts they made it home safely and are settling in well. I will post Carrera’s report since I can’t figure out how to allow guest bloggers.
Rowdy is settling in to his new home and playing more with his new older brother and swimming n the pool. He is supposed to come visit next Monday for some playing and grooming. He was the only one not here to get his behind re-lionized on Sunday. His mom is going to send us a guest blog soon, too.
Since MiraBella (fka Green) went back home with Cindi Sunday night, I am down to 2 puppies here. Needless to say, I’ve had to have a lot of Fudgesicles.
Cary and Pink! are dong fine without the others and are enjoying each others company for the most part. They have the occasional little puppy spat but since there aren’t other puppies to play with, they definitely make up quickly. I have also noticed that they are learning more and more about right and wrong ways to use teeth.
Cary has been asking for more tummy rubs in the last couple of days – maybe because he is less likely to get stepped on by another puppy in the process. He sits by the ex pen until he is sure you are coming and then he flops over to have his tummy rubbed. Very cute!
Pink! is very cute and still seems quite fearless. She hasn’t come over the top of the crate like Carrera did but she’s right in on any action. She can move the little crate by pulling on the rug I have under it. I am pretty certain it weighs more than she does but that’s no deterrent.
So far, the defenses in the dog yard have held. I hesitate to say that because the puppies always break out after I do...
Nighty, nighty, nighty to all.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
July 10 Pupdate
July 10 Pupdate
Computer trouble last night kept me from getting the pupdate out and I’ve been busy today. It did rain yesterday which was very nice and it cooled down a little and we had lower humidity today, I think. We had nice weather for water practice and then puppy playtime afterward.
I gave the puppies baths this morning and they all stood in the shower like big dogs. They are awfully good puppies. They were also very good for getting their little butts re-lionized. Haven’t tackled any muzzles yet, we don’t want to push our luck too far ;-) Besides Indy’s Cindi and Indy had to go finish his Rally Advanced title. BellaBoo stayed here while they did that. Cindi reported that Bella slept until 8:30 this am! What a good girl she was. The puppies here got up much earlier than that but I didn’t take them back out to potty at 1’ish. Maybe it’d be worth it to switch over to that.
Jill didn’t feed the puppies at all today. Yesterday we had a replay of how to eat raw chicken for the puppies. She didn’t care that I had given them their own – shi insisted on sharing hers and then monitoring them. They were a lot better at it this time. They even managed to eat part of the bone until I took it away.
The new reinforcements in the dog yard worked until this evening when Indy went over the fence. Carrera and someone else (a black one but I didn’t retrieve them so I don’t know which one) made a break for it after we had been outside for a while so we brought all of the puppies back in.
I am trying to finish getting everything together for Carrrera and Bagby to leave for their new homes tomorrow. I will really miss those little guys and will only have 2 here to console me. Pink will be here until the end of the month and plans have changed for Cary. I won’t know when he’s leaving until I know who his new owners will be. For now, I need to go cuddle these babies for a last nighty, nighty, nighty time.
Computer trouble last night kept me from getting the pupdate out and I’ve been busy today. It did rain yesterday which was very nice and it cooled down a little and we had lower humidity today, I think. We had nice weather for water practice and then puppy playtime afterward.
I gave the puppies baths this morning and they all stood in the shower like big dogs. They are awfully good puppies. They were also very good for getting their little butts re-lionized. Haven’t tackled any muzzles yet, we don’t want to push our luck too far ;-) Besides Indy’s Cindi and Indy had to go finish his Rally Advanced title. BellaBoo stayed here while they did that. Cindi reported that Bella slept until 8:30 this am! What a good girl she was. The puppies here got up much earlier than that but I didn’t take them back out to potty at 1’ish. Maybe it’d be worth it to switch over to that.
Jill didn’t feed the puppies at all today. Yesterday we had a replay of how to eat raw chicken for the puppies. She didn’t care that I had given them their own – shi insisted on sharing hers and then monitoring them. They were a lot better at it this time. They even managed to eat part of the bone until I took it away.
The new reinforcements in the dog yard worked until this evening when Indy went over the fence. Carrera and someone else (a black one but I didn’t retrieve them so I don’t know which one) made a break for it after we had been outside for a while so we brought all of the puppies back in.
I am trying to finish getting everything together for Carrrera and Bagby to leave for their new homes tomorrow. I will really miss those little guys and will only have 2 here to console me. Pink will be here until the end of the month and plans have changed for Cary. I won’t know when he’s leaving until I know who his new owners will be. For now, I need to go cuddle these babies for a last nighty, nighty, nighty time.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
July 8 Pupdate
9 weeks ago tonight, the 6 little pupsters were born. It’s really hard to believe how far they’ve come in such a short time. One of them has already left us. One is in and out. 2 more are leaving this weekend. This is the part I hate ;-(
Dare I say, I finally have them contained in the dog yard now. I finally had to set up a couple of sections of the new ex pens to block off the whole gate area. The puppies are not very pleased with that arrangement. They apparently really enjoyed bush surfing.
Cary asked to go potty this evening and Bruce happened to be watering the dog yard so he got to play in the sprinklers. He was having big fun with that so I took the others out with him. They certainly enjoy having pond water sprayed in their faces. No accounting for taste, I guess.
We had another scorching hot day today so it was short trips out to potty. It might rain tomorrow – we are hoping it rains a lot and cools down a little. The puppies and I are willing to go out in the rain – it’s a lot better than pond water being sprayed in your face.
Happy birthday little pups!
Dare I say, I finally have them contained in the dog yard now. I finally had to set up a couple of sections of the new ex pens to block off the whole gate area. The puppies are not very pleased with that arrangement. They apparently really enjoyed bush surfing.
Cary asked to go potty this evening and Bruce happened to be watering the dog yard so he got to play in the sprinklers. He was having big fun with that so I took the others out with him. They certainly enjoy having pond water sprayed in their faces. No accounting for taste, I guess.
We had another scorching hot day today so it was short trips out to potty. It might rain tomorrow – we are hoping it rains a lot and cools down a little. The puppies and I are willing to go out in the rain – it’s a lot better than pond water being sprayed in your face.
Happy birthday little pups!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
July 7
It’s going to be another really hot day. The pupsters and I went out early this morning to inspect the new containment efforts. They appeared to be sufficient so I cam in to start cleaning out their ‘room.’ I did it last night with them locked in the crate and they were quite vocal. There’s nothing like washing a floor with 5 PWD puppies barking in your ear. They seemed to know when there wasn’t a chance of getting out and felt free to bark and make lots of racket. When I was finishing up, they seemed to realize they were going to get released and “assumed the position.” Individually, I try to get them to sit before I let them out – at the very least they have to be quiet.
But, as usual, I digress. When I came back inside to clean up, 3 of the puppies made their escape ;-( So I had to bring them back inside until I could figure out how they were getting out. Bagby(Royal) was doing the potty dance so I took him out whlie Bruce was watering the yard (sprinkler system is not automated yet so he has to turn the zones on and off.) Carrera then wanted to go and he started watering the dog yard while she and I were out there. She thought that was BIG fun especially when I had to pull a couple of the heads up. I am not nearly as fond of getting pond water sprayed on me as the puppies are. Eventually, I brought Pink! outside and she showed me the last flaw (hopefully) in the defenses. They are going over the little piece of fencing I put up to keep Jill from going through the bushes. They don’t need to go through the bushes, they go ON the bushes. They just surf over the tops until they get to the edge and proceed down to the ground. I guess we need less thick bushes or a taller section of fence there. So the yard got some water, the puppies had fun and I found another project.
I took my nap this morning while the puppies had morning siesta. They didn’t seem to miss me.
This evening Indy’s Cindi came by to pick up Bela and we dremeled the toenails on the big and little dogs. They were very good for it but they were rather interested in the grinder. I managed to keep their little noses and tongues off of the business end and they have nice short nails again at least for now.
The new defenses held this evening and no one but Indy escaped. He got tired of waiting and being chased by puppies so he went over the puppy fencing. I am surprised he didn’t break the fence post again but fortunately, he did not. He took a quick trip to the pond and then came back for us to let him in the gate. It was hard to keep the puppies from dashing out when we removed the defenses. Little MiraBela went home with Indy’s Cindi so I am down to 4 puppies tonight. She’ll be back this weekend though.
All are quiet now so I need to get them ready for nighty, nighty, nighty. It gets daylight awfully early these days.
But, as usual, I digress. When I came back inside to clean up, 3 of the puppies made their escape ;-( So I had to bring them back inside until I could figure out how they were getting out. Bagby(Royal) was doing the potty dance so I took him out whlie Bruce was watering the yard (sprinkler system is not automated yet so he has to turn the zones on and off.) Carrera then wanted to go and he started watering the dog yard while she and I were out there. She thought that was BIG fun especially when I had to pull a couple of the heads up. I am not nearly as fond of getting pond water sprayed on me as the puppies are. Eventually, I brought Pink! outside and she showed me the last flaw (hopefully) in the defenses. They are going over the little piece of fencing I put up to keep Jill from going through the bushes. They don’t need to go through the bushes, they go ON the bushes. They just surf over the tops until they get to the edge and proceed down to the ground. I guess we need less thick bushes or a taller section of fence there. So the yard got some water, the puppies had fun and I found another project.
I took my nap this morning while the puppies had morning siesta. They didn’t seem to miss me.
This evening Indy’s Cindi came by to pick up Bela and we dremeled the toenails on the big and little dogs. They were very good for it but they were rather interested in the grinder. I managed to keep their little noses and tongues off of the business end and they have nice short nails again at least for now.
The new defenses held this evening and no one but Indy escaped. He got tired of waiting and being chased by puppies so he went over the puppy fencing. I am surprised he didn’t break the fence post again but fortunately, he did not. He took a quick trip to the pond and then came back for us to let him in the gate. It was hard to keep the puppies from dashing out when we removed the defenses. Little MiraBela went home with Indy’s Cindi so I am down to 4 puppies tonight. She’ll be back this weekend though.
All are quiet now so I need to get them ready for nighty, nighty, nighty. It gets daylight awfully early these days.
July 6 Pupdate
The little pupsters were quiet until 6ish this morning. I realized part of why when I came down and 3 little black dogs were sitting in the ex pen instead of the crate. The 2 little brown girls, Bela and Carrera, were safely locked into the other but were being quiet, too. Neither of them had any potty troubles though. One of the other puppies had peed on the paper during the night. At least the crate door I didn’t get latched was the one into the ex pen and they weren’t out in the rubber room.
They routinely escape from the back yard now, I spent a large part of the evening reinforcing and staking down orange fencing – they leap on it like a hammock and then wriggle under the bottom when it gives and then climb out the other fence. Indy broke one of the temporary posts over the weekend so it was even easier for them to get out. I think I have it fixed now but we won’t know until in the morning when I let them out.
They are pretty lively for almost 2 hours in the morning now before they need to settle in for naps. I’ve been crating some of them during nap time, together and alone and there is minimal fussing if any. Sometimes the fussing is more from the puppies outside the crate than the one in it.
They have discovered the full joys of shredding paper. They’ve enjoyed playing with it for quite some time but they have elevated itto a new level. Not satisfied to tear up the loose piece I give them so I can deal with the potty station, they have been shredding the one that I fold all around the plastic potty pan. Instead of using a crate pan, I got a Ugopet and I put alfalfa pellets (the rabbit food that still smells like grass) underneath the grid. I then cover that with the paper so they don’t fling alfalfa pellets all over the house. They have been lying there shredding the paper around the edges where it is folded under. Maybe I should wrap their chew toys in paper to make them more interesting ;-)
I managed to get a nap in this afternoon while they were having afternoon siestas. Since the decent weather is early in the am, I have been staying up and letting them play when we get up in the mornings and then doing last call late enough that they don’t have to potty in their crates during the night. It’s counterproductive to crate training if I don’t get them out in time. The big dogs don’t even show interest in getting up with them when I take the puppies through their room on the way outside, they understand sleeping until a decent hour.
Jill is still nursing them a couple of times a day but she has stopped trying to clean up after them. I think she is just nursing them as a formality to keep her influence with them. They are quite intrigued by Jack who doesn’t like them jumping and chewing on him. He generally just avoids them but for some reason, they make a beeline for him. Since he isn’t allowed to jump or run, I have to make sure I keep them away from him.
I think it’s time for nighty, nighty, nighty for the little dogs and me, too. Bruce is going to be sad to see them puppies go, too – he’ll have to go back to doing last call ;-)
They routinely escape from the back yard now, I spent a large part of the evening reinforcing and staking down orange fencing – they leap on it like a hammock and then wriggle under the bottom when it gives and then climb out the other fence. Indy broke one of the temporary posts over the weekend so it was even easier for them to get out. I think I have it fixed now but we won’t know until in the morning when I let them out.
They are pretty lively for almost 2 hours in the morning now before they need to settle in for naps. I’ve been crating some of them during nap time, together and alone and there is minimal fussing if any. Sometimes the fussing is more from the puppies outside the crate than the one in it.
They have discovered the full joys of shredding paper. They’ve enjoyed playing with it for quite some time but they have elevated itto a new level. Not satisfied to tear up the loose piece I give them so I can deal with the potty station, they have been shredding the one that I fold all around the plastic potty pan. Instead of using a crate pan, I got a Ugopet and I put alfalfa pellets (the rabbit food that still smells like grass) underneath the grid. I then cover that with the paper so they don’t fling alfalfa pellets all over the house. They have been lying there shredding the paper around the edges where it is folded under. Maybe I should wrap their chew toys in paper to make them more interesting ;-)
I managed to get a nap in this afternoon while they were having afternoon siestas. Since the decent weather is early in the am, I have been staying up and letting them play when we get up in the mornings and then doing last call late enough that they don’t have to potty in their crates during the night. It’s counterproductive to crate training if I don’t get them out in time. The big dogs don’t even show interest in getting up with them when I take the puppies through their room on the way outside, they understand sleeping until a decent hour.
Jill is still nursing them a couple of times a day but she has stopped trying to clean up after them. I think she is just nursing them as a formality to keep her influence with them. They are quite intrigued by Jack who doesn’t like them jumping and chewing on him. He generally just avoids them but for some reason, they make a beeline for him. Since he isn’t allowed to jump or run, I have to make sure I keep them away from him.
I think it’s time for nighty, nighty, nighty for the little dogs and me, too. Bruce is going to be sad to see them puppies go, too – he’ll have to go back to doing last call ;-)
Monday, July 5, 2010
July 5 Pupdate
The puppies have had a few naps and are rejuvenated but I am wiped out. It was very hot today and we took them up to the pond. I figured the heat would encourage more water activity and it did but they mostly did it wading.
They were quite happy hanging out under the dock where Carrera jumped another frog and playing at the water’s edge before I took them on boat rides and then let them swim to shore after one. Royal jumped off of the boat while we were further out than I was comfortable with him swimming (and went completely underwater before righting himself and starting to swim) so I scooped him back up onto the boat platform. He rode like a good boy until we were close enough for me to let him swim in.
They eventually ventured up to play under the forsythia and privet bushes for quite a while. It was a little difficult for us to keep an accurate count of puppies in there but we didn’t lose anyone. They had big fun running in and out and around at each other and the occasional big dog that would come through. Indy’s Cindi was happy that no one found anything to eat.
I sat down to post the blog while I was down here to do last call with the dogs and puppies and Carrera decided to show me her new trick. She climbs up the open crate door and on top of the wire crate to shop in the toys that I put away for the night. I grabbed her off and moved the toys but she has figured out how to do it and did it twice more and the next time, I impeded her progress but obviously didn’t dampen her spirit. She’s closed in a crate for the night with her sister but I am going to have to figure out a way to stop that behavior. Even if she doesn’t get hurt, she’s taking years off of my life worrying about her. She’s certainly a smart little athletic thing.
I’d better go nighty, nighty, nighty since I am keeping the puppies from settling all of the way down to sleep by having the lights on. We have progressed to them going to bed at a sort of time instead of when they are already asleep so I need to keep the routine the same. I had to adjust the timing because of Carrera’s antics. My goodness, she is going to be something ;-)
They were quite happy hanging out under the dock where Carrera jumped another frog and playing at the water’s edge before I took them on boat rides and then let them swim to shore after one. Royal jumped off of the boat while we were further out than I was comfortable with him swimming (and went completely underwater before righting himself and starting to swim) so I scooped him back up onto the boat platform. He rode like a good boy until we were close enough for me to let him swim in.
They eventually ventured up to play under the forsythia and privet bushes for quite a while. It was a little difficult for us to keep an accurate count of puppies in there but we didn’t lose anyone. They had big fun running in and out and around at each other and the occasional big dog that would come through. Indy’s Cindi was happy that no one found anything to eat.
I sat down to post the blog while I was down here to do last call with the dogs and puppies and Carrera decided to show me her new trick. She climbs up the open crate door and on top of the wire crate to shop in the toys that I put away for the night. I grabbed her off and moved the toys but she has figured out how to do it and did it twice more and the next time, I impeded her progress but obviously didn’t dampen her spirit. She’s closed in a crate for the night with her sister but I am going to have to figure out a way to stop that behavior. Even if she doesn’t get hurt, she’s taking years off of my life worrying about her. She’s certainly a smart little athletic thing.
I’d better go nighty, nighty, nighty since I am keeping the puppies from settling all of the way down to sleep by having the lights on. We have progressed to them going to bed at a sort of time instead of when they are already asleep so I need to keep the routine the same. I had to adjust the timing because of Carrera’s antics. My goodness, she is going to be something ;-)
Sunday, July 4, 2010
July 4 Pupdate
And now there are only 4 here ;-( Rowdy (fka Limey) has gone to his new home in Cincinnati. He had a nice trip home and has settled right in so far. I hope he has a quiet night but probably not as much as they hope he does ;-)
I still miss him a lot. I am trying to console myself with the fact that the puppies are making their new people happy and will get lots of attention but I’m still having to hit the Fudgesicles hard.
Indy’s Cindi (now also Bela’s Cindi) brought Bela and Cary along with Indy for the afternoon/evening. We had a great water practice with SammieDoodlebug and then Indy before taking the puppies up to the pond. It was much more of a let them gambole around than organized swim and whlie none of them ended up swimming much on their own, we had a lot of up and down the bank and wading and playing. The unmown grass on the hillside is a BIG draw and lots of fun.
Cary found a partial crawdad (I didn’t think we had them in the pond, maybe one of the birds brought and dropped it?) and Bela helped him eat it. I think she may have gotten the lion’s share - it’s a bitch thing. Carrera (fka Purple) played under the dock and enjoyed jumping frogs.
Pink was quite full of herself and even played in the sand pile enough to get a really sandy behind. We heard some fireworks in the distance several time while we were out playing but the puppies didn’t seem to take any notice of it. That’s a good sign. Indy’s Cindi said they had some in the distance at her house last night but the puppies were too sacked out to even notice.
All day long,I thought of things they were doing that I wanted to include in the blog but now I am so tired that I can’t remember most of them. Must be a sign of old age. My computer is also having fits so I think I’ll post this and shut it down. If I think of any of the other things, I’ll put them in another blog.
Nighty, nighty, nighty
I still miss him a lot. I am trying to console myself with the fact that the puppies are making their new people happy and will get lots of attention but I’m still having to hit the Fudgesicles hard.
Indy’s Cindi (now also Bela’s Cindi) brought Bela and Cary along with Indy for the afternoon/evening. We had a great water practice with SammieDoodlebug and then Indy before taking the puppies up to the pond. It was much more of a let them gambole around than organized swim and whlie none of them ended up swimming much on their own, we had a lot of up and down the bank and wading and playing. The unmown grass on the hillside is a BIG draw and lots of fun.
Cary found a partial crawdad (I didn’t think we had them in the pond, maybe one of the birds brought and dropped it?) and Bela helped him eat it. I think she may have gotten the lion’s share - it’s a bitch thing. Carrera (fka Purple) played under the dock and enjoyed jumping frogs.
Pink was quite full of herself and even played in the sand pile enough to get a really sandy behind. We heard some fireworks in the distance several time while we were out playing but the puppies didn’t seem to take any notice of it. That’s a good sign. Indy’s Cindi said they had some in the distance at her house last night but the puppies were too sacked out to even notice.
All day long,I thought of things they were doing that I wanted to include in the blog but now I am so tired that I can’t remember most of them. Must be a sign of old age. My computer is also having fits so I think I’ll post this and shut it down. If I think of any of the other things, I’ll put them in another blog.
Nighty, nighty, nighty
Saturday, July 3, 2010
July 3 Pupdate
The puppies definitely know the routine in the mornings. So do the big dogs. The puppies need to get outside earlier than the big dogs so they wait patiently as the puppies run out (right past Jack’s crate) into the yard to potty. On rare occasions, one of them has to pee before getting off the decking but that washes away. They run and play and poop – not necessarily in that order. This morning, I had to remember that I only needed 5 poops before I fixed their breakfasts. (If I’m not right there, I don’t know that everyone goes or how it is or any of those other important facts in a dog’s life.)
Jill feeds them when I let her out. She is sleeping in her crate all night but she likes to check on them at last call. She is still such a good mother, she feeds them before she walks the plank. The big dogs are getting up a lot earlier than they usually do so she can probably hold it with no problem but she does go as soon as they have eaten. Then I give them their oatmeal mixture or moistened kibble. They don’t show as much interest in dog food so I try to give it to them on the occasional morning since they seem hungrier in the morning.
This morning I gave them each a blueberry. I was eating them and gave one to each of the big dogs so I decided to include the puppies. Jack will eat whatever I tell him to eat (very handy if he needs to take a pill), Jill is slightly pickier when she doesn’t have puppies and SammieDoodle will see what Jack does with a new food. The puppies’ each took their blueberry and eventually ate them but they played with them a little.
When the puppies had their morning nap, I tried to take a nap and squelch a budding headache (my head only hurts on days that end in Y.) It took a lot longer than I planned but the puppies were quiet. Fortunately, their lunch wasn’t late ;-) Shortly after their lunch, Indy’s Cindi brought (Mira)Bella and Indy back for a visit. Bela (we are having a minor dispute about how many l’s are prettier) just joined right back in with the gang although there was a lot of sniffing going on. We took Indy up to the pond for some water practice and then we le the puppies out to play some more.
Limey got to do some more swimming but in the pool. It was VERY cold (the new filtration is connected but the heat isn’t on yet) but it bothered me a lot more than him. He caught right on to how to climb out the steps and wasn’t afraid but we kept him from falling/jumping in on his own. Since it was so cold, we stopped after him. He is leaving tomorrow instead of waiting until Tuesday so I wanted to make sure he got exposed to the pool swimming. The others can wait ;-)
Bela took Cary home with her for a sleepover. Puppy class is in the middle of the afternoon tomorrow so I won’t be able to go but Debbie (of the swimming border collies) is going to work him in puppy class. I checked on them and they had big fun and were snoozing. The plan is for them to sleep in separate crates but plans sometimes change ;-) Limey will sleep alone tonight but with a view of his siblings. He’ll sleep with his new mom’s shirt again tonight so he’ll be a little more used to the scent of their house. He’ll take his crate pad from here so he’ll have this familiar scent as well. And all I’ll have is fudgesicles (and his siblings who will eventually leave me as well.)
The 4 puppies here tonight are acting like they are ready to go out for last call so I’m going to get things ready for bedtime. Nighty, nighty, nighty…
Jill feeds them when I let her out. She is sleeping in her crate all night but she likes to check on them at last call. She is still such a good mother, she feeds them before she walks the plank. The big dogs are getting up a lot earlier than they usually do so she can probably hold it with no problem but she does go as soon as they have eaten. Then I give them their oatmeal mixture or moistened kibble. They don’t show as much interest in dog food so I try to give it to them on the occasional morning since they seem hungrier in the morning.
This morning I gave them each a blueberry. I was eating them and gave one to each of the big dogs so I decided to include the puppies. Jack will eat whatever I tell him to eat (very handy if he needs to take a pill), Jill is slightly pickier when she doesn’t have puppies and SammieDoodle will see what Jack does with a new food. The puppies’ each took their blueberry and eventually ate them but they played with them a little.
When the puppies had their morning nap, I tried to take a nap and squelch a budding headache (my head only hurts on days that end in Y.) It took a lot longer than I planned but the puppies were quiet. Fortunately, their lunch wasn’t late ;-) Shortly after their lunch, Indy’s Cindi brought (Mira)Bella and Indy back for a visit. Bela (we are having a minor dispute about how many l’s are prettier) just joined right back in with the gang although there was a lot of sniffing going on. We took Indy up to the pond for some water practice and then we le the puppies out to play some more.
Limey got to do some more swimming but in the pool. It was VERY cold (the new filtration is connected but the heat isn’t on yet) but it bothered me a lot more than him. He caught right on to how to climb out the steps and wasn’t afraid but we kept him from falling/jumping in on his own. Since it was so cold, we stopped after him. He is leaving tomorrow instead of waiting until Tuesday so I wanted to make sure he got exposed to the pool swimming. The others can wait ;-)
Bela took Cary home with her for a sleepover. Puppy class is in the middle of the afternoon tomorrow so I won’t be able to go but Debbie (of the swimming border collies) is going to work him in puppy class. I checked on them and they had big fun and were snoozing. The plan is for them to sleep in separate crates but plans sometimes change ;-) Limey will sleep alone tonight but with a view of his siblings. He’ll sleep with his new mom’s shirt again tonight so he’ll be a little more used to the scent of their house. He’ll take his crate pad from here so he’ll have this familiar scent as well. And all I’ll have is fudgesicles (and his siblings who will eventually leave me as well.)
The 4 puppies here tonight are acting like they are ready to go out for last call so I’m going to get things ready for bedtime. Nighty, nighty, nighty…
Friday, July 2, 2010
July 2 Pupdate
Well, it’s all downhill from here. The first puppy went home tonight. She’ll be back and forth all weekend but it’s still sad to have her go. Indy’s Cindi took the Green girl, now known as MiraBella (probably more Bella though.) none of the other puppies have asked where she went and Indy’s Cindi says she’s doing well so far.
The puppies had a nice long playtime outside this morning. They didn’t do any escaping but I did have to rescue the water shoes that have been sitting out there to dry. I cleaned their room inside while they ran and played and gamboled around. They generally seemed to have a good time but I haven’t known them not to have a good time much ;-)
They are getting pretty nippy at times. SammieDoodle and Jill are helping them with that but they also do a lot of telling each other what is too much to use those teeth on each other. I appreciate that.
Limey picked out his new person today. She and her dog came to meet him and he took right to them. While we were visiting, Maya’s (the green girl from the last litter) people stopped by on their way back home from the Greenbrier trail. Unfortunately, Maya didn’t get to come but the puppies were happy to play with the girls. What seemed very telling was that Limey kept choosing to lay at her feet. Often, the puppies will keep coming back to me when other people are around so I often try to stay out of their reach. But this time, we were all right there and he just kept hanging out with her. He also seemed to get along well with the older dog (also named BlackJack.)
Eventually, we brought the puppies back inside to have a siesta and took her BlackJack to the pond to see if he had any interest in swimming. Armed with milkbones (they float) and a couple of dummies, he and I went into the pond. He swam but not very easily so we put the lifejacket on him. He had a pretty good time after that and would swim for the dummy as much or more than the cookies. He was waiting for me to throw it again instead of waiting for the cookie for bringing me the dummy. And he wasn’t trying to leave the water to go to his mom on the shore. It was nice to have a nearly 11 year old doing what he was bred to do – even if it hasn’t been his favorite thing in the past.
When I let our big dogs out, (Jack is supposed to be on walking sedately/crate rest while his neck is healing so they were crated while the company was here) Jill had to be let into the puppy pen so she could nurse the babies. They were only too happy to oblige.
Limey (new call name not definite yet) is going to stay here until Tuesday afternoon so he’s not the first to leave and so he doesn’t have to face any fireworks alone. They haven’t minded the ones they’ve heard here but there’s no point in pushing it by combining leaving home with fireworks.
I better get them ready for bed and go drown my sorrows in fudgesicles. Maybe someone should tell them to be horrible little puppies so I would look forward to them leaving but I’m not sure they could be that bad. They all have that sweet little PWD face that makes you forgive all anyway ;-)
A little less puppy breath to send your way tonight… Nighty, nighty, nighty
The puppies had a nice long playtime outside this morning. They didn’t do any escaping but I did have to rescue the water shoes that have been sitting out there to dry. I cleaned their room inside while they ran and played and gamboled around. They generally seemed to have a good time but I haven’t known them not to have a good time much ;-)
They are getting pretty nippy at times. SammieDoodle and Jill are helping them with that but they also do a lot of telling each other what is too much to use those teeth on each other. I appreciate that.
Limey picked out his new person today. She and her dog came to meet him and he took right to them. While we were visiting, Maya’s (the green girl from the last litter) people stopped by on their way back home from the Greenbrier trail. Unfortunately, Maya didn’t get to come but the puppies were happy to play with the girls. What seemed very telling was that Limey kept choosing to lay at her feet. Often, the puppies will keep coming back to me when other people are around so I often try to stay out of their reach. But this time, we were all right there and he just kept hanging out with her. He also seemed to get along well with the older dog (also named BlackJack.)
Eventually, we brought the puppies back inside to have a siesta and took her BlackJack to the pond to see if he had any interest in swimming. Armed with milkbones (they float) and a couple of dummies, he and I went into the pond. He swam but not very easily so we put the lifejacket on him. He had a pretty good time after that and would swim for the dummy as much or more than the cookies. He was waiting for me to throw it again instead of waiting for the cookie for bringing me the dummy. And he wasn’t trying to leave the water to go to his mom on the shore. It was nice to have a nearly 11 year old doing what he was bred to do – even if it hasn’t been his favorite thing in the past.
When I let our big dogs out, (Jack is supposed to be on walking sedately/crate rest while his neck is healing so they were crated while the company was here) Jill had to be let into the puppy pen so she could nurse the babies. They were only too happy to oblige.
Limey (new call name not definite yet) is going to stay here until Tuesday afternoon so he’s not the first to leave and so he doesn’t have to face any fireworks alone. They haven’t minded the ones they’ve heard here but there’s no point in pushing it by combining leaving home with fireworks.
I better get them ready for bed and go drown my sorrows in fudgesicles. Maybe someone should tell them to be horrible little puppies so I would look forward to them leaving but I’m not sure they could be that bad. They all have that sweet little PWD face that makes you forgive all anyway ;-)
A little less puppy breath to send your way tonight… Nighty, nighty, nighty
July 1 Pupdate
Sorry this is late but I had a nasty headache I couldn’t shake last night. Cindi was going to guest blog for me but she apparently couldn’t get logged on.
The pupsters are 8 weeks old now. I can’t believe it. I don’t want to believe it. They are starting to show that they are growing up a little though. Jill and SammieDoodle are making them toe the line more and more and they are much more inquisitive and ready to explore.
Several times today. they looked like we routinely duct tape them up. I have been picking it out of their hair over and over. Where are they getting duct tape you ask, they are pulling it up from the seams on their floor. It’s the same color as the rubber but they found it anyway. Just more proof that they are indeed PWDs.
We took some of the puppies to the vet with Jack yesterday for a ridealong and to get cookies from the vet techs/vets. I left Limey and Purple in separate crates while we did that. They could still see each other but I am pretty sure they spent the time napping as they were still pretty quiet when Bruce got home and let them out into their area. I’m not sure what they were doing when we got home since Cindi let them out but I didn’t hear them fussing.
They had a nice picnic dinner and romp in the cooler evening air. (They weren’t cold Tamara – they weren’t even wet.) They did keep trying to get to one of the sprinkler heads (Bruce had been watering the yard) but eventually they were distracted by getting out of the fence. They started going through the gate so I had to put the little ex pen in front of that. They can climb over that so it has to be pushed very close to the gate. After that, they found the one spot along the burning bushes where we hadn’t put ex pen inside of the fence and climbed up and through. They stayed around the area but it was hard to keep up with all of them. Eventually, they started winding down and we brought them inside for the night. I had to go to try to deal with my headache so Bruce eventually did last call. I didn’t sing Happy birthday to them at their birth times but I think they’ve forgiven me. I didn’t hear them screaming about it and they were happy to see me this am (and I wasn’t even carrying the food bowl.)
The pupsters are 8 weeks old now. I can’t believe it. I don’t want to believe it. They are starting to show that they are growing up a little though. Jill and SammieDoodle are making them toe the line more and more and they are much more inquisitive and ready to explore.
Several times today. they looked like we routinely duct tape them up. I have been picking it out of their hair over and over. Where are they getting duct tape you ask, they are pulling it up from the seams on their floor. It’s the same color as the rubber but they found it anyway. Just more proof that they are indeed PWDs.
We took some of the puppies to the vet with Jack yesterday for a ridealong and to get cookies from the vet techs/vets. I left Limey and Purple in separate crates while we did that. They could still see each other but I am pretty sure they spent the time napping as they were still pretty quiet when Bruce got home and let them out into their area. I’m not sure what they were doing when we got home since Cindi let them out but I didn’t hear them fussing.
They had a nice picnic dinner and romp in the cooler evening air. (They weren’t cold Tamara – they weren’t even wet.) They did keep trying to get to one of the sprinkler heads (Bruce had been watering the yard) but eventually they were distracted by getting out of the fence. They started going through the gate so I had to put the little ex pen in front of that. They can climb over that so it has to be pushed very close to the gate. After that, they found the one spot along the burning bushes where we hadn’t put ex pen inside of the fence and climbed up and through. They stayed around the area but it was hard to keep up with all of them. Eventually, they started winding down and we brought them inside for the night. I had to go to try to deal with my headache so Bruce eventually did last call. I didn’t sing Happy birthday to them at their birth times but I think they’ve forgiven me. I didn’t hear them screaming about it and they were happy to see me this am (and I wasn’t even carrying the food bowl.)
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