Speck Update
Things with Speck are going amazingly well. Yesterday it seems like something clicked and he's running over to his puppy pads when it's time to relieve himself. The book said it would take about three weeks to get him housebroken if I followed their techniques, but it's only been about two so I can't complain.
As a matter of fact, he's continuing to fit into our family really well. I've fallen into a routine of letting him out, feeding him, making sure he doesn't pee on the floor, doing a little play and training, and putting him back in his kennel for a nap when he starts getting too rough. Delia is gaining confidence with him and seems to be learning that she can really take charge of this little dog.
I'll admit that I did expect Speck to help me feel a little better about having to give up Roxy, but it's happened in an unexpected way. I thought he'd fill the dog hole that Roxy left, and he has. I didn't expect him to ease my guilt about the decision. Living with and training him has shown me that it doesn't have to be as hard as it was with Roxy. I'm past asking why I couldn't have had this kind of fun and companionship with her that I have with Speck. She wasn't a fit for our family and I'm not sure anything I did would have changed that.
In a few weeks I'm going to start Speck in a puppy class. I had wanted to do it before he turned 12 weeks, but it didn't work out. I'm really not worried about it though. He's friendly and adjusts well when I take him out and about. He listens and learns well, especially for his age. Still, I'm determined to do as much as I possibly can to make sure he grows up to be a wonderful family dog. It would be kind of cool to have a dog well trained enough to earn a canine good citizen certificate too.
PS: Expect more photos posts soon. I'm finally working through the pictures on my memory card and getting the uploaded to flickr.