Puppy days
Our second night was similar to the first. Although we'd set the timer to wake us up every 2.5 hours, in general, Samus woke us up before the alarm probably just shuffling around, but we took no chances and took her outside each time. So that meant a trip out at 9:15, 10:15, 12:30, 2:30, 4:15, and then up for real at 5:45. We continue our one accident/day trend - each time during the day when we're not quick enough after she wakes up.
She outgrew the laundry basket last night. Although she settled in it after the 9 PM outing, she was having a really hard time getting comfortable after the 10 PM trip. She really too little to just sleep on the rug, though, so we rolled up towels and placed them on the two sides of the rug not against the bed. The fourth side was left open, and she seemed much more comfortable, although she spent most of the night half on and half off the rug. I think she likes the coolness of the floor. She doesn't like being tethered, but we don't trust her to be loose in our room just yet, so we'd given her a few feet of tether attached to the bed.
She's eating pretty well, leaving in the bowl what she doesn't want from a proper feeding, and snacking on that later. She's also getting over her fear of the food dish noises, so before her last feeding, she had just a single kibble left.
She was pretty good with me this morning, walking (sort of) on the leash alright, and chasing me around the yard. When we came inside again, she played with her puppy-sized tennis ball. She has trouble with the whole "bring it to me" aspect of fetch, but she succeeded a few times in a proper fetch instead of just a pounce and chew! Then, she played on my lap with her rope and rubber ball toy for about ten minutes before passing out. When I got up to go to the table to work on my laptop, she followed a few minutes later and fell asleep under the chair next to me, nose a few inches from my foot. This whole sequence was repeated after her nap.
She is starting to chew on the chair legs, though, which is not good, but I think I scared her off for a little while by shouting no and hitting the floor next to her. Chewing on our furniture is BAD. We also have Bitter Apple which we will use if this chewing continues.
She definitely doesn't know her name yet, and doesn't come when called with any regularity. This is a frustration for Glen who thinks that she doesn't like him. (And the fact that she bites at the brush (or your hand) when grooming, and is (in his words) "indifferent to praise or punishment".) He wonders how to make her into the dog he wants instead of the puppy she is. I keep promising him it will come, but progress will be slow (and not measured by points or a progress bar!).
The most concerning thing is that she is extremely unhappy when locked in her kennel, even for just a few minutes with both of us here, or any time both of us are out of the kitchen and she's loose. I dread having to leave her for real on Wednesday.
But, before that, our next adventure is to the vet's in about half an hour.
She outgrew the laundry basket last night. Although she settled in it after the 9 PM outing, she was having a really hard time getting comfortable after the 10 PM trip. She really too little to just sleep on the rug, though, so we rolled up towels and placed them on the two sides of the rug not against the bed. The fourth side was left open, and she seemed much more comfortable, although she spent most of the night half on and half off the rug. I think she likes the coolness of the floor. She doesn't like being tethered, but we don't trust her to be loose in our room just yet, so we'd given her a few feet of tether attached to the bed.
She's eating pretty well, leaving in the bowl what she doesn't want from a proper feeding, and snacking on that later. She's also getting over her fear of the food dish noises, so before her last feeding, she had just a single kibble left.
She was pretty good with me this morning, walking (sort of) on the leash alright, and chasing me around the yard. When we came inside again, she played with her puppy-sized tennis ball. She has trouble with the whole "bring it to me" aspect of fetch, but she succeeded a few times in a proper fetch instead of just a pounce and chew! Then, she played on my lap with her rope and rubber ball toy for about ten minutes before passing out. When I got up to go to the table to work on my laptop, she followed a few minutes later and fell asleep under the chair next to me, nose a few inches from my foot. This whole sequence was repeated after her nap.
She is starting to chew on the chair legs, though, which is not good, but I think I scared her off for a little while by shouting no and hitting the floor next to her. Chewing on our furniture is BAD. We also have Bitter Apple which we will use if this chewing continues.
She definitely doesn't know her name yet, and doesn't come when called with any regularity. This is a frustration for Glen who thinks that she doesn't like him. (And the fact that she bites at the brush (or your hand) when grooming, and is (in his words) "indifferent to praise or punishment".) He wonders how to make her into the dog he wants instead of the puppy she is. I keep promising him it will come, but progress will be slow (and not measured by points or a progress bar!).
The most concerning thing is that she is extremely unhappy when locked in her kennel, even for just a few minutes with both of us here, or any time both of us are out of the kitchen and she's loose. I dread having to leave her for real on Wednesday.
But, before that, our next adventure is to the vet's in about half an hour.