All About the Puppy
From Ceaser
On July 7, 2007, our Poodle Puppy Search lead us to Justamere Farm. Out of the puppies they had we were able to find a girl that we like very much. She was very calm while held and inquisitive as she explored the living room when let loose. One thing that we liked about her is that she was not upset to be away from her litter mates like her bigger brother (who made a lot of noise).
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First Day
The Puppy's First Day - July 21, 2007
We drove out to Chesapeake City in the morning to pick our little girl up from the breeder. We arrived early because Melissa was way to excited and gave up on sleeping around 6:30. We wasted as much time as we could on the way there and arrived around 9:45. By 10:15 we were on our way back home with the puppy. She was probably as excited as we were, she wanted to look at everything (inside and outside the car) and climbed all over Melissa. we decided very quickly that we had better buy nail clippers right away because she was scratching us up pretty badly in her desperation to climb and squirm. What happened to my calm relaxed little girl? She got a little worked up on the way home, so we stopped at one of the rest areas to give her a break. After that she was great. We stopped at Dogma to get nail clippers and Five Guys to pick up lunch. THe puppy was very good about meeting strangers; glad to be held, but not fearful.
We weren't quire sure how to introduce everyone and after a little his from the cat through the screen door (puppy hadn't even made in into the house yet!) we decided to take everyone to the back yard. That's where the cat wanted to go anyway and would be safe if the puppy needed to potty. We gathered up food and water for the dog, treats for the cat, and our lunch and all sat outside. This turned out to be a great idea. The cat could go in and out as he pleased, the puppy got the fill up on water and cool down and we got to eat.
We played with the puppy for a little while and tried to get here to potty, but she didn't know what we wanted and was too exhausted to figure it out. Melissa and the pup took a tiny little nap on in the bed, and then we transfered her to her crate. Thomas had fixed it up very comfortably and she went in with no fuss. We took this opportunity to run out to get the Harry Potter book and puppy food. We had hoped that by the time we got back she would be ready to potty, but we still couldn't figure each other out.
After several failed cycles of 10 minutes standing out side saying "let's potty", encouragement to drink water, and then 15 minutes back in the create Thomas suggested going to the park. This turned out to be exactly what we needed. After the initial shyness and then excitement of discovering another new place, she sniffed around where other dogs had gone to the bathroom and finally figured out that she had a place to relieve herself. It must have been quite a relief too, because she she immediately became much more interested in playing. She had been interested in little stints of play, but was tired and would get frustrated and flop down or whine. We knew what she needed but not how to tell her that it was okay. I don't think we will have many accidents and once she learns our funny language will have a very easy time with potty training.
After making a huge fuss of love and praise we played around in the park on the way to pick up pizza and then on the way home. We met several other dogs, but most owners understood that as a baby she wasn't ready for much up close interaction yet. She did get nose to nose with a very tough looking pug that was just about her size. She slept very quietly in the bed between us as we ate our pizza and watched a movie. We managed to get her to eat a little more food (she ate very little all day) and then went back to the park for another attempt at going to the bathroom before bed. She was more interested in playing, but she figured out pretty quickly that we weren't and gave in. We rewarded her with 10 good minutes of frolicking in the grass and then went home.
She was not exactly in the mood for sleeping, but eventually gave up on trying to get her boring people to do something and laid down. She was pretty wiggly but Thomas held her and her and made sure the A/C fan was keeping her cool. We all slept fairly well and got a very early start on Sunday.
General observations from the day
- Puppy toe nails are almost as sharp as cat nails, but more dangerous because they don't retract.
- Puppy's don't instinctively understand the words "potty" or "no"
- Puppy's don't seem to mind stepping in the food bowl or sleeping with an ear in the water bowl. Doggy place mats apparently have a purpose beyond just asethetics.
- Puppy's don't know how much food they are supposed to eat in one day and may fall short.
- Puppy's play until they fall asleep and then instantly wake up and want to play again.
and
- The cat is a little more reluctant to share his house and his people than I expected.
Possible Names
- Lilly
- Nandi
- Nyx or Nyxi (goddess of darkness and night) - The winner NEW
- Lillette
Images
 The Puppy being held by Melissa. |
 Our puppy exploring the outside of her show pen. |
 Everyone is looking at Thomas. |
 looking at some of the other puppies |
 Stopping half way home after picking up the puppy. |
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 So sweet |
 First meal after getting home. The Cat is investigating. |
 The passage has been blocked. |
 "I could kill it now while it feeds" |
 He's not amused. |
 "I can sleep here, by my food" |
 Playing in the park Monday morning before Thomas goes to work. |
 "You've escaped me for the last time Ball, prepare to die!" |
 "Feet taste better then toys" |
 We took Nyxi to the park for some 9 week Birthday pictures |
 Hi Mommy! |
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 Look how tall I am! |
 This is what she is like all of the time...until she falls over asleep |
 Chewing on her new toy |
 She takes up as much of the bed as possable |
 Trying to look like the cat |
 It's exausting being a puppy |
 Proud Grandpa says goodnight |
