Potty Puppy

I'm almost tempted to change the name of this blog since I've become completely obsessed with the business of her...um...business.  Last night she peed in the potty box and pooped on the floor.  When I let her out the pee looked fresh and she wasn't leaking so I figured she was good for 45 minutes.  Wrong!  Caught her in the act, whisked her off to the box...is she ever going to learn?

Potty Progress

She was watching me ride my stationary bike and suddenly took off for a few minutes.  That's not a good sign.  I finished my 10 miles and went out to the living room to locate the damage.  OMG, she actually pooped in her potty box!  Good girl, Hadley, good girl.  An hour later she peed on the floor.  NO!  BAD DOG!

My Yelp Needs Work

The nipping is getting worse and the yelping less effective.  She stops biting when I yelp but goes right back to it the next day.  She's not learning not to do it so I'm going to experiment with something else.

My Shadow Has Floppy Ears and a Tail

Where I go, the puppy goes.  I have to shoo her out of the bathroom.  I have to watch carefully where I walk.  Step on the puppy or break an ankle...a choice that's frequently before me.  I've already accidentally "winged" her twice but she yelped and got out of the way.  You'd think that would teach her but...nnooo...

15 Weeks Old

Silly Puppy

She sleeps in a 4' x 4' exercise pen that's open when I'm home to watch her.  She sees me filling her bowl with dinner and placing it in it's normal spot in the pen.  She's on the outside of the pen with her nose pressed against it and whining for the food.  Um...the pen's open.  Silly puppy.

Happy Birthday to Me :)

This is my birthday weekend and although Brian came over with flowers and choc- olates, I have to remember that my real (and quite expensive) birthday present is right now napping in her crate. I have to admit that the little monster is adorably cute.

Brian and I have been tag-teaming, following her around fanatically, correcting every potty mistake. It seems like it's helping.

Puppy Whisperer Needed

I'm so frustrated that I decided to see if a puppy trainer or class would be right for us.  There's a place right up the block that has a puppy kindergarten ($350!) and there are a bunch of trainers in the area that will come to my house and charge me even more.

They all offer help in teaching basic commands but, I've already taught her those.  They all stress the importance of socializing a puppy but, she's plenty social.  She loves everyone and everything!  I mentioned that to one trainer on the phone and she did acknowledge that city dogs are more readily exposed to crowds, noises, people and other dogs.  At this point, I've taken Hadley out lots of times and she is never hesitant or fearful.

I'm sure the kindergarten would be fun for her but that's a bit more money than I wanted to spend right now if it's not absolutely necessary.  And the personal trainer kind of annoyed me a little.  She talked about food aggression and when I told her that Hadley doesn't mind if I touch her food she warned that that could change.  Um, scare tactics just tick me off, really.  She also made it seem like the excited peeing was a serious problem that must be immediately corrected but even the vet said she can't help it.  So..if she can't help it...how are you going to correct it?  Frustrating.

Puppy for Sale

FOR SALE:  Puppy with long floppy ears.  Adorably cute, very friendly, unfortunate tendency to pee on the carpet.  Make me an offer. 

I Don't Like Her Anymore

I'm not sure I like her anymore.  All she does is pee on my floor and nip my fingers.  Why did I want a dog?

Grow Up Already!

I really want her to grow up soon and stop pooping on my floor and yipping in the middle of the night and biting my fingers and toes and refusing to walk on a leash and scratching at her collar and trying to bite her dog tags and jumping up on people and getting so excited that she leaks pee on the floor.  Just grow up. 

14 Weeks Old

A Monster in a Cute Suit

She's so cute that almost no one can resist her.  Walking her goes like this...walk 10 steps, stop to let an admirer pet her...walk 10 steps, stop to answer questions about her...walk 10 steps, etc., etc.

All of that should be fun but I'm so frustrated by her that I'm not enjoying it.  When people tell me how much they wish she was theirs I'm tempted to say 'take her.'  When they comment how much fun I must be having with her I want to ask which part is fun - the pee on the carpet or the poop on the floor.

I search on the internet in the hopes that other people will describe these same problems but all I seem to find are people bragging that their dogs were housebroken or trained in a weekend.  Yeah...I want to meet these dogs.  Thank goodness for my best friend who has raised many puppies and who keeps shouting at me, "SHE'S ONLY A BABY!"

Right, calm down, she's only a baby.  She's a good dog, she's friendly and sweet-natured, her tail is always wagging.  Give her time.

My Severely Limited Vocabulary

NO!  Don't chew on the printer.  NO!  Don't chew on the blow-dryer cord.  NO!  Don't scratch the paint off the baseboard.  NO!  Don't nip my fingers.  NO!  OUCH!  NO!  BAD DOG!

Return of the Potty Monster

By the time I put the new, larger potty box in Hadley's pen the other day, she was already mostly paper trained.  It was so nice to not have to watch her every single second and actually be able to go to the bathroom or wash dishes.  The biggest problem was that her little tush would sometimes hang over the paper and the pee would leak onto the wood floor.  I had figured a box would eliminate the wood damage and I'd kind of assumed that she would go on the newspaper, whether it was on the floor or in a box.

WRONG!  It's like I've turned the clock back to day one.  She's been peeing and pooping on the floor, on the carpet in the bedroom, in every possible location except the box.  OMG, what have I done???  It's back to square one...watch her like a hawk, catch her in the act, whisk her off to the box and give her the command.  Over and over and over...

Brian said to put the newspaper back on the floor and give her both options...just to save the carpet and hardwood floor.  I didn't like the idea but got so desperate that I tried it.  Nope.  The deal is done.  The change is made.  I have to re-teach her one or the other so I'll teach her the box.  Shit.

Call the Plumber, We Have a Leak!

Hadley's an 'excited peer.'  In other words, she 'pees submissively.'  At least that's what I'm told is the official terminology/diagnosis for her behavior.  When she sees someone new or when Brian and I come home from work, she gets so excited that she leaks pee.

I don't mind so much at home because I'm kinda used to cleaning up pee.  But it's embarrassing when it happens outside.  I don't want to tell people not to pet my pretty puppy...but they sometimes end up with a little pee on their shoes.  Sometimes it's a little pee on their toes since it's Summer and, therefore, flip-flop season.

What I find interesting is that it happens even if she's just peed.  It's like she holds back a little reserve for excited peeing :)  I don't get upset at her, though, because I've read that this is common and she's too young to control it.

Potty Box Redux

I'd been searching for a larger potty box and finally found one with nice, low sides - Purina Second Nature Doggie Litter Box - and it arrived tonight.  I put it on the floor while I was throwing away the wrapping and Hadley jumped right into it to play...because the world is her plaything.  Then she started chewing the sides of it...because the world is her chew toy.

I put it in her pen next to the newspaper and taught her (with a food treat) that GO POTTY means step into the box.  She learned that just fine...but she peed on the newspaper in her pen.  So, I put the pee stained newspaper in the box and took away all the other newspaper in the pen.  Later, after she ate and drank, I put her in the box and gave her the command.  She hopped out, looked around for newspaper on the floor and went to her bed when she didn't find any.  She came back a few more times to look for other newspaper and finally broke down and used the box.  Excellent!

Dominance vs. Submission

I've definitely been reading too many "expert" opinions.  My puppy lies on my feet...that's dominant.  But she also licks my toes...that's submissive.  Is she bipolar?  Is she passive / aggressive?  Are the "experts" a little full of it?  Yeah...I'm thinking...that last one...

13 Weeks Old

Splat, Again

Hadley's been amusing the residents of my neighbor- hood for weeks now.  Some people smile and nod their heads knowingly...obviously puppy veterans but other's...

I'm constantly amazed by what people think is their business.  Comments made to us...telling us we should just pick her up...reminding us she's only a baby.

Hey folks, we're not taking her on a marathon here.  We're a block away from home.  Her legs are fine and she gallops across he living room floor at about 90 miles per hour.  She's been offered various yummy treats to walk nicely, she's wearing a harness so she's not being dragged by her neck...and she needs to stop being stubborn and learn to walk on a leash.

Second Vet Appointment

7 lbs., 4 oz. and the picture of health.  Just a little rest needed after the vaccination shot...

I Feel Like the Dog Whisperer

Every morning when I let Hadley out of her pen, she walks out into the living room, squats and pees.  And every morning I yell NO, grab her, put her on the newspaper in her pen and tell her GO POTTY.  She'll sometimes go there on her own in the afternoon or evening but never when she's sleepy after waking up.  But I always try, and this morning it worked!  She was headed to the living room, I told her GO POTTY and she turned around, went back to her pen, stepped on the newspaper and peed.  I couldn't believe it!  I felt so...so...powerful!

Getting Her Bark On

Yes, it's official...she knows how to bark.  I'd been hearing some "test" yips the last few days and one semi-bark that I don't think she realized she could do.  So, it was only a matter of time and now here it is.

NO!  NO BARK.  BAD DOG!

Ouch!

I knew that puppies nip and mouth and bite and chew and that puppy teeth are sharp as needles.   I read that you're supposed to yelp in pain when she bites and stop playing for a few seconds because that's what her litter-mates would do if play got a little rough.  So, Brian and I have both been yelping since we brought her home and I can't even imagine what the neighbors think is going on :)  It seems to work, though.  She stops biting and even tries to lick the area she bit.

Hadley, 'SHAKE'

At last!  I've been working on teaching her to shake hands for a couple of weeks now and I was starting to wonder if she'd ever learn this one.  I guess it was the hardest because it's an unnatural movement?  But...she knows it now! 

12 Weeks Old

The 4th of July - Puppy Style

Brian and I usually spend long Summer weekends at his house on Long Island but we both knew that Hadley wouldn't be ready yet for the trip and change of surroundings.  So, since Independence Day weekend brought lovely weather, we took advantage of the sun and relatively empty city to enjoy ourselves.

Now that Hadley's wearing a harness, we can drag her a bit if she's being stubborn so...a little shopping...a late lunch...a stroll by the river...and lots of lazy napping afterwards.  We all had a nice weekend :)

You're So Lucky!

This is the statement we hear most often when people stop to pet our puppy.  Um...thanks but...for the right price you could be lucky, too.  Are we missing something?

Bling

She hates wearing a collar so much that I'd actually been giving her a break.  But then I read that the only way to get her used to it is to...well...get her used to it.  So, I put it back on her in preparation for a visit from a friend and I added a little bling.

She hates the bling.  She kept trying to bite the bling and she actually managed to pry it off its jump ring.  Other dogs wear collars with tags!

The Bathroom Inspector

She's fascinated by the bathroom.  She just can't imagine what goes on in there!  There's a wire basket on the floor that's filled with towels and lotions and such that she's been warned away from.  But one day I was sitting at my dressing table and looked over to see her happily dragging the little rug out of the room.  NO!  BAD DOG!  She also peed on it once, was scolded and hasn't done it since.

But the toilet itself is the most fascinating.  She sniffs it, licks it, rubs against it.  Dogs are weird.  I close the door when I go in there because otherwise I'd never get her off me.  But, when I'm done and open the door, she runs in as if there's been an emergency and sniffs and inspects the whole room.  

The Killer Shoes of Doom

What is it with dogs and shoes?  Sniffing, licking, chewing... yuck.  But, apart from potential expensive footwear damage, it became impossible to put on or take off our shoes.  She'd pounce and grab and chew.  All shoes had to be immediately stowed in the closet and socks stuffed in the hamper.

Brian came up with a way to tame the shoe fetish.  One time, while she was playing 'attack the shoe'...the shoe attacked her!  He didn't actually hit her, of course, but chased her and smacked the ground around her.  It worked like a charm.  She no longer attacks shoes.  Sometimes she runs away when I'm taking them off but then she'll come back and lie against them and even fall asleep on them.  But, most importantly, she doesn't chew them and we haven't lost a single shoe!