End of day 4 and here's the update:
Puppy's name is Walter...we call him Wally :)
He's getting better at sleeping.
-first night he woke up at 2:30 crying and then fell asleep after a few minutes, then he woke up again at 5 and Ryan took him out to go potty. Neither of them went back to bed. Ryan was EXHAUSTED!
-second night he woke up at 2:30 crying and Ryan took him out. He cried for a half hour or so when Ryan put him back in the crate. We expected a 5am wake up, but it never came. He slept until we checked on him at 7:30 or so.
-third night (last night) he slept all the way through the night. Woke up crying at 7:30. Hooray!! Let's hope this sticks.
He's not getting much better at the potty thing.
-He just goes too often for us to keep up with I think. AND he's not consistent. We are sure to give a firm "NO!" when he goes inside, and sure it's only been 4 days, but I sure hope he gets it soon, this is the WORST part about him. I get really mad and I think it's preventing me from falling for him. I look at him and see work and stink.
In general, he's not SO bad.
-I do like his general disposition. Other than the occasional whining (he IS a puppy), he is perfectly happy quietly sitting by our side or napping throughout the day. THAT'S why we chose this breed. We can't handle hyper attention hungry dogs. And we REALLY can't handle lots of barking.
I wouldn't say I LOVE him yet, but I do think he's cute. I can sit and pet him for a bit and enjoy that, but then I run to wash my hands. I am just a little obsessive about having clean hands. So it's probably no surprise that I don't like holding him and I don't like him licking me. He follows me around trying to lick my feet all day long, that's kind of annoying.
He had his first vet visit today and checked out well except for a rash on his belly. He was a HUGE hit. Everyone talked baby talk to him and came up to pet and hold him. After the vet, we went to the Spectrum (an outdoor mall) and got an even bigger reaction. As we walked, people crowded around him like he was a celebrity. We even had two people ask to take pictures with him.
I still having flashes of regret for getting him, but hopefully that won't last. Ryan loves him and that makes me happy.
There are a few things he needs to work on.
-Jumping up on the couches. He's too little to get UP on them, but he jumps up to see us on them. We push him down and say "NO!" every time, but he's not getting it.
-biting our hands or feet or any part that will fit into his little puppy mouth. The bites don't hurt that much, but he needs to stop this.
-potty in the house. Ridiculous! Enough said.
Anyway, that's our pupdate for now. Stay tuned for more...
(hope this all makes sense, I'm too tired to proof read)
5 comments:
Haha, it totally sounds like a baby, waking up crying at night. That's great. Puppies really are just babies and want to be by you. Here are some thoughts...
Have you tried the puppy pads? It might help some. Probably the best thing though is to go outside with him ridiculously often, like every 30 minutes, while you're home, and then act really happy and pet him and reward him with a treat when he goes. Dogs respond pretty well to positive reenforcement, because he does want to please you, so you have to help him understand. It's like potty training a kid. They have to go a lot.
They're also like babies in that they're just so excited to see you (you two are his whole world), so if you don't want him up on the couch maybe sit on the floor or something. He's making noise and stuff because he just wants to be by you. It's hard to say no to that kind of love! Try to reframe it that way and it might be less annoying. I should probably do that too, come to think of it. Hmm.
I almost always wash my hands after touching a dog, too, so even when you like them that might not go away :) Good luck!
I remember when my roommate was training her puppy... it was hard. Im glad you guys are kennel training him. My roommate says that that is the best thing you can do to a dog. It'll break your heart to hear him cry but its just what you gotta do. Potty training is really hard though. You can't be afraid to give Wally a firm slap on the nose and tell him "NO!" when he goes in the house.
It sounds like you guys are doing great though. Im excited to see all 3 of you in a few weeks!
Puppy pads and kennel training worked for us. It still took a while. But the pads are easy to clean up.
I wonder what Uncle Wally is going to say about that! :0)
He's very cute. The puppy stage is hard but, they do grow out of it. I still don't like my dog most days though. Sorry, that isn't too encouraging, is it?.
He is cute. You'll learn to love him! Once he gets a bit bigger and learns to go on walks and play more with his toys.
When can I come see him? I love puppies :)
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