The 25th Hour: Puppy Tales

Since we haven't had a puppy in our lives in 14 or so years, this is all brand new once again. What better way to document and chronicle the ups and downs of puppyhood than right here? She'll grow fast and I'll likely not remember "those" times and before I know it she'll be an old lady.

Nigel was very much the puppy until at least six years old and was a very stubborn and high strung boy. He gave us a l

ot of love but also a run (literally) for our money. God forbid, someone left the gate open or the door ajar... off he would go! The only way to get him was to get in the car and pull up aside him. He'd happily jump in to go for a ride. But, if you tried to get him on foot, the game was on! The minute you got near him he'd juke and run enjoying his game. He grew into a loving and quite mellow old man and we miss him to this day.

Since Bella is a Chihuahua and is toy dog, some of the issues that we had with Nigel are not going to be present, such as stealing food from the counter, digging outside (she won't be out alone), and using her size to get her way. This is not to say that typical puppy behaviors are not going to be an issue:

Her biggest puppy behavior right now is nipping. She doesn't do it in aggression, rather in play but it needs to be nipped (hehe) in the bud right from the start. When she nips from being over stimulated and all excited, I immediately yelp like she injured me, turn off the attention, put her down and praise her profusely when she plays gently. It's getting better already with me, but she still gets very excited with other family members. I'm the primary care giver so she doesn't associate me only with play. As long as everyone is on the same page we'll be ok.

Another issue that I never had with Nigel is directly due to her small size. She fits under the couches and chairs and it's too dangerous there. Wires and an open back end to the stairway landing is accessible if she goes under the couch. I've resolved that by only allowing her out in the main area when I'm specifically playing with her.

Potty training is going well although she still has accidents if she's loose. I've made a "pen" by gating off an L shaped area around the island containing all of her things and allowing her plenty of room but not free access to the house. It's working well, and she hasn't had a single accident there. (Of course, I take her outside the minute she wakes up, after she eats and periodically throughout the day.) She goes outside immediately and is doing very well with that.

She still prefers to be with me and will spend some time on my lap for a belly rub :-) which is fine as long as she chews her bone and not my clothing, and it works out well and gives me some quiet time with her. After supper though, she's usually feisty and full of energy. She won't stay in the lap or in her pen without crying. She wants to play rough and nips quite a bit. I've taken to playing ball with her or letting her run around outside (weather permitting). If the kids try to play with her then, she's all wound up. Evenings are the most difficult time right now because she wants to play but she tends not to play appropriately. She does settle down later when I dim the lights and set the quiet mood to get ready for bed. She's been sleeping through the night and usually wakes up around 6:00AM which is fine with me.