The New Baby
So it's Week Nine of Quarantine.
Way back in January (before we even knew quarantine was like a legit thing), I announced that this summer I would be getting a puppy. I was ready. My kids have asked for years, and I always said, 'HECK no! Ain't nobody got time to parent kids and puppies!" That is the truth. If you have small kids and get a puppy . . . more power to you.
What changed? My kids are older and more independent of me. (Andrew ignores me for hours at a time. Alexa ignores me for minutes at a time.) They're old enough to be genuinely helpful at feeding and taking 5,000 walks. They're aware enough to understand why we have to train . . . them and the puppy. They're somewhat observant to see when the puppy is chewing on something she should not. And frankly, I'm sort of lost when my kids aren't around.
Once we got quarantined, Doug could see my way of thinking that now would be a good time to get a puppy. So I started looking at the Humane Society and different rescue groups and thankfully . . . after about a month, one worked out. We got the call at 11am, and she was in our car and on the way home with us by 3pm. Thankfully the rescue group sent us home with some supplies to get us started.
She is exactly what I wanted: she's a love bug. She LOVES LOVES LOVES to sleep on laps, and snuggle. Unfortunately I have started a bad habit- and now she's a couch dog. (Our older dog- Gracie- never expressed interest in getting on our beds or couches). Dixie (the puppy) LOVES to be on beds and couches- or just touching us. She wants to be in physical contact with us. She is silly and goofy and wildly entertaining. She and Alexa play chase- which is mostly hilarious- except when I'm on a virtual meeting and then it's super annoying. Andrew comes up with great games of hide and search, and tug of war, and all kinds of other rough and tumble fun stuff.
To be totally honest- potty training is not great. The first week and half we had her (she was supposedly 8 weeks old, but I sometimes wonder if she was younger) she didn't seem to associate going outside on her leash, out of the same door every time, with . . . going potty. No matter how many times we cheered her on, or followed right on Gracie's heals to show Dixie what "go potty outside" means (Gracie hasn't received so much praise about peeing outside in years. She seems pretty scornful of the praise to be honest. :-) . To Dixie- going outside meant (and largely still means): eating weird crap, chewing sticks, sniffing, and prancing about. She has finally figured out that going outside means going potty . . . usually. She has never used the potty in her kennel. And about 5 days ago- she started sleeping all the way through the night. (she probably would have slept through the night earlier, but I still set my alarm and woke her up to go outside, until the night I took her outside and she sat and stared at me like I was a weirdo. Then I knew- she's ready to go all night)
One of the disadvantages of getting her during quarantine is- we don't really have a need to teach her about separation. We're always around- so the times when she needs to be away from us . . . it doesn't go well. We went out one evening and came home to find her and Gracie totally frantic. (Dixie had been in her kennel in our bedroom where she always sleeps) and Gracie had her usual roam of the house. I have decided I need to start working on separating from us successfully. (If I got Alexa to separate from me successfully- I can get this puppy). The other disadvantage to it being quarantine- is one of us is always around to entertain her- or be entertained by her. The times when we put her in "Dixie's World" (the entry way) she barks . . . excessively at us. She is horrified that we would not be entertaining her or holding her. It is tough. It's true.
She does okay with Gracie. She totally gets that Gracie is the alpha. We set the tone with that. Gracie always gets fed first, and Gracie gets to go out the door- or in the door first. Gracie gets greeted first .. . Unfortunately- Gracie is 12 and has no interest in playing. None. She's never been one for playing- so this isn't unusual. Occasionally, Dixie can sneak onto Gracie's bed . . . vewy vewy s l o w l y and g e n t l y. And lay down . . . but as soon as her paw touches Gracie- bed sharing is over. I wish Gracie would let her snuggle. It would make Dixie's week. But alas. Gracie is not- and never has been- one for snuggling.
She has been a delight in every possible way (except when we have to fish gross stuff out of her mouth. She was outside with Doug yesterday and found a dead snake to chew on. I would have been utterly useless in that situation. I HATE dead things). She is definitely fulfilling a need I had to nurture and love on a baby. She is fairly tolerant of my excessive kissing and petting.
Way back in January (before we even knew quarantine was like a legit thing), I announced that this summer I would be getting a puppy. I was ready. My kids have asked for years, and I always said, 'HECK no! Ain't nobody got time to parent kids and puppies!" That is the truth. If you have small kids and get a puppy . . . more power to you.
What changed? My kids are older and more independent of me. (Andrew ignores me for hours at a time. Alexa ignores me for minutes at a time.) They're old enough to be genuinely helpful at feeding and taking 5,000 walks. They're aware enough to understand why we have to train . . . them and the puppy. They're somewhat observant to see when the puppy is chewing on something she should not. And frankly, I'm sort of lost when my kids aren't around.
Once we got quarantined, Doug could see my way of thinking that now would be a good time to get a puppy. So I started looking at the Humane Society and different rescue groups and thankfully . . . after about a month, one worked out. We got the call at 11am, and she was in our car and on the way home with us by 3pm. Thankfully the rescue group sent us home with some supplies to get us started.
She is exactly what I wanted: she's a love bug. She LOVES LOVES LOVES to sleep on laps, and snuggle. Unfortunately I have started a bad habit- and now she's a couch dog. (Our older dog- Gracie- never expressed interest in getting on our beds or couches). Dixie (the puppy) LOVES to be on beds and couches- or just touching us. She wants to be in physical contact with us. She is silly and goofy and wildly entertaining. She and Alexa play chase- which is mostly hilarious- except when I'm on a virtual meeting and then it's super annoying. Andrew comes up with great games of hide and search, and tug of war, and all kinds of other rough and tumble fun stuff.
To be totally honest- potty training is not great. The first week and half we had her (she was supposedly 8 weeks old, but I sometimes wonder if she was younger) she didn't seem to associate going outside on her leash, out of the same door every time, with . . . going potty. No matter how many times we cheered her on, or followed right on Gracie's heals to show Dixie what "go potty outside" means (Gracie hasn't received so much praise about peeing outside in years. She seems pretty scornful of the praise to be honest. :-) . To Dixie- going outside meant (and largely still means): eating weird crap, chewing sticks, sniffing, and prancing about. She has finally figured out that going outside means going potty . . . usually. She has never used the potty in her kennel. And about 5 days ago- she started sleeping all the way through the night. (she probably would have slept through the night earlier, but I still set my alarm and woke her up to go outside, until the night I took her outside and she sat and stared at me like I was a weirdo. Then I knew- she's ready to go all night)
One of the disadvantages of getting her during quarantine is- we don't really have a need to teach her about separation. We're always around- so the times when she needs to be away from us . . . it doesn't go well. We went out one evening and came home to find her and Gracie totally frantic. (Dixie had been in her kennel in our bedroom where she always sleeps) and Gracie had her usual roam of the house. I have decided I need to start working on separating from us successfully. (If I got Alexa to separate from me successfully- I can get this puppy). The other disadvantage to it being quarantine- is one of us is always around to entertain her- or be entertained by her. The times when we put her in "Dixie's World" (the entry way) she barks . . . excessively at us. She is horrified that we would not be entertaining her or holding her. It is tough. It's true.
She does okay with Gracie. She totally gets that Gracie is the alpha. We set the tone with that. Gracie always gets fed first, and Gracie gets to go out the door- or in the door first. Gracie gets greeted first .. . Unfortunately- Gracie is 12 and has no interest in playing. None. She's never been one for playing- so this isn't unusual. Occasionally, Dixie can sneak onto Gracie's bed . . . vewy vewy s l o w l y and g e n t l y. And lay down . . . but as soon as her paw touches Gracie- bed sharing is over. I wish Gracie would let her snuggle. It would make Dixie's week. But alas. Gracie is not- and never has been- one for snuggling.
She has been a delight in every possible way (except when we have to fish gross stuff out of her mouth. She was outside with Doug yesterday and found a dead snake to chew on. I would have been utterly useless in that situation. I HATE dead things). She is definitely fulfilling a need I had to nurture and love on a baby. She is fairly tolerant of my excessive kissing and petting.
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