Scary "Deedle Dudes"

After lunch we decided to go on a socialization outing. I was also hoping to find this pretty girl a pretty reflective collar so that Dolce could have his back. We decided in Pawtrero because it is close to home and there is parking. It is also likely to be quiet at this time of day. I put the pup into the backpack and off we went. When we arrived I tried to get the pup to come out of her bag but she wouldn't. So I carried the pup-in-bag and Amy walked Dolce. We browsed for about 5 minutes before the pup stuck her head out of the opening in the top of the bag to look around. Eventually she was willing to come out and check things out (from her vantage point in my arms). Amy was playing with the toys and picked up a crazy looking mouse toy that is about as tall as the puppy. It is called a Deedle Dude and it sings a crazy song. The pup was a bit scared of it so naturally I bought it! On the way home we decided to stop by Sports Basement as it is a dog friendly store. When we stopped and got the dogs out of the car Amy noticed that the backpack was a bit wet. Upon further investigation I learned that poor pup had wet her bag. I am not sure when it happened though - she didn't fuss at all. Bad Mollie! I took her out of the bag but she was shaky and seemed sleepy so we let her be. We came home and I tried to get her to potty in the poodle-potty but nothing came of that. Back in her pen she goes. I offered her some food and water which she wanted. Then I gave her the Deedle Dude which she promptly pounced on and seemed to enjoy.

Wanna see a Deedle Dude?

Hello Amy!

So we had our first visitor to the house today. Amy came over to see the little princess. We met her at the people door next to the garage and both dogs gave Amy a big friendly, waggy welcome. The pup was very relaxed and friendly with Amy around. Dolce did manage 1 guard-y snark which upset the poor little girl. She bounced back in a minute or so.

The pup had one last pee and then Amy and I set the dogs up in their respective home-alone-zones and we went out for lunch. We were gone only about 40 minutes but it felt like forever. = ) We snuck up the back stairs to see if the pup was crying but she wasn't. In fact she was asleep when we walked in. Immediately out for a pee!

Tuesday - what we are up to today....

So I have finished my retroactive blog entries. I recommend to anyone considering a puppy blog that you actually begin before the puppy comes home! (Better late than never I say...a lot).
So she slept from 10PM-4Am....not too bad. I got her out and she went to the bathroom in her little Poodle potty area right away. We went back to bed and I put her into her Sherpa and brought the bag from its spot under the window up onto the bed with me. She was being a little fussy and I really, really wanted some more sleep.

We woke up at 6:30 and went out again. Dolce tried to get her to play but she is not quite ready for his bold play. He rushes up to her, play bows and then lets out a bark - she finds that scary. She tries to get him to play from time-to-time but he ignores her. I think eventually they will get their timing and communication right.

We had our first tiny training session this morning. We worked on the fundamental skill of eating kibble from my hand. It took a while to convince her to eat the 1 piece of food from my hand when she could see/smell the whole bowl! We also worked on standing still.

She also had her first Kong today - it was dry puppy kibbles with a touch of pumpkin on top. She loved the pumpkin but was a bit confused about how to work the Kong.

She is an excellent biter and seems to really like her toys. I am still working on her interest in tug toys. She does like to fetch = )

Today we are going to keep working on short absences and probably go on a short adventure. I am remembering to enjoy this napping puppy phase. She is extra SUPER cute when she is sleeping.

Progress - I am in the dining room and the puppy is in her kitchen pen. She has settled down and is being quiet. I suspect that she is napping. We just finished playing in the kitchen - her tug is really coming along. She loves her coiled stuffed "snake", her big fleece ball (on sale at Petco), and the tufts on my kitchen sink rug.

Surfaces - so far she has been on:

• grass
• dirt (dry and wet)
  
• hardwood
• cement (warm, cool, and wet)
  
• tile (room temp and chilly)
  
• pea gravel (dry and wet)
  
• carpet
• plastic
• paper

Oh, and she likes to garden - weeding, picking up dropped leaves and watering. She tried very hard to catch all of the water coming out of the hose while I was watering the garden. She also likes to play in the mud. (Good think she is a dark colored dog!)

Our first full day at home - Monday 7/30/07

We all slept pretty well. We went to bed at about 9pm (I was tired okay!). The pup slept in her Sherpa which was up on the bed near my head. Tim got home from work at about 1am so we all went out for a quick potty break and then back into the Sherpa and back to bed. She slept until 6:30am - woo hoo!

We played and hung out in the kitchen. I was delighted to discover that the coffee grinder didn't bother her. She is getting used to the noise of ex-pens scooting around - a noise that still bothers Dolce. She is strong already and has created a game in which she sneaks up behind me, wraps her legs around my leg, bites (a full bite!) onto my pants and then tried to pull me down. It is hard to explain why I am glad to see this kind of energy and determination.

We had our first SF outing today. I put Dolce into his room and packed the pup into the doggie backpack. She settled in the bag almost instantly (nice!). We walked the 2 block to the local coffee shop to meet up with Deirdre. The pup was a bit unsure about coming out of the backpack but we let her come out on her own time (onto a bench not the ground) which took maybe 5 seconds. She was a little shaky - I wasn't sure if she was nervous or cold. After about a minute we moved into the sun and the shaking stopped. She was taking her kibble which is. of course, a good sign. She was only out of her bag for about 10 minutes and then we decided to let her rest and put her back into the backpack.

We made frequent trips out all day. She doesn't "go" as often as I would expect. She finds the yard fun and distracting though, which I did expect. She is already fast and loves to zoom around between the bushes trying to entice Dolce to play. I had to put Dolce's reflective collar on her because at night you can't see her!

She is eating well, sleeping well and playing well. I am delighted with her (not sure that my neighbors are as excited as I am). We still have some work to do on the "puppy alone in her pen or crate" training. This girl will let you know if she is not pleased with her lot.

She cries when I leave her sight so I spent a lot of time today working around the house doing normal comings/goings. By the end of today it bothered her less - she would get up and look but not cry. Ah progress! I am looking forward to being able to take a shower without her crying.

It is 6pm and we all need some air. I packed the pup into her backpack and put Dolce on leash. We went for our second "walk" around the neighborhood. She moved around in the bag a little but I didn't need any shaking. We saw/heard all kinds of people, trucks, buses, birds etc. There is so much to get used to in this city.

She cried/screamed for 30 minutes tonight in her pen in the kitchen while I was getting ready for bed. She slept well though. She slept in her Sherpa on the floor near the window in my room. This is where I intend to place her crate. I am still using the Sherpa because she is very comfortable with it. I will transition her to her crate in the next few days.

update - well she is a real puppy. I am losing my house-training battle today. We are 3-outside vs. 3 - kitchen rug. I guess I had better re-read some puppy books!!!

Isn't she precious!

Our first full day together

So as I mentioned at the end of my last post "Pick her up day" our first full day together started at 4:00 AM. Not my favorite time in the morning. I couldn't sleep but the pup slept well - I was glad to have her well rested. I tried to play with her in the morning hoping to tire her out some but I wasn't particularly successful. I gave her only a tidbit to eat and a bit to drink. We got to the ticket check in line at 5am because the airline people told me it was required). We had to wait for about 15 minutes which I found a bit surprising at that hour. The pup fussed a little but was over all very good. After we checked in and I showed the pup's health certificate we were ready to go through security. I found a patch of grass and tried to get the pup to relieve herself but I was unsuccessful. We went through the long security line but didn't have any problems getting through. The airline people wouldn't give me a seat assignment so I had to wait at the gate nervously for the gate agents to show up. I attempted to get a cup of coffee at the Starbucks but after 15 minutes in line (and not making any progress) I gave up. I checked in and we went to the bathroom for another attempt at "emptying the puppy". I got into the biggest stall I could fine, put down the puppy pad. Sucess! This helped to reduce my travel stress a little. The plane boarded on time - we were on a Boeing 767 and I was stuck in the middle. There was some sort of storage box in my underseat space which meant that I had to squish and tuck the large Sherpa into place. It stuck out enough that I thought I would get in trouble. I didn't have a back up plan but luckily I didn't need one.

The pup was wonderful on the trip but it was the longest 4 hour flight I can remember. I tried 2x to get her to go to the bathroom in the airline bathrooms but was unsuccessful. She was calm and quiet until the last hour - she did fuss some but not too badly. We landed and met up with Tim and grabbed my bag. We found a clean looking spot out-side and let the little one pee. She fussed in her Sherpa for the entire car ride home. When we introduced her to Dolce (in the yard) he scared her and she barked at him. I set up her puppy area and set her inside it. She screamed and shook for about 25 minutes. She eventually cried herself to sleep.

I didn't know what to do with myself so I just started washing dishes. Tim was making breakfast and we had the radio on. Wow can this pup scream!

After she had been quiet for a bit I let her out and we played around in the kitchen for a while.
Dolce attempted some guarding of me from the puppy and he got swift time outs for his errant behavior. Careful management is proving to be the way to go.

So pup still have diarrhea. I am trying not to overreact but it is a challenge. Eva had called to check on so I asked her what she suggested when I called to give her the update. She recommended Nutrical and Immodium. Tim set off for Petco (Nutrical and DAP refill) and Safeway Pharmacy. (We were going for 1-stop shopping as opposed to choosing the stores we usually frequent.) While I was waiting (anxiously) for him to return I read up on puppy diarrhea on the Leerburg website - interesting stuff. When he got back I plugged in the DAP and tried to figure out how much Nutrical to give her so I weighed her on my kitchen/postal scale (one of my all time favorite Christmas presents). She weighed just under 5lbs.

The rest of the day is play, rest, and potty trips. I got her out almost every time but she did manage to pee on the white shag carpet in the front room. Opps!

She has a very interesting variety of vocalizations. When she "howls" she sounds either like a monkey or some type of bird. Better record it for later. = )

At bedtime (9PM because I was exhausted) the pup slept in her Sherpa up near my head. She settled quickly and slept through until 1am when Tim got home. We took a quick potty break outside then back into the Sherpa until 6:30AM.

Pick her up day (and the day before)

I can't tell you how many people have asked why on earth I am going through so much effort just to get a poodle puppy. You will all understand when you meet this puppy. Thursday July 26th I flew into O'Hare and was picked up and driven back to the Quad Cities by my cousins Kate & Joe. I spend the next day (Friday) trying to enjoy my family while recovering from a horrid cold at the same time. I had been so sick I didn't think that I was going to be able to fly out of SF at all. I ended up going to see my Doctor on Wednesday to see if there was anything that she could do for me. There wasn't. She felt I would be okay to fly (if I wanted to) and that I was at (or near) the end of my contagious period so I bought some Sudafed, Kleenex, hand sanitizer and hoped for the best. I learned that Sudafed makes me very hyper which made the 3h 40m flight very, VERY long!

Saturday morning Kate, Joe and I headed off to Indiana (from the QC in Iowa). We made a few stops and it ended up taking us 5 hours to get to the breeders house. We spend about an hour at her house getting to know the pups, meet the parents and other relatives. I was impressed by how friendly everyone was - all of the dogs greeted us. I had to choose between 2 of the female pups. They were both so sleepy ( it was about a million degrees outside and very humid) I decided to make my choice based mostly on what the breeder had told me. I chose a bitch called "Voter". I still have no idea what call name we are going to use for her. I have a huge list but none of them seem quite right. She is a special dog and needs a special name.

We left the breeder's with the poor nervous pup and made our way back into Chicago. She creied and fussed for the first 15 minutes of our car trip. Poor Kate searched in vain for a place to pull over and let her pee. We finally found a spot, stopped and let the little one relieve herself. After that she slept in her Sherpa all of the way to O'Hare. We were going to spend Saturday night at the Hilton next to the airport to make our 7am flight on Sunday easier. Hooray for dog friendly hotels! Lucky me - tomorrow we have to check in 2 hours before our flight because of the dog. Ugh - I love to get up at 4AM, really I do.

When we pulled up to the Hilton the whole family greeted us. The pup tried her best to take it all in stride and we all tried not to overwhelm her. I was stressed and needed a break so Kai watched the pup while I had a quick dinner with my Dad and Grandparents at the hotel restaurant.

The pup LOVED to play with her reflection in the full length mirror. She tried everything that she could think of to get that "other poodle" to play with her. Too cute!! She had been trained to go to the back door when she needed to go out and she already has a preference for grass. Poor thing. We made it through with our puppy pads but it was an adventure.

I was beat and while getting ready for bed she fell asleep at my feet on the tile bathroom floor!

I put her in her Sherpa, and zipped her up, and set her up on the bed near where I would be sleeping. She fussed for a few minutes and then fell asleep. I had trouble sleeping but she slept from 10pm 'til 4am. Poor little kid was having some tummy upset....and I was trying not to freak! I was beginning to wonder if my 7 puppy pads were gonna be enough.

Can't pass this one up!!!!!

Retroactive blogging -

It is June 2007 -

There is a breeder that I have been aware of for about 2 years now that has a litter of Mini Poodle pups on the ground. There are 4 of them - 1 boy and 3 girls. The parents have all of the qualities that I am looking for (they are champions, have Rally titles, Obedience titles, good health testing results, CGCs and are nice house pets. The Dam is even in training to be a child's therapy dog). I had to contact her. I heard about Eva on the Versatility in Poodles group. There is something about her and her dogs. (Not that many people do performance with the Toys and Minis)

So I e-mail her. She is still accepting applications!!!!!!! (COOL). I start looking into the health testing and obedience records on her dogs.

Still unsure that she will choose me I submit my prospective buyer questionnaire. I have listed Lynne, Trish and Deirdre as references. I am a shoe-in right?! Well she checks all of my references and asks lots of questions about me, my dog, my life, my goals, etc. She is especially concerned that I *not* be into breeding. Trish tries to alleviate her concerns...thanks Trish!

She gives me her number and we have a 90 minute chat on the phone. I call the co-breeder (owner of the Sire) and we have a 45 minute chat. I LOVE what I am hearing. I have to have one of these pups. Trying to sway her in my favor I submit Dolce's Obedience record, and resume with photos. Wow - Dolce has taken 20 dog training classes. I am not sure if that is cool or embarrassing!

We email a lot. I wait and wring my hands. Her response to Dolce's accomplishments is favorable. She asks me if I have a call name selected (does that mean I am getting a pup?) She asks me how I will "get" the pup....will I fly there and pick her up? (so then it must be true.....I am going to be getting one of these puppies?!)


The pup with her sister "Belle". Belle was the breeder's pick