I used to find money in the bottom of the washing machine when doing laundry. Now I find dog treats! :)

This is Dakota learning to sit. Good Girl!

Settling In

Dakota is 10 weeks old and has grown to 11lbs. She's visited the vet, had vaccinations, de-worming, an antiobiotic for an ear infection and lots of time to get used to the family. She is successfully crate trained! Hurray! She goes willingly into the crate and sleeps all through the night without whining or "accidents".

House training is going well....but, it's really more about us being trained than Dakota right now. House

training is the primary focus of my entire day and I see the time when Dakota is successfully house trained as the key to freedom. We've learned several important things, including all the "signs" to watch for.

1. First thing in the morning, TAKE HER OUT! But, one time pooping is only the beginning....STAY OUTSIDE for round two of number two!
2. When you see her trotting down the hallway toward the back door - TAKE HER OUT! It's hot and Dakota needs to drink a lot of water.....that means she also needs plenty of opportunities to pee - Yesterday, she peed on her way to the back door - then laid down by the door until I came to let her out. She's beginning to understand that the urge to pee means "go outside", but she's still working on control!
3. When she starts sniffing intently around the room - TAKE HER OUT! (Even if she just came in!)
4. When she whimpers at your feet - TAKE HER OUT!
5. When she first wakes up from a nap - TAKE HER OUT!
6. Within 15 to 20 minutes after eating - TAKE HER OUT!
7. If you see her squat - interrupt! and (you know what I'm going to say) TAKE HER OUT!
8. BIG BONUS - she won't go while sitting on your lap, or resting in your arms, or being carried outside or while she's in her crate. So any change from one of those relaxed states can mean you need to .....TAKE HER OUT!

See how well trained I am? : )

Time for Puppy

The primary difference in the last two weeks with Dakota and the weeks leading up to her arrival is I am spending a lot less time in the car and a lot more time at home. Since I know I can't just take off whenever I please, I am more focused in timing my errands and cutting out frivolous trips. If I can't get out in the morning when Dakota takes her longest nap, I wait until Courtney comes home at 4:30 or I realize I didn't need to go out that badly in the first place.

I've been known to get annoyed when people compare their pets to children....but....okay, I can see some parallels. For example, having a puppy changes your priorities. Some of the things that were so pressing before puppy are things easily put aside once she's here. The laundry can wait. I can vacuum later. I don't need to rush out to that 40% off sale at Macy's. I'm wearing athletic shorts, t-shirts and sneakers these days anyway! What would I do with a new pair of cute wedge sandals?

You have to make time for your puppy. She needs a lot of attention. The investment of time and attention now will pay off when your puppy grows up .... just like children. Of course, having a baby is harder! You can't leave a baby in a crate for two hours while you get a haircut! And there are a host of other differences! But having a baby can give you insights into having a puppy....and having a puppy can give you insights into having a baby. Each experience relates to the other.

My "baby" is sleeping right now, thank goodness. Having been up at 12:15am and 3:30am to take her outside, I could use a quick nap myself! The house is quiet and peaceful...I have been frequently advised to take advantage of my babies' naps to catch a few extra winks myself! Great advice!

Perspective

I spend a lot more time lying down these days, looking at things from a horizontal or even upside down view. Trees and shrubs look very different from this view. Branches fan out against a blue sky. The azalea bush has tiny new lime green leaves growing beside the brown,shriveled carcasses of flowers past their blooming season. There are all kinds of tiny creatures crawling around in the dirt and pine straw, minding their own business, living their little bug lives. The sky is a as big a part of the scenery as anything below it and is constantly morphing.

Inside, I notice the softness of rug pile, note it's density and how it smells when my nose is just inches away. The kitchen floor is smooth and cool in the middle of a hot day where grass is prickly and soft at the same time. There's an organic smell to the earth and grass that's neither particularly aromatic or unpleasant....just a smell that says 'this is earth.' A floor that looks clean can feel gritty next to my skin and it doesn't seem like the rug should smell like the earth, but I have to admit, that in some places it does.

Lying around on the ground is the frequent domain of children and pets ... and now, me.

House Training Lessons Learned

It's day three of concentrated house training and I've learned a few good tips:

• Freedom's just another word for.....good job! When we take Dakota out to do her business, we initally have her on a leash. When she's done her thing, we give her a treat and lots of praise, then let her off the leash to romp and play with us. She's learning to associate getting her "business" done earns some freedom, which is almost as good a treat as those yummy chicken flavored chews!
• Pull the trigger - We take her to the same spot (the pine straw in the natural area out front)* and use a "trigger" word** that she can associate with going to the bathroom. Just like other simple commands, it's a great way to communicate expectations and focus her attention on what she's being rewarded for when she does what she's asked.

At first, we thought the obvious trigger word would be "go potty". But we say potty too much at other times in everyday conversation and realized that could be confusing. So we decided on "go here". We made a conscious decision to use "come" as the command to call her rather than "here" so we wouldn't get her all jumbled up trying to figure out whether to poop or run in our direction!

The 15 minute rule - The book says take your puppy out every hour. With Dakota, that's can be about 15 minutes too late. So, for now, in her baby stage, we've learned we have to take her out about fifteen minutes after she's had anything to eat or drink and check on her about every fifteen minutes to see if she's sniffing around for a place to go or trying to chew on a power cord!

Honestly, at this point, if I haven't seen her for more than 15 minutes, something's up! :) But she is sweet, loveable and very social with people. She's friendly with little children, even if she doesn't know them and equally loving with adults who approach her gently (sudden moves can be scary!) and speak to her lovingly. Lisa, our check out lady at PetSmart, holds her while she rings up our latest purchase just for the puppy kisses. Of course, at this point, Lisa is as familiar to Dakota as we are since we are at PetSmart at least once a day! :)

So, here's for house training lessons learned! I'm keeping track of how long it takes to train Dakota and figuring out that I am training myself to be a dog owner at the same time.

Thanks!

*Training a new puppy to go to the potty in the pinestraw was a tip learned from Fran when she was training Murphy's puppies

** Using the trigger word was a tip from an associate of Gene's at Fain, Major & Brennan

Lessons From My First Day

1. Just because your puppy spent fifteen minutes in the front yard sniffing around, successfully went potty, received copious praise and gobbled up her favorite chicken flavored treat DOES NOT INSURE that she WON'T come inside and immediately squat on the carpet!

2. If you think your puppy might hang out in the bathtub and happily chew on a doggie toy while you take a shower instead of freaking out, jumping up the side and sliding back down into the tub OVER and OVER and OVER while loudly whining .... you are probably wrong.

3. If you decide instead, that you'll just remove anything chewable from the floor, close the bathroom door and leave the shower door open slightly so your puppy knows you are still there....be prepared to finish your shower holding a wet puppy in one hand while attempting to shampoo, rinse and repeat with the other!

4. Taking a shower with your puppy is exhausting! You will both need a nap afterward!

5. If you are desperate to buy food and about half a dozen baby gates, you can take a sleeping puppy to WalMart in a tote bag and no one will ever know!

New Puppy Arrives

Our much anticipated new puppy arrived Friday night, June 4th. We picked her up at the Continental cargo building near the Atlanta airport, where she immediately stole our hearts by wagging her tail furiously and licking our faces with unabashed joy when let out of the pet carrier. She had traveled long and far from her original home in Portland, Oregon and probably would have given anybody who opened the door the same treatment, but we chose to take this as a sign that we are truly meant for each other!

She is a Brittany Spaniel named Dakota Rose, but we call her Koda. Both Dakota and Koda are Sioux for "friend or ally". Clayton was voting to name her "Rosie" , so she became Dakota Rose. , Clay asked us to look up "Rose" in the name book and we found it means......uh, rose..... So, no deep meaning there, although she is a "redhead" of sorts as her coloring is orange and white.

In deciding to get a dog, I remember thinking it would be a great way to get some regular exercise. So here I am on my first day alone with my new puppy and I've walked maybe 30 feet all day. I am convinced that the instant I turn my attention from Koda, she will pee or poop someplace I'd rather she didn't. I am watching her like my life depends on it ... or at least my carpet... taking her outside every hour or so and following the detailed, specific schedule helpfully scribed by Courtney, my very own 20 year old puppy expert.

Armed with a copy of "The Puppy Whisperer" and a shopping bag of recommended commodities from the local PetSmart, I'm ready to turn this little bundle of joy into the ideal family pet.....clearly at the expense of personal hygiene or a life outside my kitchen; the only room I dare allow her to stay for more than a few minutes (see "pee and poop" reference above). So we'll see how it goes!