Wetter Geordi

Wet Geordi

Bah!

So...Geordi has been having on and off diarrhea for the past 2 weeks. When we went in for Round 2 vaccinations, we found out that he has some canine parasites. It's depressing, because now he's barred from socializing with other dogs until he's all clear (minimum 1 month from now). Worst of all, we don't know where he got them from, since they are solely transmitted from dog to dog, and he's been quarantined in the house ever since we got him.

The positive is that Geordi is not symptomatic except for occasional diarrhea. The negative is that he keeps trying to eat it (and thus re-infect himself). So our tired vigilance is even tighter. Agh!

He is also very thirsty all the time from the water loss(?), so we give him water in limited sips (to prevent vomiting), Chilly Bone (a frozen wet dog toy), or ice cubes. The hubby also found that rolled up hand towels dipped in water and frozen make fun "ice 'hot dogs'" for Geordi to play with.

Anyway, Round 2 vaccinations went very smoothly; Geordi was incredibly interested in the vet's large and calm cat, which he licked and nosed vigorously while the vet slipped in with all the shots.

We hope Geordi gets all clear and healthy soon, because he has a whole world of walking and meeting to do!

Geordi at 12 Weeks

Cauliflower Head

Geordi's hair is growing really fast! He's developing what we call a "cauliflower head" with all the poofiness. He actually looks like he's fat, but nearly 1.5 inches all around is all fluffy hair! It's too bad we can't get him groomed until he's had all his shots; we want to be very careful that he doesn't get exposed to other dogs or other dog areas just yet.

I'm SO glad he doesn't shed (it's hair not fur). I'm pretty sure I shed a lot more than Geordi will ever will. Is he also getting a bit of hairy beard, too?

Sweet Doggy Cookies

My sister-in-law sent a delightful variety of pup cookies for Geordi. They smell just like a bag full of Nilla Wafers and Oreos...they make our human mouths water!

He only gets them as "jackpot" treats (the highest value) for training (along with grilled chicken), when he's being very good. There are so many shapes that I had to take a cute pic of them.

Dog specialty baked goods like these and bakeries like Three Dog are becoming very popular, and now we know why!

Brother and Sister of the Feline Kind

Just as we've recently welcomed Geordi into our home, my sister-in-law adopted 2 adorable kittens from the SPCA! The male (orange) is a fiery fierce personality, while the tabby girl is more relaxed. It's such a blessing to have fluffy new family members, no? Their soulful eyes, frisky tails, and soft fuzziness warm the heart.

Lots of Naps

Puppies need lots of naps. Initially, Geordi was allowed to sleep on the tiles in his safe area, but we want to focus a bit more on crate training, so now he gets a gentle "Go home" command when he's sleepily guided into his crate. He takes about 3 to 4 naps a day.

Usually he naps after the morning activities (walk/water/food/potty/play or training), in the early afternoon, late afternoon, and after dinner activities. We are grateful that he rests often, because we humans need food and playtime, too. More than 1 hour of Geordi dozing in his crate means bills get paid, dry cleaning gets picked up, emails are checked, etc. We also get a much-needed break from the hyper vigilance of watching for potty accidents!

Treats

Geordi has a good selection of treats that he sometimes gets during training or good behavior. We've read that, if you sometimes don't give the treat, it will help the dog learn faster and keep him guessing as to when he gets a treat.

We have vocal treating ("Good boy"), gentle petting on the back (pups think head patting is rough housing), chewy liver snacks, and crunchy peanut treats...

...and Bruno's mom (for Bruno's entry click here) made us a beautiful hand-decorated jar of homemade dog biscuits! It also came with hand-written dog treat recipes that she collected from the internet. Thanks, Bruno's mom!

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

This 2nd week with our new pup has been full of successes, confusions, and failures on top of the general tiredness. We're starting to dream about having a full uninterrupted night of sleep...

Geordi is a very good and smart pup, but with some personality showing through that we need to be attentive of. So far he's mastered "Sit" and he's darned good at "Down (Lie Down)", "Stay (10 seconds)", and "Watch Me (look up at us for 3 seconds)". I'm pretty sure he's nailed down his name, but we have to be careful to use it only for positive events.

The drawbacks are that he's developing some toe nipping, jumping, crate whining, and poop eating (coprophagia). We are studying several books and discussing with each other and adjusting our behavior and body language to begin correcting these behaviors in a good way!

It's tough going sometimes but there is some real progress. One awesome thing last night was that we only had to get up once! WooT!

Oh Noes

Dear Doggy Diary,

My name is Geordi and I have recently discovered that my poo smells interesting and sometimes I like to taste it. When my parents fell asleep for half an hour today, I made a big poop and decided to eat it all up. I didn't feel well as my parents noticed what I had done.

An hour later, I was jumping up and down and suddenly vomited up all of my poo and some lunch onto the floor. It made a yucky brown mess everywhere and made Daddy gag.

Mommy patted my head gently and rinsed my mouth out with warm water and gave me some water to drink. She spent a lot of time mopping and deodorizing the floor.

I was really tired from all the excitement! I felt a little better after I was cleaned and took a nap. Next time maybe I won't eat my poo after all.

The End.

Day 8: Being Consistent

I can't imagine having a new [human] baby or being a single parent, because it must be waaaaaay more taxing than watching and training a new puppy! A nice cashier lady at Petsmart remarked today how she is potty training her son and that she sympathized. I thanked her and replied that it must be so much harder to potty train a little person, no?

But regardless, the hubby and I are harmoniously working through the daily cleaning, feeding, training, scrubbing, walking, introducing, etc., and it is very very tiring. Getting up in the middle of the night every 1 hour or 2 hours or 3 hours is exhausting.

We coax the puppy out of his crate, stagger downstairs (I almost tripped and fell to my death one night), and pet and praise him (or treat him during daytime) when he pees or poops in his designated area, lined with absorbent pads on a large pad holder. He's given a minute to lick himself [per the vet, puppies often have discharge in the genital area and its natural for them to lick], then it's back upstairs to crate him, pass out in bed, and set our phones for the next potty time.

So far, Geordi already knows to run to the 'potty area', but sometimes misses the pad by a few inches. He is very smart and catching on quickly; we just need to really firmly capture his good potty behavior.

Ahem...

Oh my sleepy pup

eyes are closing, soft fur still

tail now falls to rest.

Day 3: First Vet Appointment

Everything went quite well. Geordi was so calm he was drowsily napping in his crate. When the vet-tech picked him up for weighing, he paw-hugged her like a calm, little fuzzy koala. She remarked on how calm he was and how neat it was that she could hold him like a baby. The rectal temperature didn't even bother him the tiniest bit. The veterinarian also commented on how calm he was, and predicted that he will be smarter than most. His poo sample came back negative, and he got his first shot with only the slightest sound. What a great pup! He's right on schedule with all of his vaccinations. I also made a list of questions and everything was thoroughly answered. I'm thrilled that he's 100% declared clear and healthy!

While He's Asleep

Many of my posts will be off-date now, since I try to sneak into the den to use my computer only when he's napping. Geordi's naps are fairly deep, so I can usually accomplish 1 or 2 important chores when he's passed out in his "safe zone" behind the puppy gate.

I'm Such a Nerd

The first time that Geordi licked his paws and did the "play-bow" where he crouches on his two front paws, I remarked aloud, "Hey! That's just like in Nintendogs!" My husband got me the DS game, because I really wanted a dog but couldn't get one at the time. I still play it from time to time, and having a real puppy now, I can't help but notice what a fantastic job they did in capturing many of the puppy behaviors and sounds! Yeah, I know. I'll stop now before the nerdiness gets out of hand.

Day 1: He's HERE!

Wow. Geordi is extraodinarily smart and cute. He's very mellow and tolerant! It's been almost 3 days and boy, have they gone by fast! He already obeys "Sit" (Victoria method!), and we're diligently working on paper training. All of the toys so far are a big hit; he especially loves his fleece tug toy and Nylabone (puppy version).

He whimpers a little when we crate him for the night, but during the daytime he loves everything.

I wish I were more coherent to post more wonderful things about Geordi, but it's been pretty sleepless making sure he goes potty throughout the night, so will post more soon! Enjoy the cute photos.

You can see more photos and some videos if you click right here.