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.