I cannot express the amount of glee and excitement going on around here….mixed with frustration of course. I mean, she’s a baby after all and man alive, she has a lot to learn!
The night she arrived, Lucy was so excited, but was also so dang tired, and it was late, so I tucked her in bed promising Bo would wake her up the next morning.
So the bigger girls got Elle on FaceTime (who was dying of anticipation as well) as soon as Dave called to tell us he was in the neighborhood, and then, there she was.
(These pics. are outtakes from a video.)
…and Elle’s too 🙂
She literally bounced in and out of all our laps and was so excited to meet us too…maybe more excited to just get out of her little crate!
We took her outside to RUN, and she was overjoyed.
Everyone is pretty enamored with that little pup I must say.
The first few days have definitely been no cakewalk despite her cuteness and lovability. So far she has been every bit of the “horrible” we expected as she has been the “adorable” we knew she was.
She’s just a baby after all, and is learning a whole new environment.
It’s definitely like having a new baby. That first night was a little nutty as she whined and yelped all night long from her crate (yes we are crate training her, and it sure helps!). I sat there in the middle of the night looking up everything I possibly could on the internet about how in the world to deal with a pup on the first night. I had read SO MUCH, but was still so unprepared for that very moment. (We were laughing that we thought she could just leave her in her crate in Claire’s room that first night. Ha! ) What in the world did I get myself into!? I set my alarm to get me up every three hours to take her out to the bathroom. I’m trying to stretch that out a little more each night and I am gradually getting more sleep, but oh boy this is crazy!
But all that craziness and frustration as little Bo marks her territory all over the place is made up for because of this:
And all of this:
(Just a few of the neighborhood visitors…Bo is pretty popular around here…at least for now! 🙂
Lu was SO excited to take her to the bus stop:
I think we’re in for a good ride 🙂
I hesitate to say anything because puppies are like babies and everybody has their own opinion. Please take what I'm saying as friendly advice. Do you have a pen for her to be in during the day? Your house (any house) is just too much for them to take in all at once. My puppies always stay in the pen for most of the day. If we take them out and they go potty they get 30 minutes or so of play time. The pen is always someplace where they can see everybody (for me it's in the kitchen). Then as they get older and better at the potty thing you can expand her space by placing gates in certain rooms, again for us it was the kitchen. In her little space put her water bowl and a soft blanket to sleep on and maybe some toys. My little girl puppy did not get free roam of the house for at least 3 months (and always in the crate when we were gone). It worked for me but anyway you slice it, puppies are like newborns!! Good luck!!
LOVE any advice we can get! I am borrowing my neighbor's pen as of tonight and I'm excited to try that tomorrow. We bought a baby gate figuring we could put her in the laundry room or the pantry when she needed to be penned in (when she's not in her crate) and that's kind of a funny story. Dave put it up and we were so proud of ourselves as we put Bo in there. Only to have her walk right out of that thing through the rails, proud as a peacock :). So Dave lined it with cardboard and she made her way right over it. Ha! So maybe the pen won't keep her in either, but it's for sure worth a try. We do have barn doors that close off the rest of the house from the kitchen which helps a lot, but even with that you're right, it's too much space for a little puppy! We'll get this thing, but keep the advice coming! Love it!
That is a LOT of cuteness. Love seeing the joy on everyone's faces – especially Lucy! Can't wait to see more Bo pics!!!
This is what I have..
https://www.amazon.com/IRIS-Exercise-4-Panel-Playpen-White/dp/B00D5P846Y/ref=sr_1_4?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1485219542&sr=1-4&keywords=dog+pen
Hey Shawni- when we got our puppy, we bought her a Snuggle Puppy on amazon. It's a stuffed animal with a pocket for hand warmers and a little heartbeat sound. When your puppy gets home, it's away from its mama and siblings for the first time and is scared. Giving our dog a little warm buddy in her crate at night VASTLY helped her sleeping. I'd recommend overnighting it!!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000C9YHFS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8-QHybZ935Z44
This looks like a great idea too! It's amazing how well she is sleeping even after a couple nights. Tonight when we put her in her crate she didn't even make a peep. Makes me so happy!
I also did my fair share of research when we got out new puppy. (Potty training my puppy was worse than ALL 5 of my kids combined.) I tied a long black ribbon around the front door knob, and attached 4 large bells to it. When ever I took her outside, I showed her how to tap the bells with her paw, and then let her outside to go to the bathroom. She caught on pretty fast. Four years later, we still have the bells hanging from our door, she runs over and smacks the bells, we let her out–and it works fantastically. Good luck! It's a good thing puppies are so cute…they can really try your patience at times.
I have heard great things about this bell training but didn't think of making my own. Great idea.
**The ribbon with the bells is attached to the inside handle of the front door. I also believe 100% in kennel training your dog. When you go on errands and during the night, put her in the kennel. It's a safe place, and she'll soon feel comfortable going there.
Yes the kennel/crate thing has saved us. We're just trying to get her not to be so sad in that thing! Tonight was a big leap of happiness when for the first time she didn't cry when we put her in there. Baby steps! …
Thanks again for the advice. Seriously I so appreciate it!
Crate training is the best! Our goldendoodle now LOVES it at 7 months and goes in throughout the day by herself to rest and stays there even with the door open. Make positive associations – like give her food/treat in there, a special toy that she loves and gets only in there in the beginning etc. and then she will begin to associate it with positive things. Also lots of praise "good crate" as she walks in there. We also used the snuggle puppy (which our amazing breeder actually rubbed her littermates on and that calmed her a TON the first few nights – she still loves to put her head on it as she sleeps). Leaving an unwashed tshirt of yours or Dave's in the crate will also calm her. Familiar smells calm them more than anything else. It was our first puppy experience and the first few weeks were hard but doodles learn so fast and Bo will be all trained in no time! Enjoy!
We have a soft fleece blanket on top of the large pillow inside the crate. We also have several of her stuffed animals/play toys in there. (I know it sounds crazy–but, oh well). She's a pampered, well loved dog, and we wanted the kennel to be a "happy place" that is comfortable and where she wants to hang out (if the kids aren't around to entertain her). She loves being there, and does not hesitate at all, when we tell her to "go to the kennel". She runs right in. (Because Bo will be a larger dog, make sure your kennel is large enough for her to move around a bit.) You'll be a puppy expert in no time!
speaking as someone who just got a puppy this past year…. the first month is hell and it gets better. i slept by the crate, 9 months pregnant, on the hardwood floor the first night and i was like… WHYYYYYYYYYYY did i do this to myself? but things are better now. i literally say to myself on a daily basis… "she is just a puppy. she is just a puppy. she is just a puppy." and… for fun you guys should get the book "Chewy Louie"… its just the best. you guys do hard things so i am sure you will survive. GO TEAM.
Isn't the first night soooooo BAD?!?!? When we got our dog I keep telling myself ALL NIGHT LONG, I would be crying, yelping, and whining if I had been taken from my Mom too…..Thankfully, it gets so much better!!
When she starts to chew everything (chair legs, etc) we found some lemon oil rubbed on the wood worked like a charm! Our labradoodle HATED IT and never chewed any wood legs. Plus – my wood never looked better! :). Best of luck! It does get easier!
I totally agree we used a pen at night as they felt more secure! Goodluck they bring such happiness to any family
What a precious puppy and gift to your girls! We have a now 1-year-old Golden Retriever, and after much trial and sleepless nights (like a month at least), he is the world's best companion to our 4 children. Be patient and enjoy the cute puppy stage because it goes by quickly!
On another note, do you print your blog as a keepsake? I have printed my private blog, as a family journal, for the past 8 years, utilizing Blurb.com. Now they don't print blogs and I can't find a good printer. Any tips would be great!
I print my blog using Blog2Print. I've been very happy with the results.
Lisa
My sister-in-law just printed up a year of my blog (here:https://71toes.com/2017/01/our-second-favorite-christmas-gift.html) and she used blurb…I sure hope they don't stop printing! I've heard Blog2Print is great too.
We found The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skete very helpful!
We used https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Puppy-Days-Start-Right/dp/0964151871/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1485274593&sr=1-1, which was really helpful. We also took our puppy to puppy training classes at Petco and had our kids participate. We have a labradoodle. Enjoy, doodles are great dogs!
She is SOO cute!!
I can't EVEN…..look at Claire's face as Bo is coming in. The picture of Lucy with her little friend that wears glasses too, and Grace and Bo. Awesome pics! Bo is one blessed pup…..
Make positive associations with the crate (i gave my puppy a treat every single time i put her in there and also said the word house as her cue) Now a year later, she runs to her "house" when I leave because she knows she gets a treat every time. Positive reinforcement training classes are an amazing help for first time owners and it also helps the pup stay socialized with other dogs. Introduce her to as many things as possible before she reaches 16 weeks (cats, other animals, wheelchairs, cars, vacuums, etc). They are most impressionable before 16 weeks and things are far less scary to them before that age!
Something we have used with all of my dogs is a spray bottle filled with water. When we are training them not to whine for food or jump on people we just spray their back with a little water as a warning and say no firmly. It works really well and eventually you just need to show them the spray bottle and they will know they should stop.
Another thing. We had a dog named mo and a trainer told us that we should use a different word than no because it sounded to much like his name and was confusing. my sister was studying German at the time so we used nein and joked that our dog only spoke German. Maybe you guys can use the Chinese word for no and have a Chinese speaking dog haha
we were actually wondering about this same thing! Trying to redirect without saying "no" but maybe we should just use another word. great idea!
Loving all the puppy love! I know you're probably getting a ton of suggestions so I thought I would add my 2 cents. In the end, you will find what works for you but its something to try. I added a fluffy blanket in the crate so our puppy could "nest" and also covered the crate at night w/a blanket- for security feelings. The vet also told us to put a dirty sock or t-shirt in there too so he could smell someone thats in the family and not feel alone.
We gave our kids a puppy (Australian labordoodle) last Christmas, it has been so good for our family! Next year you'll be amazed at how much they learn in a year. So excited for your family!!!!
By the way I met your parents in London. I was so excited to meet them. Such lovely parents you have!!
What a small world!
Off the wall question…Do you have a water fountain in your house? I bet that is ideal with all the company.
Yes, it is great!
So cute! I just gotta jump in with my 2 cents! (Trained a lot of doggies) If Bo bites anyone..tell them to "YIPE" REALLY loud and as high as you can! (You feel silly..but it is "puppy language" for "HEY! That hurt!") Your pup will learn very quickly that biting anyone is not ok! Everyone has to be consistent and they will learn quickly.
If Bo starts to go for furniture or shoes, to tear apart, get a lot of toys to chew. (They are teething) Re-direct from the thing you don't want them to chew with a "Noooo" softly… then give them what is OK to chew… and say "GOOD CHEW!" and totally praise her!
For potty training… take her out right after waking up..and after eating…the MOMENT she starts to go… start jumping up and down saying "Good potty outside"! (Or whatever you want to use to indicate going out) ….as SOON as she finishes… REALLY get excited and jump up and down and clap your hands and tell her really REALLY excitedly… "GOOD GIRL POTTY OUTSIDE! GOOD GIRL!" This positive re-enforcement works AMAZINGLY well. (no need to scold her any way) Dogs are SO smart..and SO want to please..they just GET IT.
If she starts to have an accident inside… say "Nooo"…and pick her up mid stream..and take her outside…where you put her in her designated spot..and then..do your "GOOD GIRL POTTY OUT SIDE" dance. You fill like a total fool..but if everyone does it…she will learn in a couple weeks..then when its time to go..she will head to the door…and wait (or ring her bell like one awesome suggestion!) and you won't have to do the "Potty dance" ever again! This has worked for 10 dogs of mine…never ONCE an indoor accident after they got it down. All down with Love and positive re-enforcement.
Great ideas, THANK YOU Marc, and everyone else too! Keep the advice rolling if you have anything else to add…we can use all the help we can get!
xoxo
You are welcome! PS ban giving raw hides or greenies to your dog in any form. They both can cause intestinal blockages and/or choking. (You can watch on YouTube how raw hides are made… The chemicals are all poisonous)
So cute.
She's gonna love it here! : )
Please make sure you put away anything you don't want destroyed! Puppies will chew up & or eat any & everything for about the first 2 years! Puppies love to run & play! I have had so many dogs in my life & have loved them all like family members! Would never put one in a crate. I think it's so cruel & sad! Record them in a crate when you leave home sometime… heartbreaking! They can be trained without the crate! Some people leave them crated 8 to 10 hours a day… why even have a dog? Sorry about the rant… it just makes me sad!
No advice, but I can see why she's so popular. She's so cute! Good luck with lack of sleep!