AW: We got a puppy!!!

calindi · November 2011

We adopted a terrier mutt puppy from the animal shelter this morning!

Her name is Sasha. She's 2.5 months old, incredibly sweet and loving. She's already peeing outside (though she did poop in the corner), and she's walking really really well on the leash! She really likes playing with other dogs of all sizes and loves kids - seriously, if there's a kid within ear shot, she wants to go play! She doesn't really bark much so far, and only whines a little. We're trying to ignore her every time she whines to discourage that behavior.

She's about 5 pounds right now. She's got hookworm from the pound, but otherwise is very healthy. We have to take her back next month to get spayed, though.

LetsHikeToday · November 2011

Love!!! So freakin cute

Zimsgirl · November 2011

OMG She is so cute!

sofiabrian · November 2011

So adorable!!

Rethany · November 2011

What a cute puppy!! Congrats

calindi · November 2011

Thanks guys! We're super excited, and she's such a sweetie. We'll see how crating goes tonight - I'm hoping she goes to sleep without too much whining!

divinemsbee · November 2011

Aaaaahhhhh! So cute. She actually looks a lot like Archie's brother looked when he was younger. I hope the crating goes well, sometimes you just have to let them cry it out, which isn't fun, but I hope yours goes better than mine did.

melbelle24 · November 2011

She's such a cutie!!! Congrats, and good luck with the crating!

SamiJoeB · November 2011

How cute!! She's adorable!!

kara811 · November 2011

She is stinkin' cute!!

Zeldakins · November 2011

Puppy!

I can't wait to get one of my own. She is so CUTE!

tyleet87 · November 2011

She is SO cute!!! I'm so glad to hear you adopted her.

Good luck with puppy training.

freebread03 · November 2011

Wow she is insanely cute! I am extremely jealous--I want a dog so badly but I know we don't have the time right now. Good luck with training--sounds like she's already on the right track!

kyrgyzstan · November 2011

What a sweetie!

BinxRose · November 2011

Oh my gosh she is so cute! I actually squealed when showing my FI!

amh04 · November 2011

She is so cute!! Yay for puppies!!

crownsuperstar · November 2011

So cute. I love the last picture. She looks like she is a ball of fun.

shan87 · November 2011

How did the crating go? When Missy was a pup she use to cry unless the crate was on my bed. Then got her to be on the floor. You'll learn to get creative :-p

Irishcurls · November 2011

So cute!!! Love her!

calindi · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_aw-got-puppy?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:a49a32f0-4d1c-4e79-a749-a3c8bdc8fbc9Post:576ef255-b91e-48ef-b418-d10c88b32e1c">Re: AW: We got a puppy!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]How did the crating go? When Missy was a pup she use to cry unless the crate was on my bed. Then got her to be on the floor. You'll learn to get creative :-p
Posted by shan87[/QUOTE]

Heh... crating was a disaster! She totally panicked and freaked. There's a difference between whining and full on panic, so I took her out. I put her on the doggy bed we bought for her and put it on the bed next to me. She stayed there and has learned it's her bed pretty quickly, so the goal is to get that on the floor and then in the crate. In the meantime, I'm putting her food in her crate so she has to go in to get it so she gets comfortable in there.

Today she's being a bit clingy, but good - a little whining but no barking. She's sitting in her bed by the foot of my desk, and I'll take her for walks regularly. She woke up a bunch during the night, and I did take her out to go to the bathroom around 2am, but she hasn't had an accident in the house yet since that first one, so I'm hopeful she'll be a quick learner!

crownsuperstar · November 2011

Cal- I feed both of ours in their kennel. I want them to like it and feel like it is their space. It worked perfectly. I have also noticed that when either Roxie or Gunner need some alone time I will always find them in their kennel. It was hard when I first started but they have now come to love the kennel.

shan87 · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_aw-got-puppy?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:a49a32f0-4d1c-4e79-a749-a3c8bdc8fbc9Post:5eaac4f7-2c32-4781-a72e-00e277f99c72">Re: AW: We got a puppy!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: AW: We got a puppy!!! : Heh... crating was a disaster! She totally panicked and freaked. There's a difference between whining and full on panic, so I took her out. I put her on the doggy bed we bought for her and put it on the bed next to me. She stayed there and has learned it's her bed pretty quickly, so the goal is to get that on the floor and then in the crate. In the meantime, I'm putting her food in her crate so she has to go in to get it so she gets comfortable in there. Today she's being a bit clingy, but good - a little whining but no barking. She's sitting in her bed by the foot of my desk, and I'll take her for walks regularly. She woke up a bunch during the night, and I did take her out to go to the bathroom around 2am, but she hasn't had an accident in the house yet since that first one, so I'm hopeful she'll be a quick learner!
Posted by calindi[/QUOTE]

We also had a few middle of the night potty breaks at first. What I found to be very helpful is to give her treats every time she entered her crate, that taught her the crate is a good thing. I also would put her in the crate and go around the corner (I had an island in the kitchen) so she couldn't see me.. everytime she cried or barked I would shake a can of pennies (it VERY LOUD beware, it's not painful to them but uncomfortable-- it's important they don't see you otherwise they will associate the sound with you). Start doing that for 5 mins, then 10 mins, then longer and longer. Worked like a charm. I've tried to feed Missy in hers but she throws out the food like, "this is my bedroom mom not the dinning room" haha.

calindi · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_aw-got-puppy?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:a49a32f0-4d1c-4e79-a749-a3c8bdc8fbc9Post:1c0bbb4a-5e92-4149-857a-2246a018be96">Re: AW: We got a puppy!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: AW: We got a puppy!!! : We also had a few middle of the night potty breaks at first. What I found to be very helpful is to give her treats every time she entered her crate, that taught her the crate is a good thing. I also would put her in the crate and go around the corner (I had an island in the kitchen) so she couldn't see me.. everytime she cried or barked I would shake a can of pennies (it VERY LOUD beware, it's not painful to them but uncomfortable-- it's important they don't see you otherwise they will associate the sound with you). Start doing that for 5 mins, then 10 mins, then longer and longer. Worked like a charm. I've tried to feed Missy in hers but she throws out the food like, "this is my bedroom mom not the dinning room" haha.
Posted by shan87[/QUOTE]

Great tip, thanks! I like the penny idea, and good tip to not be in eyesight while doing it. I'll definitely try that once she's just crying and whining, not panicking. One step at a time, right? It broke my heart to hear her panic last night.

I'm really grateful for all the tips and support, ladies! I'm doing a lot of the initial training myself since FI is busy studying for finals, so he needs his sleep and time to study. She has definitely bonded with me, and has some serious separation anxiety, which is apparently very common for shelter dogs. I'm hoping to train her out of it - it's helpful that I can bring her to work, but even going to the bathroom for a few minutes really upsets her. So far she hasn't full on panicked except for the crate last night.

shan87 · November 2011

I realize, now that I reread your post you never asked for advice so I'm sorry if I came across preachy or as a dog expert. That is awesome you can bring her to work with you. Missy gets seperation anxiety with new routines so we make sure to gradually change things with her. I'm sure you will figure out how to get her more comfortable being alone.

calindi · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_aw-got-puppy?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:13Discussion:a49a32f0-4d1c-4e79-a749-a3c8bdc8fbc9Post:93dbe23f-2212-43d1-ae1b-73a928f420a4">Re: AW: We got a puppy!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]I realize, now that I reread your post you never asked for advice so I'm sorry if I came across preachy or as a dog expert. That is awesome you can bring her to work with you. Missy gets seperation anxiety with new routines so we make sure to gradually change things with her. I'm sure you will figure out how to get her more comfortable being alone.
Posted by shan87[/QUOTE]

No no no, I didn't take it that way at all!!! I figured asking for advice was implied since I am so new to this and you and others are experienced owners! I really appreciate your advice. We are trying to figure it out so we can still have our morning work out together. Right now Sasha makes it impossible to leave her home alone. We're hoping to fence off the kitchen so she might whine but hopefully won't panic. We're going to try it tomorrow night and leave her for 10 mins or so while we go for a walk, and then again for a half hour while we read in the bedroom

shan87 · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_aw-got-puppy?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:a49a32f0-4d1c-4e79-a749-a3c8bdc8fbc9Post:af6dc10c-b390-4a52-890b-665d2acf0b78">Re: AW: We got a puppy!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: AW: We got a puppy!!! : No no no, I didn't take it that way at all!!! I figured asking for advice was implied since I am so new to this and you and others are experienced owners! I really appreciate your advice. We are trying to figure it out so we can still have our morning work out together. Right now Sasha makes it impossible to leave her home alone. We're hoping to fence off the kitchen so she might whine but hopefully won't panic. We're going to try it tomorrow night and leave her for 10 mins or so while we go for a walk, and then again for a half hour while we read in the bedroom
Posted by calindi[/QUOTE]

that is a good idea. Also you might want to let your neighbors know you are training. (if you live in an apt like I did)... Missy would whine, &/or bark while she was getting use to being left in her crate during the day.

And although Dogs are easily influenced I dont think your crating will cause her any perm. damage :) Our first night with Missy she was crying so hard, finally I let her our trying to figure what was going on. She went #2 all over H's dorm floor. Turns out the breeder likes to feed her pups soft food the night before they go home with their new family. (terrible idea BTW). You will have many more eventful nights/days ;)

AmandaSC1988 · November 2011

What a cutie!

I have a quick suggestion on the anxiety/ never leaving your side issue...I know she is new and all, but don't coddle her too much (Oh, trust me, I know it is so hard when they are that small and cute!). I have found with my experience with anxiety prone dogs, no attention is better than negative/positive attention.

Ex. freaking out when you go to the bathroom...don't be all "OMG! I'm so sorry, it's okay, it's okay!" (positive reinforcement), because you are just enforcing that behavior. Also, don't yell at her or scare her (Scaring is the worst thing you can do for an anxiety dog) "NO! Bad dog! SHUT UP..." etc. Makes it way worse. If she has minor freak outs, just ignore it. If she comes running up to you after you get back so excited to see you... don't pay her any attention. Wait until she calms down and THEN praise her and give her love.

It might be hard for a little bit, but trust me, she will calm down and the freak outs will get fewer and far between.

Keep us all updated!

calindi · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_aw-got-puppy?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:a49a32f0-4d1c-4e79-a749-a3c8bdc8fbc9Post:d59155f6-4a0b-4d24-a6ba-3358b5916f75">Re: AW: We got a puppy!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]What a cutie! I have a quick suggestion on the anxiety/ never leaving your side issue...I know she is new and all, but don't coddle her too much (Oh, trust me, I know it is so hard when they are that small and cute!). I have found with my experience with anxiety prone dogs, no attention is better than negative/positive attention. Ex. freaking out when you go to the bathroom...don't be all "OMG! I'm so sorry, it's okay, it's okay!" (positive reinforcement), because you are just enforcing that behavior. Also, don't yell at her or scare her (Scaring is the worst thing you can do for an anxiety dog) "NO! Bad dog! SHUT UP..." etc. Makes it way worse. If she has minor freak outs, just ignore it. If she comes running up to you after you get back so excited to see you... don't pay her any attention. Wait until she calms down and THEN praise her and give her love. It might be hard for a little bit, but trust me, she will calm down and the freak outs will get fewer and far between. Keep us all updated!
Posted by AmandaSC1988[/QUOTE]

Thanks, appreciate the insight! I had read something similar, so I try to minimize any sort of goodbye/hello when I come and go and just pretend it's fine even though she's breaking my heart.

At least she's not panicking - I can ignore whining and crying, but if she was having full panic attacks like the other night it would be awful! I was actually crying before I calmed down and went and got her out of the crate. And I tried not to pacifiy her too much, just let her out, pet her on the head and then walked away. Didn't want her to associate the panic attack with getting coddled as a reward.

I'm reading a lot to make sure I don't screw this up! It seems to be working! Trying to establish Alpha Dog, which I think is working - she's already walking well on a leash, and is starting to learn to sit! But still she's a bit attached - it's getting better, though. When I was in the shower, she sits outside and whines. I will talk to her until she starts whining, and then I won't say a word until she stops. I also won't come out of the shower until she stops whining. So I think she's learning that when she DOESN'T whine, I come back. She seems to be getting a bit better - I went to the grocery store last night and she stayed with FI. He said she went looking for me, and whined a bit, but wasn't crying or getting really upset. So that's good!

AmandaSC1988 · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_aw-got-puppy?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:13Discussion:a49a32f0-4d1c-4e79-a749-a3c8bdc8fbc9Post:f74bfc8d-db5a-4228-8bbb-06ff520cce04">Re: AW: We got a puppy!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: AW: We got a puppy!!! : Thanks, appreciate the insight! I had read something similar, so I try to minimize any sort of goodbye/hello when I come and go and just pretend it's fine even though she's breaking my heart. At least she's not panicking - I can ignore whining and crying, but if she was having full panic attacks like the other night it would be awful! I was actually crying before I calmed down and went and got her out of the crate. And I tried not to pacifiy her too much, just let her out, pet her on the head and then walked away. Didn't want her to associate the panic attack with getting coddled as a reward. I'm reading a lot to make sure I don't screw this up! It seems to be working! <strong> Trying to establish Alpha Dog, which I think is working - she's already walking well on a leash, and is starting to learn to sit!</strong> But still she's a bit attached - it's getting better, though. When I was in the shower, she sits outside and whines. I will talk to her until she starts whining, and then I won't say a word until she stops. I also won't come out of the shower until she stops whining. So I think she's learning that when she DOESN'T whine, I come back. She seems to be getting a bit better - I went to the grocery store last night and she stayed with FI. He said she went looking for me, and whined a bit, but wasn't crying or getting really upset. So that's good!
Posted by calindi[/QUOTE]

I didn't think of this until now... but..

Training helps SOO much! Dogs really love to learn, so constructive behaviors really helps curb their distructive tendencies. I would suggest enrolling her in some puppy obedience classes. Most big cities have kennel clubs that have a weekly training night, they probably will have some starting after the first of the year. I highly recomend that for socialization and general obedience. AKC/ UKC are both good places to start looking. I really like those places as opposed to petsmart and the like because they have more overal knowledge about dogs.

She sounds so much like my sister's dog...after a couple of months of ignoring her bad behavior she is now a great little house dog.

divinemsbee · November 2011

Our internet went out last night, but I wanted to say kind of what Amanda did. When we first crated Archie he would cry like we were beating him (not that I actually know what it sounds like, but it was awful), he would scream, bark, whine. We would not let him out. It sucked. For about 3 nights, from when we went to bed at about 10 until 3 or 4 in the morning we would hear him. After that, he's fine. It took three nights of him crying himself out and now he's fine. He loves his crate, he's even stopped the whining when we put him in it before we leave the house. I know you want to let her out, but you guys may need to invest in some ear plugs and close the bedroom door (that's one thing, I don't know where you're keeping the crate, but we were told to absolutely not keep it in the bedroom because they can hear you moving and it wakes them up, ours is in the living room).

AW: We got a puppy!!!

Re: AW: We got a puppy!!!

Choose Another Board

Search Boards