Odin's Momma Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Okay, yesterday it was all "look how cute she is". Well it's 8:19am the next day, I haven't slept yet, and cute is the last thing on my mind! LOL! Its been two years since I raised a puppy and I boy, did I ever forgot how hard it is! Holy crap! She really is a good girl though, don't get me wrong! She naps most of the time, whines now and then to be coddled but stops after a few seconds when she realizes it's not working. She lets me hold her for a bit, but still needs time to adjust. She tried chewing on my slippers a few times but responded well to a gentle "no" and went on happily playing with her toy when I replaced the slipper with it. She and Odin are still doing marvellously together! I couldn't ask for better! There is really nothing about her that I can complain about . . . except that she's a puppy and she's depriving me of sleep! LOL! She eats/drinks - I take her out. Back inside, she naps. She wakes up, eats/drinks - I take her out. Repeat about once an hour. When exactly do *I* get a nap? LOL! Bah, I'm just feeling very overwhelmed right now. I knew it would happen, of course. It's really stressful trying to remember all the right things to teach her, and making sure I don't do the wrong thing and mess her up for life. There are a few mistakes that I made with Odin that I'd rather not repeat. But no matter how much you prepare, it's still really tough! I'm so obsessed with not messing her up that I went and downloaded 7 ebooks on dog training, googled specific topics like mad and did several seaches of the boards And on top of that, there's that umbilical hernia to worry about! DH is sleeping right now and I know I have to head to bed soon, but I don't know if I'll be able to sleep. I might just wait till he wakes up and then go. I'm leaving him specific instructions to follow so he doesn't mess up her routine, I just hope he follows them. I don't want to have to kill him Anyway, I just had ot let that out. Don't mind me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplykatya Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 all I have to say is .... Tell me about it, welcome to my world!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip4420 Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Oh, oh. I do sympathise with you Dale is 7 months now and its only in the last few weeks I feel as if I got my life back! He's a great pup but .... You just forget what hard work it is. Still they do grow up fast and then you feel all sentimental about puppies again . I worried far too much in the first weeks. I kept reading all these articles about the problems of BC and how many things could go wrong. Just try to enjoy him and remember with common sense and love most dogs do fine. I've resigned myself to making mistakes. Its like kids. However hard you try you can't be perfect. Have FUN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin's Momma Posted June 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 I know I should probbaly just relax, but it's hard! Part of the reason we decided to get a new pup is because I'm just so proud of Odin, and the feeling of accomplishment I have when I see how great he is, knowing that *I* helped him become the dog he is today . . . it's just amazing. Odin needs the company and I need the challenge - but it's SO DAUNTING!! There's this lil voice in the back of my mind that says I lucked out with Odin, it had nothing to do with the training I gave him, and it was foolish to get another pup because this one could turn out to be a disaster - all because of me! Arrrghh!!!! (I think this is the part where someone slaps me and yells "GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF WOMAN!!") I need sleep . . . but it ain't comin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin's Momma Posted June 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Its like kids. However hard you try you can't be perfect. Have FUN Yes, but if you mess up your kids and they turn out to be delinquents, they don't get put down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg+Whiley Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 I know how you feel. Mine is 11 weeks old now and she always needs constant attention. We go out to pee about once every 2 hours now, or if she has gone to the door before then. I wake up every night at 3 am because she always wants out to pee then. I am getting used to it though, I feel like I have a newborn baby again. Exhausted and full of love Oh yeah, and did I mention she follows me everywhere, barks for my attention everytime I'm on the phone, always wants to sit with me and has been trying to jump into the bathtub with me while I was in there relaxing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pammyd Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 feeling your pain I have had my new guy ben for 2 weeks.he is about 10 weeks best advice is the one given to new mums when baby sleeps, you sleep (and pray the washing machine dosent break) bloke came in the other day and woke me up with his laughing I had crashed out on sofa and ben was asleep on my head! 1st ever dog let alone pup so sharing the fear that I am going to mess him up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplykatya Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I keep trying to set up schedule so if one does not work, i lay awake thinking ok where did i go wrong today and how do i fix it. So I come up with a new plan and sure enough.. so far nothing has worked and woop dee dooo he has discovered snaping and grabbing so my hair looks like a bird nest most of the time, oh and the dark circles under my eyes are really attractive too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin's Momma Posted June 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Well, I've been up for exactly 36 hours now. We made alot of progress together today, and I'm glad I stayed up, although I didn't feel that way 12 hours ago! DH and I went to the mall today to get her a new collar and a good chew toy. We left her and Odin together and they were fine. They are getting along so well, Odin whines when she's napping cause he wants her to wake up!! LOL! We also bought a BBQ today, and the four of us spent the evening BBQin in the back yard. Still now name yet, new ones keep popping in my head. DH really doesn't like Evenstar Tessa and Vixen have been added to our list of possibilities! So all in all, tiredness and doubts aside, today was a sucess. I'm happy. Now I'm going to bed. haha! Goodnight all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I've been through it several times over the last couple of years. With Lightning in 2005, Flash and Thunder last year, and now with Rain and Storm. I've always found that young pups go through a repetitive cycle, something like: wake up, go outside, play a bit, eat, play a bit more, go outside, play, sleep and then repeat the whole thing. I always try to let the pups settle into their own routine and time it so that I'm ready to go to bed around the time that they're ready to sleep later in the evening. Then I put them into their crate beside my bed and get some sleep. For the first little while (usually about 1-2 weeks), they will wake me up whining in the middle of the night once or maybe twice and I take them out and then try to get them right back into the crate and go back to bed. I find that if the whole house is dark and quiet they're much more willing to settle back down. When I expected to be woken up in the middle of the night I would leave on a nightlight in the bedroom and bathroom, and keep the light on outside my back door so that I had just enough light to see by to get them out of the crate and outside. Too many bright lights and they come back in wanting to eat and play again. Rain and Storm are now just about 12 weeks old and they're perfect at night time. I got them at 6 weeks and they only woke me up at nighttime for the first week or two, then they slept through. I put them to bed in their crate anywhere between 11-12 and they don't wake me up until my daughter's alarm goes off at 6:40. They even ignore my husband coming in and out at all hours. He often gets home and goes to bed after me, and he gets up for work earlier than I'm up (he doesn't sleep much). I guess they know it's me who lets them out and so they ignore his alarm and pager. A couple of times when it was really hot in the bedroom they woke me up, but they were more thirsty than in a big rush to go outside to pee. I don't want to give them a bowl of water in the crate that they can spill all over, but I've attached a big water bottle (a rabbit bottle) to the crate so that they can lick at the spout and get some water if they're thirsty. Figuring out the puppies schedule and working around it and then gradually bringing them around to fit your schedule seems to work well I find. If you can tire your pup out playing lots before you'd like to try to put her to bed that will help too. With me having 2 they can run around and wrestle with each other, plus the 4 big dogs so by the time they're done playing they're ready to settle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin's Momma Posted June 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Well, that was a nice rest! Day three is here! silhouettestable, I've been basically doing the same thing routine-wise - I leave it up to her. She's napping now, when she wakes up I'll take her out right away, then play, then food, then she passes out again. Repeat. Last night she was up with DH and he was really super helpful with sticking to her routine, she only had one accident and luckily he caught her in time to give a "no" and take her out. She actually finished out there for him, she doesn't usually for me. I'm feeling much better today now that I have her routine figured out. And now that I'm no longer sleep deprived, this doesn't seem so scary . I still need help though, but I'm going to have to make another thread for that because people may not read a thread they've already read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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