Puppy Days

We are pretty well adjusted to puppy life. She is beginning to sleep longer at night, and I am very thankful for that! We keep her crate in the kitchen during the day and take it back to our room at night. This is not a permanent thing; it was just for her to feel comfortable in the beginning.

I learned she sleeps more than I thought she might; this is another good thing. It gives me a chance to get things done...like blogging. :) She sleeps in the morning while we are usually gone, and I put her in her crate in the afternoon, too, while it's rest time around here.

There are moments where she is in full puppy mode. The girls are getting more comfortable around that, but I still find them sitting on the couch just watching. She has several toys, but I am learning that she doesn't stay interested in them very long. She'd much rather have a shoe, slipper or a rug to chew on. Thankfully the weather has been decent enough we can go outside; it's just as good for the girls as it is for Caramel.

We've taken a couple of walks, and she is getting where she seems to like them. Except for when I want to walk her in he morning before the girls are up. I have the time, she has the energy, but for some reason she doesn't like it then. She's going to have to learn though. I can't wait to take a morning walk, and dare I say "jog" with her.

She is basically potty trained, but I hesitate in announcing that. She's had maybe a handful of accidents in the house. I have a bell by the door I am trying to teach her to ring when she wants to go out. Sometimes she rings  it; other times she whimpers by the door. Each time I take her out, I take her to the same spot - by the pine tree. She's shown us on a few time that she knows that is where she is supposed to go. She will be running loose out back, and I will see her go behind the tree to take care of business.

She knows to drop it, leave it, goes potty on command, and "come" when she feels like it. :) We have a long way to go, especially for when it comes to training for hunting.

The girls still like to help with her, and I  am finding that they now argue less over who gets to help with the leash or opening the crate.

Caramel goes with us for school drop off and pick up. This is Maisie's special time to have Caramel in her lap. She loves it! I took Caramel to preschool last week, and Maisie beamed when she introduced her to the class. And Caramel did great. She has such a sweet demeanor. She will let me do about anything to her. We are still working on the biting/nipping at the girls. She does it in love, not anger.

Caramel  is so quiet that I have tripped over her more than once. She barks once every couple of days, and even when she plays rough with Brandon, you can't hear her.

She has her naughty moments, but overall she's been a great addition!

All curled up in the kitchen sleeping. She spends a lot of day in there, with the baby gate preventing her access to rest of the house. We let her go other places when I can watch her completely. When I leave the kitchen, then one of the girls has to "babysit" her, and they aren't afraid to tattle on her.

Sitting pretty. I think she looks like a Daschund on stilts. 

Maisie sharing "secrets" with Carmel

Once upon a time it was the girls getting into the dishwasher...

At this rate, Brandon won't need to rota till the garden this spring.

I love snuggle time after the girls are in bed. However, it makes me soooo sleepy.

Part dog, part kangaroo.

As much as I want to be #1 in Caramel's life, I admit that Brandon really is her fave. Even after he was gone for five days last week, she was SO excited to see him. She couldn't wag her tail fast enough. I guess it's better she loves him than not. But she better wag that tail when she sees me, too. :)

I told Brandon one of the reasons I needed a dog was because I needed to baby something. And Caramel humors me by letting me hold her like a baby. 

Run Caramel Run. And she does - quickly.

Caramel took a liking to this shovel, so the girls love to run around the yard with the shovel behind them because they know Caramel is chasing the shovel.

Analise enjoyed reading with Carmel in her lap.

And yes, I do still love my children and take pictures of them, too. It's just that Caramel is growing so fast I have to capture it!