Our Non-human Companions

The pup came in ahead of schedule and it was a snowy day so I drove cautiously. It was a late night and after getting her settled and intros made finally got to bed at 0200. Once she realized we weren't going to kill her she accepted things just fine. She is definitely at home and trying to take over. I forgot just how fast pups can move. It's hell trying to housetrain a tiny pup in the winter. There is just so much time they can be outside to do their business. In the summer one can walk them for an hour or more. But we'll get it trained eventually.

She's a cutey. She jumps all over Shadow and he's tolerant of it. This afternoon I almost thought I was going to have to stop the action, but clearly he was going after her, with his tail wagging so I let things be. She gets to the point where she's overtired and then into the crate she goes to take a nap. She's been napping for 2 hours now and I expect her to come out of her coma soon.

She'll settle in just fine once she finds her place. The biggest issue is the housetraining. We forgot just how fast pups move and our old bones interacting with that.

Oh, and she discovered the dog in the mirror today. Pups are fun despite our age.

Wonderful! And a great read, too! You painted the word picture perfectly for me to "see" it happening!

The concern I had for house training in the winter? So far unfounded. She hates the really cold stuff so does her business and wants to be lifted off the ice. She caught onto that extremely quickly, smart dog! She still doesn't know how to ask to go outside, so we look for signs. If she asked I'd be surprised since it's almost like asking to be punished (by the cold).

Today it was bright sun and 25° and she happily explored, on leash, until she began shivering then we took her in. There was none of the standing on 3 paws as she does when it's below zero.

Exactly what we were hoping for... Shadow was depressed. He's depressed no longer. Today we see him as the Shadow of 77 dog years ago, but he's clearly "greying", his face never used to be this white. But he plays with the youngster far more than I ever thought he would. To the point where I question the toll on his heart. It's not easy to find her stationary for long. But I was able to snap this picture below. She was "chewing" the solid rubber toy after playing, "N0! It's MY toy!" for quite some time. How better to rub it in than to lay on Shadows legs right in front of him? She's definitely a feces stirrer.

My wife decided to stir it a little and after Winnie got "his" toy away from him she gave him another. I barely got, "I wonder long he'll have it?" out and she was on her paws trying to get it away from him. Too funny!

She's a handful! She's mostly either on full screech or sleeping. Between those 2 she's either eating, defecating, or peeing.

Wonderful story! And a great shot of the kids!

Exactly what we were hoping for... Shadow was depressed. He's depressed no longer. Today we see him as the Shadow of 77 dog years ago, but he's clearly "greying", his face never used to be this white. But he plays with the youngster far more than I ever thought he would. To the point where I question the toll on his heart. It's not easy to find her stationary for long. But I was able to snap this picture below. She was "chewing" the solid rubber toy after playing, "N0! It's MY toy!" for quite some time. How better to rub it in than to lay on Shadows legs right in front of him? She's definitely a feces stirrer.

My wife decided to stir it a little and after Winnie got "his" toy away from him she gave him another. I barely got, "I wonder long he'll have it?" out and she was on her paws trying to get it away from him. Too funny!

She's a handful! She's mostly either on full screech or sleeping. Between those 2 she's either eating, defecating, or peeing.

Oh I hope not! 

My computer was stolen by malware, so I've been AWOL. It took 3 weeks to get a tech out here.

The most recent pix.





When we got her she weighed 8# and change. Last Sunday she weighed 17.6#. So she's growing like a weed and has achieved >1/2 her standard adult breed weight. She'll be 4 months old at the end of February. She might get a bit taller and longer but I expect most of the mass to be in making her stockier. They are a very dense dog but not terribly large. They have been described as a big dog inside a small dogs body and that's her to a T even now. She's cautious, but once makes a decision, she's all in. She also loves people. It's too early to tell, but due to her love of people she might make a good therapy dog. I need to do more research into that. We have a VA center near us and I want to do what I can for my fellow vets since the go'vermin screws us over (the VA does the best they can).

If you see a resemblance between her older brother and her it's because he's an American Staffordshire Terrier that was bred from her Staffordshire Bull Terrier breed. Yeah, they look like siblings, more so if he wasn't 11 years old and grey. But she has been good for him after losing his older sister.

Normally I would take a dog needing socialization to the mall and take a seat, but that's just not going to happen in the winter in Maine. So I called ahead and took her to where I buy my firearms where I know they like dogs. She just loves people! I had a hard time keeping her away! She had to meet everyone whether they wanted to meet her or not. It probably would have worked better if I had her in a chest pack. She's definitely a people dog. But that's typical for the breed. We need to get her chipped.

Very nice report Brian.  It's good to hear that things are working out nicely for everyone, including her big brother.  Sorry about your computer though.  That's terrible. -- Glad you are back!

Nice update Brian and a big yes on getting the chip!

Yes, she is by far the most expensive dog we've ever bought and she likes people so much she'd allow herself to go with anyone however remote that would be where we live. A chip is mandatory.

I was so proud of her today. Normally when she gets over tired and starts bouncing off the walls we'll put her in her kennel (hard crate) and when she wakes up she goes out immediately to do her business. It's by far the easiest way to house train. Today she joined Shadow on his big dog bed for a nap. When she woke up, she found me in another part of our home so that I could take her out.

Our baby is growing up! And rapidly! We still won't trust her to sleep the night outside the kennel though. It won't work to have her sit silently, waiting for me to wake up, with a full bladder and bowels. Kennel training works because they won't soil where they sleep as long as the kennel is small enough. But an entire house? I think she'll solve the problem on her own.

Yes, she is by far the most expensive dog we've ever bought and she likes people so much she'd allow herself to go with anyone however remote that would be where we live. A chip is mandatory.

I was so proud of her today. Normally when she gets over tired and starts bouncing off the walls we'll put her in her kennel (hard crate) and when she wakes up she goes out immediately to do her business. It's by far the easiest way to house train. Today she joined Shadow on his big dog bed for a nap. When she woke up, she found me in another part of our home so that I could take her out.

Our baby is growing up! And rapidly! We still won't trust her to sleep the night outside the kennel though. It won't work to have her sit silently, waiting for me to wake up, with a full bladder and bowels. Kennel training works because they won't soil where they sleep as long as the kennel is small enough. But an entire house? I think she'll solve the problem on her own.

We crate trained both our standard poodles. It is the best way and they like their crate. They’re den animals so it’s a natural. After about a year we just took the door off and they would come and go as they wanted but usually slept in the crate. Another bonus is if you travel anywhere or leave them with family or friends you bring their crate and it’s their piece of home away from home.