Kona's first night home

[Lauren and Kona]

Kona came home yesterday morning and she is just absolutely adorable and so sweet. She did relatively well on her first night, she cried/whined off and on throughout the night but overall, she did very well. Mostly thanks to the SnugglePuppie - that's been a lifesaver so far. We live in an apartment so potty training is going to be a task. I ordered her a patch of grass to put on the patio but it hasn't arrived yet. So, I tried putting training pads on the patio but they flew away and Kona wasn't interested. She's had quite a few accidents on our rug, but that's to be expected. I've tried putting training pads inside but she just plays with them and tries to tear them apart. She gives me such little notice when she goes to the bathroom that it's hard to do anything. I know this is all very normal, though!!

I'm going to buy a baby gate today to keep her more restricted to a certain area. I really want to get started on potty training as soon as possible as the rug is already starting to stink!

And I think she might be a chewer - hard to tell so early on but looks like she is!

Sorry for this all-over-the-place post, just wanted to give an update after her first night home.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Kona is a doll!  Do you have access to a strip of sod from Home Depot, or ??  You could lay down a piece of plastic and lay the grass on top of that.  You would have to change it out every week, but it might be the ticket.  Good luck to you and sweet Kona.

[Rose Coward]

Congratulations on your little bundle of terror and joy.  :)   (said in jest)

Here's an article that I found that you might find interesting and informative as a new doodle mom.  http://www.policedogs.us/Hip-Dysplasia.html

It covers a number of issues in regards to protecting your little one from hip dysplasia, in some of it's advice you may find it has it detractors, but you can decide what you believe would be in the best interest of your little one. But it's a pretty reputable source, as those who raise and train police dogs.

We've tried to follow this advice for our Molly, though we had--previous to reading similar information to this--taken our puppy on long walks, and other ill advised things. 

Hope it helps keep your little treasure safe.

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

Kona is super cute! Apartment and potty training can be an adventure! We have done it with 2 of our 3! We found that going on a very consistent basis and crate training were the key to our success.
As for the chewing make sure to keep lots of chews available! We have a 6 month old doodle right now who is a big chewer and thankfully haven't had any chewing accidents. We have an assortment of antlers and toys for him to play with.

Have fun with your new baby!

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

Congratulations, Kona is a cutie!  Good luck with the puppy stages, they can be some of the best, most challenging, fun and frustrating times...take lots of pictures!!