It's been 2 weeks... has it really only been that long?

[Kristen Eric Lacey and Paisley]

This past Saturday marked the two week mark for how long Lacey has been home with us. It is safe to say, the honeymoon is over! Lacey is now 9 weeks and is just a hyper ball of fur. Don't get me wrong, we love her dearly. She has instantly become part of our family and we have so much fun with her. It is just a lot to get used to.

We have finally established some of a routine for her. This has helped quite a bit with potty training. Its been a week since she has had an accident (hopefully I didn't just jinx myself lol). Part of our success with potty training has been due to crating her for periods of time. She is never crated longer than 5 hours during the day (which is not every day) with the exception of bed time. Lacey has gotten much better with bed time. We play John Mayer for her and she is quite almost immediately, only to wake up at 6:15 or so. The most challenging issue is Eric's part-time work schedule while he is waiting for his graduate program to begin. Working part time is great because she is not alone for too long, but at the same time it makes crating inconsistent and we worry that doesn't help her in some ways. 

Because of crating, I feel like she is getting a bit better at entertaining herself. We still play with her a ton but now at least she will take her kong and naw on it, which also helps tire her out. I think she is just becoming more comfortable with Eric and I so now she feels like she can finally relax a bit. We have found that she can be super sweet all day, but at about 8:00-9:00pm she becomes a wild child. She has the "zoomies" for about an hour and just goes nuts. She runs obstacle courses around our living room since we currently have her gated off to only this room. Blocking off her space I think has also helped. During her zoomies, her nipping seems to be at an all time high. She doesn't only nip us but pretty much anything she can get her mouth on (normal puppy behavior).  We just try to discourage it by giving her a toy instead, or by yelping. Bitter Apply Spray has also helped tons because lucky for us, she hates the taste. On days when none of this seems to work, stopping play and ignoring her works best. If we just say "no" and look away, she gets really pouty and stops. She never nips hard,we just want to stop this as early on as we can; however, we know it will get worse before it gets better as she begins teething. 

Our biggest obstacle is the fact that she is still not fully vaccinated so we can't take her on walks or let her run outside. She goes to the vet this Friday for her second round of parvo and other vaccines. I think that once we are able to start walking her it will help her energy level drastically. We are doing our best with trying to entertain her indoors. Although, with the weather getting warmer (or at least for now it is - what can I say, it's Cleveland) its growing more and more difficult. She keeps wanting to be outside and I can't blame her, I want to be outside too! We are staying strong though and doing our best to hold her attention indoors.  

Despite our hyper little pup in the evenings, we are getting used to Lacey being with us. I probably made her sound like the worst pup in the world, but she truly is so sweet, and ridiculously smart. Lacey makes us feel dumb most of the time with how clever she is. She has been doing great with commands; provided there is a cheerio waiting at the end for her. We have worked on "come," "sit," and are working on "stay". For some reason when she sits she gives us her "paw" by default. I'll take it. :) 

Will keep everyone posted on how she does the next few weeks. Luckily my spring break starts this Thursday so Lacey will have me home with her for 12 days. Can't wait until summer comes and it can just be the three of us, bonding all summer long. :)

Here is a pic of Eric and Lacey... She's getting so big! Can't wait to figure out how much she weighs at her vet appointment this Friday! (Something tells me she won't end up being 45-50 lbs like the breeder said!)

[Miss Ellie]

Everything you've described is perfectly normal...the wonderful puppy phase...that's why they are made so cute & cuddly...so we all fall in love with them and the bond starts immediately, otherwise we may give them back...LOL...this phase does pass quite quickly but it sure doesn't feel like it when you are in the thick of it...hang in there...she is so ADORABLE!

[Kristen Eric Lacey and Paisley]

Thank you everyone and sorry for the delay! With Easter everything got so busy but I will be posting another blog post in the next couple days. Everyone has great advice. We haven't tried taking her to the stores yet, but we have been taking her over different houses of our relatives and we have been taking her for car rides as well. The car rides seem to really make her tired, some of the time she even falls asleep on my lap.  lol Living in an apartment, while it has its drawbacks, has been really great for socialization. She has gotten to meet lots of different people of all ages which has been nice and she has been really great with everyone. 

[Julie, Eloise & Beasley]

Lacey is so precious!  She sounds like a happy normal crazy puppy!  :)  I agree with everyone else, it's so good to get them out for socialization and exposure to different sights & sounds right away.  All the mental stimulation does help to wear them out.  I carried Eloise in stores (or put a towel down in the cart - but I like the bin idea, too!).  Agree with the car rides and also if you can do multiple training sessions thru the day.  It DOES get easier...and it will be so much different once she has her big girl teeth, but I know that's not for a while. :)  Looking forward to more updates!

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

Right there with ya sister LOL!  we have had Bruin home for 9 days now.  They are bundles of energy aren't they?  I have been on "pup-ternity" leave for 2 weeks and go back to work next week,  I work nights and am a little nervous about how he will sleep during the day.  I have a feeling I will be taking lots of cat naps. 

Our trainer says that 10-15 minutes of training is better than 1 hour of running around.  Try starting to walk Lacey on her leash while inside.  that way when she is ready to go for walks it won't be a struggle. 

I have taken Bruin out in public already.  He is in the cart and I put down a big beach towel and he rides in the cart.  My older doodle Bailey loves to go places so we continue to go! 

Lowes, Home Depot, Michaels, AC Moore, Office Depot and believe it or not Best Buy all allow dogs..So load her up and go...

Our babies could be related LOL.... 

[Cortney (and Mulligan)]

Hi Kristen! We are on the same track record as you. We've had Mulligan about three weeks now (come Saturday) and I am also amazed at how crazy smart he is. We are also crating him whenever we can't have our eyes on him (for potty training reasons). Mulligan also gets crazy hyper in the evenings and is nipping at us constantly. The only complaint I have actually. We are doing the same as you.. redirecting to a chew toy and yelping also giving a firm NO! I am new to dog training/obedience but have been reading quite a bit. He's been sitting at the door a few times to go outside so I KNOW he's getting it. Now I just have to stay consistent and not take for granted he's "got it". He also sits and fetches so far! I'll be watching your little Lacey grow. :)

[Stephanie and Ragley]

Yes, it definitely helps when they can walk around places! Keep in mind she still won't be able to go on lengthy walks even after the shots are done as it puts too much stress on their joints. Training, training, training. That is what I would suggest to help you right now. My trainer told us that 10 minutes of focused training is the equivalent of about a 30 minute walk in terms of tiring them out. I'm sure you have already started on obedience, but maybe add in a few more sessions a day in order to help wear her out?

[Kristen Eric Lacey and Paisley]

Thank you everyone for your support! It was much needed (especially when we had a night like last night!) This morning Lacey was up at 4 a.m. for no specific reason and I am just exhausted. I think I might crate her later just so I can get a quick nap in. Luckily my spring break starts tomorrow so all the focus will be on her. She has her vet appointment for more shots on Friday. I am counting down the days until she is fully vaccinated and can start walks. Everyone is right, it is going to make a ton of difference in her temperament. She truly is a sweetheart, she just goes through these phases of extreme energy.

[Robin and Libby Louise]

Sounds like things are going great!  She is adorable (so is Eric - LOL)!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

What a darling puppy.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Taking her for car rides now is a good idea so she accepts and likes it later, too!  She is a cutie pie!