Riley--9 weeks old, home for almost three weeks!!

[Amanda & Riley]

I have had Riley home now for about 2 and a half weeks..... Wow!! I can not believe how smart she is and how much she has grown (physically and intellectually) in just those 2.5 weeks.

 

Although she is tiny (right now), she is about 3.5 pounds, her personality is DEFINITELY not. I love it!!! She can be a bit bossy, but definitely makes up for it when she is sleeping in my arms and giving me kisses. I was told she would get up to 50 pounds, but now I am thinking more around 35. I really have no clue. I know that she should be three times her size at her age. Whether she catches up or not, only time will tell.

 

For the past three days Riley has been barking at the door and soometimes ringing the bell when she has to go potty. I can not express how astonished I am by this!! I expected it to take months to even get to this stage!! However, she is a little too smart for her own good... now that she knows that whenever she barks at the door we will get up right away to let her out, she will bark when she has to go potty AND when she just wants to go run around outside and play. Hence, Ive let her outside about 5 times this past half hour LOL. Oh well, still happy to do it!!!

 

Especially in the morning, Riley gets in full crazy mode!! Running around like a banchi, touching every one of her toys and some of not so her toys. Our cat George has become her best buddy and MVP to annoy. It is so fun to watch! I have never seen a cat and dog play and wrestle like they do.

 

Next Saturday, she goes for her first puppy groom.... I want to get her used to all of the noices and the place. I even took her with me to schedule the appointment so she could smell it out. I KNOW I probably sound crazy!! Her puppy class starts at the end of this month and I cant wait!!!

 

Well, that is the life of Riley and me right now. I am pretty sure I am spoiling the crap out of her... but I cant help it.. she is my bundle of joy : )

[Mimi Linna, Lilly and Lolly]

Amanda- she is a medium.her mom is around 30 and her dad around 20.She was the smallest of the litter..it will be interesting to see how big she will get. Our place in Tucson AZ has a dog weight restriction of 30 lbs..so no matter how much she weighs, we will tell them that she is under under 30 lbs and just has a lot of hair :)

[Amanda & Riley]

Is lilly a mini?

[Mimi Linna, Lilly and Lolly]

Lilly was 4.4 lbs at 9wks. and is 7 lbs at 13 wks.

[Mimi Linna, Lilly and Lolly]

ah..she is so cute...keep us posted..

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

She sure is a cutie.  We did the same thing of getting our girls a little too young.  We also had a standard poodle mom and retriever dad.  Wish that I had known better, but I've learned.  Your little Riley is smaller than ours though.  Our Sophie was 2.5 lbs when we got her at 6 weeks, but she gained quicker than Riley seems to be.  I personally would be a little cautious about taking her too many places (groomers and puppy class particularly) until she is a little bigger.  Problem being if she picks up a bug of any type she is so little so doesn't have any weight to loose by getting sick.  Just a thought.  Look forward to more pictures.

[Amanda & Riley]

Thanks Ginny! I will look into the cow hoof!!

 

I feel a little worried now about her size... even though the vet said that she is all healthy.
Are there any vets on this site (does anyone know)?

[Ginny Nightingale]

PS--pups will need to chew a LOT especially as their puppy teeth fall out and new teeth come in at around 4 months--she might not be nipping as much as she is needing to chew and your hand is right there! Two suggestions--squeal really loudly when she chews too hard on you--soft chewing is OK, but anything with force demands a loud OUCH! to teach her that she shouldn't bite hard--but do not pull your hand away too quickly as that will cause you to get more of an injury.

Also, a great chew item is a plain cow hoof (no yucky filling) --they love the smell and taste and the hooves are cheap and last a long time. Some people get antlers too--but they are more expensive. My puppy loves the hooves and has had them since he was tiny--he never chews on anything in the house or on me, because his "chewing needs" are met by the hooves. 

[Ginny Nightingale]

wow--she really is small--but my pup was the smallest in his litter and is now the biggest at 8 months--so who knows?! She is so small, though, I doubt she will reach the size of her parents. What a quirk of genetics! Glad you are having fun with her and that she is healthy! Congrats!

[Elizabeth & Cooper]

Great! I'm glad to hear that! I can't wait to watch her grow up :). Keep up the good work.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Congrats! Sounds like an angel! So cute