quick hello and update on us! :)

[Jenn Suchniak]

hello! long time no post, it's been chaotic around here!  i wanted to say thank you again for all your help when i was in the midst of the new puppy madness!  things are looking up!

our little guy appa is giardia free, finally!  and i've left him home for 3-3.5 hours 3 or 4 times now, and no more coming home to a mess!  he's completely (bell) house trained, sleeping through the night, and can follow a couple commands (out (drop what's in his mouth), sit) ... have to work on those more!.  

we just moved into our washington "forever" house (which is only 3 years navy time, lol) a week ago.  we are mostly unpacked, and getting settled in.  my dh got promoted at work a month ago and has been going through an induction similar to bootcamp+joinging a frat.  it's been CRAZY.  we have two weeks left until he is pinned (15 days, actually), and then we're looking forward to starting some puppy classes for socialization!  

we are having a little trouble with him being jumpy/bite-y with my little ones that we're trying to work on.  and walking on a leash - OH boy.  hopefully that dies down soon!

here are a couple of fun pictures!  the first is the day we got him.  he was 7.5w and today at 12w.

this one is 9 weeks vs 12 weeks.  he's growing like a weed!  :)

thanks again!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Oh, your puppy is so adorable. Love the pictures! I am glad things are getting better. Enjoy your "forever" home for the next three years :)  What is his name?

[Jenn Suchniak]

thank you!  

his name is appa, after the flying bison is in the animated series avatar:  the last airbender (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appa).  LOL!  it's always fun when we come across someone, they ask his name, and say - OH!  he's a flying bison!  lol.  but that's rare.  usually we get  "ah-what?"  :D  

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

After I asked, I saw the name on the crate! I love when a dog's name has meaning and Appa is so cute. Fudge's name needs no explanations, but Vern is really Vernors, which is a Midwest Ginger Ale. We name all our dogs food names and I guess a drink qualifies as a food name :) Enjoy your pup! I went to the link and enjoyed reading about Appa!

[Jenn Suchniak]

thank you sandy!  his name is Appa.  i added it to the original post - didn't realize i'd left it out!  :)

[Angela Maynard]

Oh my goodness he is so cute!!! Thanks for sharing.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Oh my gosh he is adorable! If you are having a lot of problems with him walking on a leash, I'd recommend the Easy Walk harness. It made ALL the difference for Darwin, walking is so much easier now.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Oh he is so very cute.   Some of the nipping behavior is just puppy. Keep up your hard work and you will get the nipping under control.

[Ginny Nightingale]

OMD--he is such a cutie! And boy is he growing fast!! Yes, get an easy walk harness or something similar--it will make a huge difference!!

[Bonnie and Kona]

So wonderful to hear from you! I am thrilled to hear that Appa is done with that mean giardia! I love the photos. He is completely adorable. Hoping to hear lots of training stories and keep those photos coming. So glad Appa and you are settling in now.

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

He's so cute! Happy new home to you!!!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Adorable, cute, loveable and.. gardia free!  Yeah!  Be firm with the jumping and biting.  Sitting equals love an pets,  jumping equals no pets.  Try to teaching  him to always run a get a toy to bring to you, so his mouth is busy.  We taught Roo that, he taught Tigger to do it and it really helps.  If they forget all I have to say is "get bone" and they run off to get a rubber bone (which are all over the house) and then their mouth is occupied, and they have a hand sign for sit.  Hand signs are often more effective for excited dogs than verbal ones.  I use two hands  touching my chest for the sit sign as the usual point sign was too big of a temptation to mouth my hands.  Good luck - 12 weeks is young,  be firm and consistent now and for a long time to come.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Gotta agree with everyone here ... he is adorable!  Love the growth shots and the little one on top of the crate is adorable as well.  Congrats to your Hubby as well and thank him for his service.  You have such a wonderful "military wife" attitude and I'm sure that your husband appreciates that so much.  Keep up the great work with Appa.  Good news is those puppy teeth will be coming out in the next month or two and that makes the nipping much less painful!