December 14 - P-update
Well, having a 9 week old non-housebroken puppy and no crate small enough to crate train him, has meant a full time job. Making it hard to get much else done. My schedule has looked something like this:
5am - I wake up to take puppy out (sleeping in my arms) for first pee break of the day, we're both sleepy, out we go, do our 'hurry up', and back in the house and back to bed (thankfully Ignatius likes to sleep in).
10:30am - our real wake up happens, outside for a big hurry up, we usually get the full deal this time.
10:40 - breakfast (for puppy, usually not for me) and water.
11am - play time! which requires constant supervision, and frequent running outside about every 10 - 15 minutes at the cue of any sniffing, scratching, or crying behavior. At some time, picked by iggy, there will be another 'hurry-up' (dog code for pee).
Today (after some puppy accident learning experiences yesterday) I've got a big piece of vinyl scrap on the floor around my feet and the computer desk to protect the carpet, and all his toys out there, and I'm attempting to play with him with toys with my feet, so I can get some writing done! since 11, I've made three trips outside, and this last one now, at 11:35, has resulted in the desired pee break. See iggy doesn't like it outside, it's cold, it's windy, it's usually wet and rainy, and he thinks it's torture. He doesn't understand why we can't be civilized and pee somewhere nice, like on the bed or the carpet.
1pm - woo-hoo! After two hours of morning mayhem, iggy is exhausted, and naps for an all too brief hour and a half. If I'm lucky I have the stamina to get myself breakfast, or at least juice at this time, though usually I just lay underneath his snorting sleeping puppy carcass and stare blankly at one of my favorite TV shows - trading places, which is a decorating challenge type program where neighbors go in and decorate a room in one another's homes.
2:30pm - as soon as he's awake, we're outside again for a pee, then inside, for another meal and more water, then more play, then outside for more pee, then inside for more play, and this goes on for about 3 hours...
5:30pm - nap time again! yay! iggy poops out for about an hour, this is usually when I stuff my first meal of the day down, though it might be something pretty small and quick (microwave popcorn).
In the evening, off and one, thing pretty much go the same, usually I have help from Wolfe and from barbie playing with iggy and taking him outside, frequently, while I get dinner together, or one of them will get dinner together. iggy alternating from 2-3 hour play times, then an hour to hour and a half nap, then a meal and drink.He goes out an average of every 15-20 minutes during his awake times. and usually once in the hour will actually have to pee and the rest will be false alarms.
10pm - no more food, no more fluids, we need a totally empty dog by bed time!
midnight/1am - bed time! iggy sleeps through the night. yay!
So my day is pretty puppy filled, and requires constant puppy vigilance, lots of toy tugging and throwing, in and out the front door, a little bit of puppy training, we're learning the basics, mostly simple good manners stuff right now, 'off' and 'sit', 'inside', 'outside', 'hurry-up', 'lets-go!', these are the vocabulary basics we're working on.
Oh, we've also had a couple of baths together, the last couple of nights. The first one, because he just wanted to be with me. He was crying outside the tub, and was very persistent, and didn't want to play with Wolfe at the time, he wanted me. So, finally, Wolfe lifted him into my lap in the tub, and he was totally fine. He was actually very happy, so he sat immersed in the warm bath water with me, happily, as I tried to get him to not drink the water. Then last night, he actually needed a bath. My fault, I was eating some very drippy baklava and got honey on his back, poor puppy.
When I've had dogs before I've always got them accustomed to bathing early, I prefer not to bath with a dog, I rather shower than share bath water. Since he's a puppy, I'm making an exception, but we'll switch to showers soon. I like clean dogs, and he'll probably end up in the shower with me once a week. Then, spoiling oddball that I am, I lightly coat my hands with natural massage oil that has lavender and chamomile in it and massage his little puppy body all over, restoring some oil to his coat, just enough so it looks healthy sheen... not greasy puppy. And, he smells incredible, half puppy smell, half old lady smell. Man, I love this dog.
I tell you now, if I had an extra 70 bucks, we'd be going to puppy kindergarten in January. Puppy kindergarten is heaven. It works out each session about the same price as seeing a movie, and it's worth twice the entertainment. You get your puppy socialized, and have some structure to do training in to boot. But the main reason I love it, is watching a room full of puppies at play time. It's fantastic, warms your heart like nothing else.
One last pic, I've looked like hell all week, happy, but scruffy and exhausted, so it's not a very good picture of me, but iggy looks adorable! That's my boy! part bat, part house hippo (have you seen the commercials?), part gargoyle. He's my little saint.
XO
Kattclix here to vote for my journal please
Recommended this week :
This photographer does some truly amazing work. Captivating photography, with real depth, sometimes with a disturbing and dark element to his work.
Come on.... just a little something, money for tea? for Christmas dinner? for toilet paper? for shaving cream?
for a puppy?for oranges? for tampons? for paper? for Mr. Noodle? hooked on phonics lessons? for anti-depressants? For puppy food? For puppy kindergarten?
