Week 6 of the puppies was more stressful than any other week. It could have been a combination of several things but I found myself really wishing these dogs would disappear for a while. Not really, because that would make me very sad, but when I opened their door to see dog poop EVERYWHERE, not once, twice but 3 times....I was ready to feed them to the wolves. Now I'm sure that anyone who doesn't know me is ready to turn my name into PETA, but c'mon. I wouldn't really do that! They are just learning and I know that......once I cool off, I'm fine. It certainly doesn't help that 2 nights in a row, my dog Jackson, has gotten sick IN THE HOUSE. I'm not kidding when I say that there was more dog poo than I've ever seen in my life.....on my hardwood floors, rugs, WALLS, etc. It was disgusting....but in his 5 years of life, he's done it so few times (and so very rarely in the last 4 years) that I know he must not be feeling well. We walk him and take him out often, so its not neglect, but perhaps he got into something while outside in the yard.
At any rate, the puppies destroyed their home last night.....they were in a rectangular area that was blocked off with plywood. Their bed was in one corner and their potty pads in another. When we came down this morning, there was no difference between their bed and their toilet. GROSS!. So we decided once and for all, to do something semi-permanent about it. After researching and measuring (while I bathed each dog individually in the bathtub), we went to Lowe's to get some plywood. We took most of the afternoon building the Puppy Palace and we think it might work!! It has their bedroom seperate from their playroom and all of that is walled-off from their bathroom. Puppies will be puppies and will play everywhere but atleast their area to 'do their business' is seperate from where they will sleep and eat. Hopefully it will work until they are ready to go out to the farm for bird-dog training.
Some of the things that happened this week with them: Reba can go up and down stairs with ease. Hank and Watson have mastered going UP but not down. They all had their first bath and might have been slightly traumatized. They ate ALL their food at the last few meals. They figured out their vocal chords and bark and cry loudly and for a good length of time. They play very hard with each other. They are all using the bathroom outside when given the opportunity. Their mom, Sally, really doesnt enjoy being around them anymore. They really do love playing jungle gym on any given object (humans, coolers, lawn mowers, stairs, jackson, chairs, etc.) They LOVE puppy treats.
Until next time...........
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