Our Pack......

"A house is not a home until it has a dog." Gerald Durrell

This is our current pack.......Fudge, Boomer and Ginger (the cat).  They have no idea what's in store for them! But they are all extremely well balanced, well adjusted, and well socialized, dogs (and cat), that they will be fine!
They took a trip to the vet yesterday. To get updated on their boosters and had a pre-cautionary deworming. All to keep the pup as healthy as possible! They were very good sports about it!

Apparently there is a fine art to introducing your new puppy to your current pack of dogs (or pets). In many books I've read they say to have the VERY first introduction be on neutral ground. Meaning at a park or parking lot, or a neighbors front yard, with the dogs on leashes of course! They even suggest taking a short walk around the neighborhood together.This allows for the older dogs not to feel threatened of protective of what's 'theirs', and it allows the new pup just a very friendly first 'Hello'! Some books just say to take your new pup straight to your backyard first, without the older dogs present, to introduce the pup to their 'elimination spot'. When your pup goes, praise him happily and give him a few treats. Then allow him to sniff, and explore his new playarea for about 10 minutes. Then it is suggested that you may bring the pup inside for slow & gentle introduction to the other dogs...while holding your pup....and letting them sniff out the newcomer. As long as everything is going well at this point.....you should then feed the dogs, and allow them to eat together at the same time, but separated, perhaps by a puppy-play yard or gate....so that all dogs associate this new event with a positive experience. Then let them back outside for some supervised playtime, allowing the older dogs to "potty train" the pup.....through modeling for them. Pups learn a lot from watching and observing their elders! When everything is going well.....it's time for lots of praise, treats, toy play, and then inside for a good long nap.....with puppy in the separated play yard and older dogs back to their normal routine. Before you know it they will be best friends...and it will seem like the pup has been their brother forever.

Well.....here's to crossing our fingers & toes.......!

Pure Puppy Love!

       "Whoever said you can't buy happiness........never bought a puppy!" 

Puppy Visiting Day today........

Well not THE official visiting day....but I have woo-ed the breeder, she now loves me, and lets me come whenever I want! And it is pure HAPPINESS!!!!!!!!

They are growing so quickly, and are so stinkin' adorable! I want 'em all! Well.......I want two! Well.....maybe just one! (Ours is the one right smackin the middle of the picture, with the panda bear eyes)

They are very well socialized and love anybody that comes to visit. They are happy, well-fed, and very playful! And boy are their teeth sharp! OUCH!! A few nips to the legs and toes.........we'll have to nip that in the bud on Day 1, of puppy training at home.

But our little guy....is still the gentle giant of the bunch. He's content to let his brothers and sisters romp, and chomp, all over him and he just lays there or rolls around. No retaliation, no yips, no barks, and no growls.
He's a gentle old soul.....wise beyond his years!

His fur is growing in more & more each day, and he's becoming quite the fluff ball. He also LOVES cheese bits. While playing today I tried out a name or two( from our list of ten!) and he responded the most to "Meeko!" (or was it the cheese bribe.....??)

Either way...we think he fits the name Meeko the best! Meeko was the raccoon's name from the Pocahontas movie. And the pup really kinda looks a bit like a raccoon!
I looked it up and Meeko also means...."gentle strength". Perfect!

Anyway....it was a fun visit, we cuddled, took more pictures and (he's quite the poser!-see the smile below)
got a bit more acquainted! LOVE, love, love...... that this breeder lets us have this time to bond, Meeko will have such an easier time adjusting to his new home, and new pack, when it's time.

                                                      Smile Meeko!! Good Boy!!!!!

Perspectives of Patience & Possibility

"Perhaps the most enchanting quality of a puppy is ........possibility"

Puppies fill us with hope, and inspiration, giving us a chance to start over again, to shape them and ourselves into long-term companions who will share an intimate part of themselves in our lives for the next ten to twenty years.
They grow up into dogs who help us decide what car to buy; help us to understand that farts are normal; know that we are never alone, ever; connect with our hearts; and feel that we are loved and appreciated. They also teach us the true meaning of compassion. So much possibility!


"Often when we adopt a new puppy, we have a vision of the type of relationship we hope for, but it takes ........patience"

Based, in part, on past experiences, or on what we have read about or witnessed with friends, we can easily put more pressure on ourselves (and the pup) than is wise. Patience is a key virtue in nurturing the relationship, to keep us relaxed, and moving forward step by step. With patience we can stay in touch with the bigger picture, realizing that the foundations of a healthy relationship are laid over a broad period of time. No relationship of any real depth matures overnight - (human or canine); trusting in the process will give us a calmness and flexibility in the face of challenges that arise naturally from time to time.

(certain excerpts borrowed from "Rescue Tails" and "Dogs & Devotion")

The Name Game......

Now that we finally have our pup picked out....we cannot WAIT to bring him home......

But another order of business must take place first....he needs a name!

Of course this would be a fairly easy & simple task if there were one single person involved. You just come up with a few ideas, roll it off your tongue for a few days....and the one that sounds best sticks.
Easy....right?

Well....not in a family of FIVE! Five different ideas and opinions on what his name should be. We are playing the name game! It's quite fun & cute....actually...hearing our kid's ideas.........here's what we have so far.......

1. Meeko
2. Nuka
3. Pwincess Auwowa (she doesn't quite get that we picked the boy yet)
4. Tanker
5. Diesel
6. Comet
7. Keiko
8. Balou
9.Stanford
10. Kyak

YEP!!!! Ten names to narrow down to one!

Any suggestions...............????

It's a boy!!!!!!

Well...better late than not at all! It's almost midnight...I feel like I'm making a deadline!  :0
 But I promised this would be a DAILY blog........so here it is.....short & sweet;

So....after much thought, turmoil & deliberation, and yes ....another visit to the pups tonite (by me)...we decided on the boy. He's such a cute, fluffy, goofy, sweet guy! I just needed one more visit to see them interact!The pups were in rare form tonight. Much different from the other times I viewed and observed them! They were all very animated and busy, and play-fighting...and were all over me! Some even tried out a growl on a brother or sister and surprised themselves! Too funny!

But the boy it is....even though my heart is still attached to the girl pup...and she is attached to me. (She curled up right in my lap all on her own for most of tonite's visit!)
The girl ended up displaying some dominance and playful aggression tonite, while the boy remained calm, playful and yet let all his sibs do anything at all to him without retaliation! THAT is the dog we are looking for!

So....the decision is made....now onto the next one.......... 

A name........   ??

....till tomorrow then.............

WE STILL CAN'T DECIDE!!!!!!! Aarrgghhhhh!

Seriously! We are pathetic! We love two puppies equally and still can't choose between them! Ridiculous right??

Well....it's so much harder than you think!

The female is sooooooooo incredibly sweet, and loving, and gentle, and animated and happily engaging & curious! She would continually come back to us and crawl up on us all by herself. Of her own free will...she's continued to climb all the way up to our necks, just nestle herself in and lick us all over! (pics below)

The boy we picked out from last week....turned out to be a very timid, scared, shy, cowering and shaky pup. Poor thing wouldn't even try to come out of the safety of his little corner. He tried a few times to encourage him, but each time there was any sort of commotion (either puppy or human) he would wrestle his way back to his corner.
We picked him up to try to engage him, and calm him....but he would try to wriggle out of our hands and want to be put down. Or he would just shake. I feel soooooo terrible for him, but I knew in my heart this would not be the right pup for our family! Not with kids, or our other dogs! I pray he finds a great home, that will give him gentle handling and lots of patience!

So the female was going to be our choice! Then............

BUT....of course............. we found ANOTHER male pup from the litter to love (& to add to our crazy decision making process), that we hadn't really noticed before!(They change so quickly!) Well....Madi did. She picked up the cutest, fluffiest, biggest male....he absolutely looks exactly like a panda bear. He is so very mellow and laid back, compared to his brothers. He looks like an old soul! Like he's already lived 20 years, and could teach us a thing or two about not "sweating the small stuff!" He was engaging, and super relaxed....not timid or shy....but just very seriously.....'chillin'. He is very fluffy and will easily be a bigger boy.....maybe almost 80lbs as an adult male. (Which is what my hubby prefers!)

So now we are even more stumped! As Madi and Quinn said......we all wish they could morph into one and have all of the best characteristics all wrapped into one.
Or as our dear friend Whitney said.....just get both! HA! Then you all seriously have to have me comitted please!! Don't get me wrong! I would absolutely love to give them both a home here, knowing there is no better place for a dog to live! But training TWO pups at once, while potting training a busy toddler? And with our travel responsibilities.....it'd be tough to find a sitter for 4 dogs! Nope...that would be crazy!
FUN, but crazy!

So we are still at square one! I hope to go back once more this week to observe them again. They change so quickly that they may display different temperaments each time. The bottom line is that I really want the best dog possible for our family's needs with little kids and our other two dogs and our cat!

So....stay tuned!

Here's a pic of the boy & the girl laying together on Madi's lap; - The boy has his eyes open & the girl is sleeping)

Visiting Day

Hooray! It finally visiting day again! And it's time to make a final decision on which pup to pick. So we can begin the bonding process an get him/her used to us and our human smells.

Well....the polls are about to be closed on the male vs. female issue. And thanks for voting but....alas...it wasn't much help! It was a tie!  5 to 5......... (but I really appreciate your votes...it was fun to watch!)

(sigh) Oh well......we REALLY aren't just picking out our dog according to sex anyhow. Not ONLY for that reason anyway........

You're actually almost supposed to let the dog pick you......or at least somewhat.......

In reading Cesar Milan's ( you know...The Dog Whisperer)  recent book, "How to Raise the Perfect Dog", he says that picking out a pup is really quite easy, you just have to know what you are looking for in a dog, in regards to how he will fit into your lifestyle, and then you have to decide what type of energy level you are looking for in your dog.
He says, for example, that a busy family with triplet toddlers, should probably look for a low-key, low-energy pup. A marathon runner who is looking for a running companion will want a high-energy pup. Each litter will usually have low-energy puppies, medium-energy puppies, and high-energy pups.
The high-energy pups usually will be the leader of the pack and display lots of anxious energy and dominance. This is not necessarily a bad thing, You just have to be aware of it when you are seeking a dog to match your lifestyle. Of course the low-energy puppy will be more of your couch potato variety! He should still display that puppy energy, but he will be much more laid back, and will usually be the last to get to the food ( mom's or otherwise). Cesar suggests that for the typical American family, or working single or married citizen, a medium-energy dog usually fits the bill. Not too overly dominant, not in hyper-drive mode, but a just- right- healthy- balance- bundle of energy that most owners will be able to channel into the well trained, obedient and loving dog they dreamed of owning.

So...tomorrow, during visitng day....we will be observing closely. What are we looking for EXACTLY??

The Dog Whisperer says that the easiest and most successful way is to try to view the pups at feeding time, just as they begin to nurse on mom. The one who gets their first and pushes his brothers and sisters out of the way.....you guessed it; high-energy (& dominant!)  The next few to get there will usually be of medium-energy, and then you have the stragglers and voila! You have your lacksidasical couch pup!
But most pups stop nursing from mom around 4 weeks of age....and ours will be 5 weeks this week........so I guess that technique is out of the question.
He also suggest setting pups on a short chair or bench...and then observing how long it takes them to get bored and decide to jump off. The ones who jump first are high-energy, and the ones who are just happy to sit and observe, yawn, and eventually fall asleep....are probably the ones we are going to want.
Another method is to just observe them at play with each other. You really can tell which dominate the litter, and are willing to explore beyond the parameters of their comfort zone, and which are just happy going along for the ride as long as they have a buddy to do it with.
So tomorrow...we are going to visit our pups....armed with toys and techniques in order to determine which one pup we want to bring into our family in a few weeks!
Wish us Luck!
(And look for Mondays post, which will of course include our decision, and more puppy pics!)