So Josh & I went to the Leesville High School's kick ball/football/soccer field to let Nova have a blast-e-blast! Here are some pictures from our adventure:
She's getting SO big!!!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Kongsicle
Last night Nova had her first Kongsicle - a Kong stuffed with mashed up kibble and frozen, plus a carrot to plug the small hole. Usually she is able to easily empty her Kongs by picking them up and dropping them... so this is a new chewing challenge! She spent quite a while working on it, and we microwaved it a little so it wasn't too hard.
Also, as you may have noticed, her ears are starting to stand up! When she gets excited one will occasionally stand up most of the way...
Monday, June 20, 2011
New Toys!
Yesterday we took a trip to Petsmart to pick up some more dog food and while we were there, we picked out some new toys! Nova loves the Bad Cuz (just like her mom) and likes to chew the horns and feet.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Lawnmowers and the Rat Race
Today Nova spent quite a while this morning looking out the window at people leaving for work and at the lawn care guys!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Up Up & Away!
So this morning I couldn't get Joshua out of bed because he was too "tired." So, I came up with another solution: Nova wakes up Josh. So I carried her upstairs, turned on the bedroom light, and plopped our Pooper right next to his head. Josh groaned not realizing it was Nova, but soon came to find there was a wet nose and a slimy tongue licking his ear that was not mine!! He then woke up and got out of bed! Score! Bailey 0, Nova 1!
Soon she'll be able to do it allllll by herself, she's already got the stairs figured out.
Just not the climbing down part!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Flooded Kitchen
Lately Bailey has been telling me to make sure Nova has plenty of water in her bowl. I think we can put an inch or so and refill it more often. She gets plenty of ice cubes anyways, and occasionally will chew on the bowl stand.
This morning I filled up the bowl about halfway with water and went upstairs to get ready for work. When I came back downstairs, I found that our kitchen was flooded!
Not only had she spilled the water all over, she had tracked it around the entire kitchen. At least it wasn't pee!
We have started to housetrain her outside. Initially we were housetraining in a sod-lined litterbox because of the chance of doggy diseases in our backyard - there are lots of dogs in the neighborhood. However, we are hoping that if we keep her close to our back door and in areas that are not high dog traffic she'll be safe enough. She has learned to go potty really quickly once we're out back - it's just up to Bailey and I to get her there at the right time!
This morning I filled up the bowl about halfway with water and went upstairs to get ready for work. When I came back downstairs, I found that our kitchen was flooded!
 |
| The guilty party... |
Not only had she spilled the water all over, she had tracked it around the entire kitchen. At least it wasn't pee!
We have started to housetrain her outside. Initially we were housetraining in a sod-lined litterbox because of the chance of doggy diseases in our backyard - there are lots of dogs in the neighborhood. However, we are hoping that if we keep her close to our back door and in areas that are not high dog traffic she'll be safe enough. She has learned to go potty really quickly once we're out back - it's just up to Bailey and I to get her there at the right time!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Ice Cream Social
After having a good experience at school and the park the last few days, we decided to take Nova to get some ice cream last night! She couldn't have any (Bailey and I did!) but there were plenty of kids and adults to look at. She even got to meet some small children. It was crowded and very busy outside the ice cream shop, even though it was about to thunderstorm.
We also have started letting Nova explore the rest of the downstairs instead of confining her to the kitchen only. She is getting into all kinds of things, trying to chew cords (thankfully not the couch!), chairs, and a backpack. She gets super excited out in the living room - it's hard to get her to listen and calm down. She also has started to love biting hands and feet! We are working on redirecting her from all these "naughty" playful puppy things onto the things she CAN chew on, but it seems like a huge uphill battle sometimes.
We also have started letting Nova explore the rest of the downstairs instead of confining her to the kitchen only. She is getting into all kinds of things, trying to chew cords (thankfully not the couch!), chairs, and a backpack. She gets super excited out in the living room - it's hard to get her to listen and calm down. She also has started to love biting hands and feet! We are working on redirecting her from all these "naughty" playful puppy things onto the things she CAN chew on, but it seems like a huge uphill battle sometimes.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Library
Tonight we took Nova to the library - there is a small playground nearby. There was a young family of four eating dinner and playing on the playground, perfect for more socialization! After letting her watch them play for a while, we asked if they would like to meet her, which they did. One of their kids was around 3 years old, which was a new experience for her.
She's also getting very heavy! We have been carrying her around anytime we go outside because she hasn't been fully vaccinated and just recently had another shot - so her immune system isn't quite what it needs to be. It's sometimes difficult to balance being safe from diseases (like parvo) with making sure she gets to have lots of new experiences.
She's also getting very heavy! We have been carrying her around anytime we go outside because she hasn't been fully vaccinated and just recently had another shot - so her immune system isn't quite what it needs to be. It's sometimes difficult to balance being safe from diseases (like parvo) with making sure she gets to have lots of new experiences.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Meeting Middle Schoolers
This morning I took Nova to the local middle school so she could meet some new people. It's important for puppies to meet people of all kinds before they are adults, so we wanted her to experience meeting some children.
When we got to the school, there weren't many kids there, so we sat on a bench nearby. She did get to see a noisy school bus and did not seem to care at all, which was good. Soon students started to arrive, and I introduced her to a few of them. She was reluctant at first, but with the enough bribery (chicken) from the students she started to relax! When the chicken was gone and it started to get crowded we packed up and went back home.
When we got to the school, there weren't many kids there, so we sat on a bench nearby. She did get to see a noisy school bus and did not seem to care at all, which was good. Soon students started to arrive, and I introduced her to a few of them. She was reluctant at first, but with the enough bribery (chicken) from the students she started to relax! When the chicken was gone and it started to get crowded we packed up and went back home.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
First Vet Visit
Yesterday Bailey and I took Nova to the vet to get her second DHLPP vaccination (in a series of four). The vet was pretty nice even though Nova squirmed and whined like a drama queen for part of the examination. When it came time for the shot, it seemed like she hardly even felt it!
However, when we got home, Nova was unusually very very sleepy. She also woke up screaming a few times - we think she had a nightmare! We fed her some chicken which she hadn't had before, which she did eat. We were kind of worried about her, but this morning she is back to her usual puppy self!
However, when we got home, Nova was unusually very very sleepy. She also woke up screaming a few times - we think she had a nightmare! We fed her some chicken which she hadn't had before, which she did eat. We were kind of worried about her, but this morning she is back to her usual puppy self!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Puppyship Day 3!!
I now understand why people always say: "Dogs are like children." Although I disagree with the fact that they should be treated like a human child, they do take up all your time and require a lot of your attention, just like a kid. I expected this, just wasn't expecting it to be so life altering. Even so Josh and I do not regret it at all.
When Josh brought Nova home from Amorita's a few days ago, I heard that her first car trip wasn't her favorite. She whined and barked in her crate, and even got car sick from all the treats Josh gave her, to try to desensitize her to her kennel. So Josh had to drive most of the way home with the windows cracked because it smelt so bad. ha.
Nova's first night was awful! She cried alllll night. I needed to sleep so bad because I had a 10 hour shift the next morning. So Josh slept outside her kennel on the floor the whole night to keep her quiet. But, doing this did not set us up for a good sleep the next night either. So Josh and I went to Walgreens and bought some ear plugs. Nova had to suck it up night 2.
Josh and I have been working on a few training commands already, and she's already had our neighbor as a visitor. She's pretty good at "COME." I think she thinks that's her name. ha. So we have to work on getting her attention with "NOVA." She also does "SIT" and "DROP IT" sometimes, but they need more work. The happiest command both Josh and I enjoy is "POTTY!!" She finally goes pee in her little indoor sod box! She tries to poop in the box but doesn't quite understand that if she just puts her front two feet in the box that she's not really "in the box." ha. So we always have to pick up her hind legs mid-poop and put her all the way in. When we're gone and she poops it's always right by the box. So we know she's really trying. haha. Nova's not so favorite command is "CRATE." We tried to coax her in with treats and toys, none of which works to get her in. So we just have to throw her in and close the door really really fast, then we praise and give treats.
So that's about it for now, besides that she has her first vet appointment today so we'll see how that goes.
When Josh brought Nova home from Amorita's a few days ago, I heard that her first car trip wasn't her favorite. She whined and barked in her crate, and even got car sick from all the treats Josh gave her, to try to desensitize her to her kennel. So Josh had to drive most of the way home with the windows cracked because it smelt so bad. ha.
Nova's first night was awful! She cried alllll night. I needed to sleep so bad because I had a 10 hour shift the next morning. So Josh slept outside her kennel on the floor the whole night to keep her quiet. But, doing this did not set us up for a good sleep the next night either. So Josh and I went to Walgreens and bought some ear plugs. Nova had to suck it up night 2.
Josh and I have been working on a few training commands already, and she's already had our neighbor as a visitor. She's pretty good at "COME." I think she thinks that's her name. ha. So we have to work on getting her attention with "NOVA." She also does "SIT" and "DROP IT" sometimes, but they need more work. The happiest command both Josh and I enjoy is "POTTY!!" She finally goes pee in her little indoor sod box! She tries to poop in the box but doesn't quite understand that if she just puts her front two feet in the box that she's not really "in the box." ha. So we always have to pick up her hind legs mid-poop and put her all the way in. When we're gone and she poops it's always right by the box. So we know she's really trying. haha. Nova's not so favorite command is "CRATE." We tried to coax her in with treats and toys, none of which works to get her in. So we just have to throw her in and close the door really really fast, then we praise and give treats.
So that's about it for now, besides that she has her first vet appointment today so we'll see how that goes.
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