ohboyohboyohboyohboyohboy.....KIBBLE!

So, I got this puppy for my birthday... oh wait. Let's rewind a bit further back.

So, I bought this house. and my husband and I always said, when we bought a house, we'd get a dog. and then I was offered a choice of "presents" for my birthday. The house came with a broken built-in dishwasher (shut up, the house was CHEAP) so I was asked if I wanted a new dishwasher or a puppy for my birthday.

And being the wise and practical soul that I am, of course I picked the puppy. New dishwashers are incredibly cheap, and I'm used to doing dishes by hand, anyway.

Thus began the search. PuppyQuest 2009, The "OMG ARE YOU INSANE?" Edition.

And we found the cutest little boxer pup I've ever seen. Fawn coat with a little white flash and the usual black mask on her face. and she was just so SWEET and affectionate. And I was ready to take her home right then. But here's the thing: I broke the cardinal rule of dog-adoption.

I got her from a pet store. yes, yes, I know this makes me awful and bad and I should be drug out into the street and shot for my part in perpetuating the puppy mills. But I'm not writing my first post about controversial dog issues. nope. We'll get to my thoughts on that in a different post.

I'm writing the first post because I'm excited to have a new member of the family. the whole point of starting a dog-blog was to write about the experience, maybe connect with other, more experienced dog-lovers, learn some new things about dogs in general and my dog, specifically.

So far, raising a puppy has been a little challenging, and a whole lot awesome. Of course, I'm so new we're counting things in hours and days, right now. I think so far, the part I've found most baffling/frustrating has been night-time crate-training... I mean, she HATES being in there at night. Nights are... well, kinda tough. days are fabulous, and she's actually IMPROVING. yesterday, she woke up and her tiny bladder let go, but the whole rest of the day, she went outside. she didn't mess her crate again until about 10 last night, when we tried to go to bed and put her in there for the night. I mean, i'd just taken her out and let her sniff around and do her business, and she went wee, and then i let her sniff around some more in case she had to poo, but after awhile she gave up and alternated between trying to snuggle up on my feet and scratching at the back door. so I took her inside, and when I put her in the crate, she looked right at me and popped a squat and made her little puppy doodle inside the crate.

that's when i fell over and DIED. I mean, I know she hates going outside, it's cold and she's little. I hate going outside during winter, too. But I know she needs to learn to go outside as soon as possible. Letting her go inside the house just because it's cold will send the wrong message, and the consequences of it can spiral outward from there pretty fast. no thanks.

So, I feel like a big old meanie a lot of the time, but what she sees is me being determined that she will learn, so I'm firm and calm in my demeanor and how I speak to her, because I know dogs can sense it if you waffle. It's hard not to humanize her and just treat her like a furry baby, because she is so damn cute and baby-like. But what I'm doing IS working, she absolutely IS learning. last night was better than the night before. And I'm pretty sure that cutting off her food and water a couple hours before bedtime made it possible for her not to mess her crate in the night or upon waking. We are following a strict schedule, and I think it really makes all the difference for her.

But she's awesome, and we love her and are committed to her.