...new puppy...

I have been off the radar for the past few days because I got a new puppy!  She is not a little puppy because she is 5 months old, but she has all the puppy issues.  She is a sheltie, so very smart but still is in need of training.  She was being raised as a possible show dog, but her breeder decided against it just at about the time that I contacted her about possible Spring puppies.  I went out to meet her and loved her and brought her home. 

Previously, she was being raised with two of her littermates and wasn't inside all that much.  It took me about a day to get her leash trained but today she went on a couple of long rambles with me.  She is in the process of paper-training...she was in a fenced yard and kennel before.  She is very sweet, quiet, and loving. 

She is NOT a big fan of our cat, however, and the cat feels the same way.  I think Biscuit (the cat) would put up with her, but the puppy feels that our home needs defending against the intruder cat and barks and scares her away.  Then, she looks very self-satisfied that she has succeeded.  Hmmm...we have to figure this one out.

Ross is coming home for the weekend for his birthday and to meet our new dog.  We have a tradition of naming our animals food names (Chutney, Sundae, Biscuit, Barley) and John and Ross want to keep up this tradition.  We are weighing:  Cookie, Toffee, Taffy, Pudding.  I am not stuck on the food thing but will acquiesce to the family wishes.  Her breeder called her Emily, but we have a little girl across the street with that name and Bonnie has a good friend by that name, so we don't want to keep that.  Any ideas?

Comments

[tinker]

Congratulations! When do we get to see the baby pics?
As for names, Cookie and Taffy both sound delicious - but have you tried them out on her to see if she responds to one of them? Then again, if she's used to getting treats that are called cookies (that's what we call Lady's dog biscuits), she may just respond thinking she's going to get one! How about Madeleine - that's both a food and a girl's name...

[Tonya]

OK, the rabbit trail continues...Taco? (probably better for a chihuahua...); Ginger; Peaches; Olive; Penne; and (catch breath!) Pesto!

Jeeze, go to the food network or meals.com and I'll bet you'll come up with something! :o)

[Barbara W. Klaser]

Congratulations on the new family member. I hope the cat/dog bond develops. I'm sure it will once she bonds with you and realizes the cat is part of the deal.

[isay]

congrats to your new dog and congratulations also to you and to the birthday celebrant.

when are you posting the pic? i have thought about the name crunch or crunchy-only if you like

[Ken]

We had outstanding results using the crate for house training as well as other issues, and a "Gentle Leader"(TM) for leash training was outstanding and FAST.

Dogs are pack animals, so make sure the dog understands the cat is part of your, or from the puppy's perspective, "our" pack. Perhaps holding the cat and petting her while the dog watches, playing with the cat while the dog is in the crate but can see both of you.

Let the cat watch you training and rewarding the dog for "good" behavior. If Biscuit is smart, she may learn that dogs are trainable!

If that puppy was being trained as a show dog, there is a fairly typical routine of keeping them in a kennel except to be with the trainer for training. This may have an unintentional lesson of the dog expecting attention when she's not in the kennel, and perhaps getting frustrated or confused when she doesn't receive attention but is free.

Something to apply the brain cells to. Good luck!

[Leslie]

When do we get to see her? I can hardly wait...^-^
BTW, what color Sheltie? I would think that would affect the name you choose....
What fun!

[wee]

o doggity delight!!! Yay you guys!!! Can't wait to see the new girl! And my vote goes for Pudding. Or perhaps Muffin? or you could go the gwyeneth paltrow route and go for Apple! or delve deeper and go for kinds of apples... Gala (as in Royal Gala), Spartan, Pippin... the mind reels!

o joy!!! xoxoxo

[Tonya]

I can think of funny food names for weenie dogs -- Peanut (one of ours), Noodle, Oscar (Mayer), etc. A food name for a girly Sheltie is harder because I'm always trying to incorporate their appearance or personality. Sugar? Pepper? Candy? Rosemary? (OK, that's an herb...) Basil would be cute for a boy dog. You got me on a rabbit trail!

[Paige]

Congrats!! I'll never forget the day I brought home my dog Risky.

What about the name, Annie? We would have named Risky that but she was too used to her given name Risque (by her breeder)

[Elizabeth]

oh happy day!!!!! I am so happy you found the perfect pup for you--- can't wait to see the pics.