Meet Scout

When you have children, you tend to forget how tough the first few weeks/months are with an infant.  The challenges fade as everything works out and that is when people decide to have more kids.  It's been ten years since we have had a puppy and twenty since we've had one as young as this gal.

MEET SCOUT!
We picked her up Sunday.  It is a long long drive for a puppy to make in a car but for the most part, she was sweet and slept in the wash basket we had for her in the back seat (no dogs in our front seats due to airbags).  The first day was great and she began learning her new home.

my friend Linda with Scout on Sunday:

She may look big but she is actually a teenie weenie.

Soooooo....she was up a few times Sunday night.  Actually she is up at 12:30  a.m. and 4 a.m. but that is to pee and then we put her back in the crate.  

This week we are working on crate training, having her respond to her name, and housebreaking.  We are pretty layed back,  She doesn't care too much for the crate but I sleep aside of her and stick my fingers into the crate and she settles down.  We are getting there.

I find myself going back 20 years when we had Paddie.  She was only 7 weeks old when we got her.  The boys were a few months old when we adopted them.  Monday we woke up and clearly Scout was getting more comfortable!  It was suddenly PUPPY MADNESS!!!  Running and digging and getting into all sorts of baby mischief.  

"Are you watching me?  Because I am about to bite the leaf you said 'No' about."

Like Paddie, Scout adores sticks.  

And like all our poodles, she loves toys, REALLY loves toys.  We are grateful for the teething toys since she is in that baby biting stage.  We gently but firmly reprimand her and give her a substitute for our fingers, clothing, rug, furniture......

The ol' "baby with the box" syndrome.  Why play with your toys when you can drag the bucket that stores them?

She does love her walks and has already learned many of the neighbors and where they live.  I wasn't really prepared for the getting up two times a night but things are gradually settling down.  She is learning her routine, and we are reminding ourselves that she is just a young YOUNG baby and we have to be patient.  

Photos are a challenge with this one 😊.  I'll keep ya posted how progress is coming.  The housebreaking is done and she is doing well with that.  Crate training is getting there and she pretty much responds to her name....and praise.  

Maybe tomorrow we will work on putting a collar on her.  For now I use a training lead and trying to get her used to something around her neck.  

Have a wonderful day!