Dante And Mina

The puppies are starting to figure out the ‘house rules’ – no chewing the coffee table, carpet, couch, bookshelf, mom, the cat, etc. They’re also learning what ‘get down’ means when they climb on the coffee table or the TV stand. They’re slowly learning that licking is OK, biting is not – but they sometimes get too excited and I turn into a chew toy yelling and flailing – puppy teeth are sharp, especially two sets of them!

They currently sleep in Coda’s plastic travel kennel, but they won’t fit in there comfortable too much longer – and Mina really seems to dislike the wire crate we were hoping they would move into as they grew. I guess we’ll play it by ear – I am leaving the crate out with toys and blankies, hoping they will go in and out of it and get comfortable with it before we need it. If Mina still has a hard time with it, I guess we will have to buy another larger plastic travel kennel for them to sleep in.

I might get to take them for their first walk today, or attempt a walk since they hate their leashes – if my hub comes home early enough and the wind and snow stop. I want to start socializing them at the dog park in a few weeks, so they need to get comfy with leashes before then. I am a little weary with Dante on a leash and collar, since he’s a front leg amputee – I’m not sure it’s a good idea to be giving him a tug and pulling him forward when he resists having the leash on. I’ll have to take a peek at the other options out there if he continues to resist. We’re going to have to get them chain leashes, Dante loves to chomp on the leashes instead of walking.

Coda absolutely loves them – she doesn’t like it when they fight with eachother, she’ll give a big beagle woof at them to make them stop when they get too rough with each other. Last night she slept beside them in the wire crate, instead of on her bed. She tried to get IN the plastic kennel with them, but they barely fit, never mind her in there, too!

I slept on the couch in the living room with them, which may be the route we have to go until they sleep through the night. We live in a two storey house, and it’s REALLY difficult to rush two puppies down the stairs in the middle of the night, and make it through all of the doors and such safely when you’re half asleep. Our living room has a sliding door out to the back yard, so it’s easy to open the door, scoop them out of the crate and take them out quickly.

They actually whined in the middle of the night too, to be let out. Which is good, the two nights they just rustled around and I barely heard them, ‘mothers’ intuition seemed to wake me up, more than their movement I think.

I am going to have to read up  on the forums to see if there are any tips about walking a fore-leg amputee, I am nervous about it!

~ by munko on March 13, 2010 .