Sunday, May 16, 2010

he's here!

I didn't know I could make room in my heart to love and take care of another being.

 But I've gone and done it.

 I've fallen in love with a puppy.

Odie is his name. You may remember this post when we picked him out at just a few days old.  We've been anxiously awaiting his arrival and are so glad to finally have him home!

It must be the poodle in him, because he's a smart dog.  He sleeps all night in his kennel and doesn't even pee or poop in it!  Yes, he has had a few accidents in the house, but he's actually pretty good about going outside.  I may be completely jinxing myself, but I don't think he'll be too difficult to train.  (Please don't make me eat my words!)


Our biggest problem with him is that he likes to nip.  I realize most puppies do this when they play, but it really bothers Millie and we don't want him biting at everyone.  When he bites us we say "no" in a stern voice and ignore him.  Or when he's nipping at the kids I say "no" and push his face away to make him stop.  But I would love any suggestions from fellow dog-owners!

For some cute footage of our pouncing little puppy, check out this video.

6 comments:

Jenn said...

You should definitely google to find out how to stop the nipping. I think what we found out is to yelp (really high pitched) and then say "NO" in a deep, commanding voice. I think the yelp is how they would have learned in their pack. This helped with general nipping when Chewie was a pup but we still have a problem with him nipping feet, bare or socked, he just has a weird foot fetish! Very annoying!

Have fun with Odie, he's very cute :)

Jenny said...

It sounds cheesy, but the Dog Whisperer (Cesar Milan) has awesome, awesome advice. He's got books, shows, DVD's, you name it. His tips are simple and seem laughable but they actually work. It's all about pack mentality and establishing rank. And they "get" it!!!

The Sneaky Mommy said...

Oh cute! For a second, I was trying to figure out who the "big" boy was on the floor with the puppy! Slow down, Tate! What a fun time at your house!

Amy@My Front Porch said...

Ooooh, he's so cute! He looks just like my aunt and uncle's old cockapoo!! Now Lily is defintely going to want to come play at your house :)

And I agree with Jenny -- I don't have any dog training experience but a friend of mine said she check the Dog Whisperer out from the library (they have some of the shows on DVD there I guess) and she's learned a lot! She said some of his tips work on kids too ;)

juliemoo said...

Congratulations on your newest addition! He's a cutie! When we first had Bentley and he tried to nip, we would hold his mouth closed and say "no". It didn't take very long and he stopped. Bentley is also part poodle and very smart. We should get the boys together for a puppy playdate. :)

H-Mama said...

super-super cutie patootie!! may the dog whisperer become your new best friend. ;) we got some great tips from him when we adopted our rescue dog. http://www.cesarsway.com/