Goodbye Puppy, Hello Teenager!

It's been a couple months since I last updated you on Marlee.  That is because she has moved out of the puppy stage and into the teenage years...and I'm so busy trying to keep her out of trouble that I haven't had time to update!

She's now just over 8 months old, and one of the reasons I've been so busy is because Marlee has decided all of a sudden to start digging everything.  She is especially fond of going after chipmunks, which results in a series of holes and tunnels throughout my yard.  One morning, I caught her in the act, trying to get to the chipmunks through the landscaping fabric.  Needless to say, I ended up replacing that whole section of landscaping with some paver stones that she can't dig up!



What???  I was just putting this back for you.....

Halloween was interesting as well.  Marlee loves people...I mean, LOVES....to the point where she can barely contain herself.  So, I enlisted my sister's help.  I figured that between the two of us, we could manage the dog and the door.  Well, we seemed to do okay for the most part, though it definitely took the both of us to make it work!  Mostly, Marlee enjoyed jumping up in front of the window when people came by the house.  I considered it part of the halloween festivities, though I don't know how "scary" she was.  We decided not to go with a costume since she would have tried to eat it (more on the chewing later...)


Marlee is creeping in the window...searching for trick or treaters!

Another favorite past-time this fall has been playing in the leaves.  Marlee likes to "help" me do the yardwork, which usually involves either a) attacking the rake, b) attacking the blower, or c) jumping through piles of leaves.  Still, she looks pretty darn adorable running around, and she seems to get great pleasure out of hearing the leaves crunch beneath her feet.  I can't wait until we get our first heavy snow.  I'm sure she will go nuts!

Marlee "helping" me rake the leaves...

 

 

In addition to the digging and the holiday and the yardwork, the majority of my time has been spent dealing with the fallout from the crazy amount of chewing that Marlee likes to do.  She chews on EVERYTHING!  We have gone through hundreds of dollars worth of toys.  It doesn't matter what it is...she chews it.  Mostly, though, she loves to go after the things with fluff.  It's like she has some kind of super-sense and can tell exactly where the fluff is in a toy.  She could care less about eating the fluff...she just loves to rip things apart, chew on it a bit, and then spit it out and roll around in it like it's some giant cloud of softness.  She even managed to destroy the "toughest chew toy on the market," which was OBVIOUSLY a lie.  So for now, we stick to bully sticks and we are increasing the exercise to try and drain some of that energy.

Finally, I'll end with a recap of our day.  Given Marlee's predisposition to dig and roll around in the yard and chew things up, you might imagine that she was getting quite smelly!  So today she got to go to the vet and get groomed and pampered (which I'm sure she loved).  When I walked in, they had two kittens who were sleeping, and they looked so precious!  I mentioned to the receptionist that I have never (that's right, never) seen Marlee sleep.......I am soooo not joking.....and she laughed!  I guess it is kind of funny.  But really, Marlee has such an insane level of energy that I have yet to see her sleep.  Maybe in another 5 years or so ;)  We ended the day with our last dog class for the year.  We will start up again in January, so now I have to figure out how to occupy her time for the next couple months, especially now that the teenage years are in full swing! 

And now, a moment of silence for the dearly departed who have been victims of Marlee's destruction:

• Mr. Broccoli
• Gerald the Giraffe
• Boris the Bear
• Leo the Lizard
• Mr. Fox's nose
• Mr. Bear
• Stick Gumby's arms
• giant tennis ball
• numerous sticks and plants
• a handful of pillows
• the "toughest chew toy on the market"
• both pet beds
• numerous towels
• the corners of my coffeetable
• a handful of toys without names because they lasted less than 2 minutes

Keeping Occupied: Adventures in the Yard and Beyond

Well, we actually managed to graduate from puppy school at the local kennel club (hard to believe, I know), and we are already signed up for the next puppy class, called life skills, but it doesn't start for another couple of weeks, so we have been trying to keep Marlee occupied in other ways.  Thank goodness for Petco and their Sunday puppy play times...even though sometimes Marlee is the only puppy there, she loves the attention and on the occasions that she does get to play with other puppies, she is in doggy heaven!

We've also been spending a lot of time outside.  Marlee gets into a lot of things in the back yard, but the most disgusting has been her recent habit of eating the cicadas.  Not just the dead ones, which are already gross enough, or their shells, which is equally gross....no, she likes to take them alive, listen to them click around in her mouth, and then chomp down on them and kill the things.  On the plus side, I have yet to come across a live cicada in my yard.  Marlee always seems to get to them before me.

 

Marlee and Mary practicing "high five"

To try and occupy her while we are in the yard, we play lots of games.  Sometimes we practice our tricks that we have learned, like giving a high-five.  Other times, we play with her toys.  She is especially fond of her fox squeaky toy, and carries that thing around all the time. It reminds me of a little kid with their blanket.  And of course, ever since our first puppy class, Marlee has always loved the tunnel.  We get it out and play every once in awhile.  The other day, she had a blast just hanging out inside the tunnel, avoiding the blazing sun :)

Marlee hanging out in the tunnel, with her favorite toy, the fox!

Occasionally, we take some rest time inside.  Usually, Marlee just sits around and chews on her bully stick or whatever other treat I give her to keep her from tearing up my living room.  But the other day, I realized she will stay occupied simply by looking out the front window.  She LOVES to watch things...cars, people, dogs...and so she will just sit at the window.  It reminds me of that song "How much is that doggy in the window?" because she just sits there and wags her tail without a care in the world.  I'm sure she will get bored of this eventually, but right now, it is incredibly amusing!  Notice she is still carrying around Mr. Fox, her favorite toy :)

All of the playing around has really got me thinking about how much she has grown in these last few months.  You know that moment when you look at your child (dog) and they seem to have grown taller practically overnight?  Yeah...I had that moment yesterday.  Looking back at her as a puppy, I can't believe how much she has already grown.  Onto bigger and better adventures tomorrow, but for now, I'll just reminisce.

Left: Marlee at 5.5 months; Right: Marlee at 6-8 weeks

The DNA Results are In.......

It's been awhile since I last updated this blog, and a lot has happened since then.  Not only did Marlee get spayed, but she also finished her first puppy school and graduated with flying colors.  We even got a certificate to prove it!  And, we started our next puppy school at the local kennel club.  So far, she is doing really well, even if she is one of the most energetic dogs there.  I keep thinking, "oh my Lord, my dog is the craziest one here!" but they keep telling me she is doing great.  We are almost finished with this set of classes and will be continuing on to the next set of classes in September.

Making mama proud, Marlee receives her puppy school diploma!

For the last few weeks, we have been waiting on a DNA test that we gave to Marlee to try and figure out what kind of dog she is.  I found a deal (gotta love www.woot.com) on a test for $40 which involved mailing in a couple cheek swabs in a kit they send to you.  The kit came from the Wisdom Panel website, http://www.wisdompanel.com/. While waiting for the results, which take about 4 weeks, we tossed around all sorts of breeds based on physical traits and other behaviors.  Some of the breeds we thought about included lab, pointer, terrier, border collie, pit bull, and more.  Based on some of the games we play in the yard, I *knew* she had some sort of herding dog in her.  Well, we finally got the results back. 


And now, the big reveal.....


One of her parents was an australian cattle dog/collie mix.  The other parent was all mutt.  The five most likely mixed breeds were cane corso, skye terrier, brussels griffon, catahoula leopard dog, and beagle.  So the bottom line is: she is a herding, digging, super-intelligent, super-energetic mutt :)  I have to admit, I took a lot of geeky pleasure in swabbing her cheek and reading through the report they sent me.  Putting my geeky pleasure aside, I think it is important for people to know what potential breeds are present in their dogs.  It is important not only in understanding the dog's behavior, but also it could provide important medical information (if a breed that is prone to certain maladies is present in your pup, for example).  One thing I know for sure, Marlee is Marlee, regardless of her breed.  And she couldn't be a happier pup!



Happy Marlee, 5 mos old

Nieces, Nephews, and Lost Teeth, Oh My!

These last two weeks have been hectic, but Marlee has enjoyed all the attention.  We're still growing like a weed.  In the last month she has grown another 2 inches.  And we are also getting ready for some big adventures this coming week.  Marlee graduates from her first puppy school, and we also will start our next puppy school at the local kennel club.  For graduation, she has to perform a trick.  Marlee is really smart, and so she has already learned a lot of tricks, but I think we are going to focus on turning in a circle for our trick for class.  And, I am looking forward to the next puppy class because I think she will get more instruction in terms of some obedience.  Also this week, we go to the vet to get Marlee spayed.  I'm a little nervous...this will be the first time that she will be boarded at the vet's office...but considering how much they dote on Marlee at the vet's office, I'm sure she will be like a pig in mud with all the attention.  But let's get back to the last two weeks.....

Marlee, 4 months, 23 inches

My nieces and nephews were visiting from El Paso, TX, and they were staying at my house.  When I say "they" I mean five of them...ages 12, 10, 7, 4, and 3.  Needless to say, that was a lot of excitement for Marlee.  I was a little worried she might be in a bit of a panic with all that extra attention, but she absolutely loved it!  The 10 year old was especially good with her, and she loved seeing what all the kids were up to everytime they came to see her at the gate or play in the yard.  When they left, she was so sad.  She kept going to the gate looking for them.  Awwww.  She acted like she never gets any attention...

Marlee, watching my nephew Monroe play with Legos

 

During the time my nieces and nephews were here, Marlee lost a tooth!  At first, I didn't know what was going on because we were playing with a toy and when I got it out of her mouth, it was bloody.  My sister Mary helped me calm her down and open her mouth--I was afraid she had a splinter or something--and that is when we saw her little hole from her lost tooth.  Don't worry, the puppy tooth fairy came and brought her a new toy :)  And I have to say, I think she has lost a lot of her baby teeth already because she is not chewing or nipping nearly as much as before.

 

Marlee loses a tooth!

The other excitement came when I got her a crate pillow.  The hope was that she would lay on it, and eventually I could move her out of the crate and she would use that as her bed.  And 90% of the time, this works.  But the other 10% of the time, she either folds it in half to use it as a pillow, or she crawls completely under it like it is a blanket.  It's kind of adorable actually, but I think it defeats the purpose of using it as her bed.  We'll give her a little time though :)  Everyday is something new, so we will just keep welcoming all the new challenges!

Where's Marlee? Oh, there she is, under the "blanket."

Just another Manic Marlee

I took Marlee to the vet again last week, and boy is she growing fast!  She gained another 7 pounds so we are now up to 21.3 lbs at 15 weeks old.  That extra weight doesn't seem to be slowing her down though...she still runs around the yard like crazy, especially when she is in her manic puppy mode.  If you have ever had a puppy, you probably know what manic puppy mode is--this occurs when everything seems normal, then all of a sudden all four paws leave the ground at once and the puppy seems to transport itself to various locations because it is moving so fast.  Don't believe me?  Here's a video with just a glimpse:

You'd think she would run out of energy with all that manic running around, but let me tell you, this is one energetic dog.  In the Puppies for Dummies book, it lists lab as "high energy" and there is only one dog breed it lists as "very high energy."  Want to guess what breed?  Yup...pointer.  Needless to say, we try and get a lot of exercise.  This energy is also creating a focusing problem, especially when we are in puppy class.  At first, we were exercising and playing with her for about an hour before going to class, but then she would still be excited and unfocused in class (so much so that the trainer asked me if I had a treadmill at home....OMG seriously? a treadmill for the dog????).  But then a friend of mine suggested that maybe the playing beforehand was actually causing that excitement because she didn't know when to stop playing--you know, all play all the time.  I only have one data point so far, but it seems she was right.  This past week we took a long walk and then rested for about a half hour before going to class, and she was much calmer.  Next week we get to use the tunnel.  I think Marlee will be excited for this (if she doesn't try and eat it!).

Long walks are great at expelling some of that energy, but it also means she will just poop out in the middle of the walk and lay down on the grass or sidewalk (or street).  Then she looks at me like, seriously, I'm not walking anymore...carry me home.  But my favorite part about her is when she is in her cuddly moments.  She crawls into my lap to chew on her toy.  Right now it is adorable, but when she weighs 60 lbs it will probably be painful!  For now though, I'll enjoy any moment when she's not in manic mode or in "I'm going to chew everything" mode :)



Cuddle time!

The Adventures of Puppy School

Marlee and I started our first puppy class this week.  She already knows many of the commands she will learn during this 6 week course, so the main reason for going is to socialize her with other dogs.  There are two other puppies in the class.  Poppy is a 5 month old Vizla, and Piper is a 3 month old lab/newfoundland mix.  Right away, we could see that Poppy, being the oldest of the group, had much better puppy manners than Marlee and Piper.  Eventually, they all got finished sniffing each other and got down to playing.  Let me just say, Piper can give Marlee a run for her money when it comes to play.  I think they are equally matched!  But, it was obvious that Marlee is the winner when it comes to the sheer amount of energy she has.  When play time was over, the other two puppies just plopped down nicely next to their owners.  Marlee, on the other hand, decided that she was going to keep trying to play with the other two dogs.  She did this by bouncing and barking and jolting back and forth between the two.  Finally, she wore herself out and I was able to calm her down.  The trainer shot me a look that said, "Wow, you have your hands full!" And I shot her a look right back that said "tell me about it..."

One thing that was pretty amazing was that immediately after finishing with the class, I noticed Marlee was not biting as much or as hard.  It seems some interaction with the puppies really helped her to get an idea about appropriate biting.  A friend of mine is also helping me with this aspect, and with being more stern so that I can be the dominant one in this puppy-human relationship.  Marlee is a smart dog, and with smarts comes the ability to test the boundaries and find clever ways around things.

These pinecones are delicious!

For example, I have trained Marlee to sit, lay down, shake, stay, and come (at least, we can do these commands in a nice calm environment like my kitchen but if we go outside then forget it!).  Marlee has trained me to stay with her when she eats her food (this is a whole other story).  One of her current tricks is to pick up something in her mouth that she is not supposed to have (a rock, for example).  Then when I call her she trots towards me...but then right at the last second, when I think I can reach down and pull the object from her mouth, she darts off to the other side of the yard.  She thinks she is really clever for creating this keep-away game, but I know better than to continue that game with her and it usually ends quickly, much to her disappointment!  We are still working on chewing on appropriate objects, and we are playing the toy swap where we cycle toys every 4-5 days and she thinks it's a new toy every time (this is a GREAT idea by the way).

This week, our assignment before our next puppy class is to introduce her to at least one new person (done...we meet new people daily), and to introduce her to three different "loud" noises/locations.  So far, we have walked on a busy street.  Later today, she will get to experience construction noise.  I'm sure about the third noise yet...maybe the vacuum, or maybe we will go down by the train station.  One thing's for sure, loud noises do not seem to phase this dog, as long as she can see where they are coming from, or if she is in her crate and feels safe which is the case with thunder and loud storms.  I consider this a blessing!

Marlee, 13 weeks old, 21 inches tall!

 

It's amazing to me how much she has grown in just the 5 weeks that I've had her.  She is already measuring nearly 21 inches tall...that's 10 inches taller than a month ago!  We go to the vet next week so we will get to see how much weight she has put on.  Even though she is bigger she still has those same beautiful markings on her paws and belly, and her big lab eyes still steal my heart :)  Probably the most amusing sound is taking her outside in the morning and listening to her stretch and moan in preparation for the day's adventures!  Who knows what today's adventures might be.

Life is Ruff: A Typical Day

It's been four weeks since we picked up Marlee, and we seem to have our routine down pretty well now.  A typical day for Marlee looks like the following:

• 4:15 a.m.     Wake up and let Marlee out to go potty
• 4:20 a.m.     Put Marlee back in the crate with the hope of getting more sleep
• 5:15 a.m.     Place pillow over head to muffle the sound of Marlee barking out of hunger
• 5:55 a.m.     Marlee finally stops barking
• 6:00 a.m.     Feed Marlee, but make sure to stay in the room or she might poop on the floor
• 6:15 a.m.     Take Marlee outside for a walk or some playtime and (hopefully) potty time
• 7:00 a.m.     Put Marlee back in the crate with her Kong and get ready for work
• 11:30 a.m.   Let Marlee out for another potty break and some play time
• 12:00 p.m.   Feed Marlee (avoid floor pooping...)
• 12:15 p.m.   More playtime outside, or inside if it is raining
• 1:00 p.m.     Put Marlee back in the crate for her afternoon nap
• 4:00 p.m.     Afternoon potty break and more play time
• 5:00 p.m.     Coax Marlee back in the crate with a toy or her Kong and listen to her wimper
• 6:00 p.m.     Feed Marlee again; still avoid floor pooping
• 6:15 p.m.     Play time and a walk, and hopefully potty time
• 7:00 p.m.     Crate time
• 8:00 p.m.     Play time and final potty break for the night (maybe a play date too)
• 9:00 p.m.     In the crate for the night.  Mild whimpering ensues for approximately 5 minutes

Marlee meets my parents' dog, Sydney.

Now, lucky for me, the barking in the morning has ceased after we had our initial battle of wills (a battle that I was going to win come hell or high water...although I'll admit there were times where I was ready to give up!).  The biggest challenge we are working on right now is how to determine what IS and what IS NOT a chew toy.  For example, this is an appropriate chew toy (which she has already demolished in only two weeks):

Marlee and her squeaker frisbee, which she has already destroyed!

And this is not an appropriate chew toy (although I will take a stick any day of the week over my pants or my fingers!):

Marlee capturing a stick on her walk.

Marlee likes to get into a lot of things in the house too.  Most of the time, she enjoys playing with an empty water bottle.  I think this might be her favorite toy because of the noise and because she can get her teeth around it in all sorts of ways!  But, she is also very curious and constantly exploring things like the dishwasher, oven, and washing machine.

Marlee helping with the laundry.

At the end of the day, all her annoying puppy habits seem worth it when she grabs her chew toy, curls up in my lap, and lets out her little puppy yawn.

The Puppy Honeymoon is (Nearly) Over

Two weeks have passed, but it feels like 2 years since my sister and I drove down to Tennessee and came home with my super cute puppy, Marlee.  She's already grown since we got her, now measuring about 17 inches...and I'm pretty sure she's doubled in weight because she eats like a horse!

Marlee, 10 weeks, 17 inches

Her adorableness is just ridiculous, and I'm trying my best not to, but I think I must be spoiling her rotten.  I'm sure this will come back to bite me in the butt (or in the pants legs as the case may be).  I shouldn't complain about her really...it's only been two weeks and already Marlee seems to be crate trained and has learned some basic commands.  She has not pottied in her crate for almost 4 days!  But that small accomplishment does not provide much motivation when I have to drag my butt out of bed at 4 in the morning to let her outside.  I should be thankful that I am not cleaning up pee and poop every morning, but if I never have to see 4 a.m. again it will be too soon.

The emotional swings I have with this puppy would make anyone crazy.  One minute she is adorable and loving and making cute little puppy noises (especially when she gets the hiccups...adorable!), and the next she is on a tear to eat everything in sight, including fingers and toes (and those stupid little helicopter things off the trees).  I go from wanting to run around and play with her all day to being so frustrated at her nipping and mouthing and barking that I can barely stop myself from just sitting down and bawling my eyes out...like I nearly did the other day when she barked through my entire violin lesson.  And I'm pretty sure the vet (and probably my dad too) are tired of me calling and asking bazillions of questions...should I be concerned that she is still sneezing? why is her poop runny? why does she keep biting at me? when should I take her to puppy school? when can she meet other dogs? should her poop still have worms in it? how much weight should she be gaining? The list goes on and on.

But, even when I'm frustrated, one look at that puppy face and my heart melts.  We go to the vet next week, and then we start puppy school soon after that.  I'm hoping the puppy school will help with the mouthing.  Marlee is only 10 weeks old, and everyone tells me that the mouthing is normal...but DANG those puppy teeth are sharp! 

Happy Marlee!

I guess all the holes in my pants legs and shirt sleeves and shoes, and all the scratches and teeth marks on my hands and arms and legs, are worth it.  One thing is for sure though...the puppy honeymoon is over (well...almost).

The First Week (Or...OhMyGodItHasOnlyBeenSevenDays)

They say having a baby changes your life.  Well let me tell you, having a puppy has got to be the next closest thing.  The whining, the pooping, the middle of the night wake up calls, the manic playfulness one minute and crazy mouthing the next--it's like a baby on warp speed.

Things started crazy from the very beginning.  Two hours after arriving back in town, we made our way to the vet's office.  Marlee weighed in at just under 8 lbs and 15 inches tall.  She was given varoius shots, and we learned that she had a puppy cold and hookworm.  The vet gave us some pills (which we are still taking) along with a detailed outline of her next few visits, which will occur every 3 weeks.



Marlee, 8 weeks old, 8 lbs and 15 in

When we first arrived home, Marlee was pretty chill.  She was sleeping a lot, and pooping a lot, and that was about it.  At night, she would bark to be let out about every 2 hours or so.  After a day on the medicine though, it was like I had a completely different puppy.  What used to be a chill sleepy pup was now an exhuberant, somewhat spastic barking puppy pooping machine.  Speaking of poop...I have never seen so many different kinds of poop before in my life!    Picking it up off the kitchen floor or crate towel doesn't even phase me anymore.  And Marlee is one smart puppy.  She already knows she isn't supposed to poop in the house, so when she does it, she makes sure to move the door mat so that it covers it up.  I can already tell this cleverness is going to become a problem.  But how can you resist this face?



Marlee, 8 weeks old, when she is being a good puppy

A more active puppy meant that playtime became more fun.  Marlee really enjoys chewing on things right now.  And by things I mean anything that might possibly look like it could fit in her mouth.  This includes toys, shoes, shoelaces, pants, sweaters, gates, doors, grass, rocks, woodchips, flowers, sticks, baseboard moulding, fingers, leashes, and yes...poop.  Right now, we are working on replacing inappropriate chewing objects with toys, and we are working on some basic commands.  Marlee seems to have already mastered SIT, so now we are working on COME.  And of course, we are working on the housebreaking.  She has stopped pooping in the crate, and if watched like a hawk, will not poop inside either.  All things considered, I feel like we are making good progress.

Marlee, 8 weeks old, chewing on an "appropriate" chew toy

On Tuesday, Marlee and I will go to get pre-registered for puppy school.  I'm not sure which one of us is going to be more excited about that.  As for right now, things are great, and I am feeling incredibly blessed to get to love on this amazing pup.  We found out just yesterday that most of her siblings died from Parvo this past week.  It seems Marlee and I met at just the right time.



Marlee and me, May 11th, 2013

An Introduction

Welcome to my puppy blog, Trouble with the In-Paws.  Here you will find stories, experiences, lessons-learned, and lessons-not-learned, based on my everyday interactions with my first puppy, Marlee.  Getting to this point is a story in and of itself.  It all started a few months ago when I decided I wanted to get a puppy. 

Now, getting a puppy is not a knee-jerk decision...it requires a lot of thought and planning.  How big of a dog did I want?  What kind of breed did I want? Did I want to adopt a dog from a shelter or get one from a breeder? How much money did I want to spend? Did I want a puppy or an older dog?  The list of questions goes on and on.  And if you do decide you want a puppy (which I did), don't be fooled by their cuteness.  All puppies are cute...you really need to do your homework about the breeds.

I grew up with collies, so I decided that I wanted a puppy that was a collie or lab mix.  I also knew I wanted to adopt a dog from a shelter.  Eventually, I found both a dog and a shelter that I liked.  The shelter was located in Tennessee, and I did not feel comfortable adopting the dog without seeing her first, so my sister and I made the journey down to the Volunteer State.  When we got to the shelter, the dog that won our hearts was not actually the one we were going down to see.  But, how could we possibly resist this girl's beautiful face?




Marlee, 8 weeks old

We made the journey back to central Illinois, discussing potential names for this beauty the entire way home.  I'm pretty sure we considered every name in the book, some more than once, but eventually we landed on Marlee because of her apparent love for Bob Marley music.  After a visit to the pet store (about 3 times in 24 hours), and a trip to the vet, I was all set to begin life with a puppy, and I was excited for all the adventures this would bring.  And that is why I decided to start this puppy blog.