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