Saturday, February 5, 2011

Countdown

Lotus, with her last litter of thirteen-thirteen!-pups.
Time is marching onward. Sometime this week, little Lotus is due to whelp. Amongst her pups will be my new puppy! My next-door neighbor is throwing the "puppy shower" on March 19th, and my new boy-Samhain-is due to come home sometime in the beginning of April. I am very excited! If you missed the big announcement regarding the new Hell Hound, you should see this post for the background 411.

Hutch, the proud daddy

After realizing it has been twenty-holy hand grenades, Batman! Twenty!-years since I raised a puppy, I have been brushing up on my puppy info by reading everything I can get my hands on. Things have changed since the last time I had a pup, and I realize how lucky I was with my last pup, 'cause I sure as heck didn't know what I was doing! I'm thinking I can do better this time, with Mr. ShellHawk's help.

With the permission of the breeder, I hope to visit the pups at four weeks old, to get a feel for their personalities. Although I don't have first pick of the litter, I'm still hoping for the lowest-energy male in the bunch, because I'm too damn old to deal with a high-maintenance dog!

I'm sure he'll be at least as cute as these little guys. Wish me luck!

Lotus's kids, age six weeks


9 comments:

  1. Hooray for puppies! Hooray for puppy breath, and puppy fur smell, and little yaps and flopsy running!

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  2. I tell people that his name will be "Sam." Samhain is actually pronounced "SOW-an," and I don't want my kid getting beat up at the park becasue I call him, "SOW."

    It would just be too cruel.

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  3. Love, love, love Shepies!! I grew up with them and as soon as my two little dogs have joined their dog heaven pack I will be getting another Sheperd.
    Glad you did your research and found a good breeder. Most Sheperd breeders nowadays breed the hips right out of the dog.

    I can't wait to see the pictures of your new pup!!! They are all ears and feet at that age!
    and GF... there is nothing better than puppy breath!

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  4. Let the puppy chewing, knocking things over, peeing, pooping, stealing your underwear off the bathroom floor, digging in the backyard, fun begin!

    Puppies.....got to love them....

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  5. Honestly, Jay, do you really believe the Mistress of Mayhem's puppy would be so rude? ;o)

    This is why crate training is so important; it lowers your stress level and the dog's by not allowing him to get into trouble when you can't watch him. I.e., he doesn't associate you coming home as a stressful time, because you're not screaming at him for eating your best shoes.

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  6. If your new baby is anything like Lotus, he's going to be gorgeous. Have you seen the hilariously odd "Puppies make spooky Halloween sounds" video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJPHu8vFToo

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  7. It's been so long since I've trained a puppy, but it is SO rewarding! Yes, crate training is absolutely essential! I had one person tell me they thought crating a dog was cruel, but I told them what my vet told me: "you do realize that dogs are decended from wolves, right? Ever see a wolf den? A crate is positively roomy by comparison!"

    I wish you all the best with your new beastie! Looking forward to seeing the pics! Samhain is a fantastic moniker to bestow upon your new dog!

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