Monday, February 18, 2008
Well, This Is Fun
For anyone who's had a puppy before they've had kids, you understand what we're dealing with. We got little Miss Maya on Friday and we really are smitten with her. She's just so adorable and truly does the cutest things, like bounding -- all puppy-like -- across the yard, attacking toys with vigor, giving constant little puppy-kisses, and snuggling into you for a nap in a way that melts your heart.
She also does less cute things, such as shitting in the house, peeing in random places and crying through the night.
I realize she's a dog and this will eventually pass (or I'll pop her little head off in a fit of sleep-deprived rage at 4:15 AM one morning) but it's definitely a daunting thing to think about when you're on your patio at 2:45 in the morning saying, "Go potty. Go potty. Go potty. Go potty. Come on, Maya! Dammit! Stop eating the grass!"
This dog likes to eat grass. And mulch. And dirt. And cement. I swear, I think she would have eaten our barbecue propane tank if it wasn't attached to the grill.
We've only had her a couple of days and she's already had good moments and bad moments. She's had times when she'll go into her crate voluntarily and flop down for a rest. Other times, when we have to put her in and close the door, she's been an angel, whimpering momentarily and then settling down to rest. Then there have been times that she took a dump in her crate. And then freaked the hell out about it.
People have said to us, "You'll be able to tell when she's just crying because she wants to come out versus a distress cry when she's peed or pooped in her crate." Well, I think this is true... the freak-out cry is insistent and ongoing. And after we've cleaned up her accident(s), she's very happily gone back into the crate and gone right to sleep with no fuss or whining. Problem is, she's only eight weeks old and has a hard time holding her bodily functions for very long and she also doesn't really ever want to do anything for, say, six straight hours, especially not sleep in her confined crate. So we're still wrestling with getting her scheduling down to the right intervals so that her little tanks are emptied of pee and poop and she's ready to sleep for a while. Then if she cries, we'll just ignore her until she gives in and understands we aren't coming out until morning. Oh, that day will be a wonderful one. We'll see how long it takes.
In the meantime, don't be surprised if I give you a call at a weird hour because I'm up with my damn dog.
She also does less cute things, such as shitting in the house, peeing in random places and crying through the night.
I realize she's a dog and this will eventually pass (or I'll pop her little head off in a fit of sleep-deprived rage at 4:15 AM one morning) but it's definitely a daunting thing to think about when you're on your patio at 2:45 in the morning saying, "Go potty. Go potty. Go potty. Go potty. Come on, Maya! Dammit! Stop eating the grass!"
This dog likes to eat grass. And mulch. And dirt. And cement. I swear, I think she would have eaten our barbecue propane tank if it wasn't attached to the grill.
We've only had her a couple of days and she's already had good moments and bad moments. She's had times when she'll go into her crate voluntarily and flop down for a rest. Other times, when we have to put her in and close the door, she's been an angel, whimpering momentarily and then settling down to rest. Then there have been times that she took a dump in her crate. And then freaked the hell out about it.
People have said to us, "You'll be able to tell when she's just crying because she wants to come out versus a distress cry when she's peed or pooped in her crate." Well, I think this is true... the freak-out cry is insistent and ongoing. And after we've cleaned up her accident(s), she's very happily gone back into the crate and gone right to sleep with no fuss or whining. Problem is, she's only eight weeks old and has a hard time holding her bodily functions for very long and she also doesn't really ever want to do anything for, say, six straight hours, especially not sleep in her confined crate. So we're still wrestling with getting her scheduling down to the right intervals so that her little tanks are emptied of pee and poop and she's ready to sleep for a while. Then if she cries, we'll just ignore her until she gives in and understands we aren't coming out until morning. Oh, that day will be a wonderful one. We'll see how long it takes.
In the meantime, don't be surprised if I give you a call at a weird hour because I'm up with my damn dog.
Labels: doggies, Maya, pee, poop, talking about poop and pee more than a person without children ever should
