Daily Life
Growing pains
Søren has been sick. I think it’s been worse for me than for him. It was some kind of a stomach upset with vomiting and diarrhea. He got a little dehydrated and the vet put him on some antibiotics. Although I was a nervous wreck, Søren never seemed to realize he was sick. He was hungry and frisky and happy.
Speaking of being frisky…
And, then the next day, Søren’s left ear was up! The right ear is still really floppy. I may have to make a cardboard ear splint.
Søren has one big boy ear.
Søren got his second set of puppy shots today. Søren is 12-weeks old today and he’s going to training class tomorrow if he’s feeling well.
Søren gets social
Upon learning that I was getting a new puppy, random people shared various dire warnings about all the ills that could befall a new puppy. The first was about parvovirus. I heard a lot of “parvo will kill your dog.” So, with that in mind, I was told that Søren had to stay inside until he’d had the full series of puppy vaccinations because, living in San Francisco, there is no dog-free area for Søren to play. Not even our backyard. Since parvo apparently lives on the ground for months after a dog “sheds” it, no place where adult dogs frequent is safe. The result is that Søren can’t go outside until he’s almost 16 weeks old.
The other dire warning that I heard was that, if we waited to expose Søren to other dogs until he was 16 weeks, he wouldn’t be properly socialized and would have a whole host of behavioural problems. This formative window, from 8 to 16 weeks old, is when dogs learn good dog manners, to be social and not scared of other dogs, and to not play too rough.
So, I was faced with a dilemma. Did I want to expose him to deadly disease or make him socially retarded? The answer came in the form of “puppy socials.” Of course, this isn’t completely safe. But, to attend the puppy social, you must prove your puppy is healthy and had the appropriate vaccinations for his age. And, there are no adult dogs who might be unwitting carriers of the parvovirus.
I was afraid that Søren would be intimidated. He’s short. And, he hasn’t been around any dogs since he left his litter mates a few weeks ago. But, I didn’t need to worry. He was momentarily intimidated by the friendly barking of a large lab puppy. Soon, though, he was zooming across the room, herding a timid german shepherd puppy, and happily getting tackled to the floor by the lab puppy. He ran underneath the legs of the taller puppies and got way too friendly with a beagle puppy who was the only dog as close to the floor as he is. The beagle puppy put him in his place and he zoomed away to get tackled again. He has no idea he’s short. I’m not going to tell him.
Even though his ears aren’t up yet, he’s definitely all corgi. He was the bossiest puppy in the room. I wanted to get some pictures, but I was too busy being a nervous puppy owner. When we got home, he faceplanted into the floor and went to sleep immediately.
Søren frisbees
Søren has demonstrated a real aptitude for frisbee. He doesn’t seem to be deterred by the fact that the frisbee is bigger than he is. He growls, trips over it, and shakes the frisbee into submission.
Søren and I had kind of a tough day. We had guests in the morning. He loves new people and got pretty excited…and since people who have never trained a dog don’t think about what kind of behavior they are encouraging…Søren ended up more amped up than he’s been the entire time we’ve had him. If there’s a next time, I’ll know to put a stop to it. But, when we went out to lunch, he blew off some steam by shredding his housetraining pad. There were tiny tufts of white pee pad fiber all over the kitchen by the time we got back. Bonus: I was able to discover that Søren is not scared of the vacuum cleaner.
Next Sunday, we’re going to puppy social!
Søren FRAPS for the first time
I’m a research type of person. So, when I decided to get a puppy, I did a fair amount of breed research. I soon noticed the mysterious acronym “FRAP” coming up everywhere when I was reading about corgis. Frantic Random Acts of Play. Apparently, this consists of sudden bouts of running in circles and figure eights and then flopping down on the floor as if nothing had happened. Most dogs do this as puppies. Corgis do it all of their lives. Since I’m not one to act my age, I can appreciate the same tendencies in my dog.
Søren's ears are showing a little lift
I hope to one day catch this phenomenon on video.
Søren plays with his bee toy like a champ
The bee toy makes a crinkly sound which Søren enjoys. In fact, it is the only toy which distracts him from the awesome crinkly sound that the puppy housetraining pads make when he’s chewing on them.
The first vet visit is this afternoon. Wish him luck!
Søren makes himself at home
Today was hard for me and Søren. After a victorious housebreaking session this morning, I had to leave him behind and go to work. To be fair, he seemed ok with it. He had Zach to play with. It was hard for me though.
It seems that Søren came home with a few fleas. He seemed very uncomfortable and I felt so bad for him. But, by this evening, the K9 Advantix seemed to be doing its job because the biting, twitching, and yipping eased up. I swapped out all his bedding and sprayed the rugs. Here’s hoping the fleas are on the run. I bought a flea comb and some dog shampoo just in case.
I also got him some new treats. They are peanut butter and molasses and they look and smell good enough for me to eat. I think they will be excellent for training. We’re working on “kisses,” so he knows to lick people and not nip them.
Søren is a good sleeper and has delectable paws.
Søren on day 2
Søren has been so low key that I was beginning to think he was depressed because he missed his mom and dad and brothers. Apparently not. Apparently, he was just exhausted and over-stimulated. I should have known. I have the same problem.
So far, I know that Søren loves peanut butter, socks, items shaped like doughnuts. He is also not startled by noises outside – excellent.
Søren relaxing in bed
I’m amazed at how quickly he learned that his crate was his. He went in and went to sleep immediately. So far, so good. Now, for housebreaking. The good news is – he knows not to go in his bed. The puppy pads aren’t quite the miracle worker that I had hoped. But, he did manage to pee on them a couple times and I acted like he’d just won the Nobel prize each time. I think he’ll get it pretty soon.
I can’t wait until he’s had the rest of his shots so he can go outside safely. But, he will have to be left alone from time to time, so the paper training will be good.
PuppyPrep
I’ve spent the day cleaning and organizing in preparation for Søren to come home tomorrow. I’ve read books about corgis and books about training puppies. I’ve bought a crate, and toys, and puppy toothpaste flavored like peanut butter. I’ve watched videos of corgis. I’ve been unexpectedly single-minded in my focus on being a good dog owner. I didn’t even know that I was capable of that kind of focus. I never seem to be able to focus that well on legal briefs.
I do love animals. I have always wanted a dog. It begs the question why I went to law school at all. I should have opened a doggy daycare so I could play with puppies all day.
Peanut butter toothpaste sounds delicious. I’m tempted to try it myself.
Happenings
Hey Internet! I’m getting a puppy on Saturday! This is the culmination of a lifelong dream. No amount of puppy chewing or peeing horror stories can bring me down. My new furry best friend and I will be able to work it all out together.
Dreams
At the moment, my fondest dream in life would be to live in a building with a doorman who could accept my packages. I’ve become one of those recluses who never shops in actual stores – everything I need I have delivered, groceries, clothes, books. But, if I have to go to the UPS office to pick everything up, I might as well go to a store.