July 19, 2013

Pupdate

I think I need to clarify yesterday's post before I start talking this bundle of fur who has quickly taken over our lives house.  I've never been refused a military discount by a business (except United Airlines, but that's another story).  What I should have said more clearly, I guess, is that I was told by people who are in the military that I am exploiting the military by using the discount that my husband is granted.  Make sense?  Because, in their opinion, spouses take advantage of the ability to use military benefits and shouldn't be given those privileges.  My Banana Republic example was real....I used the discount they offered me when they saw my USAA card, and then it came up in conversation later with others and it was mentioned that I should not have taken the discount and/or I was taking advantage of something I didn't deserve (even if Scott and I share a bank account).  

Anyway...that's been my major gripe for the last month or so, and I just needed to get it out.  Thanks for "listening"!


I never intended to write about my dog all the time.  However, I don't really know what else TO write about at this point because he consumes every hour of every day.  We (or, rather, I) have been very lucky in the sense that Scott's dad is visiting us right now.  So he plays with Scout and takes him outside and keeps him occupied while I go to the gym, the pool, the store, etc (you know, continuing my life of leisure...).  I mean, I'd still be able to do these things with a puppy..I just feel bad locking him up in a pen (we have a pen, not just a crate) for multiple hours a day.


-Scott came up with the name "Scout".  We had a girl dog name picked out, but when it came down to it, we decided on a male dog instead.  I suggested "Bran" as an ode to Game of Thrones, because I like names that have significance.  We were going to go with that, until a week or so before when he brought up "Scout".  It's definitely an appropriate name for a hunting dog.  His AKC registered name is Cross Creek Scout after the kennel we got him from, and I think it fits together nicely.

He wasn't pleased when I hosed him off.  Also, Scott was away for the weekend.  Little guy took it personally.  I told him, "It's good you weren't around last year!"

-He is 8 weeks old today and we've had him for 2 weeks.  On Monday, he goes to the vet for the rest of his vaccinations.  We actually were given medicine to give him (since he was so young) when we got him so we've been torturing him for 2 weeks now with pills at dinner time.

I took a picture before I helped him.  Teaching independence, right?

-We are on a SCHEDULE.  He eats breakfast at 7am, after a trip outside and then followed by a trip outside.  He gets Cheerios as treats and for when I want him in his crate (i.e. bedtime).  He eats dinner at 6pm.  I take him outside (or someone does) at least 12 times a day.  I carry his crate into our bedroom when we're ready for bed.  I wait til he falls asleep inside of it and then I zipper him in.  He usually doesn't wake up until morning.

His access to water is strictly monitored (by me).  Otherwise, this will happen every 20 minutes.

- I secretly love cleaning his ears.  I'm obsessed with ear cleanliness (a fun quirk about me).  I peroxide my own often.  I get a kick out of (gently) getting the grime out of Scout's.

We watched Horrible Bosses on Saturday.  He fell asleep.

-Scout is teaching me responsibility.  While I consider myself a responsible person, I've never had to be responsible for all that much.  He's, what I imagine, a newborn is like (In some ways, guys.  Don't freak out on me :).  He needs constant eyes on him.  When I put him in his pen to leave the house, I always feel guilty.  His needs, especially the one where I haul him outside a dozen times a day, definitely take precedent over mine.  (I'm SURE this is why we didn't have a dog in Alaska.)

I really wish he'd stop looking so sad all the time.  He's got Carey Mulligan eyes.


As I'm trying to make dinner most nights, this is what I look down to see:


Yesterday morning, Scott took Scout downstairs to his office (where he gets the privilege of sitting on the old loveseat), while he finished some schoolwork.  It was about 6am.  Well, Scout thought it was breakfast time, because that's where he eats.  He spent the next hour ticked off, at me I assume, because he didn't get his breakfast until 7:00.  

Food is, obviously, his favorite time of the day.  He's definitely our dog.

Any puppy-rearing advice??  The best tip I've gotten so far came from a friend at the gym: Put him in his crate while you take a shower.  It's a short amount of time, but will get him used to the crate.  I took it one step further...I haul the crate into the bedroom and leave the master bathroom door open so I can hear if he starts whining.  I also turn the t.v. on so he can hear voices.  The first two days of this were rough, but now he likes playing in his crate.

Also, his new favorite things are sleeping in my lap and peeing on the floor when he hears the vacuum cleaner.  Both of these are kind of hindering because he likes to sleep a lot and I like to vacuum a lot.

19 comments:

  1. You are COMPLETELY right about a puppy being like a newborn, or at least, in my childless state I think you are ;)
    I always say that our dog Deuce is like having a toddler. She's seven, so don't expect much hehe!
    Annnnd... Scout might have the most adorable face I have ever seen! He's definitely too cute for his own good ;))

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  2. Scout is the cutest dog ever... is he a springer spaniel? If we ever get a dog, this might be the breed I'd go for. I'm the same way about clean ears! I peroxide mine every so often and I check my cats ears too. They also get eye crusties which I strangely like removing too, lol.

    Sounds like Scout's crate training is going very well! You're lucky! I don't have any vacuum cleaner advice... my cats are scared of it too... even when I'm just taking it out and haven't turned it on yet.

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  3. He is just so darn cute! Puppies are such hard work and the schedule is a great thing. We definitely crate trained our dog which was hard when it came to sleeping at night! I hated to hear those cries and I'm a sucker so now he either sleeps in between my legs or on the floor beside me. We did teach him that saying "nap time" means time for the crate. As soon as you say it he runs straight to it.

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  4. What kind of dog is he?

    And yes, puppies are like newborns. I remember setting my alarm several times at night to drag that sucker downstairs to relieve himself. He was crate-trained and potty-trained pretty quick with my persistence. You can't leave them alone because they'll tear through everything and some. And it's so sad leaving them to go somewhere. I still get kinda sad, 4 years later!

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  5. Crate training is so important so it's good that you're sticking with it! Glenda was almost 2 when we got her so we had a rough few months with that but it's her safe place now. And seriously, his eyes. They kills me!

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  6. Something I read in a new puppy book is that they are den animals so they like crates...its almost natural to them. If you want, you can drape a towel/blanket over the sides of the crate to create darkness for him to sleep. My friend did that with her toy austrailan dog and it worked. They also like constant chew toys (my new puppy loves anything that squeaks).

    And incase the dog starts to bite furniture, you can use Bitter Apple Spray. My brother got it for his dog and it works...deters him from eating the leather couches, coffee table, etc!

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  7. And use that discount! That's what's it's for. Saving you money is saving your man money, the people who complained need to butt out and stop being cranky and judgmental

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  8. Puppies are definitely like newborns! You never realize that until you get a puppy how much work it is.

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  9. Holy moly Scout is adorable! Seems like you're doing a great job with him so far! And I definitely agree that puppies can be like small children, they can make just as much of a mess and need soooo much attention!

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  10. He's such a cutie! Sounds like you're approaching training in all the right ways. Though I have to ask - why Cheerios and not dog treats?

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  11. Gosh, that face! I'm get a weird satisfaction from cleaning Casey's ears and eye boogers, it's comforting to hear I'm not alone in that. I've never had a puppy, but a good thing to keep in mind when he's a little older is that they can be desensitized from certain things. Casey used to get really anxious and shake and cry when we were leaving the house, so we desensitized him from those cues (e.g., putting on shoes and grabbing the car keys, then sitting down on the couch instead of leaving). They're such creatures of habit!

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  12. I cannot get over his adorableness! Puppy advice, none here, our dog was 5 when we got her. But the water thing? It gets worse. Oh, and the time confusion over breakfast? Ha, wait until Daylight Savings Time ends. 6 months of an hour of whining before meals. Every. Single. Time.

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  13. You (and other military spouses) deserve every discount you can get. I don't think people understand the sacrifices you make as the spouse of someone who serves our country. Your rant was totally warranted.

    Also, these pictures of Scout are just too much. Soooo cute!

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  14. He is so adorable and I love his name! I wish I could get a puppy but I need to wait until I move somewhere that allows them and I have enough money to take care of it.

    ~Christine

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  15. He is so cute!!!!! We adopted a dog back in December. It's definitely a lot of work but it's so worth it!

    xo,
    Angela

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  16. I seriously cannot get over how adorable this dog is!

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  17. If I had a dog this stinkin cute I'd write about him ALL the time. Look at those eyes!

    As for the military discount thing, Im not so sure I have a right to chime in since I dont live the military life but I'm still gonna...I think you had every right to use that discount. You and Scott share a life, one that include the military. Even though you're not the one running the drill or going off to a foreign land, you're still living it and surviving it.

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  18. It sounds like you're doing everything right for Scout! We crate trained and I don't understand how people don't do that with their dogs. 1. They don't make a mess around the house 2. they don't eat things they shouldn't and 3. we have piece of mind that they won't end up hurting themselves somehow. Our dogs are also on a very strict schedule and it really works out well.
    I would put him outside when you vaccum if that's what he's doing. So he gets to go outside and you get to vaccum!
    Also, puppy classes. A lot of places do a puppy class that is specifically for dogs that are younger. That way you can socialize him early and safetly without worrying too much about him not have all of his vaccines.
    I love puppies and I'm glad you're getting on so well with Scout :)

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