Where have you been?!?

So sorry to be MIA last week!  I was snapping pictures and thinking about the blog, but never made time to sit and blog.

I had that week were you have to get the to-do list done.

Here’s a wrap-up of what Sadie has been doing the last week.

In the background is Marcus at the driving range in Forest Park.  While Marcus hits golf balls, Sadie and I walked around the park.  She loves it!

The weather has been chart topping hot & humid.  I pack water for Sadie because our walks have been about an hour-long.  Sadie is not a fan of the travel water dish.  She doesn’t like sticking her head into the floppy bowl.

So, I went out and bought this travel bowl.  Sadie likes it much better.  Can you say spoiled?!?  🙂

I am still in the search for the perfect chew.  Sadie tried a compressed rawhide bone and a hard, stuffed bone.

The compressed rawhide was nothing special.  The downside was the mess it left on the carpet.

The stuffed bone is a keeper!  Sadie has been playing with it for the entire week.  She spends time licking the center and chewing the hard bone.  And, no mess!  It is great inside and outside!!

I also bought her bubbles.  Daisy used to love chasing bubbles.

Sadie eventually caught on, but I think the weather was so hot she wasn’t really interested in chase.  I’ll have to try again later when the heat breaks.

On the to-do list, was shopping for the cottage.  Sadie and I are going to the cottage for 2 1/2 weeks!  Yippy!

Life Jacket – Check!

I know Sadie will love the water and I’m sure swimming will come naturally to her.  But, a life jacket can come in handy when you least expect it.  We were thankful for Daisy’s jacket on more than one occasion!

Collar Night Light – Check!

We like to sit by the fire pit at night.  And, it gets crazy dark up north.  I want to be able to see Sadie and know where she is.  I stumbled upon this and knew it would be great!  It attached easily to her collar and the LED lights shine very brightly.  Great for a puppy learning (still learning) come & stay!

Funny Moment:  Marcus caught Sadie trying to jump onto the counter to get at a cheese platter I left out.

She accidentally opened the cabinet on the descent down.

On that note, here is my cottage reading material.

Puppy school was good, but I need to really practice and follow thru with Sadie’s training.  We have some skills to get better at and some bad behaviors to stop before they become a problem.

Cottage country has questionable internet access.  I have plans to buy a mobile hot spot, but I’m not sure if the cells towers will cooperate.  We may be out of touch until July.

Just in case… Happy 4th of July!

Freezy Pups

I’ve been looking at homemade dog treat recipes for a few weeks.  Specifically, frozen treats.  The high temperatures pushed me to buy this kit.

I like the size of treat it makes and that it fits perfectly in my freezer without rearranging everything all ready in it!  😉

The kit also comes with 4 different flavored pup-sicles to make.  White Cheddar Cheese, Banana Honey, Sweet Potato ‘n Maple, and Chicken Soup.  They are super easy and fast to make.  I just added boiling water to the powder mix, poured into the tray and then put in the freezer.  And, I love that I know all of the ingredients in these mixes… no strange chemicals.

I made the Sweet Potato ‘n Maple first.  The ingredients were just that – sweet potato and maple syrup.

Sadie enjoys them outside because of the melty mess they could make.

Sadie loves them!  I give her a few each day, while we enjoy the hot summer weather.

I have plans to use the tray with the homemade recipes I have been collecting, too.   I’ll let you know how those recipes go over with the princess.  🙂

Yum! More please!

Rest & Recuperate

Sadie has been doing very well recovering from her spay and dental surgery.

We did not need the cone at all.  She has left her incision alone and it is healing nicely.

Sadie has been resting well most of the weekend.  The weather was warm and sunny and she was content to just lay in the shade.  She would get a spurt of energy and want to run or play, but I think her soreness kept her in check.  I would bring her outside a few times a day to potty and lounge around and that seemed to work well.

Sadie had these two yummy cookie treats to enjoy this weekend, too.  She loves cookies as much as I do!  But, these are from the doggy bakery in town.

Sadie is still teething a lot, despite the oral surgery.  Chewing helps tire her out during this recovery-rest period.  She spent a while chewing this rawhide and then slept for a few hours.

The doggy bakery suggested this Himalayan Dog Chew as an alternative to rawhide and bully sticks.  The owner said it would last longer than both and it was healthier, too.  It is made from Yaks milk… smells like cheese.

As you can see, Sadie loved it!  She spent an hour chewing it and then I took it away from her to give her teeth a break.  She was bleeding a little from the teething and surgery (which is normal & expected) and I decided an hour was long enough for today.  She slept like a champ after that session!

The only down side to this chewy is it is messy.  I moved her from the couch to the floor to outside to enjoy the chew.

I had to wash the blanket on the couch because it smelled like cheese.  🙂  And, I had to vacuum the floor because there were little shavings all over.  It may be just how Sadie enjoys it… either way, what began as an indoor chew became an outdoor treat.

I will buy another chew for her.  She loved it, I like the short ingredient list and it lasted 4 long chew sessions over the weekend.

There are wicked storms in STL right now, so we can’t sit outside.  Sadie was starting to get a little stir-crazy earlier today.

After her breakfast nap, Sadie took all of her toys out of the basket to relieve some energy. It worked, but as she continues to heal, I think it may get harder to keep her resting.

Currently, Sadie is sleeping next to me, oblivious to the thunder.

Two more days of rest before we can start walking and playing.

Finders Keepers

This is Dougan.  He lives next door.  He likes to put his paws on the top of the fence and drop his toy on our side so that I will toss it back to him.  He gets jealous watching me play with Sadie.  This is what I found when I joined Sadie in the backyard yesterday.

What is he looking at?

Sadie having a blast playing with his toy!

Hi Mom, look what I found!

When I told Sadie that was Dougan’s toy and we need to give it back, she picked it up and ran around the yard.  It was too big to run with effectively, she was dropping it and pouncing on it along the way.

She eventually walked the toy back to Dougan.  I tossed it to him and all was right with the world.

I guarantee that if I bought that exact toy she wouldn’t give it a second look… but because it was Dougan’s she thought it was the greatest ball ever!  😉

To Chew, or Not To Chew

She looks so cute!  But, there is a teething devil lurking inside, watch your fingers!

Sadie is chewing on bully sticks all day long.  She will rotate in her rubber bones & Kong and, of course, she favors the outdoor sticks!

This is my hand – right before I stick my fingers in her mouth and pull out {leaves, grass, tree seeds} something she should not eat.

Our mature trees are the bane of my existence!  I spent an hour yesterday cleaning up all the debris it drops only to have a storm roll through and drop a fresh batch of seeds, leaves & twigs.  It really would not be that big of a deal, except Sadie thinks it’s an all you can eat salad bar!  Again, not that big of a deal, except she has thrown up during the night twice this week… grass mostly.  The vet says it’s normal and not a cause for concern, but it is not pleasant to be woken up at 3am to a barfing dog.  And, I was so tired that I didn’t wake up last night… I found the evidence this morning (what was left of it ~ eww, gross!).

The plan is to play hard and tire her out and keep her inside when she starts eating leaves and grass.  It is hot and muggy outside, so she is agreeable to being indoors.

The lemon tree is loving this sticky, hot weather!  I am hoping for more blossoms and lemons, soon!

Distruction, Dog Parks & Fun

Another couple of days filled with new experiences for Sadie.

We went to the dog park yesterday.  It is the only place you are allowed to let your dog run off leash in the city.  I didn’t take any pictures because it was our first visit and I wanted my full attention on Sadie & the other dogs.  Sadie had a great time.  She socialized well with 4 big dogs and two dogs her size.

I went in the late morning, hoping for just a few dogs.  We started out in the puppy area for Sadie to smell around and get comfortable.  We were the only ones in the puppy area.  After she smelled around and I noticed that the few dogs in the big area seemed fairly calm and friendly, we moved over.  Initial greetings went well.  Sadie does seem more interested in saying hello to parents verses dogs.  🙂  After some hellos, a 15 month old Labradoodle {read huge} tackled her in normal puppy play.  Sadie didn’t love that… she looked at me like, get this guy off me!

The park itself is just ok… it needs to be seeded.  Sadie needed a bath when we got home from all the dirt she played in.  But, I think the socializing will be great for her as she continues to build confidence.  Plus, she slept 8 hours last night!  I love that!

As you know, Sadie is teething.  I was watching TV while she was aggressively chewing this chicken.  She loves the chicken!

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her chewing with her head in the air… no chicken.  What are you chewing? Pry mouth open, find a chicken toe!  She chewed off the toe and a knob off the head.  Yikes!  I threw out the broken pieces, but as she continued to chew, she just broke off more little pieces.  Sorry Sadie, chicken in the trash.  She was so sad.

I went looking for her puppy Kong.  It usually rolls under the sofa.  While looking, I found her little rabbit.  It has a squeaker inside and she LOVES it!  I rescued it from under the sofa and she was over the moon!  🙂  So easy to please.

She took the rabbit outside and chewed and squeaked away.  Until a bird started chirping back at her!

Who's making that noise?

Sadie makes me laugh all day long!  What a joy!

We are expecting 90 degree weather this weekend!  🙂  I’m planning some nice walks in Forest Park.  My big worry this weekend is Sunday.  I am running my first half-marathon!  No, I’m not worried about the run.  I’m worried about leaving Sadie!  Marcus will be out-of-town and I will be gone for about 5 hours.  It isn’t too long, but it’s close.  And, I’m a real worry-wort!  I can worry about anything!  🙂  This does make me appreciate all the help I got from family when Daisy was a puppy.  When you move out-of-state, you quickly remember how nice it was to just swing by and drop off the dog for the day!

Sleepy Monday

Ah, yes.  Proof.  Sadie went into her crate yesterday morning to chew on her bed sheet.  She is chewing because of her teething.  {Sigh.}

Yesterday was a big day at the vet.  Sadie got her DHPP, Leptospirosis, Lyme and Rabies vaccinations.  We have to go back in two weeks for the second Lyme vaccination, but other than that, she is good until December.  Sadie weighs 14 pounds!  Growing girl.

I did discuss the spay with the vet.  He suggested waiting until Sadie is close to 6 months of age.  Some research has shown links between early spaying and incontinence in females later in life.  But, you want to do the spay before the first heat to reduce cancer risks (and dealing with a heat).  Sadie turns 6 months old right around the time we are taking a vacation up at the cottage.  I want Sadie to have a blast playing in the lake and not worry about stitches and taking it easy.  I am going to push the spay until after the vacation… it is only a couple of weeks and the vet says it should be fine.  {lets hope the heat doesn’t come early! 🙂 }

This is how Sadie spent the rest of the day…

Do you mind?! I'm sleeping here!

The vaccinations really knocked Sadie out.  She barely perked up for Dad’s arrival home from work, which usually is a huge, hyper production.

Sadie woke up this morning with all the energy in the world!  Ready to go!  It is supposed to be a beautiful day and we have our first puppy class this afternoon!  I’m off to Pet Co to buy treats for class!  🙂

Keep Your Sense Of Humor!

Sadie is the Poochie Star of the Month!

http://www.poochie-pets.net/stars.html

Poochie Bells sent Sadie an awesome All American Dog collar that she will wear proudly this summer.  She needs to grow into it and I think it’ll fit her in time for the 4th of July!  🙂  Thanks Poochie Bells!

The bells continue to be wonderful.  We continue to be accident free!  Well, almost accident free.  Keep reading.  :)-

The weather was wonderful this weekend.  90 degrees yesterday!  Sadie loves hanging out in the back yard.  She usually “plays” with our neighbor dogs through the fence, but yesterday she went over and played with them on the same side!  It was a great first meeting, but we kept it short.  Our neighbors have 2 big dogs, one is a bull-dog that was nice, but wanted to mount Sadie.  He was following her around and she eventually looked through the fence like I think I want to go back into my yard.

Sadie had a lot of exercise this weekend.  She was exhausted by the time we left to go over to a friend’s house for a dinner party.  We were gone just under 4 hours.  She should have slept the entire time.

As you can see, she destroyed her bed.  She somehow unzipped the cover and shredded the foam mattress.  I know she is teething badly.  I am hoping that this is a phase that will leave with her puppy teeth.  It’s just funny that she had chew toys and stuffed animals in her crate, but chose to destroy the bed.  We are back to a towel and sheet for her bedding.  I am only putting in one animal (she uses it like a pillow) and one chew toy.

I feel confident that Saturday’s crate problem was not anxiety because I left her for 3 hours on Thursday and she was great.  I know we can leave her and she won’t freak out, I think this is just a puppy teething issue.  I hope.  🙂

I’m sticking to the plan – just keep putting her in the crate & make sure there isn’t anything in there she can kill herself with and it will work out. Puppyhood isn’t easy, but it’s worth it!

Speaking of not easy, there are moments in raising a puppy when you need to stop and breath and remind yourself that she is a puppy and is not doing  ____  just to spite you.  I had a moment just like that on Sunday.  It was hot and our windows were open, so I decided a sheet in Sadie’s bed would be cooler for her.  I added one to the downstairs bed and she went right in and laid down.  So I went upstairs to lay a sheet on that bed, too.  While up there, I pulled her bed out and wanted to check to see if she has had any pee accidents in there.  I felt like the cover smelled a little in one spot.  Maybe not a full accident, but a little leak while waiting for the door to open in the middle of the night.  I took the cover off and smelled the actual bed.  It didn’t smell at all.  I dropped it on the laundry room floor and was looking at the cover trying to figure out if it was leak proof and may have protected the actual bed.  I was thinking how puppies have better noses than we do and I need to wash the bed if it has any pee in it.  I looked down and there was Sadie – peeing on the bed!  She had woken up and come upstairs.  Nooooooooooooooooooo!

BREATHE.

Reality check.  She’s a young puppy.  Accidents happen.  Life is good.  Focus on the big picture.

The bed was pretty big.  It was Daisy’s bed and old enough that I didn’t want to deal with trying to fit it in the washing machine and dealing with the spin cycle, etc.  I washed the cover, but threw out the stuffing.  When she gets older, I’ll buy pillow stuffing  to give her a new, clean bed.  For now, both crates have towels & sheets.  Easy to wash while we survive these puppy months!  🙂 

Are Those Teeth or Needles?!

Sadie is teething and loves to try to chew our fingers.  She especially loves Marcus’ fingers!  But, that is because I am much more consistent with saying no and giving her an appropriate toy to chew.  🙂

Her teeth are so sharp!  I can not wait until this phase is done!  Knock on wood – she does not chew anything else that is inappropriate like furniture or clothes.  That’s something.

I know she is uncomfortable, because she whimpers a little when she chews her chewy in the morning.  So, I ran water over this butterfly toy and froze it.  She likes this toy and it held the water well.

Unfortunately, she did not like it frozen.  She played with it for a minute or two and then she walked away.  It started to melt and drip… we took it outside and it just sat in the grass and dried.  She loves it dry – not wet.

Maybe flavor is what she needs?  I tried frozen strawberries.  She loves them out of the fridge.  She was really excited at first, but it seemed like it was too cold for her!  I’m dealing with Goldilocks, here!

Sadie loves to chew wood sticks outside.  I decided to try a celery stick and see if she would like it.

It was a success!  But, a bit messy.  She loved it and spent a while chewing it.  It is a good afternoon chewing snack that lasts a little longer than a carrot.  She likes the Nylabone & Kong, too.  But those are not loved like the edible options!  🙂

Dried sweet potato is another option I feel good about giving Sadie.  They take a while to chew and she loves them.  The only problem is that half the bag is small pieces.

We did discover that she loves eating snowballs!  I’ve since given her a few ice cubes, which she has mild interest in.

I may freeze some chicken broth cubes when the weather warms up… that will be a melty mess in my family room!

Chewing Fun

Throw it, Mom!

Watch out, here I come!

Sadie and I are developing a very nice routine.  We start our morning out with breakfast and a play session that involves me throwing the rabbit and Sadie chasing it and bringing it back to me.  She squeaks the rabbit like crazy as she runs back to me.

Sadie is teething and wants to chew.  I’ve been watching her closely and she is doing well chewing the raw hides the vet gave her.  So, for the time being, I allow her to chew a small, flat raw hide every morning while I drink my coffee.  She loves it!

Sadie has adjusted to life very well.  I think the 45 minute walks help, a lot!  🙂 Today, I HAD to vacuum.  The trees have dropped these weird seed-berries all over the yard and we track them into the house with our shoes.  {Plus, it’s been 2 weeks since I vacuumed last!} It was time to clean.  As you can see, Sadie didn’t give the vacuum cleaner a second look.  No barking, no chasing.  Glorious!

Sadie was tired from the walk, so I put her into the crate and went to the gym for a good 5 mile run.  She did great while I was gone – all sleep, no barking!  She played with her chicken while I stretched in the family room.  She just discovered how to make it squeak and loves it!  She wanted to play “throw it, Mom” with the chicken, too.

After lunch and a shower, we hung out in the back yard to enjoy the 83 degree weather.  Sadie loved the heat!  But, she started chewing sticks and I hate that, so…

I gave her a frozen Kong to enjoy in the sun.  It was filled with peanut butter & banana with an edible Nylabone stuck into the mixture.  She enjoyed it for a while, gave up when it got “hard” and after I helped her get to the center goodies, she was back at it!  Way better than sticks!

Last night we had an almost great night’s sleep.  The problem: the neighbors’ {insert profanity} wind chimes!  It was 68 degrees last night, great open window weather.  But, the wind was blowing and the 3 wind chimes under our bedroom window were loud!  Sadie slept like a champ.  Potty break 4 hours after we went to bed and then up 3 hours later for another potty.  She went back to bed and Marcus’ alarm clock woke us all up!!!!!