New baby for our family

I've been looking for to find a new fuzzy addition to our family for some time now. My first dog that was all mine, as a real grown up, is now 15 years old. She has cancer and is not long for this world, unfortunately. :tears:

So.... in order to make it easier for my other dog, my kids, and even myself we thought it would be best to add to our family now (or whenever we found the 'right' dog) We found our new addition this past Saturday at a local pet adoption day. I had been looking at the animal shelters for the past week or two, and saw her earlier and thought she was a definite possibilty. So I took my two kids to see the dogs, and after looking a all the dogs we came back repeatedly to this little girl. She was very gentle with both kids, especially considering she is only 11 weeks old. She was also more interested in us more than our surroundings. Both of my kids absolutely adore her. Of course how can you not with such sweetness.

We don't really have a clue what kind of dog she is. We were told she was a 'shepard mix'. She has the softest puppy fur, and yummy puppy breath. She's doing really well with potty training, but that has a lot to do with the fact that I walk her every hour or so. lol She's such a cuddler too. :love:

Okay so now that I've gushed on and on about her, I'll now kill you with pics. :D

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1...jellybean1.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1...jellybean2.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1...jellybean3.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1...jellybean4.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1...jellybean6.jpg

My daughter just had to do this to the poor thing. I can almost here her saying 'save me PLEASE!!' :rolleyes:
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1...ellybean11.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1...jellybean8.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1...jellybean7.jpg

This weekend we were working in the yard, and stumbled upon a bunch of hatchling turtles. We found 4 in the pool and two more still emerging from the ground. The puppy SO wanted to play with them, but did well when I told her no.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1...jellybean5.jpg

After a long day she is one tired pup.:aww:
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1...jellybean9.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1...ellybean10.jpg

She's super cute! Congrats! I think her face looks akita-ish, just a guess though!

The key to potty training is getting them out frequently, sounds like you're doing awesome with it!!!

Ummm, did you notice that someone forgot to colour in her posterior?

Of course, if it's a pied dog you were going for, you've succeeded admirably.

She's a cutie though.

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Originally Posted by katiadarling

She's super cute! Congrats! I think her face looks akita-ish, just a guess though!

The key to potty training is getting them out frequently, sounds like you're doing awesome with it!!!

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Thanks! She is definitely super cute, and SO soft too. Now if I can just get her to stop picking up every single piece of mulch that she sees.

So far we've had her 5 days and only one accident, and that's because I thought I could put my dishes in the sink before taking her out. I was wrong. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by wilomn

Ummm, did you notice that someone forgot to colour in her posterior?

Of course, if it's a pied dog you were going for, you've succeeded admirably.

She's a cutie though.

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LOL! I like that, a pied dog. That's going to be the closest I get to a pied for a long while anyway. :rolleys:

Thanks Wes. :D

Thats a cute little Dag you got there!!!!

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

Thats a cute little Dag you got there!!!!

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Thanks Pat! She's a keeper for sure. :love:

She is a cutie pie :)

She is adorable!!!

I agree about the Akita thing...

If thats the case, she should be big!!!

Awww she's adorable Christie!

Thats a good lookin' pup ya got there! I own labs myself, but boy that one is cute!

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Originally Posted by llovelace

She is a cutie pie :)

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Yes, she is. :D

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

She is adorable!!!

I agree about the Akita thing...

If thats the case, she should be big!!!

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Thanks.

I don't think she'll be an overly large dog, but she could suprise me. She doesn't have the huge paws. She lacks the fuller coat of an akita, but I definitely see a bit of the markings and build in her. I was thinking maybe Austrailian shepard too, or even a bit of Jack Russell.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Awww she's adorable Christie!

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Thanks Jo. She's been a blessing to our family for sure.

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Originally Posted by Blizzarddude

Thats a good lookin' pup ya got there! I own labs myself, but boy that one is cute!

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Thank you.

I love labs, but have never owned one. I think all of the dogs we've ever owned have been mutts.

I've taken her with me to pick up my kids from school to help socialize her, and she has made a LOT of friends. She's very good with the kids, minus the nibbling and licking. :rolleyes:

All in all, she's learning very quickly. She's almost got sit, but I've only been working on that for a day and she knows she doesn't get her cookie until her butt is on the ground. :giggle:

She has a poor taste when it comes to cloths :rolleyes: but she is adorable, congrats on the new puppy Christie.

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Originally Posted by katiadarling

She's super cute! Congrats! I think her face looks akita-ish, just a guess though!

The key to potty training is getting them out frequently, sounds like you're doing awesome with it!!!

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Definitely looks Akita-ish to me too! She's soooo pretty! Congrats.

I agree with Deborah, she needs a new clothing designer. Cute pup

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Originally Posted by Deborah

She has a poor taste when it comes to cloths :rolleyes: but she is adorable, congrats on the new puppy Christie.

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Thanks Deb!

Well you can't actually fault the puppy on the taste in clothes... that was ALL my daughter. She's a bit loud in her fashion choices, and I always warn her teacher at the beginning of the year that if she comes to school looking like she was hit by a paint truck, I had nothing to do with it. :giggle:

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Originally Posted by MuzeBallPythons

Definitely looks Akita-ish to me too! She's soooo pretty! Congrats.

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Thanks. She's really become a handful, and a bit crazy on the chewing. We keep giving her an appropriate chew toy or bone, but it only helps briefly. Anyone have any tips when it comes to curbing the nibbling? :please:

(I haven't done this puppy this in a LONG time)

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Originally Posted by kjhowland

I agree with Deborah, she needs a new clothing designer. Cute pup

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:giggle: Thanks. :D

They need to chew especially as they lose their baby teeth and are breaking in the new big chompers. Personally I love anything from the Kong line of dog toys but especially the classic snowman shaped Kong. You can put kibble in it or a dab of peanut butter around the edge to encourage her to want to chew her Kong over other stuff. Other than that of course is just policing the house for chewable stuff.

Bella our lab is 2 now and still not at all trustworthy with anything from the Nerf line of toys or the small plastic figurines that Mikey loves (Star Wars type things). We've just learned to keep that stuff away from her because she can't seem to help herself. She never chews anything but those things and of course her Kong. She's a big time chewer, Christie, and that Kong has got to be a good 18 months since we bought it but she can't chew it up. Well worth the higher price of that dog toy line as Bella can chew up a cheaper toy in a single afternoon.

If she's after furniture corners and so forth try one of the natural product chew repellants. Bitter Yuck comes to mind.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

They need to chew especially as they lose their baby teeth and are breaking in the new big chompers. Personally I love anything from the Kong line of dog toys but especially the classic snowman shaped Kong. You can put kibble in it or a dab of peanut butter around the edge to encourage her to want to chew her Kong over other stuff. Other than that of course is just policing the house for chewable stuff.

Bella our lab is 2 now and still not at all trustworthy with anything from the Nerf line of toys or the small plastic figurines that Mikey loves (Star Wars type things). We've just learned to keep that stuff away from her because she can't seem to help herself. She never chews anything but those things and of course her Kong. She's a big time chewer, Christie, and that Kong has got to be a good 18 months since we bought it but she can't chew it up. Well worth the higher price of that dog toy line as Bella can chew up a cheaper toy in a single afternoon.

If she's after furniture corners and so forth try one of the natural product chew repellants. Bitter Yuck comes to mind.

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I have been contemplating one of those Kong toys. Right now she loves to chew and chase rope toys. I think we may have to pick one of those up. :yes: My biggest issue with her nibbling is on fingers. I may go and see if I can find some of that spray, if it's safe to use on our hands. I expect chewing, so it's no big suprise. I'm trying to look at the bright side, that I won't be vaccuming up any small toys. :giggle:

The funniest thing about her is trying to get her attention after she sees bugs. Good heavens can she focus on hunting! (I may have to video it tomorrow) There are a TON of these flying bugs on the ground right now, and she likes to eat them and all the worms (dead or alive) on the driveway. I feed her three times a day, since she is thin, and she's still eating those nasty bugs. :bleh:

Thanks for the tips Jo. I'm going to google some more tips, but I think the trick is just keeping her too tired to look for anything to chew. :rolleyes:

You can try a bitter product on your hands, but be careful not to get it in your mouth (I use Bitter Apple and I've never tasted it, but from our animals' reactions, it's not good!)

The first thing that I'd recommend doing to discourage puppy mouthing is to squeak like it hurts when she mouths you. This is what her litter mates and mom would do, so it's something that she should understand. It also helps her develop bite control so that she knows how hard she can bite things as a grown up (when taking treats for example). You can also try to redirect her to other things (a close by chew toy for example) and if she's really bad about it, you can get up and walk away for a few seconds and then come back.

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Originally Posted by katiadarling

You can try a bitter product on your hands, but be careful not to get it in your mouth (I use Bitter Apple and I've never tasted it, but from our animals' reactions, it's not good!)

The first thing that I'd recommend doing to discourage puppy mouthing is to squeak like it hurts when she mouths you. This is what her litter mates and mom would do, so it's something that she should understand. It also helps her develop bite control so that she knows how hard she can bite things as a grown up (when taking treats for example). You can also try to redirect her to other things (a close by chew toy for example) and if she's really bad about it, you can get up and walk away for a few seconds and then come back.

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I did read about the yelping thing. It worked twice, and then it didn't deter her at all. I read about trying lemon juice, and I'll have to see if that helps. If not I may try the bitter stuff too. Is there an options of removing all of her teeth? (I swear I'm only joking!) :giggle:

I went and bought her two kong toys, and that keeps her occupied for about ten minutes and then she moves on.... short attention span. I think most of this is something that she will grow out of... I hope. *deep sigh*

Two beats of my cold heart in one day... I think I need to lay down for a bit.

She is just too amazing. Glad you could give her a home and that she is compatible with your kids.

Congrats Christie and best wishes for your other girl.

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Originally Posted by Bruce Whitehead

Two beats of my cold heart in one day... I think I need to lay down for a bit.

She is just too amazing. Glad you could give her a home and that she is compatible with your kids.

Congrats Christie and best wishes for your other girl.

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lol. :giggle: Thanks so much Bruce. :aww:

The kids absolutely love her and even walk her (which is saying a lot since they too have short attention spans :rolleyes: ) They all play very well together. :D

My other girl hasn't rebounded as well from the last surgery, but she seems relatively comfortable. It's still a bit bitter sweet knowing our time together is limited, but it does make me treasure it all the more. *sigh*

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Originally Posted by Bruce Whitehead

Two beats of my cold heart in one day... I think I need to lay down for a bit.

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See you need a puppy and a bunny ;) they will make you warm and fuzzy inside :P

did I just miss it or... did you not bother to name her???

very very very adorable christie. i think you should name her aleesha :) or at the very least... rg.

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

did I just miss it or... did you not bother to name her???

very very very adorable christie. i think you should name her aleesha :) or at the very least... rg.

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Thanks Aleesha. She is adorable, and such a handful. She's still very tolerant of the kids, especially my daughter who likes to carry her around the house.

Unfortunately her name is not Aleesha or RG. I tried to steer the kids toward a different name, but so far the name Jellybean has stuck. I'm calling her Jelly or Elly, usually the latter. :rolleyes:

The only fun part of her name is that I've been singing the peanut butter jelly song a lot more. :giggle:

hahahahahahahaha oh well... i guess i could change my name then ...

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

hahahahahahahaha oh well... i guess i could change my name then ...

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Would you prefer Jelly or Elly? lol :giggle:

We are also occassionally calling her Cujo, if you would prefer that one. She's a crazed nibbler. :slamhead:

Definitely Jelly... cause I'm sweet and people wanna eat me up! LOL

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

Definitely Jelly... cause I'm sweet and people wanna eat me up! LOL

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:8: LOL! :rofl:

is that sarcasm i'm sensing?

Nope, it just cracked me up. Plus I started to imagine what flavor you were, and then it just went downhill from there. :oops: :giggle:

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Originally Posted by katiadarling

She's super cute! Congrats! I think her face looks akita-ish, just a guess though!

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

She is adorable!!!

I agree about the Akita thing...

If thats the case, she should be big!!!

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Originally Posted by MuzeBallPythons

Definitely looks Akita-ish to me too! She's soooo pretty! Congrats.

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I agree about the Akita thing. She definitely has the look. Hopefully if she does have Akita in the mix, she has something else that will keep her size down a bit. Regardless of all that, she's a darlin'. Congrats! :sweeet:

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Originally Posted by Louis Kirkland

I agree about the Akita thing. She definitely has the look. Hopefully if she does have Akita in the mix, she has something else that will keep her size down a bit. Regardless of all that, she's a darlin'. Congrats! :sweeet:

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Thanks Louis. :wuv:

I'm definitely seeing the Akita in her face as she matures. She's a handful for sure, but still such a sweetheart. She's a good fit for a family. :D

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

Nope, it just cracked me up. Plus I started to imagine what flavor you were, and then it just went downhill from there. :oops: :giggle:

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I'm strawberry with a hint of pineapple!!! :weirdface

Too cute!!! Congrats!

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Originally Posted by Isis

Too cute!!! Congrats!

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She IS! She is also trying my patience, but not her fault since I'm having to deal with sick kids which leaves me no time to take her for a long walk. :oops:

Thanks Isis. :D