Getting settled in

Konrad gets more settled by the hour, it seems. He is much more calm in his crate, and he only woke up two or three times last night (that reminds me of having a newborn - was he up at 1:30 or was it 2:30?). We got a big snow today (big for our area), so Konrad had fun snuffling around in it. He has had only a minor accident today, and does really well with his potty breaks.

For those unfamiliar with CCI, one of the things that we have to teach Konrad is to relieve himself on command. That command is "Hurry". Not sure when he'll get that part of it, but he wouldn't let B bring him back inside this afternoon and a few minutes later, took care of the rest of his business.

He's spent a good three hours out with us in the kitchen this afternoon. He likes to try to chew on the drawer pulls, but beyond that, he was fantastic. Now he's so tuckered out that he fell asleep in B's arms so we moved him into his crate.

We've been amazed at how calm he is. He gets excited about things - snow, biting the leash when he's outside, and especially the kids, but he settles right back down again. Not sure if that's the careful breeding or just his personality, but we're thankful for it!

Are puppies like newborns? (Lessons from Konrad's first night.)

Sort of. On one hand, they get up frequently (he was up at 10, 11, 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6:30) and make a lot of noise when they get up. On the other hand, you don't have to take a newborn outside in January in the middle of night, and you can share the midnight duties with your husband. Fortunately, HB slept through all the noise when JJ was born, and they both slept through Konrad's crying last night. He's had a good breakfast, complained bitterly when I put him in his crate this morning, and is now crashed out. :)

Our next journey begins...

Konrad arrived today - all 16 pounds of him! At eight weeks, he's already shoulders and tails taller and heavier than our beloved Jack Russell - not to mention the energy level!

We've had a good day, only two accidents in the house, and he has protested less each time we've put him in his crate. He loves HB, which means we'll need to be extra careful to watch him with both kids. He didn't get to meet JJ today - the timing just didn't work out with dinner and crate time.

He seems to be in great shape - no ill effects from his travels, his vaccinations, or his dewormer yesterday, so that's good!

Okay, Konrad is asleep and tomorrow is HB's 6th birthday, so I have to go blow up balloons and get ready to decorate her room once she falls asleep!

Our puppy has a name!

We found out this week that our first CCI puppy will be named Konrad. You can read more about him to the right.

He arrives next Wednesday, Jan. 27th (the day before HB's 6th birthday, so it will be an exciting week). This weekend, HB and I are going pet supply shopping, which should be great fun. Her input is needed specifically for a collar, ID tag and TOYS!

We should get Konrad's starter kit package either today or tomorrow, so I'm interested to see what's in there. I know it will have his puppy cape (to help him become comfortable wearing one), his Gentle Leader and his CCI ID tag and I'm hoping it will have his vaccination information and more importantly, his travel plans!

As soon as we have pictures, I'll figure out how to post them. Over time, I promise that this blog will become more visually interesting - I'm new to this!