Sleepy...

These pics aren't great, but thought the content was pretty cute even with the crappy photography.

Wiki had to go in her crate for a little bit to dry, and I caught her snuggling with her little monkey toy.

Later, I was watching tv, and had both my fur kids sleeping near me...Rennie on my little computer tray, and Wiki on the floor below (sometimes she runs away from me to sleep on the floor so that I will stop petting and poking at her while she is resting).

She loves sleeping on the couch, too. Pictured above sleeping sandwiched between two pillows.

Life as I Know It....

...is over!!

Wiki can get up on my couch/bed all by herself now. My little girl is growing up!

Growing Like a Weed

My little puppy is getting huge!! She gained 5 pounds this week, and I'd still like to put some weight on her. She is also getting much harder to carry!

Bed Time

Wiki loves spending time on the big bed with her mommy! Chewing and digging at the blanket is super fun, and falling asleep isn't so bad either.

Training Progress

Wiki is learning so fast, it is amazing.

She is really great about her crate, except in the morning when I am trying to get just a tiny bit more sleep while she eats breakfast. Tonight, she went in the crate to go to sleep all by herself! No accidents really in the crate. Still having a little bit of trouble with the carpet, maybe it resembles grass a little too much? Mostly she makes it outside in time and gets lot of praise, but I am also pretty paranoid about getting her out regularly. She gives me the saddest look when I force her out from the air conditioned house to the yard, but is then romping around out there happily in no time.

She is doing a "sit" without a treat, and a "down," "crawl," "spin," and "come" with treats. We are getting better and better at those and I am starting to add in "peekaboo" and "roll over" (on grass). She rolls over a lot on her own, but we seem to be struggling with doing it on command quite a bit, so I'm open to tips if anybody has any! She seems willing to do just about anything for food, which makes training pretty easy. It is also great because I am trying to get some weight on her since she is growing so fast that she always seems kind of skinny.

We have been going for a lot walks around the neighborhood. She does pretty well on her leash. Sometimes she zigzags back and forth testing the limits on both sides, but it is really just hilarious to watch. When she walks with the big dogs, she really pushes to keep up and is a great trooper. Something about walks is like a poop trigger because I swear we have not gone on one yet without her going on somebody's lawn; that one is going to have to change as she gets older :P After our walks, her favorite thing is to walk in the pool up to her neck to cool off and take a little drink. She is also learning to use the lickable water faucet in the backyard--possibly more for play than drinking, but glad she has figured it out!

As far as pool progress, she is definitely not afraid of the water itself. She walks into the pool all the time! (She also didn't seem to have any fear going outside during a little rainstorm we had.) She won't swim yet because she doesn't seem to like taking her feet off the ground, but the beach entry enables her to get a good amount of play in the water, so it is only a matter of time before she goes all the way in.


This is Wiki doing a "sit" for my dad's friend and math partner, Heather:

Getting Our Feet Wet

Wiki likes to put her paws in the pool and play with the water in her mouth, but she is still too scared to go for a swim. Today, we thought the big dogs might show her the ropes, but she stayed on dry land and played with them when they emerged from the water. Still managed to tire her out, though, which is not an easy feat!

More Sleeping Pics

My best Wiki pics all seem to be of her sleeping..perhaps because it is the only time she stays still long enough for a picture!

Wiki vs Kitty

Wiki just got her first smack in the face from the kitty. Lesson for Wiki: Kitties do not like having their tails pawed at or or chewed on.

Rennie: 1, Wiki: 0

Playing Inside and Outside

Doggy Pleasures: Sleep, Toys, Snuggles, and Paws to the Face

Wiki had her vet visit on Sunday and all was well. She is very healthy, and also very shy. Everybody there thought she was adorable but she just wanted to hide in my arms. It was not too traumatizing an experience, though, because she fell asleep (snoring) on the exam table.

Since then, we've been keeping pretty busy with toys and sleep at home. Wiki spends a lot of her day snuggling with me on the couch while I attempt to get work done (and often smacks me in the face while stretching/repositioning), and then has spurts of insane hyper energy in which she pounces from one toy to the next or collects leaves in the backyard.

We're doing a little bit better with the big dogs, but it is going to take a while...and some growing. Echo and Hunter do not seem to understand how to play with a puppy; they mostly scare her by being overenthusiastic. She tries to play a little bit more with them day by day. I think her confidence will keep growing, as will her body, and they will be able to keep each other busier soon (which will help my productivity).

On the kitty front, Wiki has started engaging Rennie in play. It is absolutely hilarious to watch. She goes into full on crouch and pounce mode, barks, and runs around in circles. Rennie just sits there. She is completely unphased by it, though if Wiki gets close enough, Rennie may walk under a bed or jump up somewhere to avoid being bothered.

Wiki is already doing a thousand times better in her crate. She is getting used to it, and I am also getting better about trying to tire her out before I put her in. We're not going out quite as much at night, not having accidents in the crate, and not making such a fuss when she has to go back in. However, once 6:00 hits, it is all over. Regardless of what time she goes to bed, that seems to be time for breakfast and play. Waking up at 6 is not so bad, though, and sometimes we can sneak in a nap later. This morning, she went out of her crate, walked over to her food bin and sat down. When I told her it was too early, she came over to me, walked back to the food, and sat down again. No mistaking what this little girl wants! (And, of course, I gave her breakfast....can't say no to sych a convincing argument.)

Today, Wiki has encountered the vacuum and the lawn mower. Both terrified her, but with calm assurance and some treats, she made it through okay.

I have been taking videos of her playing, so will try to upload some of those soon!

Reduce, Reuse, Recyle

We thought we would recycle this egg carton, but Wiki had other plans for it. Reusing is good, too!

The Many Sleeping Positions of WIki

Wiki's First Night

Wiki did very well her first night home! Still no accidents, and I'm happy to keep that record going as long as possible. She screams bloody murder when she has to go in her crate at first, but calms down pretty quickly. We went outside for potty time every two hours and she was so good about waiting and then going as soon as we got outside, and then of course being unhappy to return to the crate. I think that part was more painful for me than her; nobody likes to hear their baby cry!

She is quite possibly the most active sleeper I have ever seen. Will have to try to get a video sometime. I have no idea what she's dreaming about, but she looks like she is running and pouncing in her sleep half the time, and attempt to nurse the other half.

We spent a little time with the big dogs this morning. They are definitely overwhelming! Hunter and Echo want to give her lots of kisses, and Hunter tries to play. Wiki started to play a tiny bit, but mostly just wanted to hide behind me. I'm sure she'll get used to them soon, and I'm glad that they are being overwhelming in a loving way instead of an aggressive way.

Wiki has a new puppy exam scheduled at the vet on Sunday, but will probably update with pictures sometime before that. It can be hard getting any decent pics of her when I'm on my own, though, because she spends about half the time snuggling on my lap!