The importance of self-control...

Mommy says that it is very important for puppies to learn self-control.  Not only does it mean that we are better behaved when we get older, but she says that self-control makes us more confident and things won't scare us as much.

So she has been making me practice self-control.  She has been teching me to sit and lay down and stay.  Staying is very hard.

But the hardest thing so far is when she puts treats down right in front of me and tells me not to eat them until she says it is okay!  That is super hard, but she says I am doing great and she is very proud of me.

Archer is definitely helping me learn.  I also have been bonding with some of the kitty cats in the house.  Janeway is the mommy cat of the house and she likes me a lot!

Yesterday we went for a fun walk, nut the wind was blowing really hard and I got cold.  Mommy says she can't wait for it to get warmer so we can take longer walks and play outside!!

Things are great!

I had a great weekend.  Well, first it started off not so good - Saturday morning Mommy took Archer put with her and didn't take me.  I was really upset.  She said that they were going on a run and that I was too young to be runningnwith them.  I tried to explain that I am a good runner and could keep up but she insisted I stay home.

But Daddy and I had a good time and when Mommy and Archer were done running, they got me and we went for a mile walk.  

Then in the afternoon, Daddy asked Archer and me if we wanted to go on a walk up at a park and we were really excited.  We went for a short car ride and then walked around this park with Mommy and Daddy.  

Then we went to the Petco place again and I got lots of hugs and kisses from people as we walked around and then got some special treats before we went home.  

On Sunday we went for another walk.  It was a place called the Black River Trail.  There were lots of other people and dogs walking.  Some of the dogs were not very friendly and barked.  But both Archer and I did not bark back and Mommy said we were very good boys.  

Daddy said that he couldn't believe how well I am walking on the leash.  We went 2.5 miles and I wasn't even tired.  On the way home we stopped for Mommy and Daddy to get something to make themselves for dinner and they bought us a present!

A big and comfy new bed!!  I laid down on it as soon as we got home and took a nap!!

Check up!

I had to go to the doctor's again today.  Mommy said that I needed a 12 week check up and some shots.  Last time we went Mommy had to carry me in.  This time I walked in on my leash!  I was still a little nervous, but I walked in and the people there were really nice.

We met with Dr. Hill who told me I was so cute and looked like a "happy healthy puppy".  He listened to my heart and said that things sounded good.  He then talked to Mommy and Daddy about my shots.  I had to have something called rabies today and the doctor said that this was really important.

He gave me this cheese sprayed on a wooden stick and had Mommy hold me.  The shots hurt a little, but not that bad.  I weighed just over 20 pounds.

My first hike!

Today it was still pretty cold out, but Mommy said that she was doing something called "going stir crazy".  Since most of the snow is gone for now, Mommy said she wanted to go to a favorite place of her and Daddy's and take me and Archer hiking.

First we had to go in the car.  I have only been in the car a few times and always sat on Mommy's lap.  But since I'm getting to be a big boy she said I could be in the back with Archer.  I was a little scared at first, but then me and Archer just hung out in the back during the ride and I felt fine.

We then got to the place to do the hiking.  At first both Archer and I were walking next to Mommy and Daddy on our leashes.  But then we got left off the leashes and got to run around.  It was so much fun!  I followed Archer in and out of some woods and there were lots of interesting smells.  

A couple of times I got kind of cold, so Daddy picked me up and carried me for a while holding me against his chest so I could warm up.

We went for a very long hike and boy oh boy I was so tired when we got home!  I had to take a very long nap!

Mommy daid that this is only the first of many many hikes we will be taking!!

I'll take the stairs...

In my house there are 2 main doors that we can use to go to the outside.   The front door goes right out into our yard.  The back door goes out onto a big deck that is wayyyyy off the ground.

Mommy was taking me out the back door when I first came home and the deck has had a lot of snow on it and I was going potty there.  But then she started taking me out the front door and I liked that a lot better because it feels better to go potty on the grass rather than the wood deck

But last night Mommy took me out the back door again and all the snow was gone and it was warmer.  She said that we had to out there because the front yard was a "mud pit".  So I paced around because I didn't want to go potty on the deck and I stuck my head through the rails and watched my brother Archer go way way down to the grass and go potty.

Mommy saw me and asked if I thought I could go down the stairs like a "big boy".  She called me over to the top and she started walking down those stair things.  I was scared and thought I would fall if I tried.  So I barked at her and waved my foot in the air and tried to get the courage to jump down.

Mommy told me that she knew I could do it.  So I took a deep breath and jumped down one step.  I realized it wasn't that hard and so I ran all the way down those stairs and went potty on the grass!

Then Mommy called to me and I looked up and those stairs looked like a long way up to the top even though I had just been there.  So I carefully tried to climb up and I realized that going up wasn't hard either so I ran right up them.

Mommy was so proud of me and told me I was such a good boy.  When I had to get up in the middle of the night to go potty, I ran right down those stairs, went potty and then came right back up - just like Archer does!

I am happy to be doing things like my big brother!

An accident free day!

Mommy said that today was a great day because it was the first day that I didn't go potty in the house!  And let me tell you, it was hard, because it was very cold outside and when I had to go out, my feet got really cold and I started shivering every time.

Archer and I played a LOT today while Mommy watched something called football and yelled a lot and said bad words.

Then we both got really tired and took a nap together.

Daddy said that he can't believe how big I am getting!

Living healthy

Mommy says that it is very important to eat healthy.  She says that this is why my puppy food is a high quality grain free food.

Tonight Mommy gave Archer and I what she called a healthy treat.  It was a bully stick.  She said that puppies and dogs need to chew and that it is very good for the muscles in the jaw and is great for our teeth.  Plus they taste so good!  Mommy said that it keeps a young puppy like me occupied, so she and Daddy could watch a movie, too!

Mommy said that lots of people give their dogs rawhide, but she says rawhide is very very bad for dogs and can make us very sick or even get stuck in our tummies and we would have to go to the doctor and get something called surgery!!

So I'll stick to these great bully sticks!!