Work

August 31, 2020

It has been more than three weeks since I posted in this blog. That is because puppies are exhausting and the fall semester (online) has started. I'm very, very tired. Lily, on the other hand, goes back and forth from being very, very tired to very, very energetic with little in between.

Today is the second full week of classes at Clemson and I wanted to write a bit before I start work. I figured if I don't do it now, it could be another three weeks before I post.

Things Lily can do:

Sit
Shake hands when you say "Hello"
Stay (sort of)
Come
Climb into Adirondack chairs (including Leslie's on the sun porch which I'm pretty sure Lily now thinks is hers)
Eat mushrooms (we are trying to be very vigilant about this so it doesn't happen. Not good for pups)
Give a high five when you say, "Go Army!"
Go to her room
Fetch
Drop it (most of the time)
Swim (her favorite thing)

(pause)

I think that's most everything right now. 

She is very smart, so we have to keep her busy. 
She is also biting a lot because she is teething, so we have to keep her teeth busy.

She gets up every morning at pretty much exactly 6 a.m.
We're trying to figure out bedtime, but she tends to sleep through the night except for one potty break. Sometimes if she has food leftover from dinner she'll also have a snack and a drink of water.

She really, really wants to get on the bed. I've put her there a couple of times, but not for long because she either bites me after initial cuddles or starts chewing on the comforter.

I love her very, very much.

Michelle.

Documentation

August 8, 2020

Just an update to document Lily's progress in week two.

1. She sleeps through the night. She goes to sleep in her kennel around 7:30 p.m., and then I take her out when I go to bed around 1030. After that she sleeps until at least 6 a.m., but this morning slept in until 7:15 a.m. 

2. She has gone from completely wolfing down every bitlet of her food to now leaving a little bit or wandering off half way through a meal. I think she used to have to fight the other 12 puppies in her litter and she is finally confident that Leslie isn't going to come and try to swap some of the food from the bowl. 

3. "Lily" and "Leslie" are kind of close to the same thing. This will likely get me in trouble at different times.

4. We are finally learning what her bites mean. If we stick to the routine, we can avoid them until bedtime. At bedtime the bites happen as Lily's way of telling us to put her to bed (NOT as her way of telling us to put her to sleep!). Except Lily doesn't like going to bed. Biting is her crankiness, but then se gets sad when she has to go to bed.

5. She loves toys. Usually we play with the doughnut in the morning and then the little duck, the wubba, and some other toy mid-day. We play with a treat / chew toy from Sarah Winslow and her family in the evening. Outside she has an old football that was left at the house by the previous owners, a tennis ball, a plush ball from Betty, and a rope toy. And sticks. And rocks. And bugs. And dead snakes.

She knows a lot of commands - sit, stay, down, get a drink, do your business. She doesn't follow them 100% of the time, but for a puppy who isn't three months old yet, she does pretty great.

Most of her daily naps are under my chair / my desk. We did kennel naps yesterday and that went great, though she was more resistant to her kennel at bedtime for the night than usual.

She is a great puppy.

Michelle.

Vacuum

 08/08/2020

I hate vacuums. I hate them. They are loud. They look like monsters - part snake, part robot, and part smaller snake. They are not necessary.

Also, on a related note, today was the first day I ever saw a vacuum.

Love, Lily

Exhaustion

August 7, 2020

So Lily was pretty good today. Leslie went kayaking with Melody. I did not feel well at all, but Lily was fairly cooperative. She took two long naps in her crate with relatively no incident. She also had a huge breakthrough as she went to the door for the first time to go outside to go to the bathroom. That was a wonderful surprise. And when she was in her crate tonight whining because she wasn't ready to go to bed, I told her to sit (she did) and then lie down (which she did). Pretty amazing.

She did NOT like it when I told her to stop chewing on her crate and called her "Shawshank." She barked at me for that. Either for saying it or for laughing loudly after I said it. Not sure which. Maybe forever a mystery.

She's a good puppy.

Michelle

New

August 6, 2020

Today I found an old Poof brand football in the garage. When I gave it to Lily she growled and growled and growled at it. Kind of like faculty who are used to teaching face-to-face who have had to shift to teaching online. Sometimes people get angry at new things.

Like new puppies. 

When they pee where they shouldn't.

And when they bite with their razor sharp vampire teeth.

Anyway, I think she will eventually like the football.

Michelle.

Trouble

August 5, 2020

Today we had a rainstorm. Lily wasn't too sure of it at first, but then she LOVED it. She would play in the shallow puddles, but not really in the deep ones. Then it stopped raining and Leslie went out with her and Lily stole Leslie's flip flop.

I didn't see it. I just heard about it.

Probably for the best. I would have laughed and filmed it. Then Lily and I BOTH would have been in trouble.

Michelle

Unsure

August 4, 2020

Lily was going down the steps outside no problem, but the past few days she has not been willing to do that. I'm guessing something startled her or maybe she stumbled at one point and now she is scared. Anyway, this morning we worked on going down the steps by using treats. She finally did it a couple of times. 

Yesterday Leslie worked with Lily a LOT on NOT biting. I was cooking dinner, but I could hear Leslie talking with the pup and offering her toys when she would try to bite. We still had to kennel Lily a few times for biting and I know she isn't understanding why she gets a timeout yet, but she really is a good and a smart puppy. She's figuring things out.

She sleeps through the night. She wakes up when I come to bed and I take her out. She wakes up when I have to go to the bathroom and I take her out, but she sleeps until 630 or 7 most mornings. 

She is almost too big to get under the couch which has been a favorite spot of hers when we are in the living room. 

Puppies are amazing.

I'm so lucky to have one.

Have a good day.

Michelle

Routine

August 3, 2020

It was a long weekend. Yesterday involved a lot of biting. Mostly Lily was doing the biting. Both Leslie and I got frustrated. Puppies really are very hard work.

However, if I do my job and focus on a routine for her, the biting can be avoided. Unfortunately, yesterday I woke up at 4 a.m. to take her out and she went back to bed for a couple of hours and I could not go back to sleep. That is a recipe for not success. Not success is what we had.

I slept better last night and today we try again.

She is sleeping great. Last night she was in bed at 9 p.m., woke up at 4 to go to the bathroom, and then was awake at 6:30 a.m. She has had her breakfast, been outside to do her business and listen to traffic (she is NOT a fan of motorcycles), played with her doughnut and now she is asleep under my chair. 

A few things we've experienced so far:

• She doesn't mind her crate, but if she is in there to sleep instead of just to calm down, she doesn't like to be alone. We will have to work on that, but for now if I go in and sing the song "Lollipop" but change the word "Lollipop" to "Lily Pup", she usually settles down and goes to sleep. Last night she was having a hard time getting settled, so I also sang "Ex-Wives" - the opening song from "Six." That did the trick. Not sure what she might have dreamt about after that, but she went to sleep.

• She met Tippy! More about that in its own entry at some point.

• She likes to dig - especially to get out roots she can chew on.

• She actually is a good communicator - unfortunately she communicates using little bites. She is always telling us something when she does that, though. I just wish I was a better interpreter.

• I am very lucky to have a puppy. Leslie is doing great with her and is excited to have adventures with Lily when Lily grows up a bit. I think they will go on a lot of hikes and walks together. Lily has a lot to learn before that.

The morning routine is: Up, out to the bathroom, breakfast. Back outside for a little playing and more bathroom. Inside for some playing (mornings - usually with her doughnut). Then a series of naps - almost always under my chair or desk.

Makes for some pretty good mornings.

Have a good day.

Michelle.

Energized

August 2, 2020

8:57 a.m.

I had a GREAT nights' sleep. I got up at 6:30 this morning and have food for breakfast! Food is my FAVORITE!!! Then I played. Then I decided I would bite things because that is a skill I have and something I can offer my community.

The humans were not even the slightest bit grateful. 

I don't know what they want from me.

Lily.

Saturday

August 1, 2020

7:48 a.m.

Today I am 63 days old. I can't wait for my 9-week-old birthday cake. I haven't seen it or heard them talking about it, so I imagine it will be a surprise.

Lily.