Wednesday 11 August 2010

WOYWW - 11 August 2010

Some very exciting stuff for WOYWW today - although its not really on my workdesk at all. Actually - its everywhere but it certainly is work and hard work at that!

We have a new puppy and she came to live with us last night!
For the past ten years it's been:
"Can we have a dog"?
"no"
"Can we have a dog"
"no
"Can we have a dog"?
"No"
So it was really nice to be able to finally say "YES"!



Casey & Dan are now very responsible at the ages of almost 15 and 11 and we realised how good they would be with a new member of the family so we went off to look on Sunday.
She is a German shepherd, Old English/Collie cross (a bit of a mixture then) and is adorable. She is 8 weeks old and one of a litter of 11 (OMG). Mum is a white german shepherd and dad is the old english/collie cross and they were very proud parents and showed off their remaining babies.



Casey & Dan have named her "Bella" for no other reason than that we have an old ship's bell in our conservatory and it gave them the idea. It really suits her!

The kids have been AMAZING - taking care of Bella - I just hope their enthusiasm and love continue during this difficult and tiring stage!

Any tips for settling in a puppy would be gratefully received!


Above: Making friends

Above: Having a cuddle

Above: A necessary bath after the journey home. (I won't go into details)!

12 comments:

  1. Oh bless, how sweet. I think I know what you mean with the journey home, our dog was the same when we first brought him home as a puppy. :)

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  2. How adorable is Bella ... does n't look like she enjoyed the bath much though :0)

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  3. ohhhhhh so cute. hello Baby Bella...not to be confused with Baby Bels lol

    Welcome to woyww, bella, hope you have crafty paws.x

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  4. Bella looks adorable and big for her age.We have apuppy now nearly 6months next week .Got him when he was just 9weeks old and hes so loveable now apart of the family.To help with toilet training go to a pet shop and ask for "SWIFTY" add couple drops to newspaper or pee pads they now sell ,every day move the paper further to the door until outside the door .OMG it's wonderful no mess and happily trainer pup!
    We also bought a cage and when go out he stays in that and at night weve had no probs since first night we got him.I would also advise to get doggie insurance as well worth it !Anyway have fun and enjoy!Thanks for sharing.
    hugs judex

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  5. Awwww how cute is that little poochie, puppies are great, a great training book is the RSPCA complete dog training guide by Dr Bruce Fogle, we used it when our labrador was a pup, I leant it to one of my friends when she rescued a badly behaved 10yr dog & she said she couldn't believe how much the techniques worked. Good look with the puppy training :D
    C
    xx

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  6. What a great WOYWW post. Maybe it should be WOYBathtubW. I trained my dog (he is no longer alive) with positive reinforcement. I even did it with my cat, although cats are MUCH harder to train. You begin by praising every time they do something. Anything, as long as it's not something bad. You say her name with the praise, "good Bella." Then you give a treat. You begin by doing this every time. After about a week, you reduce the number of treats and you don't have a set treat schedule. By that I mean treats are random, but always after praise. In about two weeks, you no longer have to give treats, Bella will know her name, and if you are patient, she will know the sit and stay commands, too. It doesn't take long, but it takes dedication, and not just from the kids. Everyone must be dedicated in the beginning. After a few weeks, you can turn complete responsibility over to the kids. Good luck!!

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  7. Gorgeous baby Bella - but yep, hard work all right..and chewing! Loved your Spanish photos - we have a place not far from San Miguel, but have't managed to get as far as Barcelona..gorgeous.

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  8. You will just love having a puppy around - thanks for sharing.

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