Thursday, May 17, 2012

Say Hello to My Little Friend!

*warning: this post has nothing to do with running...well, maybe just a bit*
Her name is Penny. She's a scrawny 5 month old brindle boxer.

I'm not scrawny. I'm just Little-Boned...?

We took possession of her Tuesday after work & immediately started working on her potty habits. You read that right: she's 5 months old & was never truly housebroken. Want to know why? The kennel on the left is the one we bought after seeing her size. The one on the right is what the family tried to housebreak her in:

I could've fit 2 of the appropriate-sized kennels into the wire crate!

Obviously, the wire crate is way too big. In fact, my 80 lbs Monty (affectionately called BigDog) would have too much room in the thing. So we quickly broke it down, stored it away in the garage, & bought a size-appropriate kennel.

The first night was rough. I'm not entirely confident she'd ever been in a yard before, so we had to teach her a bit how to play. And her "potty spot," which she didn't quite understand. Penny didn't seem to have a grasp on how to eat properly, either. And finally, every pet owner's nightmare: diarrhea. In the house, because she didn't understand it's not allowed. Gross.

I was worried. A 5 month old puppy, high energy, with no clue how to be a dog?

The first morning, I found her kennel exactly as I'd expected it: soiled. Cleaning up at 4:45 AM is not fun. But she used her potty spot, which I found a bit reassuring. Feeding her was my next challenge. As part of kennel training, we feed in the kennel. It plays into the dog psychology of "don't poop where you eat." OMG. Penny did not want to eat in there. I stuck to my guns & locked her in with her food.

That was the only (hopefully last) time she soiled her kennel since we brought her home.

So far, we've had no more accidents. Mr. X has gone home for lunch, so Penny averages about 4 hours in her kennel at a time. It's working out very well. And this morning, she ate almost all her food when I set it out for her; she beat me to the kennel at breakfast. Monty & Hermione (BigDog & LittleDog) are getting used to her, though only Hermione has made any attempt to play. Monty just growls; he's a senior citizen, so he's allowed to be grouchy.

Hermione is that tiny white dot in the top left corner. Lolz!

Watching Penny run around our yard, I'm excited about the future. I think she's going to make a fantastic running partner when she reaches the proper age. And best off all, she seems to want to be a morning runner, which will be great motivation for me to wake up early & get out there.

On the trip home after pick up. Penny is NOT good in the car.

Today (Thursday) is the first day I feel "normal" since bringing her home. I got a full night of sleep, have been eating my usual meal plan, & am trying to cleanse my body of the past 2 bad-eating days. I even get to cycle & hit the gym tonight because Mr. X is on doggy-detail. Just glad we're seeing improvements in Penny... & our original dogs. Because puppies are rough!

6 comments:

  1. I loved this post! Penny is adorable and I love that people who actually know how to take care of dogs are taking care of her. Penny looks like she will be an awesome running partner when she grows up.

    You all are doing an awesome job and I expect lots of pictures!

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    1. Thanks. After a week of having her, I can confirm she's totally sweet. And smart.

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  2. Once again..That dog is just too cute. She looks so smart sitting in that car. When we brought our now 17 year old dog home from the pound, she threw up all the way home in the car!! Can't wait to see some running pictures with her.

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    1. Only 6-8 months to go for those running pics! I'm going to love accessorizing her for running... I can't lie about that. She's much better in the car, too, than she was that first day. I'm glad about that, because we take our dogs everywhere with us.

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  3. Awesome breed. By boy Dex decided the back seat of my truck was a great place to take a dump on his first ride home. So much energy, I'm sure she will love running with you.

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    1. I was lucky... the only thing Penny tried to do with my car was CRASH it the first time in by jumping on my lap while I was driving. We spent the weekend out-&-about with her; she's MUCH better now. Just sleeps. :D

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