God I’m exhausted. Sorry I haven’t written lately. I’m consumed by all things canine. Every waking moment and then some not-so-awake moments have been about dogs.
I now have two dogs. Molly our Irish wolfhound is rightfully jealous of our new eleven week old Brittany spaniel. Poor Molly spends most of her days banished to the living room because the puppy (Libby) just won’t leave her alone. Libby is constantly jumping up, nipping Molly’s legs, tail and face, blocking her way and barking. Sweet Molly just stands there and looks at me with sad questioning eyes. I try to compensate by continuing to spent quality alone-time with Molly, twice daily walks and lots of hugs.
This new little scamper is a handful. I have been around dogs my whole life but I think Libby is winning the award for the most active. “My! She is feisty” Lots of confidence, this dog will try anything. She leaps and climbs furniture and her curiosity takes her into, behind and under everything. She roots out cables, chewing the legs of the ottoman, pulls on the drapery and grabs the toilet paper rolls. She loves the negative attention as we scramble after her. Our speed is somewhat hampered by numerous chew toys littering the floor.
You might deduce that this little puppy needs more exercise. Not so. We live on 2.6 areas and she gets lots of sprinting space. She’s just a little white streak in the grass dashing ahead, fearless and free. I worry that an owl is going to appear in the sky and pick her off.
On Saturday we went to visit my sister’s two dogs. She has a new puppy as well. This was our first play date. After one hour both of my sister’s dogs had found safety up on someone’s lap. My little baby was still scouting the ground for victims to pounce upon, wrestle and chew.
Yesterday I took her to the Sandbanks beach and introduced her to the lovely warm sand and the game of fetching sticks out of the shallow water.
She is the first dog I have owned that has webbed feet. I think Libby is going to learn to love the beach.
Today Libby is starting puppy training school. Classes will involve lessons in sit, down and targeted play. I’m excited. Our new training is even bringing along some PVC piping for jumping exercises. This is bound to tire her out as well.
Am I spoiling her? I’m not sure. I keep telling myself that everything is just temporary. It’s like having a new baby. You’re just got to be patient and redirect any inappropriate behaviour. Right?
God give me strength…and an extra order of patience
westlakemusings 
Too funny! I’ve never been a big fan of the puppy days – they are my least favourite part of dog ownership. Good luck and hang in there.
Lovely pictures. Like the Kraft cheese slice commercial where the little kid says to the lady “keep up the good parenting skills!” Also for the records my 2 dogs didn’t move for the rest of Saturday, after your visit. Thank you, because we had 2 dead to the world dogs, when our dinner guests arrived later in the day.
I’m exhausted just reading your exploits with Libby, it’s a good thing she is cute. I look forward to meeting your little bundle of energy. Give our love to Molly. Xxxxx
She is just so darn cute! It’s like having two little kids. You need to divide your time evenly between them, always reasurring the older one that they are still loved, and keeping up with the younger one. Keeps you hopping. Hope things went well at puppy training.
I Diane. My sister Donna (I met you at Cozy Cove) told me about your blog and now here I am. Well done. I will check in often!
Hi Carol and welcome to my site. I certainly remember you, your dog and your marvelous grandson (Chase?). Thank you for reading my blog.
You had asked awhile ago about our dog run. I finally made it outside with a tape measure, so I can tell you that the run is 9 feet by 32 feet. For us, the run is officially a no-go. Our escape artist is quite content–and well-behaved–by himself in the house. The run causes much angst. After he dug out the first few times, we laid mesh flat on the ground and buried it in dirt and wood chips. He dug up the mesh and then tore through it with his teeth to get out.
Thanks for the info Julia. We haven’t done anything yet. Our property is large and to fence it all is ridiculous. We have looked into invisible dog fences but in spite of the positive reviews, I feel they are cruel. I never want to knowingly hurt my dogs – even if it is for their own good. Right now our little pup just wants to be with us and comes when called. She will probably start to wander when she matures and gains confidence. e.g. her teen age years. haha
I feel the same about invisible fences. Besides, Baxter has no problem being off leash with us when we’re near the house. It’s when we’re walking across the fields and he gets distracted by his nose that we run into problems. I don’t think invisible fence would help us there. He’s already proven the real fences are no match for him.