# first weekend update



## getsome (Oct 14, 2013)

As you may know, we brought Dash home for good on Friday. It was an easy 4 minute walk from the breeder's house back to mine, so no drama there.
He took frequent but short naps, about an hour at a time. We went outside after each one and praised him for "doing his thing" in the right spot. He took to it very quickly.
No matter how enticing a treat in the crate might be, he'll come out of it seeking a lap on which to fall asleep. Once he's good and tired with heavy eyes, I can put him in there and he'll sleep soundly through any racket my family creates. With that, I am duly impressed.
While it was slightly better Saturday, and moreso on Sunday, he still whimpers whines and howls if we're in the adjoining room... and he CAN still see us. Food and toys only keep his attention for a few seconds before he's back to noticing that I am not in his pen. At some point (Soon), I'll have to latch the crate door and he'll be none too happy. So the crate, while he likes it and sleeps in it plenty, is our sticking point in the home right now. Also, his appetite is down, but isn't concerning. He sits politely until I say "okay" before goes to his food bowl at meal time.
For the most part, he's a champ. We've had a ball with him, and he's been popular everywhere he goes.



And he even nailed his first point!

~B


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

He sure is cute, and sounds like you are off to a good start.


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## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

OH My Gosh He is a cutie!! Love that point!!
Sounds like he is quite the little fellow...
Great pictures... Thank you for sharing!


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## getsome (Oct 14, 2013)

Thanks for all the compliments and encouragement.
It is just now, on day 5, starting to feel like he's settling in more. 
He settles more quickly after middle-of-the-night potty breaks which means I get a little bit more sleep. And he slept for one solid 4hr stretch somewhere in the middle of last night. It's all a blur to me now.
Whining levels are markedly down. He's getting the idea that sometimes we need to go about our own things, but we're not going to abandon him. A couple times, my wife reported that he'll stagger out of his crate after napping, take a look around, and plop back down in there for a little more snoozing. That must be good progress.
His appetite is back up, and he's learned that he cannot approach his food bowl at mealtime until I say it is okay. We started out with simply getting him to sit first, and have graduated to making him wait nearly 10 seconds. I bet that's tough for a hungry pup, so I'm proud of him.
So that you don't get the impression he's vying for sainthood... he's predictably bitey when he's wound up or tired, and he still has a lot of learning to do about how to interact appropriately with the kids.

You didn't think I was going to post without a photo did you?
He's a hunter.

~B


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## getsome (Oct 14, 2013)

Since I last posted in this thread, I've had both my worst and best nights of sleep during puppyhood. It was bad, with the frequent potty trips one night. But last night I was only up once or twice, and he settles himself very quickly and doesn't make a peep. Likewise during the day now, my wife has had to leave him home while she runs certain errands and he's been quiet and calm both when leaving and returning home. Most often, he is conveniently napping. In my mind this builds good habits even though his eyelids are practically too heavy to do anything but be good. I'll take it!

We are giving him bits of freedom here and there. he might romp around the kitchen while we eat dinner, or be allowed to play with his toys in the family room while we watch tv. Frequent bathroom breaks keep me from worrying too much. Our only accidents have been in the pen when he was whining and we mistook loneliness for peefulness. 
He had just been out twice in the last 15 minutes, and yet he managed to poop and pee in the pen in a span of 3 minutes. So we reset the calendar: THIS TRAINING FACILITY HAS BEEN ACCIDENT FREE FOR 2 DAYS.



and here we're watching my favorite college basketball team

~B


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Oh my goodness, that second picture is sooo sweet. :-*


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## mlg1900 (Jun 12, 2013)

Love the picture of the toys in the mouth!


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## getsome (Oct 14, 2013)

Two nights of really great sleep back to back. A 6hr stretch and a 5hr stretch were included, and i was able to go back to sleep for a couple hours more after each one. What a difference that makes to my sanity.

These little guys are learning how to interact, and they're doing great!




~B


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

_Nothing in moderation._

Your tag line getsome. Appropriate. Two pups at once. Yikes.

Watch their interactions like a hawk and enjoy.

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2013/05/kids-and-vizslas.html

Great pictures.

RBD


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## Chaos911 (Oct 30, 2013)

cute Babies! Floods of memories with our youngest John and our beloved GSP Mick. John was always wanting to be with Mick. In a split second he'd be in crate with Mick or in the water dish, laying on him, kisses etc. I was a reck for two years watching them in fear of nip or bite to face. Fortunately only good memories and pics! But I'm sure you know Never assume a well tempered pup & toddler will be fine together. We knew someone who wasn't so lucky But DO enjoy and snap those pics goes sooo fast! This is our John 18 1/2 yrs later and Blaze . John wouldn't fit in crate now! He's a college football player now  Thanks for bringing smiles to my face! Watch and ENJOY them.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

A friend's dad is a professor at Augustana. Small world.


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## getsome (Oct 14, 2013)

Thanks y'all.

Your comments are well-received. I'm very carefully orchestrating these positive interactions and watching every nuance of every move. We haven't had any scratches or crying eyes with the kids, and I'm of the opinion it is because we're cautious, not because we're lucky.

Little bugger peed in the house this morning. Keeping me humble each day.
~B


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## Chaos911 (Oct 30, 2013)

I chuckled when I read that your pics were positive and orchestrated. Oh my, with our John nothing was orchestrated. He was too quick for us . A friend got me at shirt that said 'where's John?' And one for John that said ' I'm John!'  what fun times you will have


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## getsome (Oct 14, 2013)

We've been having a really good time with the pup so far. Crazy to think that on Friday it will already have been 3 weeks. Weekend #2 was full of adventure, though.
My oldest and I took Dash for a short drive to our favorite bakery. We parked around the corner so we could walk a bit. He went up to each store and sat in front of the door because that's how he believes he can get the door open. It was cute. I am allowed to hold him in the bakery, so he gets to see lots of people and get some great whiffs in his sniffer.
The breeder took him to meet pigeons for the first time, and he did great. He got to romp with his sister and a couple big Vizslas in the afternoon. When he came home, he was just exhausted. He's been super docile since. Sleeping 10-12hrs uninterrupted is such a treat!
He gets pretty excited to meet new people, kids especially, but he seemingly has a grasp of the gentleness I'm asking of him. He has surpassed all my expectations for interaction with my kids. If we continue to maintain this level of respect, I'll be very happy. I'm aware of the ups and downs we'll go through, though.








~B


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