Puppy's First Week

Jack wants to know who's bright idea it was to get a puppy.


Day 1 - Puppy comes home. No accidents in the house. Slept from 10:30 PM to 5:30 AM in his crate. Didn't cry during the night - he must have been really tired. Doesn't seem to eat that much but then again he is pretty small. Even my 25 lb Cocker mix only eats 1 1/2 cups per day. I weighed the puppy on my bathroom scale, not the best for a little puppy but he weighs somewhere around 6 pounds. So right on schedule for his age.

Day 2 - No accidents in the house. Sandy follows us around the house and around the yard. He's been really good about going potty outside, of cause that is the only place we give him as an option. He wasn't that interested in his evening meal. Because I can't just leave food down all day, because Jack would eat it, I offer 4 to 5 small meals per day.

Last night went pretty much as I expected. I knew the first night was too good to be true. We went to bed at 10:30 PM. Sandy cried, whined, and yelped for over 30 minutes until he fell asleep in his crate. Around 1 AM he woke up, I got up and took him out for a potty break and sat up with him for about 15 minutes when he went to sleep I put him back in his crate and I went back to bed. Sandy cried for about 30 minutes and then went to sleep. I got up again around 3 AM to take him for another potty break and sat up with him for a few minutes then put him back in his crate. More crying and then he went to sleep. I got up again at 6 AM, another potty break. He does go potty every time I take him out. But he's not crying to go out he's crying for attention.

Sandy says, "Wasn't me, I have the face of an angel."


Day 3 - I fed Sandy at 6 AM and he ate really well, I've been putting a little bit of canned puppy food in with his wetted down puppy food. I didn't go back to bed instead Sandy and I napped on the couch. At 7 AM Steve got up and took over with the puppy care and I went back to bed till 8:30 AM. One accident today, but it wasn't on my watch. I love laminate flooring.

Day 4. Sandy is warming up to the family more and more. He and Jack now play together. I swear that puppy has grown in 4 days. He slept by our bed last night in a basket and slept through the night from 10:30 PM till 5:30 AM. He likes sleeping next to the bed instead of in the living room in his crate.

Sandy wants Jack to play with him.


Sandy wants Jack to play.


Jack says, "Okay, I'll play with you for a while. Maybe I'll be able to tire you out."


One smell of Peter's sock was enough!


Day 5. Sandy came out with me today while I picked up the kids from a play date. He did not get car sick at all and was a good boy at my friends house. He did cry all the way to my friends house because he had to sit in his crate. On the way home he sat on Peter's lap and was happy.

This is Jack, our other dog. He's getting used to the puppy.

Our new puppy - Sandy

Today we drove about 90 minutes away to pick out our new puppy. The owner had 8 puppies to choose from, 4 boys and 4 girls. I told her we wanted a boy, one that was out going as I would like to do obedience and agility with it.

We picked out Green Collar puppy. That's how breeders keep track of each puppy, each one has it's own color collar. So if you are picking one out on-line you can request it by the color of its collar.

The boys and I picked out a friendly male Standard Poodle. He is 7 1/2 weeks old.

The boys wanted to call him Sandy, so I got out voted but I like the name and can certainly live with it but I wanted the name Marley.

We drove home. Sandy got car sick a couple of times. On the way home I stopped at the farm store and picked up a 5-way puppy shot. I plan to mail order the rest of the booster shots and his kennel cough vaccine.

When we got home he explored the yard, played with the boys, went potty outside, ate, slept, played, went potty outside, ate, slept - you get the idea. No accidents in the house as yet. We are crate training, so right now he's fast asleep in his crate.