We have a new puppy!! Lilo is an adorable Yorkshire Terrier who is keeping us on our toes. Having her around is kind of like having a newborn and a toddler all at once.
She sleeps like a newborn….often and not always through the night, but she's getting better. We are very focused on her inputs and outputs. How much is she eating and drinking? How productive is she when we take her outside?
She is like a toddler that gets into everything. She explores her world with her mouth and tries to eat everything she finds. We have a baby gate up in the hall now so she doesn’t roam too far. We are busy exposing her to all of the new sights and sounds of her world. This includes getting her used to the sound of the vacuum and ice dispenser. She is not too sure about any of these things.
She has been going on car rides too. We started this week with a quick drive around town with the whole family. Another day, we drove to a local drive through place to pick up some food. We even took a trip to go through the coffee drive through and she got her first puppaccino. It was almost bigger than she is, but she loved every lick that she could get. All of this meant that I felt comfortable taking her to the airport with me when I had to drop my husband off. Normally, I would have woken one of the teens to be on puppy watch, but this time, Lilo came with me. (Lucky teenagers got to sleep in!) She did great, even on the ride home when it was just her and me. She is still shivering with nerves when we go in the car, but she’s relaxing enough to lay down and try to rest. This will get easier the more we practice.
She is so smart and is learning all kinds of new things every day. Sometimes she even tries to train us and we have to resist those sweet puppy dog eyes. One of her funny quirks is that whenever she hears any spray bottle working, she comes running. I guess that on her first days home with us, we used that sprayer a lot cleaning up her little messes. It cracks me up when I’m in the kitchen cleaning up, she’ll stop playing to see what I’m doing with that sprayer. I don’t think she realizes yet that the sprayer is not directly related to all things puppy.
I am so relieved that we have a home that is safe for this sweet puppy. She is totally able to lick all the spots I clean up without fear of her consuming dangerous chemicals. It’s a good thing too, because I feel like I clean up all the time.
Having a puppy in the house is a lot like having a baby. She changes everything, but I would change nothing. She is the light of our lives and we are so blessed to be her family.
She is our first dog, so I am very open to any and all advice you may have. I'm sure I will add some updates that are puppy related in the future as she is now part of the family. Comment below with your favorite puppy or dog parent tip.
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Dogs, unlike cats, need a lot of human contact and you are doing a good job with that. Lilo is a lucky puppy to be living with your family. Keep up the good work!