Training Titus

Potty training is not for the faint of heart.  It's hard work and a lot of sleepless nights!  That's why when a small victory happens, it simply must be celebrated!

So here is our topic of celebration:  Titus made it for nearly 4 hours last night.  Woo hoo!  We have been in potty training "boot camp", where he sleeps in his kennel for 35 minutes, comes out on leash (or in a training pen) to potty, and then when successful he is heavily praised and is out of his crate for about 40 minutes.  While this is a mere two to three day schedule, it is very effective in locking in some critical concepts:  1.  He is to potty immediately when he gets out of the crate; 2.  He is not to potty in the crate (which he hasn't) 3.  It is useless to cry/bark/whine while in the crate 4.  He will survive sitting in the crate while I am a mere three feet away washing dishes (he'd vastly prefer to be on my feet while I wash dishes!).

So last night we did the last round of this schedule and I put him in his crate at 10:30p.m.  I decided to see how long he would sleep if I didn't wake him to go potty, so I waited for him to whimper (the benefit of being an uber-light sleeper).  Sure enough, at 2:30a.m., he asked to go out!  We went immediately outside and he went potty, and then we went back in the crate for another 3 hours.  Oh, how human I feel after such big chunks of sleep!

As the sun sets tonight, I wonder if we will have another victory to celebrate in the morning.  I sure hope so.  Either way, Titus is a delight and is very, very smart.  He has quickly learned to sit before exiting the crate and before eating his food, and the potty training is going well.  Love that dog!

Max's New Puppy

This is Max and I'd like to tell you about my puppy. Titus is a curious little puppy, his favorite thing is to chew on Moses's rawhide. When we put him in the kennel he loads immediately but once he's in there he whines and barks. Eventually he stops barking. He also likes to play with Moses in his little "territory." But this morning was different, Titus went in his kennel and went to sleep! (What a good puppy!) When I pass the kennel he looks at me with his big black eyes and I almost want to snuggle up next to him. Over the past few days I discovered he likes me to snuggle up side by side next to him. I love my new puppy!!

A Big Welcome for Titus

Well, after a long night of tending to puppies (2 week olds) and puppy (8 week old Titus), it was a little disturbing to hear my boys whispering at 4:40 a.m.  Zander was busily telling Max all about his trip with Daddy to pick up Titus, and they were wondering where he was at the moment (he was sleeping in his crate in our room).  Knowing that there was no way I'd fall back asleep with my chatterboxes discussing their new puppy, I gave in and joined them.

However, Titus slept through it!  His trip must have worn him out.  It was another hour before he was due to go out, and in fact he took the whole hour to continue sleeping.  What a good boy!

Here are Max and Zander this morning, grinning with delight at their new little guy.  It was a miracle that we were able to get them dressed and out the door to school!

Welcome Titus to Nicholberry Farms!

Welcome little Titus!  He has been home for about an hour, and already he is well-loved by the entire family.  My husband and 6 year old, Zander, made the trek to L.A. today to pick up Titus, who had a very long journey from Canada.  Things did not go smoothly at Customs, and it took them over 3 hours to release Titus to us.  Poor little guy!

But now he's home and is busily settling in to his new digs.  The kitchen has been thoroughly bleached and gated off with a total of 5 gates.  Crazy times here!  We have to keep Titus in the kitchen, but keep Tessa out (she has a litter of puppies, so we don't want to mingle a new arrival with our young pups).  It's a little crazy making!

After an hour of eating, playing, going outside to potty (which he did like a champ!), Titus is now sleeping in his crate.  It's hard to immediately start training him, but it is shocking how quickly puppies learn the rules of a new environment.  As much as I'd love to hold him for this first nap, I know that it is vital for him to learn that sleeping happens in the crate.  So, in the crate he went.  I have stayed in the kitchen so that he could see me, and after about 10 minutes of vigorous protesting, the tired little guy is sleeping soundly.

I will post pictures tomorrow, so stay tuned!  I can already tell that Titus is going to be a wonderful addition to our pack, and cannot adequately thank Christina at Dreamkeeper for this blessing.  Love that dog ...