We gots no troubles, life is the bubbles!

Hey guys!

So the title of this entry is from "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid, which is appropriate since Juliette got her second bath this week! I thought I was going to get a reprieve because Petsmart offers this amazing puppy package for bathing, and Juilette's sister, Bailey, who is loved (I hate to say the word owned, since they really are members of the family) by a friend of mine from high school, got it done a few days ago, and I just thought that it'd be great. They do the works -- shampoo, conditioner, blow dry, brushing, removal of shedding hair and that good undercoat brushing, trimming of hairs around the paws, nail clipping, and a bandana all for $15. I thought this would be a steal, and I also thought I'd get to avoid anymore battle scars (the one from her first bath is still visible on my elbow). But, when I called to set it up, they told me that once she's four months old (which she just turned) they require a rabies vaccination certificate. Well, my vet and the entire practice of veterinarians don't believe in giving the rabies vaccines to puppies before they are six months, since it usually doesn't take and they end up needing it again, and besides that, there are some health risks. So, I couldn't get it done. I think it's really silly that they have that policy when many vets don't give it before six months. Neither of our other dogs had theirs before six months, and they were seeing a different vet at that time than we do now.

So, anyway, last night, I hunkered down in the bathroom with Juliette and luckily, I had my mom around this time to document the experience with pictures. Most of them are on my Facebook, but I'm gonna post a few below. In general, though, it was much better. She's adapting to it, and I don't have any scratched except for one little surface scratch on my neck that I can barely see now. She really does like the water, and once she was out of the tub, she was fascinated by watching the water drain in the tub and actually tried to get back in. I'm hoping that it'll start to get nice and warm soon, and when it does, I'll be getting her a kiddie pool that she can chill out in in the backyard with me while I read and stuff during the summer, and I'm definitely planning to try and get her to some lake at some point to play around. Her paws have this amazing webbing and I can just tell she's going to be a great swimmer!

Anyhow, here are a few pictures from the experience! Overall, it really wasn't bad and I'm actually a little glad I couldn't get her professionally groomed because now I have pictures of me bathing her as a puppy, which I think is kind of a monumental experience!

:) More later this week!

--Heather

The Land Before Time, Part II

When I was little, there was this series of dinosaur movies out called "The Land Before Time." Initially, the first few movies were good for kids movies, and my brother and I both loved them. But after awhile, they started adding so many sequels (I eventually lost count) that it was more comical than anything -- especially as my brother and I were graduating high school and they were still adding more movies.

On our very first full day with Juliette, more than seven weeks ago now, my dad went out on errands and came back with this bright green dinosaur that she became enamored with. He's fluffy and soft, and instead of squeaking, he's got this roller-ball thing inside him that makes a rattling/rolling noise. She loves to shake things, so this provides much more entertainment for shaking. Here she is when she first got that dinosaur:

Then, the dinosaur was about half her size.

As she's grown, this dinosaur has slept with her every single night and is by far her favorite toy. She isn't a destroyer when it comes to toys, but he naturally started getting some holes from wear-and-tear. So last weekend, my dad went out to run some errands and decided that, after we'd sewed the dinosaur up several times, it was time to just buy a new one and swap it out -- which we did. But while he was there, he saw another dinosaur as well: A blue triceratops. He gave the triceratops to Juliette last weekend, and she just loves him -- he's a little furry, too.

As you can see, she's just as in love with this dinosaur!

Week before last, Juliette went in for her third round of boosters with Dr. B. She's doing very well, and as of them, weighed about 24.5 lbs. I'm guessing that she's closer to 30 lbs. now, and she sees the vet again two weeks from yesterday.

In other news, today, Juliette lost her first tooth! She was especially bitey after we'd gone outside for a bit, which isn't usually normal, but I noticed that one of her bottom from teeth was loose, and sure enough, after dinner, it was gone. We've learned as she's chewing that she, like our other dogs, loves ice cubes and thinks they are a great treat, so she's been eating a lot of those and sucking on them, and that seems to help with the teething. My dad also found these great dental care chews at Costco that are the same as a large Milkbone in length, but they are a little harder, and also a little thinner. They are great for her to chew with on her back teeth -- her mouth doesn't open wide enough yet at the back for some of her favorite bones, so these seem to help with that a lot, and she really likes them.

Today is the first time it's really rained since we've had her and that she's also gone out in it. It's sprinkled a few times, but today we got a very heavy rain. Her reaction was to chase the rain and run all over the yard in circles biting and pawing at it.

Otherwise, Juliette is doing very, very well. She's incredibly smart, and she's learned the "down" (lie down) command and hand signal. She has also learned out to catch, and she's learning, however hesitantly, the command "leave it." We practice "leave it" with treats and she isn't supposed to take them when we practice unless I give her permission. This will be really useful for going on walks when I don't want her to go after something. She's most hesitant about this skill, but she's getting better each day!

I'm so glad I have this cute little golden girl! :) She's definitely the best decision I've ever made and, in times of stress, she really seems to be in tune to me already. For example, I found out yesterday that my big sister from my sorority (who is basically my real sister) is moving, and I was very sad. She was very subdued and calm most of the morning and wouldn't leave my side.

She is now curled up in the pillows at the corner of the head of my bed. We are getting close to the point when I will let her sleep outside of the crate at night, if that's what she wants, but I will still keep a gate up in my room.

For now, I need to go get her crate situated for bed and get to bed myself -- I'll update more soon!

May the force be with you ...

Hi everyone!

I'm happy to report that Juliette is, per usual, doing incredibly well and getting bigger and smarter by the day. On Tuesday, she goes for her sixteen week booster shots and will be in her third week of puppy classes!

Since my last update, we have discovered a few new things about Juliette. As I've talked about, she's really into music and has been very interested in TV. With all the Oscar-buzz that was generated about Natalie Portman before and after she won, many of the Star Wars movies were on over the past week and a half or so. My family is really into Star Wars, and they have been playing in the background or we have been actively watching them over the past two weekends.

The first time that we realized Juliette had really noticed the sound was last weekend when Kyle was home. She was in my room with me while I was doing homework, and the computer generated sounds of R2-D2 caught her attention and she perked up immediately, jumped up, did an about-face, and ran down the hall! Now, when R2-D2 makes noises on the screen, she starts wagging her tail and wiggling and gets very happy. She will also lay on the couch and seriously watch what is going on on the screen. The sound effects and again, the music, really catch her attention.

She'd never seen the start of one of the movies before, so I put one in for fun tonight to see if she got excited about that music as well. My TV is on a dresser that stands about two and a half feet higher than my bed, and the dresser itself is at the end of my bed. When the music started with it, she was immediately entranced and put her paws up on the dresser and put her nose to the screen to watch, just like Lucky in "101 Dalmatians."

On Friday, Juliette made her first visit with me to my counselor's office. They are used to having therapy dogs in the office, and several patients bring their pets -- cats and dogs -- so I had permission ahead of time. She behaved very well and was mostly just anxious. Once my counselor decided we should just open the door and let her roam and explore for a bit (which was fine since I have an evening appointment outside of the offices and the its doctors normal operation) she was fine. I was mostly relieved that she didn't have any accidents!

On the topic of potty training, we are now going thirteen days with only two accidents, and they truly were accidents where she'd just woken up and suddenly had to go, and they were several days ago. I feel she's really getting the hang of it. We're also having to take her outside less, so she's getting used to it.

Other than that, over the weekend I was able to spend a night out for the first time since I got Juliette. I loved going out with my friends, but I really missed her, and couldn't wait to get home. I missed her not being there when I woke up. I'm so glad I have her in my life. However, my parents did enjoy a night to themselves with her and my dad brought her crate in their room voluntarily, which was nice since she sleeps in it in my room and can hear me breathing and sleeping all night and hasn't slept a night here without me feet away. She truly enjoyed "camping out" with my mom and dad, as my dad said, and tonight, she went into the bedroom with my dad when he went to bed early and really wanted to hang out in there for a little bit, which I think is great.

For now, she is sleeping soundly in her crate and I'm finishing watching the movie we started. :)

Until the next time, may the force be with you. ;)

Puppy see, puppy do

Hi everyone!

It's been awhile since I've updated. In the past few days, we've marked four weeks since I brought Juliette home, and her three month birthday (Feb. 21).

We've had a few really big events going on here for Miss Juliette.

The first of these is that we started puppy classes on Thursday. We go to Petsmart at 10:30 a.m. and our trainer's name is Craig. There are four other dogs in the class -- a Shiba-Inu, a Poodle-Shih-Tzu, a boxer/terrier mix, and another mix rescue puppy. Juliette is easily the most talkative person in class -- I guess that's not surprising given that I'm her owner and I'm a talkative person. She really wanted to get to know all the other dogs and have lengthy conversations with them while Craig was trying to instruct us. He first tried a water bottle, which works on most of the dogs, but Juliette likes water, so she thought it was a game. His second tactic worked much better -- he has something called bitter apple spray that he sprays just on her teeth, and it is sour, so it keeps her distracted and she doesn't bark at much. When he did it, he'd say simply and firmly "Quiet." By the end of the first 20 minutes, he didn't even have to pick up the spray to say quiet, and she now does it on command, no spray needed around the house for us 80% of the time!

Craig is a really cool trainer. He himself has seventeen dogs at home, ranging from five and a half months to sixteen years. He has a full range of breeds, including several pure-bred Border Collies (another breed I love), and he brings a few dogs to each class to demonstrate and it's very, very cool. Juliette already knew how to sit, so we were a little ahead in the first class, but one skill he's teaching us is "Watch," so that whenever I call her and get her to sit, she knows she's not just sitting, but that she is to be watching me for an indication of what to do next. We practice these things outside the room through the store, and she really made improvements. I was impressed with how fast she picked it up, even though she was surrounded by aisles and aisles of treats and toys, not to mention other pet owners who wanted to meet her and other dogs outside of her class. Craig also teaches some really cool frisbee classes for dogs once they get a little older, and I'm definitely going to sign her up! She's definitely a runner and a jumper and I think she'd really benefit from it. Craig himself holds several world records for some of the sports he competes in with his dogs (mostly frisbee throwing sorts of things that would be timed, or tricks). He's very inspirational!

On Wednesday night, I gave Juliette her first bath with me. The Howells obviously bathed while she was with them, and from what I've read, I'm not supposed to give her a bath more than once every three to four weeks because her skin is still sensitive. So, a couple times a week, I freshen her up with puppy wipes and spray and brush her (her hair is so light, something I'm not used to, so I'm determined to keep her clean!). But this past week, I wanted to give her a bath before her first class (yes, friends, I am a nerd in puppy class just like I am in my own classes -- I get really excited for the first day!) and I decided to embark upon this quest -- and it was a quest -- while my mom and dad weren't home, thinking there'd be less distractions.

Initially, she was a little nervous in the bath tub, and she really couldn't figure out why I was getting her wet. Eventually, she made friends with the faucet and realized how cool it was that water was coming out and she got all wiggly and happy with it (just like she does with the vacuum, as long as it isn't on) ... But when I turned on the shower head, that was a whole different story. That scared her a bit and she really tried to get out and left me with some battle scars. But twenty minutes washing time plus an hour to really get completely dry, some shampoo, a lot of Golden hair, three towels, two t-shirts, a pair of pajama pants, some blood, gauze and Neosporin later, she was clean and fluffy!

Finally, I am proud to report that Juliette is now potty-trained -- at least I hope I am not speaking too soon. As everyone knows, when I got Juliette home, she was mostly house broken, and she really didn't have any accidents for four days. Then, on and off for the next few weeks, it became more frequent. Several times, we could tell it was out of temper -- for example, she'd been told that she couldn't chew on a person or, no, she couldn't eat my boots. Sometimes, it was out of sadness -- like when my brother went back to school. But over the past couple weeks, she's gotten very consistent in her signs and how she tells us she needs to go. Aside from one little accident yesterday, she hasn't had any accidents now in almost eight days! :)

Otherwise, I am just still so thrilled with this little girl. She is growing immensely, and I get so many compliments on how pretty she is. Of course I'm biased, but I've had lots of Golden owners come up to me at Petsmart and say she's just so pretty. And she really is a sweetheart. I'm not much of an early-bird, though she is, but she is starting to get used to coming back up in bed and just cuddling or loafing with me while I sleep.

Kyle came home this weekend, and we took tons of pictures with his fancy camera, which is a digital SLR. I will be posting them soon, but for now, here's this pic -- one of my favorites from the weekend:

She throws her paws up in the air sometimes

Hi everyone!

So, I can't believe that it's been more than three weeks now since I've had Juliette. I can't imagine life without her anymore. She is such a great little girl and we are so happy to have her.

Since my last post, we've had a few really big accomplishments on our end. First of all, Juliette is going to the bathroom in the house much, much less, which we are very happy about. Secondly, we have established a toy box for Juliette, and this morning, she started putting away her own toys before she took new ones out. Most of the time, she got the toy in. (Or at least she tried -- her favorite bone is by Kong, so it's a little bouncy, and she kept trying to drop it in, and it would bounce off the edges.)

She's also becoming more of a cuddle-bug (which she already was, but she is even more now). She really loves to get up on the couch with me and cuddle while I read or use my laptop, but she really doesn't like anything that detracts any attention from her. This evening, I was laying on the couch reading, and she actually walked right on top of me, laid down on my stomach and stretched her paws out over my shoulder, so I really couldn't hold the book up. And then she proceeded to give me lots of kisses and chew on my hair. But it was very cute! :)

The end of this week has been very different because the weather has been warmer and there are all kinds of new things for Juliette to discover. She's definitely an outdoor dog, and several times when I took her outside, she was happy just to lay down in the grass and let the sun shine on her and the breeze blow by. We had a little war over grass and whether or not she would be allowed to pull up my dad's yard, but that's getting better. Of course, we are scheduled to get another mountain of snow dropped on us tomorrow, and then it will be back to the status quo.

My parents have said several times recently that Juliette is the perfect dog for me. She's goofy, a little clumsy, but very congenial. She had recently taken to spending lots of time on her back while she either attempts to catch her tail (and she will talk to it while she tries) or play with a toy while she's on her back, paws up in the air. Here's a picture of her playing with her rope tuggy on her back:

So you think you can dance?

I can't believe that it's already been two and a half weeks since we brought little Juliette home. Today, I went shopping at Petsmart to stock up on more wet (canned) food for her. She's eating Nutro Ultra-Holistic Superfoods Large Breed Puppy wet food for part of her dinner. The same brand also makes a pouch food that has a chicken/salmon component to it that is good for her fur. I'm not replacing the canned food, but a few nights a week, she gets a tablespoon of this with dinner now. Also, we used to feed Daisy yogurt a couple days a week -- not a lot, just a little bit. Our vet liked this because yogurt is so good for everyone, even dogs. It's good for your immune system and digestive tract. She said it would be okay to give Juliette a tablespoon or two of yogurt a couple times a week. We started that late last week and she really likes it!

Juliette also continues to be mesmerized by different visual things. In addition to realizing that the people in my paintings and posters are real, she has been totally entranced by the screen-saver on my Mac, which is the brush strokes that changes colors.

As we continue to get to know our little golden girl, we are discovering more and more how much she loves all things musical. As I've said, we are a musical family. I am almost always listening to music -- if I'm studying, getting ready, just hanging out, working or even just playing with her in my room at night. She has a few artists who have really caught her ear -- Michael Buble, the Black-Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Train, Usher, Backstreet Boys, and yes, even Eminem.

Last night, when a really upbeat song came up on iTunes on my computer, she got very excited. She started dancing around in circles wagging her tails and jumping, so we had a little mini dance party in my room. She was very happy and it tired her out!

For the next couple nights, my dad is away in Chicago at the headquarters for his work, so it's just us girls. So far, things are going all right, but we know that she is missing him. She has been searching for him and we've had to take a few extra trips outside to look for him. However, we have learned that Juliette understands the concept of the phone. We did it with her my first day back at school and this evening when my dad called, we put him on speaker so Juliette could hear him. She got very, very happy. So happy that she licked the phone with such force that she hung up on him! LOL ...

Anyhow, things are going mostly well here! We are still having a few potty issues, where she will pittle when she wants something or is upset about something (like someone not being home or not being allowed to bring a stick inside, etc.). But since puppy classes start next week, I'm hoping I can get some tips then. Despite that, we love our little girl and are having so much fun with her! :)

--Heather

Chew this, not that

Hey everyone!

So, it's been a few days since I posted anything about Juliette, but that's not to say we haven't been incredibly busy!

Things are going very well with her here. The thing that we've been working on most this week is her puppy biting and teaching her what is okay to chew and what isn't. There is a series of books out there on weight loss and better eating called Eat This, Not That, and it's kind of been the same way around here, showing her what is okay and what isn't. At the moment, for example, Juliette is laying next to me on the couch and instead of letting her chew on my laptop, iPod, or (her personal favorite) my arm, I have her chewing on her blanket. She's not really a destroyer of anything, with the exception of napkins, so it's pretty safe to let her chew on the blanket.

Juliette has also started to become quite talkative. She likes to talk to us while we make her dinner or, if she's doing something she's not supposed to, she also gets a little sassy. However, it's never out of control or mean, she's clearly just voicing her opinion on it. My mom says she's like me.

We seem to have had a minor set back in potty-training -- she's had about one accident a day inside -- but we think this is probably because she is becoming a little more comfortable around here. Part of it is also that we are trying to learn her new signals for going potty. In her first few days here, she found she really liked to lay by our front door. She was also really good about going and sitting by the door and whining if she had to go out. But it got so frigidly cold and wet that we ended gating off our foyer so that she couldn't lay by the front door, so now we are learning new signals for her needing to go, which aren't always consistent. I hope I'm not speaking too soon in saying this, but she seems to be doing great today and we have yet to have an accident. Luckily, the few accidents she has had have been on our rugs that come up and can be washed easily.

Juliette is also starting to develop special games, habits, and things she likes to do with each person in the house. In the morning, she loves to sit in my mom's lap and cuddle for awhile while she reads. When my dad gets home in the afternoon and goes to put on the flip flops he wears around the house, she loves to sit at his feet and chase his toes. And if my dad is home when I've taken her outside, getting dried off by dad is a favorite activity and game.

We are having major breakthroughs with the crate this week. She is now really starting to accept the mid-afternoon nap concept. And, the past three nights when I've put her down in my room and asked her to go to her crate to sleep, she went in without any fight. Today, I did the same for her afternoon nap for the first time and she was happy to go in. This is really great. The first puppy that I remember having (my parents had one dog before I was born that was well out of the puppy stage by the time I came around), Midnight, loved her crate and treated it like her room. We want Juliette to love her crate just as much.

One downfall this week is a personal one. I have come down with some kind of bug and have been sick now for about eight days. I have been to the doctor two or three times now, and they believe I may have mono again. We have yet to be able to get a blood test done because I have been too dehydrated for them to tap my veins. However, I am not too worried even if I do have it again. Juliette has really warmed up to napping (and sometimes I even let her nap and cuddle in my bed in the afternoon). The biggest issue if I do have it again will be that I need to take a week or two more away from school, so I will have to enlist my Student Access Office to negotiate with my professors. I'm able to keep up with Juliette just fine, though, and of course my parents are a big help.

I am still really learning how to handle being a "puppy-parents." But my mom and dad have both had so much experience, so they have been really helpful. A personal triumph between she and I this week is that she is starting to come whenever she is called and if I say "No," to her when she's moving towards something at a distance (i.e.: the remote controls on our end tables which are some of her favorite toys), she will get away from them. She is also walking well with me on the leash around our yard. I'm confident that by the time the warmer weather gets here, I will be able to get her leash trained to take a couple walks with me a day.

The most exciting event for Juliette this week was that one of my best friends, Maggie, came over to visit her on Tuesday. Maggie is one of Juliette's many aunts and was very happy to meet her! Here are pictures from Maggie's visit:

That's all for now. :) I'll post more this coming week!

--Heather