Fun with Poppy

Kids and puppies. Poppy is settling in so nicely. She's a very sweet girl, very gentle and well-mannered for such a young puppy.

Here's what she did most of her first day. A long drive, very recent spay surgery, and a completely new home can wear a girl out. Isn't she adorable? Plus she was worn out from crying all night long. Poor baby. We're working on finding a solution that isn't bringing her into our room, but doesn't leave her feeling so lost and lonely. I'm exhausted too.

She spent some of her time yesterday and a lot of time today playing with the ladies and gents in the back yard. I'm so impressed by her manners-- except for a short time this morning when she was getting tired, she doesn't nip or jump when the kids are playing chase with her. And this morning some quiet time and a short nap restored her to her sweet gentle self.

She seems most comfortable in the back yard. That's when her playful nature comes out. But she likes to spend a lot of time just laying near me, ears perked, watching the kids run around.

The kids are all using their best manners. On Puppy Day, before we left to get our puppy, I set down the Puppy Rules:
1. Please be quiet and gentle. We talked about how scary it would be for us to leave our whole family and go to a completely new place far away. What loving hearts they have. They've all been so sweet and welcoming to our new little one.
2. Teach puppy good habits. This is more about me training the kids than the kids training the puppy. I want our puppy to be a pleasant companion as she grows, and the kids are my partners. Now when I offer a correction to the kids, I preface it with, "Remember, we want to teach Poppy good manners so that she grows up to be a good dog. Let's try it this way."
3. Mom is the boss of the puppy. I set the rules. There is only Mom's way with the puppy so that no one gets confused. We have "puppy class" in the morning where I tell the kids what I'd like them to say if Poppy nips or jumps, and let them know what I've noticed them doing right.




It's really hard getting a good picture of an active puppy! Most of the pictures I took are variations on this theme.