Practice Makes Perfect

Cocoa has taken very well to her house training routine and we have only had a handful of pee accidents (and no poop accidents!) since she arrived. She sleeps all night-- yay!

Here is her routine this week:

Morning: Cocoa wakes up in her crate and cries to come out. "Good Morning, Cocoa!" and we carry her outside by herself to "potty". "Yay Cocoa! Good girl!!" when there is success. Then she walks in to get Woolie & Luci, and they all go outside and play together and have a big morning romp. Then inside for breakfast. Cocoa eats in her exercise pen in the kitchen, her dry food soaked slightly in warm water. Then Cocoa goes back outside by herself to potty again -- "Good girl!". Then more play time. When they lay down to rest, "Outside!"-- another potty time. Pretty soon it is lunch, and we repeat the same thing... and later dinner. She loves, loves, loves to eat. She has access to fresh water whenever she is not in her crate or exercise pen, inside and outside, so we have to watch her extra closely for signs of being ready to potty.

When we are outside we just stand still until she goes and THEN we give her kudos and attention. She has caught on and now trots right out to pee immediately, looking at us for approval.

When we cannot watch her carefully, she goes into her exercise pen for up to an hour before the next potty break. When we are not here, she goes into her crate (as do the other dogs). Most of the time she is being watched and either playing with us or the dogs or having a few minutes of "training".

This week she figured out on her own the steps to the bed (that NONE of the other resident or current foster dogs have mastered) and found the couch a nice retreat from the big dogs-- who don't follow her up there.

The other dogs and the kids keep her very busy much of the time, but like any puppy, any moment of down time is a potential opportunity for mischief. She is getting more interested in chewing, so if we see her thinking about chewing something that isn't hers, we remind her by giving her one of her chew toys.

At night we like to cuddle with her on the couch, and maybe do a little grooming. But often she is too busy and on the go for much couch down time. She enjoys being held and loved and petted for a few minutes... then she is off to play in the wide world again!

Wonderful Weekend

Cocoa went to her first Meet & Greet yesterday and did a great job. She shared a spot with her buddy Woolie and basked in all of the beautiful puppy attention before falling asleep at the end of the afternoon. Another great bedtime and overnight for her as well.

LOTS of puppy playtime today with kids and dogs. Cocoa ran her heart out and complained when we put her in the little kitchen exercise pen to take a break. She is not any more curious about the cats than she is about everything else in this big new world (she even took a rest on the couch next to our Foster Dog Test Cat, Link). She continues to have a very hearty appetite. It's too early to tell who is training who in the housebreaking department, but only two pee accidents inside today and we haven't had any poops inside since she arrived. She has also not soiled her crate or her exercise pen. She is enjoying her puppy chew toys and the big dog toys as well. So far she is just a fluffy and friendly little pup who enjoys being held and also enjoys running free.

Welcome, Cocoa!

If there is a better way to start the weekend than by receiving an adorable bundle of fuzzy energy to care for, we don't know what it is! I picked up our new foster puppy, Cocoa, from Deborah of Forgotten Friends Mixed Breed Rescue last night and fell in instant love. The first word that comes to your mind when you hold her is SOFT... followed quickly by cuddly and sweet.

We met at Compassion Animal Hospital and Cocoa got a rabies shot. Then we stopped for a quick bath & nail trim at Mud Puppies before bringing Cocoa home to meet the household. She bounded all around the house wagging her tail and fearlessly exploring it all. What a joyful pup! She chased and played with my 5-year old son, Ben for quite a while and then was introduced to her "foster siblings", Woolie (1-2 year-old Aussie-mix), Luci (2-year old deaf Aussie), & Jack (14-year old Dachshund). It was an instant love-fest between Woolie and Cocoa-- hot chocolate and one huge marshmallow!

After such a busy day, she slept all night long in her crate, next to Luci's crate and a few inches from our bed, without a peep. She woke us up with some crying at 7 AM and we took her outside to potty. No accidents in her crate. Housebreaking is already underway!

Cocoa didn't feel like eating much last night, but she gobbled up her breakfast and clearly has a very healthy appetite! We are starting her on Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Fish dry food.

We have taken over 30 photos so far, but most of them are of a brown blur-- she is too fast to pose for a picture! We will keep trying to get some cute ones to post here.