Puppy Update

We’re exhausted. We haven’t had much sleep in the last week but our little “schnitzel” is doing great. Mel’s already mentioned more than once how relieved she is that ‘baby’ isn’t of the human variety. Me too. I’m certain now, without a doubt, that we couldn’t handle it.

Thilde is a load of fun. Very cute and rambunctious, and she has no fear! She’s super fast, running at top speed to leap into your lap if you’re sitting on the floor. It never crosses her mind that you wouldn’t catch her. She’s nuts. The AKC says:

Characteristic traits are his hackney-like action, fearless animation, complete self-possession, and his spirited presence.

The hackney-like action is a very high-stepping gait and her back legs are rabbit-like springboards. She walks like a pony or deer. Mel says between her speed and jumping ability that she would be great at agility competition. Now we have to get our asses in shape to do it.

Aside from playing and eating like there’s no tomorrow, she’s decided that her feet are too good for the floor. All other time awake or asleep must be spent attached to a human. The lap is okay, but if she can crawl up to your chest that’s where she’s happiest. It must be that she likes the warm breath and rhythms of breathing and heartbeats. She also likes being wrapped up in a towel or the end of a shirt like it’s a sling. She likes to burrow too. Yesterday I had her in the large pocket of my fleece warm-up jacket. At least she only weighs three pounds. If she can’t be velcro dog then she’ll cry and howl in her crate until she falls asleep. Depending on how tired she is this could take a few minutes to a half-hour. If it’s longer than a few minutes then the parrot gets in on the act and makes noises to keep her going. At first we thought he was whistling and clucking to try to get her to calm down and shut up, then we realized it was the opposite. Aarrghh, the noise!

Housebreaking is going well. We are diligent in taking Thilde outside after every activity (sleeping, playing, eating), at least once every two hours. She totally gets it and has relieved herself outdoors more often than inside. Of course, it hasn’t helped that the weather has been so whacky-crappy in the last week. Warm, then cold. Raining, then snowy, then icy. Super windy. Since the puppy is so small she gets cold very quickly. After about the second day, we realized we needed to get her a little sweater or something. The local pet shop didn’t have any though because it’s getting to be springtime. Even so, they told Mel, it was unlikely they’d ever have anything that small. Mel ended up making her a sweater out of an old sock.

see photos