RICCIE'S JOURNAL 0-4 MONTHS OLD

SHE IS FINALLY ALMOST HOUSEBROKEN BUT AT 4 MONTHS SHE IS STILL HAVING THE OCCAISIONAL ACCIDENT. MACY WAS MUCH QUICKER TO HOUSETRAIN. I DON’T THINK SHE HAS THE INCREDIBLE BLADDER CONTROL THAT THE OTHER 2 HAVE, AT LEAST NOT YET. SHE HAS FINALLY STARTED SCRATCHING AT THE DOOR TO GO OUT. SHE STILL SLEEPS IN HER PUPPY PEN AT NIGHT BECAUSE SHE WON’T LEAVE BITSY ALONE. WE MOVE THE PEN INTO THE BEDROOM AT NIGHT SO SHE DOESN’T FEEL ISOLATED. SHE CANNOT JUMP ON THE FURNITURE YET. SHE ISN’T THE JUMPER MACY IS BUT SHE CAN RUN PRETTY DARN FAST. SHE PROVED THAT AT THE BEACH WHEN WE HAD TO RUN TO CATCH HER.

RICCIE IS INDEPENDENT. SHE IS CONTENT TO TAKE A NAP BY HERSELF. WHEN SHE FIRST ARRIVED SHE WAS PRETTY HEADSTRONG AND MADE IT KNOWN WHEN SHE DIDN’T LIKE SOMETHING. SHE CRIED LOUDLY WHEN BATHED, FOUGHT US WHEN WE TRIED TO GIVE HER MEDICINES, SHE JUST DIDN’T WANT TO BE MESSED WITH. THAT IS ALL SLOWLY GOING AWAY. WE ARE BATHING HER ONCE A WEEK AND EACH WEEK IS GETTING BETTER. HER BARK IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN MACY’S. IT IS MUCH HIGHER PITCHED. MACY AND BITSY BOTH BARK LIKE BIG DOGS. AT TIMES IT SOUNDS LIKE IT IS GETTING DEEPER BUT WHEN SHE IS EXCITED IT’S STILL THAT PUPPY *YAP*.

THIS IS ME IN MY BED WITH MY SPECIAL BLANKET. MOM COVERS ME UP AT NIGHT BEFORE SHE GOES TO BED

THE LEASH TRAINING WILL BEGIN THIS MONTH. WE DIDN’T WANT TO PUT TOO MANY DEMANDS ON HER UNTIL SHE REALIZED SHE FINALLY HAD A FOREVER HOME AND FAMILY. SHE LOVES SOFT TOYS THAT TALK AND NYLABONES TO CHEW ON. SHE IS BEGINNING TO START TO CHEW ON THINGS SO WE KEEP HER SUPPLIED WITH ALTERNATIVES TO FURNITURE. SHE LIKES TO NIP AT YOUR ANKLES, SHE IS PLAYING BUT IT’S A HABIT WE ARE TRYING TO BREAK. IT’S GETTING BETTER AND A LOUD *NO* IS BEGINNING TO WORK. SOMETIMES WHEN SHE DOES IT MACY RUNS OVER AND INTERVENES, TRIES TO MAKE HER STOP. MACY IS VERY GENTLE IN EVERY WAY. SHE EVEN TAKES FOOD FROM YOUR HAND GENTLY. BITSY AND RICCIE ARE GOBBLERS. YOU HAVE TO REMIND THEM TO BE EASY WHEN YOU HAND THEM A TREAT.

SHE AND MACY GET ALONG GREAT AND PLAY ALL DAY LONG. SHE IS STILL TRYING TO WIN BITSY OVER BUT SHE DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO DO IT. MACY FIGURED IT OUT VERY QUICKLY AND WON HER OVER BY BEING GENTLE. RICCIE HASN’T FIGURED THAT OUT YET AND IT ANNOYS MACY WHEN SHE CHASES BITSY. MACY LITERALLY INTERVENES AND TRIES TO GET HER AWAY FROM BITSY. IT’S VERY INTERESTING TO WATCH THEM INTERACT. THEY ALL LOVE TO GO ANYWHERE. THE CAR KEYS ALWAYS GET THEM EXCITED UNLESS THEY DON’T GET TO GO. THEN THERE ARE 3 SAD FACES WITH EARS DOWN. IT HAS BEEN VERY REWARDING TO GIVE THIS SWEET LITTLE GIRL A FOREVER HOME AND TO WATCH HER ADAPT AND FEEL AT HOME.

July 3rd, 2007. Riccie licks now. Finally. Lots of changes the past week. 4-6 months is a very crucial time in the socialization of a puppy. She is now sleeping in the bed full time and has learned to leave Bitsy alone. I think she figured out that chasing her only makes her mad and now she finally relaizes that Bitsy is higher in the *pack* and that she has to play nice to please her.

She is finally getting some hair. The dark stripe on her back is now spreading across her back with dark sable, silky hair. She has lost most of the puppy fuzz and the silky hair is coming in. It's summer here, and hot so it's going to be a slow process. Right now she has little hair on her sides, rear and legs but the hair on her ears and head is growing fast so she looks like she is all head. Housebreaking, markedly improved, she is asking out most of the time now. She is also getting very sweet and much more attached to her humans than Macy. Macy annoys her at times with her bossy attitude with Riccie and Macy lets her know she doesn't like it.

They play a lot, never fight but Macy is no longer the center of her universe. When I leave the house even for a short time she is beside herself when I come back so we need to work on that a little. I think perhaps it's some insecurity from having 4 homes in a 9 week period and she will eventually realize we will always return. She is a little love and a total joy to have as a member of the family.

The 4th of July: Riccie and the others had lots of out of town house guests. She did fine, no timidness, just sort of indifferent to them. She let the teens pick her up, no squirming but no licks either. So far, she just doesn't seem to be much of a licker, at least not yet. Considering the fact that she had 4 homes within her first 9 weeks, she is now a very confident, spunk, sweet little girl and highly intelligent.

July 11, 2007: Riccie now weighs 8 pounds. she barely has any hair on her sides but her coat is coming in on her back, ers and head. I think I even see some tail hair. She is a tough one to housebreak and still has accidents but she does know how to ask out. She gets busy playing with Macy and just forgets. Company for 2 weeks caused a little set back so this week we will work on that. She is going chewing on everything so Bitter Apple is on my list of things to get. She didn't warm up to the house guests nearly as much as Macy and preferred to be with her family. She encountered another land crab today and decided her first encounter was enough. She looked and barked but didn't approach.