Happy Birthday Blue

Our boy Blue turned one a few weeks ago.  And over the past couple of months, he has gone from a crazy puppy to a good, good boy.  He isn't doing nearly as much biting and chewing and this is how he spends most of his afternoon with me while I work.

I require two things in order to work from home by myself: Radio from Hell and canine company.  First Jackson and now Blue - I am so happy to have the companionship that I just can't get from co-workers on the phone.

The girls love him too.  During our trip to Utah, they talked about how he was with the "other doggies."  He follows them around and is always quietly waiting for them, whatever they are doing.  He is also very helpful "cleaning up" the mess they make at dinner.

I am working on making him a running partner as well.  He can make it 5 miles pretty easily and now only spends about 5 minutes of that time biting on his leash.  All I have to do is get out my watch and he's ready to go. 

He got a nice, new big boy bed for his birthday.  No more kennel for this doggy. 

Happy birthday pal! 

Home from Summer Camp

Blue boy came home from his summer training camp a couple of weeks ago (I'm behind on this blogging thing).  He was there for a total of eight weeks.  We went up there a few times to work with him and see how he was doing.  I was not crazy about leaving him there for so long, but the reality of our lives is that we just didn't have time he deserved to train him properly.  We were very happy to bring him home and he now knows how to walk on a leash, sit, stay, heel and come.  We have been continuing his training with at least one walk per day.

The girls were so excited to have him home.  Josie calls him "buba".  In the mornings when we go in there with their milk, he follows us and they yell "ruh ruh" over and over.  And at night before bed, we all give each other kisses and hugs and they always kneel down to give Blue boy his kisses.

He has been very patient with them.  They aren't exactly gentle.  But he seems to be moving out of the destructive puppy phase and is starting to understand how to act when they maul him.  Good boy, Blue.

Recent Happenings

Lots of stuff going on around here, there is never a dull moment.  First, to contribute to Josie's superhero status, Grandma Bubba made the girls their very own capes with hoodies to wear and play with.  This is a big hit because taking things off and putting them on again, plus putting stuff on our heads, is great fun.  Josie loves hers and wants to wear it all the time.  Piper loves hers too (it has frogs on it!), but she wants to take it off as soon as you put it in, then wants it on again.

Also, Blue got neutered last week and has been sporting the "cone of shame".  He walks around with a look on his face like he is wondering what the eff just happened to him.  Also, the girls have been using the cone to their full advantage.  Picture the two girls banging on it and pointing and laughing.  This only contributes to his shame. 

Finally, climbing is quickly becoming an obsession.  Maybe this is normal toddler behavior, or maybe we have a couple of gymnansts, or mountain climbers, or trapeze artists on our hands. 

Babies vs. Puppy

Blue is starting to settle in as the fifth member of our family.  He's getting better with the potty training and getting more free time outside of his crate as a result.  He is also getting a lot of nice walks outside in our spring weather.  Piper still loves him; Josie still isn't so sure.  We definitely have our hands full.  I wouldn't compare having a puppy to having a baby, but they do require a lot of time and attention at this age.  We aren't complaining though - we love having him and figure we may as well have all the chaos at once.

There have been some funny moments with Blue and the girls.  He is learning his limits with them and figuring out that he can't tackle them to the ground or put his teeth on them (although Piper just laughs when he does do that).  However, one thing I don't think he'll quite figure out for awhile is why he can't play with their toys.  They are spread out all over and look like the perfect chew toy for him!  The other day the girls were playing in the playroom and Blue kept running up to the gate to check in on them.  I heard Piper screaming and then break down crying.  I expected to look in to see her bleeding or something.  It turns out she threw her frog over the gate and Blue snatched it up.  Her beloved frog!  And Blue was happily chewing away. Another time, I spotted Piper walking around snuggling up to an old gross stuffed Turtle that Blue was playing with - an old toy of Jackson's.  Ewww! 

This is how it typically plays out.  Here the girls are luring him over to play.  

 And here are the toys they've thrown over the gate for him to play with...

 And finally, here's Blue who escaped to his spot to chew on a baby toy.

Stay tuned for more babies vs. puppy.

Meet Blue

Meet the newest member of our family - Blue.  He is a Goldendoodle and came home to us last Saturday at 8 weeks old.  So far, he is a very good boy.  He is now used to his kennel (no more crying in there) and starting to 'get' the whole potty training thing.  He's also been on lots of walks already with our nice spring weather and has made it down to the road and back several times (1.3 miles).  We can already tell Blue is going to be a good boy.

The girls have had a mixed reaction to Blue.  Like so many things, they are approaching him pretty differently.  Piper's reaction was priceless.  To her, it was hands down the best day of her life.  Her favorite word is 'doggy' and she says it at least 150 times per day.  I don't even have to describe her excitement because it's all on video:

Josie is characteristically approaching him with a bit more caution.  She has figured out that he has sharp little puppy teeth and isn't interested in getting too close (while Piper repeatedly sticks her hands in his mouth over and over and then laughs hysterically).

Both girls think the kennel is pretty cool:

Welcome to the family Blue!