First Full Day With Sasha

It was Sunday morning and I probably got about a couple hours of sleep. During the night Sasha whimpered a few times, probably missing the warmth of her siblings. She probably wasn't really missing her mom too much, because Lorene told me that at around 4 - 5weeks old they take the pups away from their moms so they can be weaned. My daughter got Sasha a cuddly toy she named Frankie that you can remove a pouch from the inside to warm in the microwave. The thought behind this was that the warmth of this plush toy next to the puppy will mimic the warmth of her siblings. Anyway, it seemed to do the trick and the other times Sasha woke up was just to eliminate. Forget about their age plus 1 month equals how many hours they can hold it in right now. That first night Sasha went every 1-1/2 to 2 hours. And when I thought she held it in for the 2 to 3 hours, I found a puddle on the floor. That's ok because I kept doing the "Outside" and "Go Potty" and "Good Potty" routine all night and the next day as well.

Outside Sasha was more interested in taking the leaves and small sticks in her mouth. Thanks to my hubby who picked the backyard with the tons of trees (that's what happens in the fall - they fall. Leaves that is)as the place for her to eliminate. I spent more time trying to discourage her from eating leaves by constantly saying "No" and pulling the leaves out of her mouth.

Sunday morning and it was time for Sasha's breakfast. At almost 8 weeks, Sasha ate 3 meals a day (1/3 cup at each meal for a total of 1 cup a day.) Puppies need more calories than fully grown dogs. But make sure you check with your breeder or vet on the proper amounts and types of food to give. Smaller and larger breed dogs have different needs as they grow at different rates.The food her breeder gave her was Purina ProPlan Puppy food for small dogs (chicken flavor). Sasha gobbled up her food and then took a long drink of water. I waited the allotted 15 - 20 minutes that all the puppy books say to wait before taking your puppy out to eliminate and they were right. Sasha did her business! I always remembered to say " Go Potty" as she went and "Good Potty" as she finished with loads of praise!

I also put Sasha on a nap schedule, like I used to do for my daughter when she was a baby; more so for me, so I could shower and eat and even perhaps take a nap. I was never so tired since my daughter was just born. Sasha slept for about 2 hours during her naps and after awakening I would whisk her outside and continue the whole ritual again. Hopefully by doing this about 15 times a day it would soon sink in. Don't worry! If you are consistent you will see a light at the end of the tunnel very very soon!

Well, that first day Sasha ate, drank, slept (a lot), peed and pooped. We even managed to play with her. She nibbled on our fingers with her tiny teeth and we rubbed her tummy. She gave us lots of kisses and stole our hearts!

Next time... Sasha's visit with the vet and how she began to make friends in the neighborhood!

Lara