Growing Large and Rolling Furry

Dyson is an eating machine.

At his 6 month vet appointment last night he weighed in at 48 lbs.  His December appointment had him weighing 28.  That is a gain of 20 lbs in 2 months.  He is not over fed (3 cups a day), not overweight per the vet check up, he is just that darn big.  Our little D is going to be a big, big boy.

He is doing well, potty training was an absolute breeze and accidents are nearly non-existent.   He has a few annoying puppy habits to break here and there but overall he is a great addition to the crew and has become a vital part of the mix.

Dyson and Greyson have a love/hate relationship

Dyson on his way home from the Vet, rolling furry.

Woofing in a Winter Wonderland

A month has gone by since I posted, thanks to a crazy Christmas schedule of school programs, family functions and time with friends.  Dyson has been right in the middle of the action from the putting up of the tree to the exploration of what's in each stocking!

He LOVES the snow!  He really listens well (at least to his Dad) and he has become very good at working his way into the most comfortable spot on the couch.  Much to the dismay of the Momma.

He still enjoys his large breed puppy food from Lola, Cheech and Mooey's (Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy) but really doesn't understand why he can't eat ALL of it at once.  Sorry buddy, 3 cups a day is your ration!

He is wonderful when it comes to letting us know when he needs out to potty, not as wonderful leaving the Christmas decorations and new toys alone.

He is a WONDERFUL addition to our family and is starting to get less nippy, although he still has his puppy-brain moments!

Tomorrow he gets to go to his first "puppy play time" at Lola, Cheech & Mooey's, should be a blast!

Lazy boy

Hi, my name is Dyson and I am thankful for food, bully sticks, socks, shoes, food, rope toys, fingers, food and the dumb cat.

I am NOT thankful for walking, people who don't want their fingers chewed on, walking, excercise ( unless it involves balls or chewing ) and walking.

Settling in and getting BIG!

What a difference a few weeks makes!  Dyson has certainly become an active member of the Blough family!

He is now willingly sleeping in his crate overnight without any whining or barking.  He isn't having any accidents in the crate, the floors are another story, but at least we wake up to a clean crate!

He is still a chewing machine, be it legs of furniture, fingers or occasionally even his own toys.

We have found that Dyson is also an eating machine!  We give him 3/4 cup of food in the morning, at lunch time, in the afternoon, and at dinner time and he is still constantly looking for a snack!  We give him the occasional baby carrot or beef broth ice cube and that seems to agree with him just fine.

He is growing up fast and seems as happy as he is sleepy.  His "sister" the cat has become both his playmate and arch nemesis.  Stairs are fine when they go up, down they just become a bumpy sliding board.  The boys are enjoying Dyson, and will be good buddies, especially when he stops his puppy nipping.

Tanya and I are loving our furry baby boy.  I know Tanya is looking forward to this spring when she will have a good walking buddy!  He is walking pretty well now on his short laps around the block.  I enjoy wrestling with him and have the scratches to prove it, he love being picked up and held and snuggled with...this is fine now but might be a bit of a challenge when he is 80 pounds!

Show and tell and a funny smell

This first week has been interesting, exhausting and smelly.

Dyson has been doing great during the day, but has been creating quite the smelly mess in his crate each night.  Not sure if it has been the stress of a new home, the changeover of food, or anxiety about bring in his crate at night, but the little guy's digestive system is not doing him (or Tanya and I) any favors right now.

We started halfway through the week mixing the new and old food more evenly, portioning how much and how often he eats a bit better and playing some NPR on a radio near his crate at night to help him feel less lonely and it has seemed to really help.  Last night he actually went the entire night without any of the panicked barking and whining that has kept us awake all week and though he did go in his crate, it was on the pad and much easier to clean up.  The same as with a newborn baby, we are finding that the world spins easier with a puppy when there is a strict schedule involved.

He has found he loves the backyard, the cat and socks of all shapes and sizes.  He LOVES the Bully Stick from Lola, Cheech & Mooey's.  He loves chewing on his new brothers and sleeping in front of the cat's little box. (???)

Thursday he visited Greyson's preschool class and they had a blast chasing each other in the leaves.  Dyson was disappointed he couldn't follow all of his new little friends back into the classroom.  He is definitely a social little guy.

Loving back yard time and warm Indian summer days

Greyson loved introducing Dyson to his friends

Beautiful fall day to visit the preschool

First Weekend

We survived the first weekend with Dyson at home!  He did a great job during the day, the nights are still a bit of a problem, but we are slowly working things out.  I think he is training us as much as we are him, but he is certainly fitting right in to our home and seems VERY happy to be part of the crew.

A few observations:

• shoes and socks are MUCH more attractive than even the coolest doggie toy
• toes and fingers trump even shoes and socks when it comes to cool things to chew
• boys love dogs
• dogs love boys
• crates are great, at the cost of peace, quiet and just a tiny chunk of your sanity.
• bringing home a new puppy is a lot like bringing home a new baby, lots of joy and snuggles, funny smells, cleaning poo off of things that in most circumstances would be poo-free, and no sleep for mom and dad.

Caedon, Dyson and Brody take a puppy nap shortly after coming home.

Grandpa meets Dyson

Dyson helping Greyson rake the leaves

The Big Doggy Day has Arrived!

On September 5th, Dave and Faye Blough became the proud puppy parents to 9 beautiful little Golden Retriever puppes, born to Roxy & Gunner, their dogs. After a lot of discussing and visits, we decided that this was as good a time as any to add another boy to our crew...

Well the day has finally arrived.  After several visits, a trip to the Vet (and even more preparation at home than we had for our last human child) the time has come to bring our new family member home.

We have been watching a steady stream of dog related shows and movies; Pound Puppies, Buddy Movies, Cats & Dogs...

We set up the crate in the living room and rearranged furniture to allow for ample play and snuggle space.

We visited our friends' soon to be open Natural Pet Market, Lola, Cheech & Mooeys' to get the initial supply of food, and of course a chew toy.  We have chosen Fromm Gold large breed puppy for him.

The puppy training books and videos have been viewed and thumbed through and the family is ready and waiting, I think Tanya is probably the most anxious of us all.  We will pick the older two boys up from school and head to pick Dyson up before dinner.  I hope he is ready for what is in store for him!

Some photos of our Dyson experience so far...

The pups at around 4 weeks old.

The boys meet the puppies for the first time after a soccer game.

How can you say no to that furry little face?

Tanya and Dyson meet

Caedon and a pup

Brody and Dyson (around 6 weeks old)

Greyson and Dyson (discussing their future)

This is how you take 9 puppies to the Vet