Puppy nap

Okay, all together:  Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

Nova, snuggled up with her favorite toy (for today).

The flash woke her briefly, but she went right back to sleep

10 Weeks Old

Another photo session with the Diet Coke bottle.

Score:  Nova-2, Diet Coke bottle-0!
Not a big difference between 9 weeks and 10 weeks, but she gained 1.5 lb in that week, so I know she's growing!

Disappearing puppy

Yesterday I took my eyes off Nova for 30 seconds and she was gone!  I knew she couldn't have gone far.  I've used gates to keep her in the kitchen/family room area.  But, I couldn't find her anywhere!  I finally decided to test her recall and she came bounding out from behind the couch.  Covered with dust bunnies!  Hmmmm, maybe she can earn her keep by dusting behind my furniture?

Baby, it's cold outside!

I'm not crazy about the frigid temperatures the past few days, but it's given Nova the opportunity to wear her pink, polka dot coat.  The first few times she wore it she spent a lot of time trying to bite it, which caused a lot of spinning and falling down.  (Her, not me!)

As the sunshine warmed the day, she enjoyed just sitting and observing the world around her.

Watch me grow

Yesterday I decided it would be fun to document Nova's growth by taking a weekly picture, using a common item for comparison.  After considering a number of items, I decided on a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke.  Something I always have around the house!  Well, add wild and crazy puppy....

And those are the best pictures!  For some crazy reason I thought I could get her to stand politely next to the bottle while I snapped a picture.  What was I thinking?

Week 1

Today makes 7 days with Nova.  Last night she slept all night and was patiently waiting to be let out of her crate at 6:30 this morning.  I can't tell you how good it felt to get a full night's sleep!

Nova & Cindy

Today she had 3 visitors at lunch.  Cindy, Beth and Annemarie, friends from work, came to meet and play with her.  She was friendly and brave and playful, and she completely charmed them!  Although she is a bit cautious when she meets new people, she quickly accepts them and makes friends.  I have high hopes that she will be as openly friendly as her mom, Orchid, and grandma, Klara.  That was one of the things that convinced me I wanted a dog from Gladystar Poodles.

Day #4

We are half way through our 4th day together, and Nova and I are getting along wonderfully.  She's now sleeping in her crate without screaming (finding lots of cheese in that crate has helped!), spending time a few times each day playing and snoozing in her x-pen, and (best of all) doing all her potties outside.  I watched the "Puppies" episode of  "Dogs 101" today and they claim the easiest breed of dog to house train is the Standard Poodle.  Nova is proving them right!  She has learned to lay down, sit before being fed, ring the bell when we go outside and is well on her way to walking on a leash without biting it.  We still have work to do on all those behaviors, but she's very responsive and quick to catch-on to new things.  One thing that still needs some work is riding in the car.  Despite the fact that she rides in the crate that produces cheese and is in a location where she can see me, she whines, yips and shrieks for most of the ride.  However, she's making progress and I predict we'll have that skill mastered by the middle of next week.  Stay tuned for updates!

Introducing Nova!

She's home!  We are enjoying our second day at home today, after a night where no one got much sleep.  She doesn't like being confined in either a crate or an x-pen, and shrieks long and loud!  It takes me back to those first few weeks with my infant sons, when they didn't sleep more than a few hours at a time.  I wasn't good at being sleep deprived then, and I'm 30 years older now!  Fortunately, Nova is a very smart puppy and I'm confident she'll learn quickly and we will survive.
She is very food motivated, and I've had amazing success shaping a down in just the past 24 hours.  I'm looking forward to training this little girl!