Hi there. I've been meaning to ask about your puppy. How's everything going? They grow so fast. My cousin has a Shepherd and that dog is very smart and obedient...I guess they are bred that way! Do you have any more pics? Were your kids surprised? Tell, tell all!

Hey! sorry it took me so long to get back to you! Our dog, Rikka, is doing great. She's getting bigger each day. her ears finally stood up too!

she climbs up on the dining room chairs, then up on the table! little stinker. we live in a new home, so our yard isn't finished... BUT! as soon as the snow/rain can stop for longer than a week, we will have the concrete laid, the fence put up, and the sod planted... and Rikka will be outside!! yay!

Oh, I love Rikka so much! :wub:

I forgot that I alreadsy posted this...I was about to do it again.
Rikka looks great. They are worse than kids the way they get into everything. I hate rain now...the mud is terrible! My sod never took so it's a huge mud puddle when the snow melts. My dog gets very dirty. He leaves big pawprints on the tile. I'm thinking of cementing the whole yard. :rolleyes:

I think puppies are cute when their ears don't quite stay up!

omg!! She is SOOO CUTE!! :wub:


what does her name mean?

Aww! Soooo cute! Her ears remind me of my dog's...
And purplestar, I know what you mean...lol our dog's ears were soooo funny when he was a puppy. :ha One day his right ear stood up and the other was down and the next vice versa! :lol:
Thanks for posting the pic, Cindie! She is sooo cute!!! :love

She's so much bigger than that now... I'll post a more recent pic this weekend. We're getting the concrete laid in our backyard for a dog run right now. They did some yesterday, but didn't finish yet. it will be finished by the end of the week... then she can finally be outside!! Right now she's in our kitchen, and she ate the legs to my dining room set! it looks like a tree does when you're cutting it down... in the hourglass shape. I can't believe she at the wood right off! really, kick it, and it's going to break. I'm going to have to get a new dining room set now. animals are expensive! :sw3

That's true. Axl chewed up a bunch of DVD's and a bit of the leather couch. I have a repair kit for the couch at least, and DVD cases are cheap.
He did chew my favourite ring...it was cheap enough so that I can replace it, but I was not happy. We have to put everything up high or away.
But I bring in thick sticks and branches for him to chew on. It makes a mess but it's better than him chewing on the table.
Also I got a big bone from the butcher and I keep it in the freezer when he's not using it.
I put peanut butter on rawhide strips and freeze them for snacks. I give him empty PB jars to clean out. I soak a rope chew toy in water, juice or soup broth and freeze it.
I give him old stuffed animals to tear apart and play tug o war with.
And sometimes just a plain old ice cube to crunch.

They teethe up to 10 or 11 months old...they just need to chew! Good luck.

I just noticed that you are pregnant! Wow you are brave! Congratulations to you and your family. :D

Thank you! and thanks for all the great chewing-toy ideas!! I didn't know dogs could eat, or would even like, peanut butter! I'll have to try that out! and the ice cube too! I have to lock her in her crate when I eat now... cause she likes to jump up and try to take my food from my plate... right in front of me too! she's such a stinker!

Oh, yes. Dogs love peanut butter. :wub: Of course it's always a good idea to talk to your vet, but they can have it...just not a ton. And when it's frozen it takes them longer to eat it!
Another tip that I got from puppy kindergarten is this...while you are eating put her leash on and step on it near the collar so that she has to lie down at your feet. Give her lots of praise and some of her own food at treats. Never ever feed her from the table.
It's takes a lot of training sometimes, but shepherds are smart.
It's useful to use a leash indoors for a lot of different training. If you ever need or want any more advice just ask. I love dogs so much and I'm always surfing the web looking for info.

wow, I can tell that you really know a lot about dogs! I don't know much at all... I didn't even know that peanut butter would freeze! LOL :goof I can understand the collar thing... that will eventually train the dog to lie at your feet when you eat.. right? I want to train her NOT to jump up!

I know what you mean...having a large dog jump on you is hard to handle! Most people don't like it :P
I taught my dog to jump up on me when I tell him to, but his claws are sharp! I have a hard time keeping them dull even when they are short.
They act like puppies for 12-18 months (the large breeds) but after that you should have an excellently behaved pet...just keep up the training for 10-15 mins a few times a day.
My hardest thing is getting Axl to "wait" or "stay". He wants his treats so badly that he can't sit still long enough for me to walk away!