We've been looking at getting the kids a dog for Christmas but I came across Bowzer online and couldn't pass him up. Rather than try to hide him for 8 weeks and deprive him of attention and valuable training time we decided that it'd be best if Santa made a special trip to our house.
The boys woke up Saturday morning to Bowzer sitting at the bottom of the stairs with a big bow around his neck. Santa had helped himself to some cookies and milk and left a note explaining he had gotten the boys letters (in which they had asked for a puppy). Santa told him he was so excited to get the letters because he had a puppy up at the North Pole that he knew the boys would love. The puppy was so excited to join the family, he couldn't wait for Christmas. Santa made a special trip all the way from the North Pole just so the puppy could join our family.
When the boys came downstairs they were beside themselves with excitement. The kept laughing and running around. After a little bit the novelty kind of wore off. Bowzer was pretty overwhelmed by all the newness and kids so was acting up quite a bit and nipping (in a playful way) and the boys were disappointed that he didn't know how to fetch and kept biting at their ankles. After everyone, including Bowzer, took a long nap and a lot of work on training, things went much more smoothly. I explained to the boys that Bowzer was just a baby and needed to learn things. I told them it was important to teach Bowzer they were the boss and work with him and soon they'll be best buddies. The rest of the day Brayden went around telling everyone, "This is Bowzer, he was kind of mean but now we're best buddies." Both Brayden and Tavita love walking around the yard with him on a leash and playing with him (until Bowzer get too wound up and starts using his teeth to play). Kalei and Bowzer are way too cute to watch. It's interesting to see how much more gentle he is with her than the boys. If she's in the room he always wants to be near her and Kalei just sits there and babbles and laughs at him. They can entertain each other for a long time.
We've only had him for two days but he already knows that he's only allowed on the middle floor (where there is no carpet) and won't go up or down the stairs. If we go, he just sits there and stares at us with his big puppy eyes. He rings a bell whenever he needs to go out to use the bathroom. He's getting good at sitting, waiting til we tell him to eat, taking food gently, and staying. For a puppy he doesn't chew too bad and is always quick to stop when we reprimand him and give him one of his chewies. He's getting better at not biting while he plays but we still need to work on it. He rarely will nip at Junior and I. He nips at the boys quite a bit when they start chasing and wrestling but he's improving fast. For some reason he has it out for Janessa and is ALWAYS nipping at her, even if she's just walking by. It's always in play but funny how he guns for her.
We're loving having him and are adjusting more and more. Junior may say differently since he's on potty duty at night every 2-3 hours. I've offered to trade him but he doesn't think he's able to nurse Kalei for some reason. We're just so excited to watch him grow with our kids.
The boys coming down the stairs
Tavita's first interaction
Brayden's first interaction
Family Picture
Yes, he is actually eating the food. For the first half of Saturday, I was constantly chasing him away from the food dish, taking bones out of his mouth etc. He kept saying, "No Mommy, I'm a woof"
The new "Best Buddies"
2 comments:
How fun & cute! I forgot how tiny lab puppies are, our chocolate lab Scout is such a beast! :)
Oh man...you're a dog family now! :) He sure is a cute little puppy!
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