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I think she will be a perfect fit for you!! Can't wait to hear about the new adventures of Izzy. ♥

Since you are combining all that 'holiday money' to get him, name him Holiday - for Doc Holiday and cal him DOC.

If you got a lttle girl, then it would be HOLLY. Or how about HAPPY Holiday and call him Happy! Happy for you!

Good luck with your pup WR!!!

OOOOOOOOOOOOO MMMMMMMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, we have her!

What great ideas for names for her! Thank you for those!

However, because she is an "Isabella" dachshund (silver overtones), we have decided to call her "Bella". I was thinking of "Rose" for her middle name, but then we ask the seller what her birthday was. And she said my mother’s birthday…no kidding.

My mother’s middle name is (was) "Marie"…… So….."Bella Marie".

But I totally loved "Doc" and "Holly", too!

I am taking a quick minute just to let you know we got home safely. I snuck out of the bedroom so she could bond a bit with my H. When I wasn’t in the room, it took her just a hot minute for her to start snuggling with him.

I will write more later, but just wanted to say she is a true beauty with personality to match. I’m probably not going to get much sleep tonight, but it is all good.

Now, I will be praying that the black German shepherd gets safely home soon!

Thanks to everyone who has been so patient and concerned with me through this process.

This is truly the pup for us!!!

So glad you got your baby!!

My tiny long-hair Chihuahua is named Bella Grace. Since she was a rescue, 2 years old, that was already her registered name - and it fits her. Just BELLA unless she tries to chase a barn cat 4 times her size and then it's ... "Stop that Bella Grace!"

Congratulations on your new baby!! I love the name. I hope you have time to let us know how she's doing.

Good luck with the GS puppy!!!

Oh, Wow! Best post ever! I was hoping for a pupdate...this is soo cool. And a prayer for our little black German Shepherd pup, too? 😀❤️

edited: zebra, thank you, too! Just saw what you said, I was so excited for WhatsRight I posted without reading any further.

Here we have 11 more days to get everything done that needs our full attention, because I know from experience with our intense girl GSD that I won't have a free minute for the next several months! We finally are going to build a fenced play yard around the house, so we can pop him out the door and let him have some freedom without the leash like we always had to use with the girl pup when we got her. I've already got the roll of wire fence from the farm supply store, just need the husband with tractor, post hole digger, and farmer neighbor to help us stretch it and attach it. All for the joy....

Can't wait for more updates, WhatsRight!

[This message edited by Superesse at 2:33 PM, Saturday, May 13th]

Superesse, I hope you keep us updated on your pup. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly!!
Fenced yards are game changers. I wish I had one.

Can’t wait for pictures! (Hint hint!)

Congrats to Bella for finding a loving home!

If someone can explain to a technological infant how to post pictures…

I will send more than you could ever want!!!

Update:

Well, my plan has worked beautifully. It has been very hard, but I have left the puppy almost exclusively with my husband. We had a very busy week and he was up a great deal of time… For him. So he has been resting in bed the last couple of days. And snuggling. And playing. The puppy ADORES him. It is just as I planned. Also, the fact that we have a high bed and Bella has not learned how to use the steps yet, there is some peeing and pooping in the bed. 😊😊😊. Sorry! I digress!

Yesterday I went into the room to play with her. Someone in the house made a noise, and it totally scared her and she ran from the side of the bed where I was playing with her, and jumped on my husband‘s chest and curled up around his neck. It was the most precious thing! (We had another miniature dachshund when we were first married, and she really loved him, and I think this is bringing back wonderful memories for him.). Anyway, yesterday I said to him, "She really likes you!" And he said, "I think she really loves me!" ❤️

This is so totally perfect for him, since "that which we do not speak of here" hasn’t resolved through the years, and I’m sure he hasn’t felt the kind of love that he wished he could.

She definitely loves me too. I have introduced her, individually, with each of our other dogs. The oldest dog, was mildly interested, but that was that. I think she is just thinking, "that old woman has brought another puppy into this house!" The two year old beagle/border collie mix, LOVES her. She will go in to visit her every time I let her in and out of the house. She wags her tail and wants to play. The doofus one year old beagle/foxhound mix loves her, too. She is trying to mother the pup, and cleans her in order to help her P… And it works! Since she is a good deal bigger than the other dogs, I’m being very careful with her. She is the one that loves me the most, and so she is a little heartbroken when she smells the puppy on me. But she loves her at the same time. The last dog, my grandbaby’s dog who stays with us while they are saving up for their pet deposit in their new apartment, she loves everybody and everything, so she is fine with the new puppy. She is also a smaller dog and will be able to play with Bella without me worrying so much.

Y’all, she is so tiny. Since the boys got big enough to pick their own dogs, our family has gone from miniature dachshunds, to much larger dogs. It has been about 7 to 8 years since our last doxie passed away, and I didn’t realize how much I had become used to the larger dog. She is a literally smaller than our one year old’s head! Right now she is 3 pounds 14 ounces, and the seller made a guess that she will be approximately 9 pounds at adulthood. Oh my goodness!

Anyway, all is well. Today will be a busy day with church and errands and house cleaning. My H will be up during the day for several hours, so Bella will be better introduced to the other dogs. Fingers crossed that all will go well, and I can gently guide the larger dogs to take it easy on the puppy. She’s pretty feisty, and I’m thinking she’ll be able to hold her own!

13 days and counting till the beautiful black German shepherd gets home!

[This message edited by WhatsRight at 2:02 PM, Sunday, May 14th]

Happy Mothers Day to you, WhatsRight - and to all of us Dog Moms!

My black German Shepherd female has been getting ever more spoiled since we lost our dear old boy dog last Thanksgiving. Right now, She started yowling at me for tapping the keys to send you my Mothers Day greetings. She feels any attention I give the iPad is deducted from her supply of Attention! I worry a little how she will cope with a new puppy when I'll be giving him attention. Because I am sure any attention misdirected from Herself is going to be heavily protested! Although her breeder bet she will adopt a new pup as her own, what will she do when I pay attention to it? Maybe she needs to be in the other room... she only has 9 more days to be the Princess...and her personality has always been like this so we don't expect that to change much, right?

Sounds like you all are off to a great start!

You know, I think there are two schools of thought on this idea of integrating a new puppy into the home.

To spend time with the new puppy alone has many advantages. But speaking strictly of your other dog’s response, they might feel really left out.

On the other hand, it might be hurtful to your present dog to see you loving on the new puppy.

I have chosen to keep our new puppy segregated with my husband for a few days, and let the other dogs come in for about 10 minutes each day. Now, I feel that they are wanting to get to know the new pup.

But of course, you know your dog best. And I believe that once you see the initial reaction, you will know what to do.

I was wrong about how many more days…9 is definitely better than 13!

Try not to worry…it is going to be wonderful!!!

Thanks for this, WhatsRight, you are clearly an experienced Momma! I don't think I know how to be there for both the pup and for this girl, who somehow never outgrew her puppy ways. She may have been bottle fed a lot, as the smallest of 12 in her litter, but has always acted so immature that people think she is still a juvenile. I don't want to make her feel pushed aside, nor do I want to have to hide my every gesture from her watchful eyes!

We just played some videos of pups playing tug with their breeder and we heard lots of excited squealing. Each time she heard those familiar puppy squeals, she barked and barked at the iPad as she turned her head to listen. I was thinking it might help condition her a bit to what's coming, but I don't think it worked! She often reacts with pushy demands for touch whenever we are sitting and discussing the forthcoming puppy. I get the sense the word 'puppy' gets her insecurity going. It's nice to know a dog can have both sadness and acceptance of the new family member!

We still notice how hard it is to adapt to the loss of our beloved old Lab-Shepherd boy. He was such a wise soul, all his long life, he really kept us all functioning our best. For example, he insisted my WH take him everywhere in the truck, which taught WH to think of others more and not go on extended 'errand runs.' That dog likewise helped me cook the Thanksgiving meal after we'd lost my father in 2013 and I didn't feel up to the job; I noticed he acted like he knew what day it was. Dogs can have calendar memory, we discovered! So, seeing his behavior in expectation of the annual feast, I decided to soldier on and spend the day cooking - if only for him! But most of all, we now realize, he kept little Missy in line. Since we lost him, there has been no check on her power and influence, and she is taking advantage.

I hope our new addition will work out comfortably for her, but it's an unknown. Happy Puppy Mommas Day to You All!!

Congrats on the new baby, since she is spending so much timme in H's bed, perhaps get some potty bells she nose when she is in there. It is honestly one of the easiest ways to potty train.

I am enjoying our little guy so much, but man is he growing like a weed. We start kennel training at night this week. So sleep will be limited I am sure.

He has definitely bonded strongly w/ me as I now WFH, and am here all the time. My H thinks its cute. He will go to sleep away camp in a month or so. I am going to miss him like crazy for sue, and don't know how I will my 10K steps in a day after. LOL Now I go up and down our stairs at least 15 times a day as my office is upstairs. It's been good for me. I even have lost a few more pounds since getting the beast. LOL

Enjoy your sweet Bella.

Oh, tush, I’m so happy to hear about your new addition!

But, please tell more about potty training with a bell. I have never heard of it!

ETA: This morning I decided to give my husband a break, so when I was taking my son to work, we took the puppy with us. After I let my son off, Bella scampered up my chest and onto my shoulder, and behind my neck. And that is where she rode all the way home… About a 30 minute ride.

It was HEAVEN!!!

[This message edited by WhatsRight at 7:23 PM, Monday, May 15th]

Mine is trained to ring a bell to go out. It has worked great for him!!

We rang the bell with his paw every time we took him outside and would then tell him to go potty. We he did we celebrated and brought him right back inside. It took a while but one day he went to the bell and rang it and that was it. He has used it consistently ever since.

My rescue that I got as an adult knows the bell (when my other boy rings it) means they are going out but he never grasped the concept of ringing it himself.

So glad you're enjoying your pup. Good luck with the potty training!!

Bell training is a great way to potty train, as they let you know when they gotta go. Most dogs will not go in a small area (crate) or in their living space, and if you are busy, they can sneak off and everytime they have an accident it takes 100 more times of getting it right before they stop trying.
The bell is traditionally put on the door where you let them out to potty and like Zebra said you ring it each time. They will quickly consistently start using it.
My puppy actually started doing it w/o me trying. Which is AMAZING. The last dog we had that used the bells was our Dane, she has been gone for more than 10 years, but alas the bells remained on the door, in fact my dtr got me new bells mounted to a leather piece that is shaped like a dog pooping. It's hysterical. But the puppy will ring it and then sit in front of the door looking down the hall like "come on woman". He is kept in my office w/ a gate in the day, so he will paw at it when he needs to go, and of course letting him out after every nap, meal, or once an hour during the day.
He is now making it 7-8 hours at night, and 2-3 hours at a stretch during the day.

Whatsright, your Bella posts are making me smile. You so needed some new sunshine in your life and you deserve it.

Ok…I’m pretty sure we have set her back a ways due to having her in the bed to bond with my H.

So, we are done with that, and she had been pad trained by the seller. But I like the bell idea better.

Can you tell me how to hang it? Is it on a string, or a something else affixed to the door or facing?

So they just tap it with their paw? Should I have two different bells, seeing how I have small and medium/large dog, and now extra small?

I am excited to learn exactly what kind of bell and how to mount it.

Sorry to be so slow on the uptake.

[This message edited by WhatsRight at 12:52 AM, Tuesday, May 16th]