Shazbut! She's Shatzi!

Well Shatbut is out, Shatzi is in! She is growing like a weed. The cats are getting used to having a hyper pup in the house. She is scheduled for her 2nd vet visit tomorrow, and according to the bathroom scale weighs in at about 11 lbs. She was 7lbs 8oz when she came home! She loves to play and go for long walks. She's getting the hang of "heel" and besides an occasional accident, the housebreaking is going very well.

Puppy Update

Here she is! We've had her a little over a week. Last week's vet appointment was great. He found fleas, but we have that problem solved and now she is a growing thriving puppy. A little over eight pounds now. The cats are not big fans, but they'll get used to her. We had quite a time trying to come up with a name, but I think we have decided on "Shazbut" (You know, Mork from Ork, Nanu-nanu and all that?) Anyway, whatever we call her, she's a very good puppy.

Already she's about housebroken and is learning some basic commands. We are so proud of her! She'll be going to the vet every three weeks for a while and will be growing fast and learning lots.

Dog Training Reviews

Dogs are man's best friend. Despite that, sometimes they can grate on your nerves; barking, chewing, and the occasional nip can sour a relationship very quickly. That's why it's important to establish boundaries and make sure your dog is well-trained!

There are always plenty of guides to training dogs, both in print and online. But the trick is to find the best ones! That's why we've exhaustively checked out dozens - hundreds! - of guides on the Web: to find the best guides and sites out there!

http://dan195.bezoogle.com/pp/dog-training/

We Have a Puppy!

Well we went Monday to check out "Babe" at the Animal Welfare League in Crawfordsville. It took over an hour to get there, and the whole time, Dan was trying to convince himself that we would not be coming home with a puppy. When we got there, Babe and her sister Tink were playing together. Tink was actually the runt. Very petite, but quite aggressive. She was chasing and biting Babe most of the time. When she wasn't doing that, she was stealing her toys! It was determined quickly that Babe had a personality that would fit in our home. Very sweet and well behaved. After about a half an hour of playing and petting, we decided to take her home with us. It was so hard to leave her sister behind staring at us with that "where are you going?" look.

We got home fine. She napped on the floor by Dan's feet pretty much the whole ride, and when we got home, put her on the leash so she could "do her duty." That was confusing to her! I'm not sure she'd been on a leash before. She's pretty used to the leash now, and we are working on house training. Bladder control seems to be an issue, so we've gone through lots of paper towels! Thank goodness she pretty much keeps it on the hardwood floors - easy cleanup!

She will be going on a trip to the vet today, and hopefully will get a clean bill of health! Pictures will be coming soon!

Is she the one?

This is babe. She was born May 23rd to a Boxer mommy and who knows about the daddy except he must have had German Shepherd in him. She and her sister are the only two of six siblings who have not found a home, and Babe is the runt. The shelter says she is very well behaved. We hope to make a trip soon to check her out. She is over an hour away, but she seems like to perfect little girl to join our family. Wish us luck!

We have been using Petfinder.com to search for our puppy.



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Ultimate Guide to Dog Health

Mixed breeds

Well we have discovered some interesting mixed breeds and may be zeroing in on some potential candidates! All the pics on my page are puppies we are considering. I just have to talk Dan into going to see one, but he knows that as soon as we do that, we are going to be dog owners! Thanks for the advice and keep it coming!

Potential Dog Breeds

OK, we have come up with some options, but are still open to suggestions. I really like the Bearded Collie, the Australian Shepherd and the Boxer. The Bernese Mountain Dog seems to come up a lot, too. We have found several German Shepherd mixes that seem appealing, too. Does anyone have any thoughts on these breeds or others that might fit our needs based on the criteria of my last post? Thanks again for the help!

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Pit Bull (Pitbull) Terrier Dog Guide

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Help us Choose a Breed of Dog

Please help! We have been searching the internet and message boards trying to find an appropriate breed of dog for our home. Let me give you some background, and if you know of a breed that might be perfect for us, please let us know! Thanks so much for your help.

Here goes:

We live in a two-story home with a walk-out basement. Average-size yard with no fence yet, but probably soon. We plan to have children in the next 2-3 years, so we need a dog that is good with small children. We also have two cats, so the dog will need to not eat them. We prefer a dog that does not drool, and that doesn't shed excessively, as the cats take care of that. A medium-to-large dog is appropriate, and we would like one that is at least somewhat intelligent and not too strong-willed. I know that is asking a lot, but we want what we want.

We WILL NOT buy our dog from a pet store or breeder, but after choosing the breed will be contacting rescue sites, humane societies and the like to find our dog. Any ideas? We understand that mixed breeds can be excellent dogs, too, but what mixes and where do you find a specific mix? Thank you in advance for your help!


Dog Training Home Study Course

Ultimate Guide to Dog Health