Amber in Real Life

So I finally got a day off, after working 7 days in a row. Do I get to spend the day relaxing?? No, of course not. I’m about ready to strangle my two dogs. This morning it was Gracee. She thought she needed to get up when Clarke left for work, and then proceeded to bark for two hours while I attempted to sleep in. I didn’t end up getting much sleep. Then I was on my way out to meet Clarke for lunch and she decided that she didn’t want to come in the house, which was followed by 20 minutes of me screaming at her and chasing her around the yard. Then this afternoon, Gracee was actually being good, so I decided that I’d try to take a little nap. Nope, not going to happen….Ernie proceeded to bark at every little thing he heard outside. Then when I took Gracee outside he tore up my Kleenex into a million pieces, and he was only in the house alone for a couple minutes. I have completely lost my cool today. The hormones are coming out…next time I have a day off, someone is going to puppy day care, so I can finally get some rest. I thought this was supposed to happen after the baby comes???

Well, wanted to give an update on Gracee’s potty-training progress…she is doing better. I have just been letting her go outside more, which has lead to less accidents in the house, although she did leave a nice puddle at the bottom of our stairs last night. Thankfully, it was discovered before anyone slipped and fell. I have come to find out that she does not like to go when anyone is watching, a very modest dog. Ernie on the other hand could give two hoots about who is watching him poop…that’s a boy for you. Here are some silly pictures of the dogs…hanging out in our bed. They think they own the place.

So, the 7 day potty-training crash course lasted about….one day. Gracee was not tired, from being in her crate all evening, and decided to bark all night, keeping me awake, thus allowing me to get NO sleep. I don’t know how I made it through the next day. I have been trying to take her out more, but the whole thing is just a nightmare. It’s impossible to watch that dog 24/7…just gotta keep trying. My mother-in-law suggested I put a rug outside since it seems she wants to pee on our carpet/rugs in the house all the time. Something to think about anyways…

So, basically I’ve been a very bad mother to my puppy Gracee. I have not spent enough time really trying to get her fully potty-trained. In consequence, my house has suffered because of this. Gracee has peed on almost every surface possible in my house, and I’m finally sick of it. I’m doing the 7 day potty-training crash course. I’ve decided that this is ridiculous…she is seven months old. I know that this is my fault…Gracee will be spending a lot more time in her crate the next week. Please think of me, and wish me patience, because that is going to be the key to our success. I will update and let you know of her progress. We’re starting day one today. Right now, she’s spending some quality time in her crate.

Thought I’d share a few pictures of my babies….aren’t they so cute. It’s disgusting how spoiled these dogs are, I’ll admit it.

Well, Gracee had her surgery last Thursday. Everything went well, but I noticed last Friday that her incision looked swollen and red and realized that she had been licking it all day. So Clarke and I made a trip to the emergency vet clinic to get her a collar, or “cone” as we like to call it, to prevent her from getting an infection. The first couple hours in her cone were hilarious. She kept running into doorways and tripping over things. She’s since gotten used to it, but everytime I try to take it off, she begins to lick again. Looks like she’s going to be wearing it for awhile….

Also since her surgery, she hasn’t been sleeping as well. I think it’s because she isn’t getting enough exercise. We’re supposed to keep her from running and jumping….like that happens. The other night she decided she wanted to stay up and bark or whine all night, leading to me getting only three hours of sleep and Clarke getting about an hour of sleep. Thankfully, she slept through the night last night (probably because I let her run around the backyard for awhile). You’re not supposed to say “I was up all night with my dog!” They really are like babies sometimes….

So, I’ve been taking my youngest dog Gracee to puppy lessons at Petsmart for the past 8 weeks. It seemed like she was doing okay in the beginning, but the last few sessions have been worse. It seems she will pay great attention to her trainer, but not to me. And why would she? She gets to see me every day! And her trainer always has all those yummy treats….So tonight was her big test night. Luckily she did very well (we tried to practice!) and she ended up passing with flying colors. I will have to post a picture of Gracee in her graduation hat…we tried to pose. All in all, the classes were a lot of fun. It taught her great socialization skills and how to act around other people. A definite recommend for new puppies.