with this:
DH has his heart set on a new puppy. The apprehensive face you see here belongs to a Llewellyn setter, an upland bird dog, who is waiting for us in Arkansas. We’re slated to pick him up on the 15th of this month, when he’ll be 8 weeks old. His coloration is rare, a tri-color with chestnut. As he gets older he’ll have more ticking, or spots like the ones you can see barely visible on his forelegs.
Ain’t he cute?
Still, I’m not looking forward to potty training and the inevitable chewing and digging. Lord help me.
And then there’s Beau. What a handsome, well-behaved guy! Used to being top dog–hell, the only dog–and the apple of DH’s eye. Oh, okay, who am I kidding? I think he’s the bestest dog ever too. But how will he react to having his territory invaded?
Got any tips? Sage advice? Or do I just grit my teeth in hopes of blogging fodder and a possible article in a dog’s magazine out of the experience?
Speak up, please!
CAROL BURNSIDE / ANNIE RAYBURN 
>I have no tips, but oh what a precious baby!!!! I hear you on all that baby stuff though. We got a kitten in late August, not on purpose, simply because we rescued him and I couldn’t part with him. Telling him a million times a day to get off of things is wearing on my nerves. 🙂 I swear I’ve considered going to Starbucks with my laptop simply to get some peace! 🙂
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>He is rather adorable, isn’t he? There’s such vulnerability in those eyes. I think I’m falling in love. God help me.
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>Your older dog will help wonders with potty training. They follow their lead. When we brought our standard poodle home, the labrador retriever taught her. I had a time with the lab with chewing on things, hands, etc, more than I did with the poodle. Some depends on the breed of dog. Some are more to chew. With the lab, I stuck a chew toy in her mouth every time she tried to bite our hands. We’d come home, and she’d be so happy. After awhile, she’d greet us with the chew toy in her mouth. 🙂 Good luck!
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>Ahhh. How adorable! You know with a face like that, even if he digs to China and chews up your best bedroom slippers, one look with those innocent eyes and you’re putty. (G) With an older dog around him, I bet the potty training and all the other puppy growth stages will be short. He’ll be smart and catch on fast, wanna keep up with his well-behaved bigger brother.Hugs, Judy
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>Oh, Carol…hide your shoes, stow all cardboard boxes, and put magazines on tall shelves…and you’ll be fine, LOL. There’s nothing like a puppy to bring joy (and frustration!) to your life, but you probably already know all the hardships are worth it in the end. Coincidentally, someone in my office linked me to a Bichon rescue outfit that might be willing to give me a Bichon (despite the past Coyote disaster) only they REALLY want me to take TWO since I’m not home during the day. Uh, TWO??? Could I really handle TWO dogs?? The good news is they’re grown (2 years old) and supposedly potty trained. Yeah, right. I’ll believe that when I see it. Still undecided….Good luck with the new guy…what’s his name gonna be?
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>What a pretty boy! (Actually, two pretty boys!)One of the other teachers at school also owns a pet store, and he keeps telling us that the thing to do is to keep the puppy outside, in a small fence, on the grass, for the first few weeks. That way, all potty-going is done on the grass and once they associate the potty with the grass, they’re less likely to mess up the carpet. And you’re a really brave woman . . .
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