Friday night/Saturday morning

So Rodders slept at my feet from almost 7pm until about 10.45pm only getting up for a couple of piddles. It is obvious that we were both exhausted so at 10.55 I put him in his crate for the night.

He started to cry straight away but stopped as the upstairs light went out, yay I thought, we have cracked this! Oh how wrong can you be :-( Within a couple of minutes he was crying and yelping like he never had before and I really didn't know what to do.

I sent a text to OH and we were texting back and forwards for about 10 minutes as the noise went on. He was encouraging me to be strong and to ignore him for up to half an hour. As the noises changed I wasn't sure if I could do it. Rodders sounded so pitiful. He would quieten down for a moment and then start up again. He was trying so hard to draw me back downstairs, to try and prove that he was pack leader but I held out. After about 15 minutes it stopped and he had settled for the night. Not sure I would have managed without someone there to confirm I was doing the right thing. Thank you OH, I love you for that! And many other things of course :-)

I woke just before 7am to hear him crying and came down. He was very pleased to see me and had pooped in the crate which was a first. But he had been in there for 8 hours and he is only a little puppy. I made a cup of tea (I am not a morning person and don't function very well without tea!) and we went in to the conservatory to play. Rodders asked to go out after a few minutes so in to the garden we went. He did a piddle straight away to much praise and we came back in to a puppy treat :-)

I got his breakfast ready and then he played some more. I put his breakfast down once it had cooled enough he wolfed down about half of it before getting distracted. I left it on the floor for half an hour and he went back to it twice more. I then lifted it as I need him to understand that when food is there you eat it - I had been leaving it down earlier in the week when I was worried that he wasn't eating and drinking enough but the puppy book says this is a bad idea. If I lift it when he is done he will get used to feeding times and eat his fill in one go. Well, lets see how we get on with this!

He then managed to pee on the floor twice near the door so got put straight outside. It is much easier to clear up with him outside as he loves to chase the kitchen roll as I wipe the floor. He the did a piddle on the patio so more praise and treats.

Lots more playing, he seems to like chasing things and bringing them back for you to throw again, wonder if I can get him interested in a ball soon?

I carried him upstairs so that I could get washed and dressed and, as I have done for the last couple of days, I wandered about with him in my arms until I had everything and then put him on the bathroom floor. He wandered about sniffing and chewed the bathmat (also tried to wander off with my bra & got stopped fairly quickly) but generally allowed me to get dressed in peace.

We then came down in to the conservatory and played some more and he was getting a bit rough and biting me - I know he is teething & not trying to hurt me. No amount of swapping my hand for a toy would do. He asked to go out a few times and would play happily for a few minutes chasing and chewing leaves before coming back inside. We need to find a way for him to get back in as the step is a bit high and OH is working on that - Soon please if you are reading!!!!!

I needed to get Rodders to calm down a bit as I have learnt over the last few days that he can get over tired. I tried to settle him on his snuggle blanket on my knee but he wasn't interested so we had a bit more play time. I can distract him from things he shouldn't be chewing with a squeaky toy. He is still being a bit rough and biting me so I decided we should go for a wander with him in my arms.

Rodders wasn't sure about the noise Lillian's car was making as she stopped for a chat and was shaking a little but we persevered. When she went off we carried on our wander around the block and I talked to him the whole time, rubbish about the nice gardens or a hedge or a lamppost - I'm going to get known as the crazy woman that talks to a dog shortly! We saw a few more cars and vans and then we were almost home when Pom and Christopher came out the house and came to say hello. Rodders was shaking again and they asked if he was cold. No, just a bit nervous!

Christopher was just off to work apparently! I asked what he is doing and he is volunteering for Cancer Research UK, helping to sort out bags. What a great lad this young man is turning in to :-) Helps that he has lovely parents who have done a fantastic job with their two children :-)

We came back in the house and I put the snuggle blanket on my knee. Rodders very quickly settled down and I moved him on to the floor. He is currently asleep at my feet.