I knew that we were getting visitors today so I wanted to try and pace Rodders a bit better. We got up and had breakfast and a bit of play. We also went to put the bin out as it is a strange noise and then we stood on the doorstep when the bin men collected so that he could hear the noise they make and hear the lorry. I then put him on my knee on his snuggle blanket and got him calm and dopey. Once he falls asleep I can put him and the blanket on the floor and he is happy there as long as I don't move too far.
My sister Kirsty and her friend Gill arrived and Rodders was a bit shy to start with and wanted me close. After a while he got braver, especially once Gill opened the puppy treats she brought him! They got to see him playing with his toys, peeing on his paper, dashing around the garden like a loony and sitting quietly with me. (They did also see him peeing on the floor so it wasn't all good).
When we sat at the table for lunch he asked to go out and played happily in the garden while we ate. He was always in sight and seemed to be having a great time.
After they left I got him to settle down for a nap for an hour but he seemed to be hyper when he woke up. We played inside and out but he wasn't calming down so I decided to take him for a walk (in my arms) around the corner to a slightly busier road to get him used to some different noises and places. When he seemed frightened I stopped walking and talked gently to him until he calmed down. We saw cars, vans and a couple of noisy children before reaching my local garage. We went in to see James and get a bit of a fuss before heading home again.
We got stopped at the corner by our neighbours Sue and Sophie who hadn't yet met Rodders. he seemed to like the fuss and we may have ourselves a puppy walker if I need to go back to work :-)
Got in and Rodders was still hyper. We tried playing but he was getting rough and nipping me rather than his chew toys. I have tried yelping like his litter mates do and, although it has worked in the past, it didn't today. I tried getting him to settle on my knee with the snuggle blanket but he wasn't having any of it. I tried wearing him out in the garden. I tried distraction. I tried squeaky toys. He wanted to pee and poo on the floor and he wanted to chew my rug. Eventually I had to resort to putting him in his crate for 5 minutes while I took the rug up and loaded the dishwasher. He wasn't happy about it and cried, whined, pulled at the puppy pad, stood in his water bowl (now a heavier one he can't move) and tried to climb up the side of the crate. When he was quieter (and me too!) I let him out. He was calmer, but still a little manic.
And then just before 7pm this evening he flopped on his snuggle blanket and he is still there. I suspect that he won't want supper again tonight.
He has woken a couple of times so far when I went to make a drink. Once he peed on the floor and the second time he went on the paper with a bit of encouragement. It is soooo much easier when he is dopey rather than hyper though!
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