# Introducing Lucy



## Lucy419 (Jun 10, 2013)

Yesterday we took home Lucy! The long car ride was great as she slept most of the time.

She's a little disoriented still settling in. Trying to train her on the pee pads, and doing okay so far with 3 accidents. 

Last night was rough as I wasn't feeling well to begin with and she woke up at 12, 3, and 5...went straight to the pee pad and she did her business and back to bed. She was a little whiny each time I brought her back to her crate but I stuck my hand through the top there until she fell back asleep. I used the DAP, which worked great! Although it gets overheated plugged into the wall and smells like burnt plastic. Anyone else have that problem?

Anyway she's a beautiful girl (actually tri colored) and really very sweet and playful. Went to the vet this morning and she's doing great and is healthy! Although she's a tiny thing, weighing in at a whopping 1.6 lbs at 8 weeks. Here are a couple pics from yesterday.


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## Lucy419 (Jun 10, 2013)

Here's another...no idea why it's upside down


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## DebW (Jun 11, 2013)

Very cute! Congrats on your new baby.


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## RoutineAvocado (Feb 6, 2013)

Wow she's little! What a sweetie. Congrats on the new pup!

I'm also in DC and my new pup is 13 weeks old. Always looking for fellow local Hav friends.


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## Lucy419 (Jun 10, 2013)

RoutineAvocado said:


> Wow she's little! What a sweetie. Congrats on the new pup!
> 
> I'm also in DC and my new pup is 13 weeks old. Always looking for fellow local Hav friends.


Would love to in a few weeks, once she's a little bigger and has had all her shots!


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

she is just beautiful! Sounds like she will adapt well to the pee pads. Looking forward to watching her grow!


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## Ruth4Havs (May 13, 2013)

Lucy is very precious! It's funny, Chester was twice that size when we got him, and that size when he was six weeks old. lol:laugh:


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## Lucy419 (Jun 10, 2013)

Ruth4Havs said:


> Lucy is very precious! It's funny, Chester was twice that size when we got him, and that size when he was six weeks old. lol:laugh:


Wow your pup is big! Amazing how they could differ in size so much!


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## Thebean28 (Jan 4, 2013)

Welcome! and congrats on your new fur baby - she is so precious  I can't believe how small she is! I'm also in the D.C. area (north of D.C.), so happy to entertain a puppy play date at a park when she's bigger and cleared by the vet. Enjoy!


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

:welcome: Welcome to both you and Lucy. She is a adorable. Sounds like she's going to be a dainty little girl. Keep up with the pictures.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Lucy419 said:


> Would love to in a few weeks, once she's a little bigger and has had all her shots!


Please remember that early socialization is CRITICAL... even before they have 'all their shots". Just pick healthy, properly immunized puppies and gentle dogs for her to play with, and make sure they play in a safe place.

For more on this very important window for socialization, see Ian Dunbar's "Before you get your Puppy" and "After you get your Puppy", both available for free download.

More dogs are euthanized every year for poor socialization than EVER die of puppy diseases.


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## Lucy419 (Jun 10, 2013)

krandall said:


> Please remember that early socialization is CRITICAL... even before they have 'all their shots". Just pick healthy, properly immunized puppies and gentle dogs for her to play with, and make sure they play in a safe place.
> 
> For more on this very important window for socialization, see Ian Dunbar's "Before you get your Puppy" and "After you get your Puppy", both available for free download.
> 
> More dogs are euthanized every year for poor socialization than EVER die of puppy diseases.


Thank you! I definitely plan on socializing her early, and already have made plans with friends who have nice dogs. What I meant was that I don't want to meet up at public places like parks with other people until she's gotten her vaccinations. In the DC area it's hard to find a place to live where you have your own backyard. It stinks because I can't even walk her outside my house for another 2 weeks unless I carry her since she hasn't had her 2nd vaccinations AND she doesn't even fit in her harness yet even though its teeny tiny and adjustable. Maybe next week she will have gained some weight


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## RoutineAvocado (Feb 6, 2013)

I agree; DC is a hard place for pre-vaccination socialization. So much doggy disease, rats, mosquitos... And nowhere to go that isn't frequented by stranger dogs. We basically keep Zelda inside or in our little front yard for 2 weeks. But she had lots of human visitors and she seems fine meeting dogs now. Good luck not going stir crazy!

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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Lucy419 said:


> Thank you! I definitely plan on socializing her early, and already have made plans with friends who have nice dogs. What I meant was that I don't want to meet up at public places like parks with other people until she's gotten her vaccinations. In the DC area it's hard to find a place to live where you have your own backyard. It stinks because I can't even walk her outside my house for another 2 weeks unless I carry her since she hasn't had her 2nd vaccinations AND she doesn't even fit in her harness yet even though its teeny tiny and adjustable. Maybe next week she will have gained some weight


Yes, you're absolutely right, you can't have her on the ground in public places yet. But you can meet up at someone's house and let the puppies play on an easy-clean kitchen floor! 

Yeah, the harness thing is going to be a problem for you for a while, I'm afraid... Kodi's breeder needed to take Kodi's in for us before we picked him up, and he was a lot bigger than your pup. Have you considered looking at kitten harnesses for now? they tend to be a lot smaller. I had a leather kitten harness that I was able to put holes in and make small enough for a pet rat when I was a kid. (and don't laugh, she was a WONDERFUL pet!!!)


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

RoutineAvocado said:


> I agree; DC is a hard place for pre-vaccination socialization. So much doggy disease, rats, mosquitos... And nowhere to go that isn't frequented by stranger dogs. We basically keep Zelda inside or in our little front yard for 2 weeks. But she had lots of human visitors and she seems fine meeting dogs now. Good luck not going stir crazy!
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Make sure you keep up that socialization, and make sure it includes dogs of all types and sizes, (as long as they are friendly and not too rough, of course!!!) small children (especially little boys) and men, with and without hats. The people MOST likely to get bitten by dogs are male children, so make sure your pup has LOTS of positive early experiences with them!!!

People make the mistake of thinking, "my puppy is friendly with everyone, so I must be all set with socializing." The problem is that ALL puppy younger than 5 months or so SHOULD be friendly with just about everyone unless there is a basic flaw in their temperament. It is only as they start to mature that they become suspicious and wary if they haven't been socialized continually.

By the time your pup is a year old, if you've done your job, and have a pup with a basically sound temperament, they should be pretty well set with socialization toward people. Socialization toward other dogs is something that you have to work on for the life of the dog in some cases, if it's important to you that your dog interact well with others. We're lucky that we have a pretty soft breed... this is easier, and takes less work on our part than a lot of breeds. But it's still something that's worth working on and maintaining IMO. I love that Kodi gets along well with any dog who will get along with him!


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Lucy419 said:


> Yesterday we took home Lucy! The long car ride was great as she slept most of the time.
> 
> She's a little disoriented still settling in. Trying to train her on the pee pads, and doing okay so far with 3 accidents.
> 
> ...


 She is so cute is she eating good? Being that small make sure she is gaining weight properly. My breeder wouldn't let her dogs even go home before they hit 3 or so lbs I don't know why maybe it was just her rule. What is a DAP?
Glad you got her to sit still for the pictures!


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Oh my, what a sweet face!!!


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## m0rg4n (Feb 8, 2013)

krandall said:


> Yeah, the harness thing is going to be a problem for you for a while, I'm afraid... Kodi's breeder needed to take Kodi's in for us before we picked him up, and he was a lot bigger than your pup. Have you considered looking at kitten harnesses for now? they tend to be a lot smaller. I had a leather kitten harness that I was able to put holes in and make small enough for a pet rat when I was a kid. (and don't laugh, she was a WONDERFUL pet!!!)


I was just going to suggest a cat harness!
That's what we used for Indy when he first came home as the backyard wasn't fenced in properly yet.


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## Lucy419 (Jun 10, 2013)

Suzi said:


> She is so cute is she eating good? Being that small make sure she is gaining weight properly. My breeder wouldn't let her dogs even go home before they hit 3 or so lbs I don't know why maybe it was just her rule. What is a DAP?
> Glad you got her to sit still for the pictures!


It's day 3 now and she's definitely eating much better. However I can't get her to eat at standard parts of the day. She likes to take 1 piece of food at a time and graze, so I would rather leave out the food so she eats it and keeps on gaining weight. As her appetite increases I think I'll switch to feeding her at specific times.

DAP= dog appeasing pheromones. I have a travel size spray and one you can plug into the wall. It seems to be working well as she soothes herself within a few minutes.


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## Lucy419 (Jun 10, 2013)

krandall said:


> Yes, you're absolutely right, you can't have her on the ground in public places yet. But you can meet up at someone's house and let the puppies play on an easy-clean kitchen floor!
> 
> Yeah, the harness thing is going to be a problem for you for a while, I'm afraid... Kodi's breeder needed to take Kodi's in for us before we picked him up, and he was a lot bigger than your pup. Have you considered looking at kitten harnesses for now? they tend to be a lot smaller. I had a leather kitten harness that I was able to put holes in and make small enough for a pet rat when I was a kid. (and don't laugh, she was a WONDERFUL pet!!!)


Thanks! Heading to the pet store today and Ill see what I can find!


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## DebW (Jun 11, 2013)

Karen, thanks for mentioning Ian Dunbar's books. I just read through the "Before..." one. Great advice!


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## RoutineAvocado (Feb 6, 2013)

krandall said:


> Make sure you keep up that socialization, and make sure it includes dogs of all types and sizes, (as long as they are friendly and not too rough, of course!!!) small children (especially little boys) and men, with and without hats. The people MOST likely to get bitten by dogs are male children, so make sure your pup has LOTS of positive early experiences with them!!!
> 
> People make the mistake of thinking, "my puppy is friendly with everyone, so I must be all set with socializing." The problem is that ALL puppy younger than 5 months or so SHOULD be friendly with just about everyone unless there is a basic flaw in their temperament. It is only as they start to mature that they become suspicious and wary if they haven't been socialized continually.
> 
> By the time your pup is a year old, if you've done your job, and have a pup with a basically sound temperament, they should be pretty well set with socialization toward people. Socialization toward other dogs is something that you have to work on for the life of the dog in some cases, if it's important to you that your dog interact well with others. We're lucky that we have a pretty soft breed... this is easier, and takes less work on our part than a lot of breeds. But it's still something that's worth working on and maintaining IMO. I love that Kodi gets along well with any dog who will get along with him!


There's no way to avoid constant socialization in my neighborhood! It's a very densely-populated area so she meets new people every day. The only rare group is children past elementary-school age. This is a good reminder to make sure she gets more exposure with that demographic. Cities are harder for disease-prevention but at least easier for socialization.

We have a couple of local friends whose dogs don't like black people (even dogs raised in DC!) so we've been very proactive about diversity. Having a street-level entrance to our house makes it easier for her (and us) to interact with our neighbors. It was harder when we lived in an apartment and were more separate from the community.


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## jabojenny (Sep 18, 2011)

Lucy419 said:


> Yesterday we took home Lucy! The long car ride was great as she slept most of the time.


Little Lucy is so cute, enjoy her. Yep, like Karen said socialization in very important. Timmy was a pretty skittish puppy, but I knew that before I even brought him home. Before he had his final shots my neighbor would bring around her senior Retriever who would lay in the driveway and let Timmy walk around her, sniff, jump etc... she was such a sweetheart. I also enrolled him in Puppy K which was another great thing. Believe it or not this time flies by so you really have to jump on socialization opportunities as much as you can before that critical time is gone. Sounds like you are off to a great start.



krandall said:


> By the time your pup is a year old, if you've done your job, and have a pup with a basically sound temperament, they should be pretty well set with socialization toward people. Socialization toward other dogs is something that you have to work on for the life of the dog in some cases, if it's important to you that your dog interact well with others. We're lucky that we have a pretty soft breed... this is easier, and takes less work on our part than a lot of breeds. But it's still something that's worth working on and maintaining IMO. I love that Kodi gets along well with any dog who will get along with him!


Timmy is a little over a year old now. I feel he's pretty socialized, although my trainer told me he seems a little tentative with new dogs when we started on last class session. I didn't pick that up, I just thought he was on the reserved side, so now at over a year I am looking into working on that. I don't have small children so I bring Timmy to the elementary school bus stop in the morning so he can see and hear all the screaming and running kids. Plus this bus stop is the meeting place for our morning walk with his neighborhood gang of about 5 or 6 dogs, they are like his pack.


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## Lucy419 (Jun 10, 2013)

So it's been 5 days now, and Lucy is settling in quite nicely. I'm having small victories with her. She's exhausting! She's definitely a crier and scared about everything, and cries ALL the time. Today she didn't cry when I put her in her crate nor the car. And she went into her crate by herself for a nap today. Woo! Next challenge is to get her to like her xpen which she currently hates. She's still waking up 3+ times per night to potty. Maybe it's just a combination of her age and teeny size. Looking forward to the day when I only wake up once or none before my alarm.
I'm having issues with her eating enough. She eats less than 1/4 cup of natures variety prairie with a little warm water per day when she should be eating 1/2 cup. The vet isn't concerned because she's not lethargic and goes to the bathroom a lot. Today I mixed in some rotisserie chicken and that helped a bit.

If anyone has any advice or suggestions please share!

Ill post more pictures this weekend hopefully!


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## RoutineAvocado (Feb 6, 2013)

Congrats on your progress! Puppies really are exhausting. I don't know if it will work for you but we accidentally got Zelda to like her ex-pen by getting in there with her. She still generally doesn't want to be in it if she's awake and we're around, but she's happy to nap there, play quietly when she's sleepy, chase her tail, etc. I think joining her in the pen made it feel to her like it was a place where fun stuff happens and she learned it was a nice place to rest.

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## Lucy419 (Jun 10, 2013)

RoutineAvocado said:


> Congrats on your progress! Puppies really are exhausting. I don't know if it will work for you but we accidentally got Zelda to like her ex-pen by getting in there with her. She still generally doesn't want to be in it if she's awake and we're around, but she's happy to nap there, play quietly when she's sleepy, chase her tail, etc. I think joining her in the pen made it feel to her like it was a place where fun stuff happens and she learned it was a nice place to rest.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thanks! Ill try that with her tomorrow.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

At her size, I wouldn't expect her to eat more than she's eating.


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