Mid-week Madness

Today's photos didn't turn out (too much shadow), so I am posting three of basically the same shot to illustrate how puppies can be cute and it is hard to choose which photo is the cutest. I particularly like Odin in the background.
Betel has moved past the needing to nap stage and now has energy almost all day long. Today was a very nice mid-80's with a breeze, so the heat wasn't too bad either. I worked from home, and left them alone in the backyard with Odin because I had to go to a work lunch. Everyone survived, even though I know a lot more about the neighbor boy and his friends than I ever wanted to. They must be home for the summer and they spent most of the day shooting a bb gun in the backyard and skateboarding on their back deck.
Orion is getting much more coordinated and standing up for himself. Odin even played with him for about 10 seconds! Yesterday he (I'm accusing him, though it might not have been him) peed on the dog bed when I was trying to work out because the TV was loud and scary.
They've both been great in the crate, and they are each eating about 3 cups of food a day, though Orion gets his soaked.
They are also doing well at sitting before going in and out of the door, but not good at sitting for meals or treats because Betel gets too excited. The way I've been leaving treats is to take 3 biscuits, break them into thirds, then scatter them around so that Betel can't hog all the biscuits. He probably still gets more, but at least Orion gets some.
I couldn't ride today because something stung/bit Mercury on the leg, and so instead I took Odin on a walk around the park. I think he really appreciated being out like a grown-up because he sniffed a lot more than usual. It was nice.

Critical mass

At 10 weeks old, Betel weighs 18.5 pounds (he weighed 7.5 at 6 weeks old when we got him).
At not quite 8 weeks old, Orion weighs 16.5 pounds.
For comparison, our fat cat Watanabe weighs 16.5 pounds (everyone who sees him says "My, that cat is large.") and Odin weighs 120 pounds.
It was 92 degrees today according to our thermometer. The dogs seem to get worn out by the heat, but in the evening they start to play again. It's supposed to stay hot all week.
Orion wants to play with Odin. He goes up with his tail going all crazy like a helicopter, but Odin still isn't interested. He and Betel are playing a running around game now, instead of just the open-mouthed-dinosaur-on-the-ground game that has lasted the past few weeks.
Here's some photos from today's hot day. I miss the heat. I was so happy it was hot and I started to get tan.
Note the "snake in the grass" in the background of one photo. That's what that lady called me for "stealing" the horse scroll at the auction.

Baby Orion - Weeks 1, 2, 3, & 5 (not in order)

Friday, on Saturday

Yesterday someone (Orion I suspect) pooped on the floor in the morning half of my workday. Also peed.
Odin and Betel both got wormed.
Small, soft, yellow, squeaky bone is still the favorite toy. Paper bag is second favorite.

Finally! Betel Week 9 - Orion Week 7

Squeaky Yawn

Everytime I can't get near the computer, I think of all sorts of witty, clever, interesting, and funny things I should put in the blog about the puppies, but by the time I sit down, I am so beat I just want to stare at the screen.
Orion spends a lot of his time falling over onto his side. He tries to play, but he is just not coordinated enough yet (but his improvement in one week is stellar). His little squatty legs are so short he can walk underneath Betel. It's weird, because I know he's going to get bigger, but he just seems so small and old-man looking next to Betel. His eyes are funny too, like too stretched out over to the sides of his head. His eyes are also a pretty blue - like ol' Franky boy (Sinatra). I guess somehow they turn brown, eventually.
He and Betel are really getting along better. They spend a lot more time napping, or doing their own thing, instead of the growling wrestling. Odin still doesn't want to play with Orion, but he seems chill to the whole all of a sudden having two baby brothers.
We still think Betel is smart, even if he's food obsessed. He knows to sit in front of the door to go in and out, ring the bells, knows his name, and watches what is going on. He also "talks" when I'm carrying him around (which isn't that often - he is already so big compared to when we got him). He opens his mouth and makes the yawny talky sound. It is hilarious.
Tomorrow is supposed to get up to 75, and I have to work, so they're going to stay in the dog room until I get home at lunch, then I'll open the door and Odin will be in the backyard and they can be in the dog room or in the cat cage. Hopefully they'll hang out outside. So far they're pretty uninterested in the cat cage. And Orion peed on the floor in the dog room again today.
I wormed him yesterday because he was doing the butt scoot thing (instead of worming him this Saturday, when Betel gets another dose), but he didn't get the squirts like Betel did when I wormed him.
Also, it is extremly hard to get a cute photo. I either don't have the camera when they're doing something adorable, or they do it, and quit doing it the second I hit the button. I remember the same thing with Odin. I had a lot of pictures of him sleeping or of his butt running away from me.
Here's photos for the end of week 9 (Betel) and week 7 (Orion).
Just for comparison, when Odin was a puppy I limited myself to one roll of film per week (I don't know why). I took 34 pictures TODAY of the boys.
In other pet news this week, I gave Betel his 9 week shots on Monday. I gave a 6 way-combo and took him by surprise, but next time I'll probably need Kevin to help me. On Tuesday, Bella somehow got her tail (fur?) stuck in one of the hanging, dangling cat toys in the cat cage, and I heard her weird sounds and ran over there and her back feet couldn't touch the ground, so of course she was spitting mad and accidentally clawed my wrist up when I was trying to get her down. It bled kind of a lot. Then on Sunday Mercury spooked at a bird when we were walking around in the pasture and I fell off but my foot got stuck in the stirrup and he dragged me a little ways before my foot fell out. I just got really, really dirty. Like dirt way in my ear dirty.
Ok, it won't do the pictures, so I'll try once more in a different post then give up.
My hands are the only tan part on me. Yesterday was the longest day of the year, which doesn't feel right, and only my hands are tan.

Odin was 7 yesterday

I am a bad dog mom because I forgot. I had it on my calendar and everything.
Things have been very busy with the two pups. Like Betel two weeks ago, Orion gets the hiccups a lot. Their favorite toys are the ones we got at the auction, surprisingly, and a box from PetSmart. The top toy right now is a small, soft yellow bone with a squeaker in it. Right now they can squeak it, chase, and play tug of war. They play a lot of tug of war. They don't play tug of war with the tug of war toys - any of the various rope toys designed specifically for tug of war.
Monday they were left alone for an hour while I went to the post office. Tuesday was two hours while I was at the barn. Wednesday was a half day while I was at work. Today I'm home again, but I'm ignorning the howls of distress coming from the dog room because I have work to do as soon as I finish posting this. A LOT of work to do, and I think I'm going to have to get into the office today to do it.
There haven't been any house accidents in two days (that I know of) and never a poop accident inside. But Orion just pees wherever he is, so the only reason there haven't been more accidents is because I've been spending as much awake time outside as is possible. I wish it would get warm, because I sit out there in pants and a jacket until the sun comes out, then get hot and roll up the pants and take off the jacket, then a cloud comes by and I'm back huddled in the jacket.
They've been doing pretty well sleeping, and they play a lot now (and I think, a little less aggressively), and Betel is sitting in front of the door, but there are problems. Betel is really pushy about food, so it is hard to feed both of them because Betel wants what Orion is eating. They are also greedy about toys, even though there are 100 in the room (or so), they want to play with whatever the other is playing with. And they both compete to get on my lap. Betel isn't playing as much with Odin anymore, though he still does. Yesterday Odin let Orion climb up on him, but he hasn't expressed a lot of interest in Orion yet.
I'm back to the anxiety I felt when Odin was little - that every second away means I'm going to have a couple of bad dogs. I got to spend a lot more time near Odin when he was tiny, though I was working and then school, so he was still alone a good bit too.

BFF!

I was on my way to bed, then this adorable photo made me come back in for another posting.

One Dane + One Ridgeback = 2 Hectic!

The weekend has gone past in a blur. Friday night we picked up Orion (who my dad is calling Levi), and it has been non-stop action. Betel also seems to have hit his stride, and he plays like a maniac, then falls over asleep, but only for 1/2 hour, then plays like a maniac. Fortunately, Odin is really enjoying playing with him, so he is a good big brother babysitter.
Orion's first night was a little overwhelming. He had to sleep in his own crate, but last night he spent most of the night in the same crate as Betel. Betel has developed a love/hate thing and is very jealous of attention, food, and toys that Orion has. Betel has gotten in trouble several times and has developed a talk back attitude, but then he sneaks up and curls next to Orion when he's asleep, so I think it'll be ok. Maybe he is taking advantage of the fact that in another week, Orion will be permanently bigger than him.
The first thing Betel did when Orion got home was pee in the house 4 times. Then today he peed on his bed - after I spent a couple hours cleaning (including steam cleaning). Then Orion peed on the clean rug. So it's gross here. And there's a poo-ville in the backyard.
Betel is 9 weeks old (well, was, on Friday) and weighs 14.5 pounds.
Orion is just shy of 7 weeks old and weighs 12 pounds.
Here's a couple more photos.
The Orion photos tend to be one of three images: yawning, asleep, or funny little self-satisfied smirk.

We put the "duh" in Odin

More photos - Betel is 9 weeks old, Orion is not quite 7 weeks old.

New Brother!

Betel's Progress

Betel is smart, I think. He also weighs 13 pounds.
He has already figured out how to ring the bells when he needs to go out and use the bathroom. Sometimes he walks around for a while, but he usually goes after he rings the bell. Of course, it is up to the humans to distinguish between playing with the bells and ringing the bells, which he also does.
He and Odin have been playing a lot, and a lot more vigorously. I am a little afraid Odin is going to hurt him, but they're never unsupervised, so at least I'll be right there if he gets hurt.
He also has a lot more energy. He needs to play a lot longer before he gets tired and puts himself to bed. He isn't passing out on the dog bed in the living room anymore, but coming into the study to sleep on Kevin's beanbag or getting into his crate. When I get home from work at lunchtime, he always seems a little nervous and whiny until I pet him for a few minutes. I've tried to play it cool, but he follows me until I pet him, then he calms down and turns back into himself.
I wormed him this weekend with Strongid. He is still chasing the kittens.
Here are the things that I think make raising a puppy easier:
1. Having a well-trained/behaved older dog who will play with the puppy and wear him out
2. Having a dog room with a run/kennel to leave the dog when you need to
3. Having multiple crates (bedroom, kennel, car) and definitely, 100% crate training
4. Having a work schedule that allows you to spend at least 1 hour in the morning, 1 hour at lunch, and several hours in the evening to play with the puppy and spend time with it
5. Getting a puppy from a good breeder so you know mom & dad's temperament, but also so you get a puppy who is easier to housebreak (i.e. knows to keep his "den" clean)
6. Having a secure, fenced yard
7. Getting the puppy in summer time (then again, getting too hot in the car is a huge downside)
What we will find out at the end of this week is if #8 will be "having a brother puppy."

2 more photos - by Mom

Photos continued - Betel week 8

Betel - 8 weeks

Betel certainly got used to riding in the car this weekend. Mom's visit included a lot of driving around, and he was very good. He choked a little on a pig ear this evening, but seems to have recovered. He and Odin are playing a lot more, including some upright play, which is great because it really tires Betel out. He goes into his crate usually around 8 pm, and we have to get him up and make him play again, but he's been doing really well during the night, only needing one or two bathroom breaks and being pretty quiet. He's been playing too forcefully with Bella and chasing Echo, and I don't know why they won't stand up for themselves.
Here's some photos of the start of 8 weeks old.

Dane puppies at 6 weeks old

Times they are a'changing

This afternoon I go visit the Dane. So expect photos soon of my dane, Orion. I am really, really hoping that he and Betel love each other, play together, tire each other out, and that Odin loves them both but gets time to himself. Hopefully they will not hate each other, fight, and ultimately create more work for me.
The funniest thing of the entire year happened Thursday, after Betel had an outside accident and an inside accident (after a week of apparently no accidents).
An unidentified houseguest was preparing for bed, and called from the bathroom, "Whose brown toothpaste is this that I used?" As I approached the door to the bathroom, I suddenly remembered that Odin's dog toothpaste and toothbrush have been out on the counter so I remember to brush his teeth every week. Sure enough, the "brown toothpaste" was the dog toothpaste, and we both laughed so hard we cried. And we've laughed every single time we've mentioned it since then which is about once an hour, it is so funny.
Here's the difference in toothpastes, so you can judge for yourself which you might have chosen, were you a houseguest here. (In my guest's defense, she says she didn't want to go barging through my cabinets.)

End of week 7

Betel is cute. He and Odin are playing together already. The play usually starts with a lot of growling from Odin, then a play bow, then a down, then he gets on his side so Betel can clamber around on top of him. It is adorable. Odin still needs lots of down-time, but he is adapting really well and seems to enjoy Betel. Of course, Betel worships his older brother and follows him all around trying to do whatever he does. Odin pees, Betel pees. Odin drinks, Betel drinks.
Betel also appears to maybe be more intelligent than Odin. (Shocking!) He is definitely louder. He has already figured out how to ring the bells to go outside, how to use the cat door to get out into the cat cage to use the bathroom, and he went about half an hour ago into his crate to sleep. Now Odin is in there sleeping on the bed. How cute.
The switch to staying at home is going well. There is still rain predicted, and I'm not sure if I'll keep him in the car on the rainy days or if I'll leave him in the room. It is a LOT easier to go home at lunch than to lug him and Odin upstairs twice (sometimes three times) from the parking garage.
Betel is up to 11 pounds. When we got him, two weeks ago, he was 7. Two pounds a week isn't bad when you start at 7 pounds. In the photos, I can already see a difference. Odin got big fast, so I expect in another week he won't fit under the couch anymore.

Betel loves Odin!

Odin loves Betel!