We went to pick the puppy up on Thursday. The breeder had brought all the puppies so we could see them. My husband and I thought they were smaller than what we thought they were going to be. My husband and I got to play with the boy and girl separately to see which one we liked.
The boy was first and he was very into both of us. He was coming over to us and licking our hands. Then he would try to get to our faces and he gave my husband kisses. So of course my husband was sold. I still wanted to see the girl though.
She was fine when the other puppies were with her but when she was by herself she wouldn't even touch us. She would jump back and forth and try to come to our hands but in the end she didn't. I knew I would never be able to talk my husband into the girl when she wouldn't even come to us.
So we picked the boy!!
We were off, Wrigley in the back of the car in his crate. Our family just grew and my husband and I became responsible for another living thing. He started whining right away but the breeder had given us a chew bone so once we gave him that he pretty much quieted down. It was a two hour car trip home and by the end I was ready to take him out and hold him. Wrigley was fine, sleeping in his crate but I wanted to cuddle with him. My husband was actually the responsible one saying not to disturb him since he was being good.
We stopped to get gas and then I took him out of his crate. He was so cute just crawling all over me and looking around. We found out then that he loves to give kisses! We made it home shortly after that and I took him straight out to the backyard to go potty. Which he did promptly but the grass was so tall I could barley see him and it was super dark.
Once back inside we let him explore but he really liked to sit by us and play with his new toys. He found his reflection in our entertainment center and went crazy barking and "playing" with it. All of a sudden he froze and peed. Well I guess it is better to have him potty in the house b/c he was scared of his reflection then just b/c he doesn't know any better, right?
I was ready for bed at this point so we took him upstairs to our bedroom where we keep another crate for him. In he went and he whined a little bit but settled down pretty quickly. I woke up at 3am and could hear him moving around and chewing on a toy. I didn't know if I should take him out but then he stopped making noise and I fell back to sleep.
I woke up at 5:45 and I could hear him whimpering so it was time to get up. I dont know the last time I was up that early but I made it outside with him. He went potty right away but then wanted to play. He was running all around the backyard and I was trying to keep up with him in my sleepy state. Time for breakfast.
He eats Eukanuba for puppies, which I think is a crappy dog food and I will be transitioning him to something better. I sat by him the whole time petting him, putting my hand in the bowl, and hand feeding. I want him to get used to people around him when he eats so he will not guard his food. He really didn't eat that much and hasn't since we have had him home but I do give him tiny treats throughout the day to give positive reinforcement for good things he does.
Somehow with the little amount of food that he eats he still went poop 5 times! I have no idea where all that came from but it just keep coming!! Hes doing great with potty outside. I have heard Shibas are picky pottiers but so far he is good about going in the backyard. I give lots a praise and a treat each time he does it though. I also try to play with him after he goes poo so that he doesnt feel that he goes and then I bring him back inside.
After a long play session outside I took him to meet some people from work. He did great! Just hang out while they held him. They even held him like a baby and he just stayed there eating it up. It was wonderful, he seemed like such a good puppy.
The next day went pretty much the same. He slept until 6am and he finally ate more at dinner. The grass was long in the backyard so he started itching his belly a lot and had some red bumps on it. Of course we feel horrible that we have already injured him :( Now the grass is cut short but he still is itchy so when I go to the vet I will bring that up.
I have got him to sit and lay down but I am having a hard time with leave it and drop it. He goes crazy when I try to get him to leave a treat so I need to work on that when he is more relaxed. I can shove a treat in his mouth when has a toy and he will drop it but I dont know how long it will take to make the connection.
I have noticed that he is getting a lot more rambunctious since the firsts days he was here. Wrigley is defiantly getting braver and has the Shiba attitude of not paying attention to us when he is engrossed in something. He is such a doll and we both love him already. He has made us laugh and shake our heads at the random stuff that he does. I think he has made the transition to our home pretty well and I hope he stays this sweet.
