Doc's First Three Weeks At Home

Today marks the third week Doc has been home with us, and I can't believe how big he's gotten already! I wish he could stay little, but at the same time I'm kind of excited about having a big, athletic dog (hopefully I won't have to eat my words on that later!). A word of warning, this post will be very picture heavy, but if you were in my shoes Doc would be your new favorite photo subject too. :)

First, a little bit on how Doc became a part of our family. If you've been reading our blog for a while, you know we've wanted a dog, and specifically a Weimaraner, for a long time now. Things just recently started falling into place for it to happen, and we found a breeder that we really liked and got placed on their waiting list. The only catch was that there were two other people ahead of us on the waiting list for a silver male, plus this breeder lived 4 hours away from us, one-way. But we decided to stay on the waiting list and see what happened once the puppies were born around the end of March.

A few weeks later, one of Kyle's classmates told him she saw a sign advertising for Weimaraner puppies while she was out running on the North Augusta Greenway. We thought this was an interesting little development, so we got the breeder's name and contact information. We visited the litter a couple days later, and I fell in love with pretty much all the puppies! But I especially loved the one who kept climbing in Kyle's lap and made the cutest noise when you pet him while he was sleeping. That one turned out to be Doc. :) We didn't make a decision on the spot because we didn't want to act on emotion, so we waited a few days to pray and think about it. But everything kept pointing back to this litter in North Augusta, and we finally decided to take advantage of the blessing that God obviously dropped right in our lap!

To prepare for Doc coming home with us, Kyle read Cesar Millan's book, Cesar's Way, as recommended by his dad. Kyle said he didn't agree with everything Cesar suggested, and the way the book was written could be awkward at times, but overall it offered very sound and helpful advice for both the new and seasoned dog owner. The main takeaways were to establish yourself as the "pack leader" and to discipline your dog with calm, assertive energy.

So after signing a few papers and a couple trips to PetSmart and Wal-mart, Doc was ours and ready to come home! We picked him up on April 7, and he almost made it through the whole car ride home without whining. About 5 miles from home I think it hit him that he was really far from his Mom and litter mates, and he was with two new strange-smelling people. ;)

As per Cesar Millan's recommendation, we attempted to take Doc on a walk to symbolize that we were his new pack leaders and that he was "migrating" with us to his new home. I know it all sounds really primal, but I promise it makes sense once you read Cesar's book! Anyway, as we expected any 7.5-week-old puppy to do, Doc didn't know what to do being on a leash and didn't like it very much. But we persisted and eventually he started to get the hang of it!

Once we got back home from our walk, Doc was pooped. He found this spot on the floor and was out for a good while. Unfortunately, I think the sleepy puppy days are far behind us now. And let me tell you, that first night with him was TERRIBLE. We decided to let him sleep in his crate downstairs and we would sleep in our room upstairs, but sleep was not to be found that night. He whined and cried for a good two hours or so, and we felt so bad for our neighbors because the walls we share with them are pretty thin. He did eventually settle down, but woke back up again around 4 a.m. and then again at 6 a.m. Ugh! So the next night we put his crate in our room, and he didn't even make a peep. He's been really good about being in his crate in general ever since, hopefully it will stay that way.

Two days after we brought him home, we took him on his first long car ride to see my dad, who is also a vet, for his new puppy checkup. Before we left we took him on a walk to get him nice and tired, and thankfully he slept most of the way. Once we got to my parent's house, he had one of his first interactions with a dog that wasn't a Weim by meeting my sister's mini schnauzer, Brody. Doc didn't really know what to think at first, but eventually they became fast friends and playmates.

My mom especially loved to cuddle with him!
We had to give Doc his first bath a couple days later as he had his first accident in his crate. To minimize the initial fear of water, Cesar Millan suggested to get in the tub with your dog and make them think it was playtime. But I don't think Doc bought into that. ;)

Of course, you heard about our visit to Kyle's parents for Doc's 9-week shots here, and how he annoyed the heck out of Kyle's older Dobermans. From there, Doc has just become more and more playful and energetic as the days go by. We've already had to start running with him in the afternoons once I get home from work. This dog is gonna kick my butt! But I'm thankful for that motivation.

We can't wait for him to get all his shots so we can take him to the Greenway and to the dog park and let him get his energy out that way. He absolutely loves people and other dogs, so we'll definitely have to work on him being calm when we do venture out into the great big world. ;)

A few things that have surprised me is that he already knows how to sit, and we're currently working on stay, and he can already go up and down the stairs. It's quite hilarious when he goes down the stairs, as he's not graceful about it at all. Hopefully we can get a video of it so you can share in the hilarity.

Though everything is not always peaches and cream taking care of a puppy, overall we love our little Weimaraner and can't imagine our lives without him. Especially when he's sweet and cuddles on the couch with me. :)


Have a Happy Thursday!