Baby Steps

Hey, it may not look like much but it's something! Ivy is now facing the front of the crate and she has been going in and out of it all morning. She sticks to the periphery of the room where she can safely dive under the table or the coffee table or the plant stand, or - if the way is clear - back into the crate.

Last night was a trial and error night.

Trial: I decided to let her out of the x-pen, because she loooked as though she wanted to play with Ginny.

Error: I didn't put a collar on her first.

The result was a wild puppy running frantically through the kitchen (at least I had the sense to put the gates up). The corner cupboard has no door on it, and of course Ivy immediately shot into the cupboard, sending the pots and pans into a tizzy. She finally came out and lodged herself between the couch and the wall, and I was able to clip on a collar and leash.

For a small puppy (she only looks big because those sad eyes make her look like an adult) she has a very big woof. It woke me up in the middle of the night, and out of habit I was down the stairs and carrying her outside while still half-asleep. Of course she didn't do anything except stand on the grass and shiver, but it's all practice.

By this morning she had used the pee-pad (no poo yet, though, so we're in for a big explosion at some point today!) and she gobbled down her breakfast with no hesitation.

We'll see what the day brings. Ivy desperately wants to play, and every little while she falls into a few seconds of normal puppy-action, like a tail-wag or a toy-chew. Things are looking up!