Coming Home

Homecoming day arrived. We arrived at Leedale farm at around 9:30am and Gillian had got the days mixed up. She thought we were coming tomorrow. No bother though. She let us in the yard, got her wellies on and she was good to go. After a chat in the barn, saying hello to the pack, we took Ruby up to the house and did the paperwork. The microchip details were confirmed and Gillian is going to send all the forms off to the ISDS. We got a copy of the pedigree breeding line and although not everything was done, Gillian will sort it out in the next couple of days and let us know. 

So, with a puppy, a bag of food, some paperwork and minus £300 we got in the car to come home. Ruby was remarkably good in the car. She whined and struggled a little at first. However, once she realised we weren't making a big deal out of it, and with the cool air blowers pointed at her, she fell asleep.

And the pattern for the day was established. Short bursts of play, followed by a nap, a toilet visit and a couple of meals. Rinse and repeat a few times over the course of the day. 

As you can see in this picture, she seems to have settled into the home pretty well...

Once we had got home, she immediately did a poo on the kitchen floor. She had eaten before leaving the farm so she actually did well not to drop it on my lap on the way home. There have also been a couple of puddles on the conservatory floor. However, she really has got the hang of going outside straight away. She lets us know she needs to go by trotting towards the back door. Sometimes she stops and wees but the principle is there even if the bladder is still a bit weak.

Crate training also seems to have started on the right track. She avoided it at first. However, after a meal and a drink in her crate and then a couple of strategic treats. She seemed to take to it. The clincher was when I put her dishcloth (yes, she has become attached to a dishcloth) in the crate. She jumped in with it, laid down and went to sleep. 2 minutes later this was the scene....

The only slight hitch in an otherwise very successful first day, is her slight dislike of the collar/lead. She is not overly keen on the collar but I wouldn't have expected her to be. After all, she has never had such a thing round her neck before. It must feel weird to start with. No doubt when she starts associating it with going for walks, it will be a different matter.

She readily answers to 'puppy' and 'Ruby puppy' and will usually come bounding straight over. She also likes sleeping at our feet.

All in all a very successful first day. Now, I wonder how the first night will go?