Einstein's Puppy Blog

Merry Christmas and Good Bye!!!

2009-12-25T15:34:00.001-08:00

My little one and I have been through so many things this year. Potty training, car sickness, poop tornados, surgery, intestinal worms, rose bush lacerations, learning tricks, taking baths, chasing ping pong balls, playing at dog parks, but most importantly of all, he's grown into a super handsome, sometimes annoyingly hyper, but amazing dog. I couldn't be a prouder mommy. I'm ending this year with an end to this blog and Einstein and I both wish everyone a wonderful new year.

Bye everyone, thanks for reading.

---

A year and two days ago...

Jingle Bell Jingle Bell Jingle Bell Rock

2009-12-24T14:21:00.000-08:00

Shhhh... I think I hear Santa Paws!

Mama, is it time to open presents now? WHAT?! Tomorrow? That's like a billion days away!

Santa Paws Wishes You Happy Holidays!!!

2009-12-23T21:20:00.000-08:00

Ru-dog, the red nosed reindog... had a very shiny nose!!!

Oh, it goes on my head?

Mommy, is it present time yet? TWO MORE DAYS?! But why??? :(

Happy Holidays, everybody! Please send lots of bully sticks and puppy treats. Thanks!!!

Disneyland Without Me?!

2009-12-20T08:39:00.000-08:00

I can't believe mommy's going to Disneyland without me!!!

I'll show YOU, Mickey!!!

It's MY small small world!

Stop laughing at me!

I'm gonna bite your nose off!!! Stupid Disneyland...

Oh, Hi Mommy! I was just giving Mickey kisses...

*sigh* Can't you take me with you?

Baby, Are You Cold?

2009-12-18T22:17:00.000-08:00

Einstein's been playing peekaboo a lot lately :)

Einstein's Typical Day

2009-12-10T21:02:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh... What to do today?

Nothing like a bit of fiber to start off the day...

And then go back inside to take a nap with grandma... That's the life.

Einstein's New Love: Frisbee!

2009-12-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

Bits and Pieces

2009-11-24T23:41:00.001-08:00

Einstein @ 3 months

Einstein @ 13 months

still cute as ever. sutures removed! :)

Recovery Day 10

2009-11-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

Einstein was a rebel, chewing off his sutures two days ago. I've had to improvise by bandaging and taping his wound closed for the last two days. Fortunately, that went very well, and the wound continued to close and heal. Day 10 is supposed to be the day he could have his sutures removed, but due to the mischievous nature of my little devil, I've decided to keep the last suture in until day 14.

Recovery Day 8

2009-11-16T08:52:00.001-08:00

Recovery Day 5

2009-11-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

Einstein vs. Rose Bushes

2009-11-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

Meet the cousins:

Paco: Old dog. Very old dog. Very very old dog. My brother-in-law and I like to refer to him as Einstein's evil twin because they have almost exactly the same color patterns, except Paco is black and white, and has this evil Dracula widow's peak going on.

Bambi: Hater of all men, lover of the Lee sisters. She's vivacious and timid, but loves to play rough with dogs. Especially her new best friend, Einstein!

I was doggy sitting on Friday. At first, I brought Einstein over to my sister and brother-in-law's house while she was at school and he was at work. Unfortunately, neither the garage or house doors were open, so I sat in the freezing cold on a little camping chair in their backyard until the sun started setting. Since Einstein and Bambi seemed to be having such a good time, I decided to bring all three dogs to my parent's house to play. It was dark. Very dark. Bambi and Einstein love running around the backyard, and unfortunately we have lots of extremely thorny rose bushes in the backyard. Bambi took a turn, and Einstein ran straight through the rose bushes, lacerating his right hind leg. He had to go to the emergency veterinarian who cut off some skin on both sides of the laceration in order to expose clean, healthy tissue to stitch back together with 5 stitches. Einstein had antibiotic injections, and we took home antibiotics and pain medication. His daddy cried like a 5 year old girl while I remained super super brave.

Einstein, morning after vet visit:

Einstein, day 3 of recovery. Mommy cleaned off the area pretty nicely!

My poor little boy's still recovering, but is doing very well :)

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

Einstein Missed Us...

2009-09-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

Mommy went on a 6 day vacation to New Orleans while Stein's auntie Tia puppy sat... Einstein wondered why his mommy deserted him...

Mommy told him that there are many alligators in New Orleans, and she didn't want him to get hurt, so Einstein pretended to be a dinosaur and told his mommy that dinosaurs can eat alligators.

Food Hog!!!

2009-08-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

I love that Einstein always takes naps when we come back from the dog park because it gives me time to cook and update my food blog (http://www.tinkerwithfood.blogspot.com/).

However, when I have to cross the bedroom to get to my balcony for the food photoshoots, Einstein always wakes up, follows me out, and ruins my shots.

Are they for me, mommy?

Mommy, I can haz nektreens?

OoOoh, that looks nommy!

Cheeeeeeeeez! Now gimme.

Beautiful Weekend in San Diego

2009-08-10T21:33:00.001-07:00

Beautiful warm day at the Del Mar race track

Fun in the sun at the dog park

Post-bath sun bathing

The cutest tail on earth :)

Little Booboos

2009-08-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

My little Stein has been quite a tomboy lately. His daily trips to the dog park consists of puppy wrestling matches that end up in scratch marks and little bites on his legs and tummy, but to top it all off, I took him to the dog park last week and he got a bit too excited and jumped out my car window while I was trying to find a parking spot. Thank GOD it was in a parking lot with no oncoming cars, but Einstein now has a cut on his left front paw, a scrape on his right front paw, and a rather large scrape on his chin... if dogs even have chins... It breaks my heart to see his little injuries, but he didn't limp at all after he jumped out of the car.

On a happier note, my little buttercup has been such a darling boy lately. He seems to always have a smile on his face, and he loves to snuggle with me while watching TV.

Einstein & Friends

2009-07-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

Einstein & Beckham

Shayla playing with the sprinklers :)

Bella, Queen of the Table

Shayla. Wet, and homeward bound.

Little Bella & Einstein

Ariel!!! :)

Einstein & Friends

2009-07-21T21:31:00.001-07:00

I've been taking Einstein to the dog park everyday for several weeks now so he comprehends the meaning of "dog park" and beelines for the door when the magic words are spoken. Since he's always so excited to go play with his friends, I let Einstein walk down the stairs off-leash and he'll go from the stairs directly to the garage and prance back and forth from me to my car until I open the car door for him.

Once we arrive at the park, Einstein will stay by my side off-leash until we're inside the confines of the dog park. Then... it's puppy sensory overload for the next couple hours. Unfortunately, it was a very warm day today, so little boogerface wouldn't play fetch with me. He just left me to roast in the sun while he hogged up all 1 square foot of shade there was at the park today.

I finally remembered to bring my camera to the dog park today!!! :) Enjoy.

Einstein playing with Mocha

Jack Russell v Doberman

Hoverdog

Fetching :)

Hovering again... :)

Z0MG!!! She has NOM NOMS!!! Let's go!

Einstein, the flying dog... and Milo :)

Milo chasing Einstein

It was too hot to play fetch today, so Milo and Einstein played keep away with the Chuck-it thrower

Einstein being sneaky

Tug-o-war!!!

Victory is MINE!

I'm just gonna hide behind this tree with my Chuck-it...

Sick Puppers...

2009-07-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

Wash me mommy, I'm a dirty dog!!!

Einstein wasn't having a good day last Thursday. Thank goodness I didn't feel like crating him before I left for work that day because when I got home, Einstein had streaks of blood in his diarrhea as well as vomit. I couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with him, but I had a suspicion that it might have been the twig that he kept trying to chomp on at the dog park on Wednesday.

Einstein had vomited another 4 times in the next two hours with progressively more bright red blood, and his diarrhea went from brown with red streaks to bright red. I quickly took him to the veterinary emergency room and the staff had a panel of tests done as well as a plethora of injections. Einstein was negative on parvo virus and his xrays were fine. They then injected subcutaneous fluids under the neck, gave him an anti-vomiting injection and medication for diarrhea.

Miraculously, Einstein is now back to 100% capacity. I'm still unsure what caused the sudden vomiting and diarrhea, but extremely relieved and happy that my little boy is a little terrorizer again. :)

New Trick: "Bye-Bye"

2009-07-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

Lately, my little booger's training has been an arduous task to say the least. I'm inculcating crate training and really establishing my place as his alpha-human, but also disciplining myself to set a routine for Einstein so that he can learn doggy social skills and get a healthy amount of exercise at the dog park. I've seen a piecemeal metamorphosis week by week and have noticed that my little boy has been a much happier and calm puppy. *tear*

I love him :)

Victory #1 (Hopefully More to Come)

2009-07-07T12:07:00.001-07:00

My precious little rascal successfully spent 9 hours in his crate without peeing or pooing yesterday! I'm such a proud mommy!!! So proud that I'm speechless. Bye!

Utter Crate Training Failure...

2009-07-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

I'm unrelentingly determined to crate train Einstein... Come shit storms and urine soaked dog, I am adamant on successfully getting Einstein to stay in his crate while I'm at work. DE-FREAKIN-TERMINED.

On Tuesday, I crated Einstein before leaving for work, came home for lunch to check up on him and take him potty in case he couldnt last a whole day. Upon my homecoming after work, Einstein had only tinkled a little bit in his crate... Alright, no problem, this is an easy fix, I tell myself, and throw his crate lining into the wash. Tomorrow, I'll just give him a little less water before work.

Come Wednesday, with a pinch of bravado and optimism pervading the air, I decided to let him try a full workday in his crate. Yes, I imagined the 'surprises' that Einstein might leave me while I was churning out my work throughout the day, but I was sure he would be fine from the times that he stayed in his pen all day without going potty all day. 3pm rolled by quite quickly and I drove home with a smug smile on my face, convinced that Einstein was an angel in his crate all day.

I walked in the door, and this acrid smell slapped me in the face. It's okay, it's probably just a little piece of poop, hopefully he hasn't stepped in it yet. I gaped around the corner, stepped into his sight... then rubbernecked further to see what kind of present my little boy left me.

Crushed and completely dumbfounded, I found a crate full of vomit, diarrhea, and urine. As a final 'up yours,' Einstein had stepped all over it, blended it into a homogenous trinity, layed in it, scratched his ears... need I go on? Game plan. Game plan. What to do? Where to start?

I couldn't open the crate door because all four paws were soaked in bodily waste [Imagine mud wrestling, except instead of beautiful women, a tiny Jack Russell soaked in poop/vomit/urine]. Instead, I picked up the crate and set it in the bathtub, put on two latex gloves on each hand, grabbed a roll of paper towels, and tackled my little pet-owning bete noire. Slightly indignant, but still tinged with optimistic humor, I asked my little one what he got himself into as I washed him off, then reassured him that I am still completely in love with him.

Needless to say, I didn't have too much fun cleaning up, but his accidents have not shot me down. It is now Thursday, and guess where Einstein is? Good luck today, buddy!!! Mommy loves you. Just keep the surprises inside your body until I get home, k?

---

On a happier note, meet my neighbor, Mommy Sarah, and her little Jack, Roscoe. Baby Rossie is from the same breeder as Einstein!!! What a small world! :) Daddy Richard is not pictured cuz I caught Sarah and Roscoe when stopping by home during lunch. CONGRATS to the new parents :)!!!

New Buddies

2009-06-28T17:47:00.001-07:00

c'mon lei, lets go play tugga war

grrrrrrr!

heeeey, come back here!

tired puppies

emo puppies

Late Night Visitors...

2009-06-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

hi everybody! meet my friend leila!

hey stein, where you goin? your mommy's taking a picture of us!

lets play copy dog!

fiiiiiiiiight!

take thaaaaaaat!

*sigh* boys dont share well...

case study #1: boys are bad at sharing

case study #2: boys are still bad at sharing...

case study #3: still bad...

stein: "oookay leila, i share with you..."

leila: " i guess boys aren't that bad after all!"

stein: "psyyyyyyyyyyych!"
leila: "please document case study #4: stein's a bully"

---

I was amidst a sweet dream in my comfy bed on Thursday night when Einstein was startled awake by Jose the Lemur-Man Alvarez entering my home at 3am. A few whimpers and then a few barks graduated to Einstein's frantic pawing and sniffing at the door jam requited by the presence on the opposite side of the door. Having been expecting a late night arrival, I reluctantly pry myself from my snuggly bed and open the door...

Out of no where jumps this effervescent 6 month old Boston Terrier, Leila, springing towards my hips. Einstein's initial shock turned into utter delight and the two started chasing each other around the livingroom, as if nothing (and no one) else in the world existed-- wrestling all over my shoes, stomping on Jose's friend's faces, and dashing around the pen and under the coffee table. After 15 minutes had elapsed, Leila sought shelter underneath the coffee table, but being Einstein's home turf, Einstein continued to pounce on Leila as his little cropped tail mimicked a metronome gone haywire.

I had to step in, separate, and disengage my little guy from Leila and go back to my room, but stubborn little guy refused to give up his fun without a fight. He jumped on and off the bed to signal his want to go outside and play but I (being the alpha female that I am) put my foot down and crated Einstein so he would stop walking all over me (haaahaaa... sorry). Still refusing to throw in the towel, Stein whimpered and whined alllll night, but guess what, Stein? MOMMY HAD EAR PLUGS AND COULDN'T HEAR A THING!!! SUCKAAAAA!!! How's your throat feelin' today, baby? ;)

Fun with Fisheye :)

2009-06-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

Now that it's just little Stein and mommy, I've started saving a few bucks here and there buying groceries for one. My newest investments for my Nikon D80 is an attachable softbox for my external flash, a flash diffuser, an aspherical lens, and a fisheye converter. Oh, the fun!!! It's like being a kid in a candy shop, except you order the candy online and it gets shipped to you by the friendly men wearing brown.

My biggest challenge is always my first subject. Little Stein is always on the move, so to shoot him in an indoor light has proven to be quite difficult for the very green amateur that I am. On lucky days, I get maybe 10 acceptable shots out of 100. I'm always hesitant to shoot him outdoors because Stein's continuously buzzing mind often sends him bolting at the slightest novel sound, be it a skateboard, a car exhaust, or cans clanking together in grocery bags. His affinity for any and every living and breathing creature also makes me dread chasing him down the parking lot while lugging a camera... One of these days I will make it to an enclosed dog park and get some action shots... one of these days. Until that day comes, you can stare at my lovely green couch!

gimme that... mr.fuzzfuzz is mine, not yours!

hmmm... let's explore that thought, shall we?

this is what i think of your thought.

sorry, freudian slip...

mr.fuzzfuzz, how abouts we play a came called "i eat you"

stay away from my fuzzfuzz...

i saaaid, stay away or the fuzzy gets it!

take thaaaaaaaaaaaat, stupid camera! now get outta my face.

What's This Fisheye Business?

2009-06-23T19:34:00.001-07:00

*sniff sniff*

mommy, you got a wet nose print on your lens... and it waaasn't from me...

I got my fisheye converter and a 28-80mm aspherical lens today. naturally, einstein was my first subject, and a very handsome one at that. Enjoy! More to come when I'm less tired.

Fashion Faux Pas or Fashion Fo' Paws?

2009-06-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

fashion faux pas? or fashion fo' paws? you decide. ;)

i'm ready for my close-up, mommy demille.

i call this one blue steel.

enjoying the san diego sun and breeze

ladies and gentledogs, einstein is in the house.

what? why you staring at me like that? ooooooh!!!

einstein's exposure to asian culture: take off shoes upon entering the house.

Mama's Boy...

2009-06-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

daddy, what are those suitcases for? you can't leave this face...

Evan has moved up to the San Francisco Bay Area to pursue a career at a start-up company, so Einstein and I are on our own in San Diego for the next few months until I can find a job up north, or decide to stay in San Diego.

As for being a single mother, I can now understand on a very molecular level how difficult it is to parent a child alone. Evan and I used to stagger our work schedules so that he leaves for work around 10am and I get home around 3:30pm. That only left Einstein alone for 5.5 hours a day. Now with an extra couple hours of alone time tacked on, Einstein always finds mischievous things to do that would surprise me when I return home. His favorite "look what I did, mommy" trick is ripping apart his pee pads so that they look like a nice julienne of green and white fettucine with streaks of fecal sauce that's from time to time basting in a nice urine soup.

We used to take turns splitting Einstein tasks, but now, like clockwork, Einstein wakes me up by stomping on my face at 5:30 in the morning. You'd think I've learned after the first 50 times, but I still take Einstein potty off-leash in the mornings because I think no one else is crazy enough to wake up at 5:30. Sure enough, Einstein always runs through the little conveniently shaved pathway in the bush to greet another dog/kid/maintenance worker/garbage truck... etc which then results in me chasing him for 5-10 minutes because Einstein thinks it's a game of tag.

During his walks, or rather, during MY walks, Einstein drags me for about an hour or so, and by the time we get home, he's warmed up for his REAL exercise, and I'm ready to fall asleep. Luckily, I always manage to distract him with a bully stick in bed so he'll nibble on it until he falls asleep, then he somehow manages to attach himself to my body for the rest of the night as if he were a magnet and my big... buff... muscles were steel. HAH.

Hatter Time!

2009-06-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

i'm too sexy for my hat... too sexy for my hat... what comes after thaaat?

mommy, it's so cold at night without your snuggles. can i sleep in the bed with you?

hey! what happened to the lights?

hello?

ok, enough. take it off ma...

Mommy & Baby Boy :)

2009-05-28T19:27:00.001-07:00

kisses for mommy?

my favorite little man :)

Einstein and Jag ;)

2009-05-22T21:29:00.001-07:00

MOMMYYYYYYYYY!!!

rawrawrawr...

hey buddy, i'm a boy.

My Little Love Bug

2009-05-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

what is this pink thing?

is it nommable?

smells nommable...

i help encourage daddy to get mommy flowers by eating my greens.

stopping to smell the tulips

ooooooohmmmm....

sunbathing on the stairway

being alert

*lick*

*lick*

what's that?!

ruuuuun, its godzillaaaaa!!!

Einstein's New Swag

2009-05-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

Stiggs is getting little puppy accessories from grandma now ;). This is what I call business casual.

4 Months Ago...

2009-05-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

my little peanut was a 4lb pup pup.

Too cute for words...

2009-05-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

Mummy, will you peez trow the balls?

Babushka pup. The cutest little granny in the whole underworld :)

Picture Time!

2009-04-28T21:28:00.001-07:00

Incessant coughing from 3am til 5am made me leave home at 5:30am for work because I didn't want to wake Stein up. Unfortunately I couldn't make it through the day at work either, and didn't want to get anyone sick, so I came home, finished up my work, and took a couple naps in between some hardcore TV watching while little Stein napped on my tummy. Einstein kept pawing at the patio door to go outside since it was warm and sunny, and being the loving mommy that I am, I spread his little organic blankie on the patio and took pictures while he sunbathed. He's getting so handsome :)!

My neighbor Stephanie and her Australian Shepherd, Copper, came by later in the afternoon and asked if Einstein was free to play. After an hour or so of roughing, wrestling, and chasing each other around, Einstein is now knocked out on the back of my legs while I'm lying down and putting an end to my day.

sunbathing on the patio while mommy was sick.

enjoying the warm sun

loving his bully stick as usual

rawr rawr nom nom nom

playing with his blue weiner dog in his "captain awesome" sweater ;)

plllllfffftttt...

nibbling weiner dog's ear

blanket hog!!!!!!!!

happy... tuesday? i think... good night!

Einstein, Say CHEESE!

2009-04-26T12:20:00.001-07:00

good cheese!

Einstein the 110001010101000100110 Coder

2009-04-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

Daddy, no more types, more plays. KThxBye!

You says you takes me for the morning walks. Nothing bout not at 4am.

Weekend in LA

2009-04-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

Ev and I spent the past weekend in LA. Because the weather was so hot and dry there, we decided to give Einstein some swimming lessons! Stein had this nervous expression on his face when we held him over the pool and started dog paddling in the air. When it was time to move up to the next lesson, Ev held Stein while in the pool and Einstein seemed a bit more okay with it. Once his paws hit the water and the rest of his body started submerging in the pool, Einstein's face turned to a terrified frantic expression and he started paddling towards the edge of the pool. I think Einstein appreciated the cooling-off factor the water had, but probably not the actual swimming part. He'd immediately jump out of the pool and onto my recliner and dry himself on my tummy, swimsuit, towel, face, leg, what-have-you, then sprawl out next to me (hogging my recliner) and sunbathe like a happy puppy.

When we returned to San Diego, Einstein was so exhausted from a weekend filled with play that he just layed quietly in his bed and took a nap. I wish he was like this every weekday.

Stein napping with daddy in the mornings

Being silly and playing under his bed cushion...

We've started feeding Einstein twice a day instead of three times now that he's 6 months old. Unfortunately, since we do not come home during the middle of the day, Einstein has been chomping away at his pee pad. I had a proud moment yesterday when I got home from work, Einstein didn't pee at all during the day. He waited until I got home, then when I took him to his potty outside, he squatted for a good 45 seconds to a minute... Thats a lot of pee for a little pup pup!!! *sigh* Milestone achieved! :)

Endless Energy

2009-04-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

Mommy and daddy went to a Padres v. Giants baseball game yesterday so Einstein spent the majority of the afternoon by himself. When mommy and daddy returned home, daddy decided to take Einstein with him on his three mile run. Mommy, being the culinary star she is, decided to stay home and stir up a scrumptious asian fusion dinner consisting of a tamarind-coconut milk based catfish soup, and pad thai. Mommy was finalizing the prep work for dinner when she heard a knock on the door. To her surprise, it was her boys. The big boy was drenched in sweat and catching his breath, and the baby boy was running laps around the living room, jumping on the couch, chasing his ping-pong ball, and playing with his toys.

Surprised? Noooooooope. That's our little future marathon runner!

Einstein Videos

2009-04-06T21:58:00.000-07:00

Yaye! I finally uploaded some videos to YouTube. Enjoy!!!

Mr.Donut Head :)

2009-03-29T13:11:00.001-07:00

Einstein's pretty damned flexible! The cone wasn't helping much with keeping him away from his surgical site and it seemed to make him very frustrated, so I took a trip over to Petco to see if there was anything I could do to make him a little more comfortable (and adorable). At first, I was contemplating little puppy diapers so that he it would cover his incision area, but the helpful lady at Petco told me that the diapers would probably rub his suture site and agitate the skin if he were to pee in the diaper and I didn't change it and clean it right away. She then showed me over to a cone substitute-- the inflatable collar! Basically, it looks like a pool floatie/donut that has a velcro band for securing the inflatable collar on the neck. This would be much more comfortable than the stiff plastic cone and wouldnt dig into his neck and cause irritation. The added thickness around Stein's neck will prevent him from being able to lick or bite his incision site and hopefully speed up the healing process since he can't irritate the area. I couldn't help but to pick up a couple *ahem* 8 *ahem* sweaters for my little boy while I was there, and I also got some antiseptic spray to help with the healing of his manhood (or lack thereof) area. And of course, what is a post without pictures? ;)

What the heck is this?!

Maaaa... Why do you do this to me?

GET THIS FLOATY DEVICE OFF ME!!!!!!!!!!

Jack Russell Terrorizer Capacity: |-----------------------+---| 87.4%

2009-03-28T18:26:00.001-07:00

hello? anyone there? hey! what's goin' on over there? hello?

Steinberger's wearing the featured couture Elizbethan collar specially designed for male puppies with no peanuts.

*siiiiiigh* cant even sleep right with this stupid thing...

mommy, how long do i have to wear this?!

if I look super adorable, will you take this cone off?

Einstein doesn't seem to realize his little peanuts are gone. He's been jumping up and down on the couch and bed against mommy's orders and he loves to follow me with sheer delight when I'm in the kitchen slaving over his organic meal of chicken, brown rice, and broccoli. He's recovering very well! I must say, if I were Einstein, I would feel completely violated! The vet shaved a patch of fur off his arm, poked needles in him, knocked him out, cut out his little balls, expressed his anal glands, extracted his fractured tooth, stitched up his gums, stitched two layers of tissue and glued up his peepee area with surgical glue where they made the incision! Instead, Stein is chompin' away at his pink weiner dog squeaky toy that I gave him for Valentines Day and flinging it around like a wild beast. I cant believe he still loves me after all the things I paid to have done to him. Hold on, he just jumped on me and looked at the screen... I think Einstein wants to say something:

edcfxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx;pk,/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////fcdxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I think that translates to "Hi Everybody! Thanks for reading!"

Okay, he has that puppy face thing going on like he wants to cuddle. More updates later :)

Einstein's Getting Neutered Today!!!

2009-03-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

As excited as I was that little Stein is getting neutered today, I can't help but to be in a bit of a somber mood today. I woke up at 6:30 to get ready to take my little guy to the vet hospital by 7:30, and everytime I looked at him, I wanted to hold him, kiss him, and rub his belly. When we arrived at the vet hospital, Einstein was such a brave little boy. He sat quietly and showed off his tricks to the vet techs, then gave me big puppy kisses before going back with the tech.

The vet told me that I'd be able to visit him after his surgery today, and we could pick him up tomorrow morning after 9am. Guess who's going to be at the door at 8:59? Me. I miss him already...

Good luck during surgery little buddy!!!

---

I just got a call from the vet-- Steiny's surgery went very well and he's recovering nicely. Dr.Bowman said we could bring him home tonight because he's so calm and quiet, so I'm going to pick him up at 5pm. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIM!!! :) I'm so so so so so excited to see my little boy with a cone on his head!

Sleepy Fridays

2009-03-20T08:30:00.001-07:00

I wanna be doing this at home right about now. It's a cold foggy Friday here in San Diego...

Steinberger's New Cuddle Buddy

2009-03-18T12:03:00.000-07:00

I got Einstein a little lavender scented cuddle buddy yesterday... Supposedly the smell of lavender calms humans (not sure about puppies, but I'm hoping for the same effect). The cuddle buddy is shaped as a dog curled up taking a nap. I was so excited to give it to little Stein and was hoping to put it in his crate at night to keep him warm. When I took it out of my bag, Einstein was instantly stuck to it like glue *chomp chomp chomp drag drag chom chomp chomp*. I was thinking to myself hmmmm, maybe I should just give it to him when he's going to bed at night because he might tear toy up if I give it to him now. I snagged the cuddle buddy away from him and set it on the kitchen counter and Einstein was so devastated! He started jumping up and down trying to reach his cuddle buddy and would get a little bit of the cuddle buddy's fur in his mouth each time and drag it down inch by inch. It was the cutest thing in the world! When I'd push the cuddle buddy back on the counter, he just stared and whimpered and started jumping up and down to retrieve it. I think Evan took a video which I'll have to upload and post soon :).

Lucky little boy also got to sleep in my bed last night. He's so adorable when he's tired because he'll just plop down on the bed and go straight to sleep. Every now and then in the middle of the night, he'll come to my face and lick me or try to get under the sheets to cuddle with me, but once he's in position, he just plops down on his side with his legs straight and just konks out... He's even entertaining when he sleeps! :)

Happy 5 Month Birthday!!!

2009-03-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

I took Einstein to the vet to get some pre-op bloodwork. I was really looking forward to having him neutered this week! Unfortunately, the vet wants us to wait another two weeks until his fractured canine comes loose...

Einstein and I just got home from a brisk walk around the neighborhood. He's made a little crawl space between the ottoman and the couch so that he fits through snugly and doesn't have to go around the ottoman to get to the other side of the couch. It also acts as a great fortress for his squeaky toy stash. What a smart little puppy!

He has his tennis ball in his mouth and is barking and staring towards the bedroom because I have the patio door open in the bedroom and he can hear the garage and car doors opening outside. I watch carefully as the elusive North American spotted belly Jack Russell Terror sneakily approaches the bedroom door. As he hunches low to the ground and carefully plots his sneak attack on the "intruders" in the bedroom, he peeks around the corner and ducks back into the living room... sneaks another peek and slowly springs back, then POOOOOUNCE! BARK!!! I can hear him prancing around in total confusion as he realizes nothing's there... aaaaand now he's back in the living room running laps around the ottman and wedging between the couch and the bookshelf to dig out his tennis ball. Who needs cable when you have a Jack?!

sunbathing on the patio

saying hi to mommy :)

stealing the bed

Einstein makes bed conquering look sooo adorable.

Mommy Playing with Camera, Einstein Playing Supermodel...

2009-03-12T22:42:00.000-07:00

I can't seem to get my camera settings right... My pictures always look fine from the camera, but come out dark on my computer... :(

einstein's little paw paws and nosie

little paws

cute little nose and tongue

not a care in the world

chomp chomp chompitty chomp

chew chewwww

mommy! zhe bully shtick ish shtuck on mah teefs

relaxing in the early evening

i can has treat?

get thith thweater oth me!

i wub woo!!!

Einstein @ 4.5 Months

2009-03-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

Time flies! Einstein has been a part of our lives for almost 3 months now. Not only have Ev and I enjoyed Einstein's cute face and vibrant energy, we've also learned a lot of patience, compassion, joy, frustration, worry, and... insomnia.

As I'm relaxing after our long walk at the park, Einstein's still releasing pent up energy on his bully stick. He somehow got it stuck in between the cushions of the couch, so he's frenziedly pawing at the leather cushions trying to reunite with his favorite chew toy.

Einstein has lost all his top incisors, four of his bottom incisors, and his chipped bottom left canine finally came out last week. Ev and I are waiting for his other canines to loosen before we schedule his neuter in case his teeth need to be extracted. I don't know how much longer I can wait for those teeth because Einstein's starting to get a liiiiiittle philanderish. Ev and I took Einstein to Dog Beach with his god-mommy Jen, and OH MY GOODNESS, the little guy tried to mount and hump a poor little white Malti-Poo!!! I mean... yaye for spreading his champion line genetics and all, but at least obtain consent from the lady first, little Casanova!

During the past two weeks, Ev and I have really come to realize how much we love and care for our little monster. Two weeks ago, we brought Einstein to Petco for his last set of vaccinations and his rabies shot. Einstein got a wee bit car-sick and threw up right outside the door at Petco. To our horror, we spotted three or four 3-6 inch roundworms writhing in his vomit. I thought this was some kind of sick sci-fi alien trick that Einstein was trying to pull on me, but I guess he's not thaaaaaat slick yet. They literally looked like little hypnotic dancing angel hair pasta segments. We had the veterinarian take a look at the worms that I picked up and the vet decided we should hold off on his last set of vaccines for a week and deworm the poor puppy instead. After deworming, puppies will start excreting dead worms through their feces and boy was that an adventure in itself to clean up! I'd smear his poo everytime I cleaned up to make sure there were no more worms left. Yuuuuuuuuuck! Thank goodness for my lack of a gag reflex. Einstein is now fully recovered after his follow-up deworming this past weekend, and we put him on Sentinel to prevent any future parasitic worms. I have to admit I cried a little when I found out he had worms. It's almost like being a parent (I can only imagine how difficult that would be).

Einstein still wakes us up like clockwork every night. 4:30am seems to be his time of choice to go potty, and 6am is his time of choice to whimper just for the sake of whimpering. We've gotten a bit more sleep lately-- not having to wake up 4-5 times a night to take him potty, but we're still very tired humans. At least Einstein will enter his crate without us having to throw him in every night!!! That's progress!

Through it all, Einstein brings us more laughs and joy than anything. During his walk this evening, Einstein was so focused on me telling him "good walk, Einstein" that he ran into a pole! He's also made a really good doggy friend, Copper, one of our neighbors' Australian Shepard. Everytime they see each other, they start darting around and chasing each other until they (or their humans) are tired. Einstein's finally met a dog with matching energy levels! Anyhoot, I think it's time to play fetch. I just got a squeaky toy dropped in my lap. Toodles!

einstein's back teeth are growing in, so he chews on his bully stick all day!

einstein's winter coat for the cold days ;)

*yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn*

einstein loves sitting in daddy's lap

Dog Beach

2009-03-05T08:56:00.000-08:00

This is Einstein's first time at Dog Beach. He had a few moments when he was chasing down Great Danes 20 times his size, and other moments when he darted away from little Norfolk Terriers. Can't wait to go again this weekend!!!

Mardi Gras Puppy

2009-03-04T15:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome Home Leila!!!

2009-03-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

I'd like to introduce little Leila Alvarez and her napping lemur, Jose. Lei was welcomed to her new home in Palo Alto, CA on Saturday afternoon after a long 3 hour drive.

During the drive, she showed off her parrot impression with Mee-Sun.

... and practiced the puppy face that will later prove to get her anything her heart desires.

When Lei finally got home, I arrived with a closet full of sweaters for the baby girl... and maybe a dress too...

This is Lei's first runway show. She's wearing an 80's inspired Dog101 dress along with her au naturale white mittens.

"There's a big green monster behind me isn't there..."

Daddy saved Leila from the big green monster. *Whew*

WELCOME HOME LEILA!

Sweaters are a Dog's Best Friend!!!

2009-02-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

My puppy's gotta be stylish ;).

Einstein's a bit over 4 months old now, weighing in at a whopping 7lbs. He's doubled in size since the day we picked him up at the kennel!!! I'm so proud of how smart he is! Einstein's kinda-sorta hitting the early stages of puberty and his baby teeth are starting to come out, slowly being replaced by his big boy teeth. He also has this romantic thing for hairy man-legs. Teehehehehehe... He's started randomly going NUTS and sprinting circles around the house with a squeaky toy in his mouth... the loudest squeaky toy he has... I'm a bit thankful for his sudden spurts of energy because I know I can count on them to tire him out. Like for instance, Einstein has been squeaking the life out of his MooMoo for the past 25 minutes and running around like a caffeine-hooked squirrel, and now he's finally lying next to me and taking a nap, patiently waiting for Daddy to come home and rile him up again.

As for his neutering, we're currently waiting on his canines to come loose before we get his little family jewels snipped. That way, if he has any complications with his teeth coming out, we can have them pulled the same time he's getting his manhood removed and not worry about having to put him out again.

Einstein has also learned a few more tricks: "spin", "get your leash", and "roll-over"

Anyway, more pictures!!!

Playing with MooMoo in my new hoodie

Modeling my hoodie

I learned this pose from the red carpet

It ain't easy bein' a supermodel...

NEEEEEENER NEENER!!!

I smell NOM NOMS!!!

Yeah, read the shirt. Small Feisty & Handsome. That's me!

I, Judy Lee, do solemnly swear that I may or may not be slightly obsessed with my puppy.

2009-02-23T17:22:00.000-08:00

a little spoiled brat got some new clothes today since he outgrew all his old sweaters!!!

sporting his new sweater...

totally fits the description. "small feisty & handsome"

this is einstein playing with his food when he's not hungry anymore, but there's still food leftover in his bowl ;)

and this is einstein digging at chris's sleeping bag with chris suffocating underneath. rescue dog in training!!!

Einstein @ 3.5 Months

2009-02-15T11:49:00.001-08:00

rawrawrawr...

looking adorable :)

hi mommy, can i come out and play now?

mmmmmmm... yummy!

cow ear! yummm...

Sniiiip Sniiiiiiip...

2009-02-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

I'm madly in love with my little Einstein. He's been the biggest joy (and challenge) for the past 2 months. Soon, we're marking the next milestone of his life-- getting neutered! :) He probably doesn't think it's a milestone, but hey... anything that'll calm him down a little is a milestone in my eyes.

I made the veterinary appointment for next week as a consultation and pre-op exam, and hopefully his little dingalings have descended enough to get snipped! :) What I look forward to the most is Einstein on anesthetics, though somehow I think he's going to need some horse tranquilizers to knock all the energy out of him!

What The... 5.6lb Ball of Terror

2009-02-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

I don't know how it works in the dog world, but Einstein gained one whole pound in a week. Shoot, if I could put on a pound a week and still look as adorable as him, there would be world peace and all you can eat sweet potato fries available everywhere you turn.

Oh, and Einstein wet the bed this morning... and by "the bed," I mean my bed. That little piss rascal!!! Luckily I have the reflexes of a cat and immediately yanked off the sheets before it could soak in. I think it's time to consider the snipping of his family jewels before he starts marking up anymore of my territory...

Einstein's New Trick: Roll Over

2009-01-27T13:38:00.000-08:00

I've been using Einstein's food as training treats during lunch now. Yesterday, when I went home for lunch to make a video of his new "beg" trick, I also taught him roll over with the rest of his bowl of food! Einstein's now rolling over (and doing it so well). Finally, the little monster is starting to live up to his name!!!

Cuteness in a 4.6lb Body

2009-01-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

Talk to the paws, cuz this puppy's trying to sleep.

We had an appointment for his Canine Distemper shots yesterday and the clinician and told us that the shot would make him "a little groggy". Immediately, Ev and I heard the angels singing HAAALLELUJAH from the overcast skies. GROGGY YOU SAY? [insert cheesy smile here]. When we got home to rest up for puppy training class, Einstein cuddled up next to me and started dozing off with all four paws extended up towards the ceiling.

A couple hours later, we went to puppy training class. Einstein, with a few more tricks added to his repertoire, decided to show off for all the puppies and humans during class. His new trick, you ask? Beg/Sit Pretty. This one took a few sessions of training, but Einstein amazed us during class-- after practicing all morning with mommy-- by balancing all by himself!!!

Einstein's Tricks

2009-01-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

Here's a video of our little man doing his tricks... I must tell you though, shortly after recording this video, I went to throw something in the oven, and I caught Einstein stealing his treat bag from the table, and somehow he got all is treats out of the bag and ate all of what was left of his treats (not much)... That smart little nerd-muffin... Takes after his mommy and daddy ;)

Picture Time!!!

2009-01-19T20:11:00.000-08:00

curious puppy

mid-shake

playing with his ball

posing for a snapshot

chasing balls through his new tunnel (thankyou uncle paul & aunt daphne!!!)

teehehehehehehe...

einstein likes fuzz ;)

looking adorable

dragging his tunnel

being crazy

just a nibble of the tunnel

what thunnel, mommy? not thewing on a thunnel!!

gorgeous little monster

nom nom nom... einstein's favorite cow ear

that's a good sit stein stein!

stay!

my little boy

bully stick!!!

finally tired!!!

Happy 3 Month Birthday!!!

2009-01-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

Today marks the third month since Einstein was born on October 16, 08. Since Ev and I are leaving for NorCal today, my friend and colleague, Holly, came and picked up Einstein last night to puppy-sit for the weekend. It's so different without Einstein around at night... Evan went to Einstein's pen and pet the invisible puppy. He won't admit it, but I noticed his eyes were a little red last night-- possibly from crying an ocean of tears after waving bye-bye to his little monster-- and he kept asking every 5-10 minutes if I missed Einstein.

Holly and her sister Sarah are heading over to the OC for the weekend to be with their family whom have 2 dogs :)!!! I trust that Einstein is in the best care and will HOPEFULLY make a couple canine friends. That's if he doesn't scare them away with his constant jumping and acting out his dreams of being the world's first puppy-weight UFC champion of the world*!

Einstein's idol, Dogcho Libre.

*these comments are not endorsed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization

Eyes on the Prize!!!

2009-01-15T14:45:00.000-08:00

I went home during lunch to feed the little bugger and take him for a walk earlier, and I've noticed that Einstein always gets super excited towards the end of his walks. Why? Because towards the end of his lunch route that I take him on, there are pine trees and sweet gum trees hovering over a section of sidewalk. And since it's wintertime, the pine cones and spikey gum tree balls fall on the ground... and what does that mean for Einstein? A PRIZE FOR HIS WALK!!!

Today, he caught a glimpse of this pine cone about the size of his head when we were almost done with our walk. He immediately tries to dash towards the pine cone, but being the pack leader that I am, I let him run in place while putting tension on the leash as I slowly walk the usual route. Finally, when at gnawing distance, Einstein pounces on the pine cone and wraps his little jaw around it, then proceeds to finish his walk with a huge pine cone in his mouth. Walking next to a little 4lb puppy with a pine cone the size of his head jammed into his mouth has got to be one of the most adorable things I've seen. He acts as if nothing else in the world matters. Just him, his human, and his big pine cone... prance prance ... trot trot... happy happy joy joy.

When we finish his walks, I always take him over to the grass where he lies down in the sun and examines his new found treasure and completely ignores my "Einstein, go potty!" command.

Oh the life... :)

I Wonder What He Dreams About

2009-01-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

This one has "I'm rolling around in a pool of spaghetti" written all over it.

Another proud moment for me-- Einstein learned "down" in less than a day! He now sits and lays down :). I have a video of him doing tricks, but am unable to find the camera cords to transfer the video. Hopefully I'll get that up soon for your enjoyment!

Happy Hump Day!

Puppy Training Class #2

2009-01-12T15:18:00.001-08:00

Einstein and his Puppy Kong. I dont think he realizes there's a cookie inside he has to work for. He just likes to chew on random stuff. So much for mental stimulation, silly puppy!

We had our second puppy training class at Petco yesterday. The instructor brought in her very timid King Charles Spaniel whom Einstein probably made even more timid, and Einstein wrestled every puppy in the class (as to be expected from a little monster). He kept snatching onto the maltipoo's coat because it was so curly (Einstein has this fascination with fuzz, and will grip his jaws of life onto anything fuzzy or furry) and when the maltipoo would run, Einstein would be dragged along with a mouth full of her beautiful golden coat. I felt a couple sympathy pains for the maltipoo, but then she'd pin Einstein every now and then, so I guess it was a fair (play)fight.

The instructor commended us on how good Einstein was at sitting and staying, but what she didn't know was "sit" was the only trick he knew, so anytime we had anything he wanted in our hands, he'd sit without a command. He's associated "sit" with a treat, so now he just randomly dashes to our side and sits and stares at us with those cute little puppy eyes. For all I care, I could be telling him to make me a cup of coffee, and all he'd do is sit and stare at me.

We learned three new things: "leave it" which will come in very handy for when he attacks my stuffed animal puppy, "off" for when he's jumping on people or things, and "sit/stay" with gradual turning of the back from the trainer. The latter being the most impossible one because Stein has some serious separation anxiety.

Einstein, Sit!

2009-01-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

that's a good sit!!!

the cutest little monster of the underworld sits! :) we're such proud parents.

thweater mommy? what thweater? i don't have a thweater in my mouf?!

Hmmm...

2009-01-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

If I buy a treadmill and tie Einstein onto it when we leave for work... will he calm down by the time we get home??? :)

Einstein @ 11 Weeks

2009-01-08T20:22:00.001-08:00

cute little hind legs

adorable little ears

beautiful stature

tennis ball monster

nom nom nom...

come back here yooou!

rawr...

you tryin' to run from me?!

Einstein's New Sweater

2009-01-06T08:43:00.000-08:00

Damn hoomans.

I'm going to keep it short and sweet today.

Einstein now sits!!! But only if you taunt him with treats or his favorite toys. And despite that puppy face in the picture, he likes that sweater. I've just been very successful teaching him the pokerface that he's demonstrating above.

Happy Tuesday!

Einstein's First Puppy Training Class

2009-01-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Einstein had his first Puppy Training Class at Petco. I have to admit that the class wasn't as structured or organized as expected. There were three other puppies. Two of which I think are Malti-Poos (Ginger and Callie, both around 4-6 months old), and one Pembroke Welsh Corgi (Roxy, 5 months old) that was already trained to sit on command. Einstein, ooooh, a measly 11 weeks and not trained to do squat!

Being the little tiny 4 pounder that he is, you can probably imagine how much food it would take to fill that little belly of Einstein's. Training treats can only do so much before Einstein either loses interest (and starts chasing the other puppies) or gets full. We however, did get a few sits out of him during the class! GO STEIN!

Ev and I were surprised by the very basic questions the other owners were asking during the training class. One even complained that her puppy was impossible to potty train because she lets her puppy roam free around the house without any boundaries... hmmm... gee, I wonder why he poops and pees all over the place! Not trying to toot our own horns here, but Ev and I did our research before getting Einstein. We bought a gabillion Jack Russell Terrier books, training books, and we have The Dog Whisperer DVDs to refer to. We seem to have potty training down pat (okay, maybe we're at an 80% batting average, but it's still great for an 11 week old puppy), but now we need to work on the basic tricks like sit/stay/down, etc... Being so young though, Einstein has a very short attention span and is constantly sniffing around his surroundings or distracted by the slightest noise. Maybe our puppy is ADD... Dun dun duuuuuuuuuun!

New Years Resolution: Get Humans to Stop Waking Me Up During Puppy Naps

2009-01-02T08:33:00.001-08:00

Go away hooman, I has a sleepy...

Coffee Park

2009-01-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

Einstein did so well with sleeping in his crate last night! He did whine a few times in the middle of the night, so Ev and I took turns taking him to his potty spot each time so that Einstein could start associating whining with "potty." Each time I took little Stein out, he did such a great job going potty!!!

Because of the many middle-of-the-night potty breaks, Ev and I were so tired this morning. We decided after Einstein had his breakfast, we'd take him for a walk over to Coffee Bean so that Mommy and Daddy could get a nice cup of joe and wake up a little.

I was rather nervous when we got to Coffee Bean because usually there are a few dogs there. Einstein hadn't been too great with other dogs in the past week because he gets so excited that he jumps on them and scares them away. Today, there was a beautiful Golden Retriever named Roxy and her human, Kevin. Kevin and Roxy were sitting out and enjoying the beautiful weather when Einstein started going NUTS-- whining and barking because he was so interested in Roxy. Kevin then came over with Roxy and had Roxy sit and say hi to Einstein. After a bit of a rough introduction, Roxy became a little more playful with Einstein's jumping and sniffing and started chasing Einstein around. Soon after, we saw an English Bull Dog named Winnie, and her humans, Allen and Stacey. Winnie was AMAZING with little Stein. No matter how excited and how much Einstein jumped and sniffed at Winnie's face, all Winnie would do was turn her head and stay calm. We were so relieved that Einstein started calming down after the initial excitement and was finally able to make a couple of new friends at the Coffee Park (Coffee Bean). Einstein got so much calmer that by the end, he was able to lie down right next to Winnie without her running away! I'm so proud of my little guy!!!

"Hi little lady, I'm Einstein. Whats yooour name?"

"Mommy, Daddy, can I play with Winnie?"

Puppy see, puppy do!

Einstein at 10 weeks

2008-12-31T15:33:00.000-08:00

what, mommy? i'm not chewing on important papers...

Crate Training Mis-Hap...

2008-12-31T09:49:00.000-08:00

Ev has been consulting his dog-owner friends a lot lately, and we decided to follow some crate purchasing advice. Buy a smaller crate that is just big enough for Einstein to stand up and turn around. This way, he wont poop in his crate because puppies know not to poop in their bed.

We stopped by our new favorite store, Petco, and milked information from a friendly staff member named Barbara. She provided us with a slew of information from what kind of crate to invest in, what kind of toys are puppy friendly, what kind of training treats to give Einstein, and offered us some reassurance that puppies will eventually stop whining and whimpering so much at night. We also learned some tips on how to crate train with lots of treats and positive reinforcement, so we decided to give it a try when we got home.

I've never seen Ev so dedicated and motivated to accomplish a task before. Knowing that Einstein would feel more comforted by the scent of us while he's in his crate, Ev decided to wear a towel around the apartment (and he may or may not have done a couple of dances). When we started crate training, we put a ticking clock, pheromone diffuser, old towel with a heat pad below the crate, and one of my old gym shirts. Einstein did surprisingly well when we started closing the crate door. We made sure to shower him with praise and treats and I napped on the floor next to him until he fell asleep. Ev then comes running in the room with his sleeping bag and decides he wants to "camp out" with little Stein and offer his support. Though the "camping" didn't last too long, it was the most endearing thing I've seen during this course of puppy training. Ev even got up several times in the middle of the night to take little Stein outside to go potty while I was completely konked out!!! What a man! I'm one lucky lady :).

This morning, we were so proud of little Einstein so we brought him up on the bed to play with him and tell him what a good job he did last night. Then we put him back in his crate for further training. Well... we missed a step. TAKE HIM TO THE POTTY BEFORE CRATING! Now we realized why Einstein was whining so much in the crate this time!!! We spent a good deal of time wiping down his now third incident of what we love to call "poop tornado" and cleaned his paws and tummy and face... *sigh* Not only does the puppy need training, his humans need training too. We're trying to learn how to read Einstein's different whimpers to understand if he needs to go potty or if he's just crying for attention.

Today's lesson:
- Potty before crate
- Learn to understand his whimpers

DAP Diffuser and Collar

2008-12-30T08:49:00.000-08:00

After a week of lost sleep, Ev and I decided to get a Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) diffuser and collar for Einstein. DAP is supposed to help with dogs that have separation anxiety, fears/phobias, change in environment, and new people or things surrounding them. DAP mimics natural pheromones that the mother generates after giving birth which gives the puppies a sense of well-being and reassurance.

The second we got home from Petco last night, I opened up the diffuser, only to find out it expired 08/07. I then immediately jumped on the DAP collar and put it on our little man... and rubbed the extra part of the trimmed collar all over his crate, bed, pen, yada yada. Hey! A little more pheromones cant hurt!

Steiny slept from 12-4am, then 4:30-6:30am (a vast improvement from the past week). Hopefully day 2 with the DAP gets better.

Cry Baby

2008-12-29T08:23:00.000-08:00

*yaaaawn* sleep as i know it, is gone.

tomorrow is the one week mark of when we got einstein, and he STILL cries throughout the night when he's left in his pen. i have to sympathize with the little guy though-- the day after we got him, we took a 4 hour drive to thousand oaks and spent 3 days in a new environment for einstein-- with 2 cats and a dog... and 25+ dinner guests. at first, we thought that it would be a great time to get socialized and meet new faces and new animals, but boy were we wrong!

we read a few articles and books about separation anxiety and it seems as if this is exactly what einstein has. we spoiled him rotten with love and affection the first couple days we had him. constantly being held, sleeping in my bed, giving him attention when he whimpers, never letting him out of our sight. now, the moment we are out of his visual field, he starts whimpering and crying. we've created a little monster! it's so hard to ignore his crying, as we have been advised by many dog owners, pet store staff, friends, etc. however, this is the only way he will learn to be more independent. today is the first day that einstein will be alone by himself at home while ev and i are at work. we're still trying to figure out how to best arrange our work schedules so that we can make sure steiny is okay the first few weeks, then we'll gradually let him stay home by himself. thank goodness for the 2 long weekends!!! shorter work weeks, and more time to attempt to train our puppy.

here are the moments where we love steiny the most (silence has never been so golden):

Einstein's Trip Home

2008-12-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

i've been begging for a puppy for oooooh, probably a year now? i even made attempts to pet and play fetch with an invisible dog, or even hold my stuffed animal puppy as if it were real.

well, ev and i decided that since we travel quite often, it would be a good time to get a puppy when we got back from our cruise to the mexican riviera since we didnt have any trips planned soon after. i don't think we were expecting to get one so soon after the cruise (*ahem*, one day), but we're now proud new parents of our little bundle of joy, einstein.

einstein was born to champion jack russell terriers on 10/16/08. after browsing many classified ads, i stumbed upon a picture of the cutest litter of jack russell terrier puppies. i called the breeder the next day and we both left work early to drive all the way inland to jamul to look at puppies.

dovie, the breeder, only had 2 male brown and white jack puppies, which was exactly what ev was looking for. the first one we played with has the same face pattern as einstein, but when we brought him into the play room, he stood in the room and did not move for 5 minutes. we decided to see if there were any other options, and we found einstein. a gorgeous jack russell puppy with an beautiful pattern on his back. the moment ev let him down on the ground, he bolted into the bathroom and sat next to the toilet. quite a peculiar little fellow, but we instantly fell in love.

now if you've ever been to the east side of jamul, you'd know about the windy unpaved roads and lack of street lights. einstein wasn't too fond of the bumpy ride so he threw up 3 times during the journey home. luckily dovie gave us a little blanket for this exact reason, which proved to be very helpful since i had on some pricey clothes last night!

when we got home, we took einstein out on the grass to go potty, but the bark of big dogs in the nearby complex only made little einstein jump into my lap and hide under ev's jacket-- we'll try the grass thing another day. until then, grass scented pee pads!!!

during the night, ev kept einstein in his play pen enclosure to get him accustomed to his crate, bed and pee pad and i tried so hard to ignore einstein's whimpers, but knowing me... HAHAHA :) i ended up napping with einstein on the couch with his face on my cheek and his front paws on my neck. oooooh the joy of being a mommy.