My new puppy!

[aprilmom]

I have enjoyed reading the information on this site and decided I should post an introduction. Our new little girl is home! Trixie joins our family of 4 kids ages 16, 14, 11 and 8, 1 ragdoll kitty and a couple of guinea pigs. We got her on Christmas eve and surprised the kids--I know, not recommended, but irresistible! My kids have wanted a dog for years, and I told them when I was ready, I would let them know. I chose Havanese as the breed a year or more ago. I wanted a time when I could be home with her for a couple weeks to help her settle in and decided summer seemed too far away to wait. She is such a sweet snuggly puppy, we already adore her. She is doing pretty well on potty training, especially with such newbies in charge. We take her out every hour or so and she pees on a grass potty pad on our deck (with 20+ inches of snow on the ground, it seemed like the best solution!) She won't poop on it though--she runs away from the pad and poops on the wood deck, which is not ideal. Any ideas for what I can do instead? She does great at night--we put her in her crate to sleep and she doesn't usually wake up until 6:00 or so for pottying. She hangs out in a xpen in our dining area and loves her crate. She is playful and energetic and so much fun! One thing I was wondering, she seems much smaller than the puppies on this site, and I am wondering if she is in the normal range. I took her to my vet last week at 8 1/2 weeks and she weighed 1.72 pounds. She have a cute little round belly and eats Fromm's puppy food with gusto.

I was just going to introduce, not turn this into a bunch of questions, so I think I will stop now Looking forward to getting to know you all!

[lfung5]

Welcome! She sounds like a good girl. I wouldn't worry so much about pooping on the deck. It's better than in the house I'm sure once the snow clears, she will gravitate to the grassy area.

She does seem small, but I don't think that is unusual. There are some smaller healthy Havs around. My Bella is tiny, but she had a liver shunt, that's why she is only 7 lbs at 8 yrs old.

Good luck with her!

[sandypaws]

Welcome Aprilmom and Trixie. I agree that pooping on the deck is not a big deal with that much snow on the ground. She'll do better when the snow goes and you'll be able to get her off the deck and onto the grass. It's better than the alternative!
Her weight does seem low, but if she's eating good and the vet didn't seem to be concerned, I wouldn't worry. She's probably going to be one of the smaller, dainty Havs. Enjoy her as they are a lot of fun.

[whimsy]

Welcome and Congrats!!! Looking forward to more pictures...sounds like she is off to a great start and is getting lots of love from everyone in the family! They are so darn irresistable aren't they?!If the vet has given her a clean bill of health I wouldn't worry.
Hey...send some of that snow my way....we are lacking so far this year!

[Beau's mom]

Welcome Trixie & Aprilmom!! She's a mini, cutie-patootie!!

[davetgabby]

welcome what a dear. Shovel the grass, wipe some poop on it, but shovel as large a section as you can.

[pjewel]

Welcome to the group. Your little girl sounds like she's doing great for such a short time. Don't worry about the pooping. I found with all of mine that they chose a different spot always from their pee spots.

[clare]

Welcome to the forum,Trixie sound like she is doing very well for one so young.Most dogs don't like to pee and poop in the same place,so Dave's idea about the snow shoveling sounds very good.Now we need to see some puppy photos!

[lise]

Wow, I had thought Ted was one of the smallest ones! Yours sure will be tiny!