Blake, Our New Charcoal Labrador Pup

Introducing our new puppy, Blake. He was born on August 31st of this year. He is almost 3 months old. He has blue eyes and gray colored hair which is commonly referred to as silver lab.

We got him on November 17th so he's been with us for 11 days. Hubby and I drove 2 hours to an Amish breeder in Holmesville Ohio.

I mentioned on my previous post how devastated we were, especially my husband, when one of our dog died. Bolt was a great dog, he was very loving and gentle. We said, we won't get anymore dogs since we still have our jack russell terrier, Champ. But I think my husband misses Bolt very much that he couldn't help himself looking at puppies online. We even considered adopting at the local animal shelter. We went there but did not really find one that we like since most of the dogs in the pound were old and we didn't know how Champ would react to an adult dog.

So when he saw this silver lab online, he was ready to have another one.  Just like having a baby, getting anew pup is a big responsibility.  You have to teach them  everything that they need to learn.

The hardest part of having a new pup are acclimating them to a new sleeping environment and potty training. Just like us humans, we don't feel comfortable when we go to a new place. I know it is stressful for me when I am in a place that I am unfamiliar with.

You have to be consistent in letting him out to do his business. So far, so good. He's got quite a few accidents inside the house but that's to be expected. He is a voracious eater so he's grown a lot ever since we got him. He likes just about anything, carrot is one of his favorite snack.

When we were driving home with him, we thought, he was like Bolt because he was calm and wasn't crying at all but man, we were totally wrong.  He is a ball of energy and a voracious eater.  He doesn't discriminate any food that we give him and man, he can eat!  He seem like he is never full.  He was little when we got him and here's two weeks of being with us and he look like he gained about 5 pounds already.  He definitely  weighs heavier than when he first got here.

His paws are big which is an indicator that he will be big.

For the first couple of nights, I had to make him sleep with me in the couch because he cried when I put him in the cage.  I couldn't sleep at all on the first night but he was sound asleep and he let me know when he  has to go potty.  I had to get up multiple times so it felt like I had a new baby.

On the 3rd and 4th nights, I made him lay on the dog bed which was good for a couple of hours but then he wanted to sleep with me again so I let him.  Definitely takes time to transition into a normal sleeping habits.  After a week, I started  putting him in the cage at night but I still have to sleep in the couch, he sleep good that way.  Still have to get up a number of times to  make him pee but at least the sleeping pattern is changing.

We were concern that he has something wrong with him because he had diarrhea for a couple of days when he first got here but I think  it was just the change of environment and the stress was causing it.

I had to give him a bath when we first brought him home because he  smelled so bad.  The breeder told us that he got a bath before we got him but he still stank.

I have given him a bath twice already and he is back to smelling like a plain pup.  No more  puppy mill smell.

He is  also  sleeping good and not getting up to potty that much at night which is a plus because it gives us more sleep as well.

We will be taking him to the vet on December 6th.  The contract that we signed when we got him only gave us 72 hours to take him to the vet but we couldn't admit him to the vet that early.  So the window for us to be able to get a pup replacement just in case he has some type of illness is now out of the equation.  We hope that he is healthy and no lingering health condition.  We shall see.

He doesn't have much hair so he gets very cold when we take him outside.  I have been cutting some of my old leggings for him to wear and he seems to like it.  Hubby and I took him for a walk in our neighborhood once but he gave up after a couple of blocks lol.

He feels very comfortable at home now, he feels as if he belongs to our family.

Our kids wanted to name him Toby but I said I wanted to name him Preston.  My husband said  he look like a Blake which was a name I like as well so that's what we named him.

He is not afraid of Champ and fights back when our JRT tries to bully him.  In fact, Champ was scared of him at first when we first brought him home.

I hope that he develop a liking for a walk vbecause I miss my walkjing buddy, Bolt.  He loved his walks that's for sure.

I am glad that our JRT, Champ is finally warming up to him.  He didn't have anything to do with him at first but now he sleeps with him.

My husband  is concern about Blake's  sleeping habits but I told him that training a pup takes time, just like babies.  It needs the parent's patience and time.

Soon, we won't be able to hold him like this anymore because he is getting heavier each day.  

We celebrated our Thanksgiving this year without Bolt but Blake fill that void which we are grateful for.  We look forward to happy years ahead with our new fur baby.  Hubby and I said that he has a big shoes to fill since Bolt was such a great dog.  Too bad, he got sick and died young.  Well, furfriends, tune in for the next post.  I will be  chronicling Blake's growth in this blog.