Gracie 8-10 weeks

Karan brought Gracie up to us on Sat Jan 20, 2018.

She came with 3 puppies, Hunter, Pilgrim, and Gracie.  It was hard to get a real feel for Gracie for two reasons.  One, Hunter is a menace, constantly biting and rough-housing, so Gracie spent a lot of time fending him off and less time being interested in us.  Once Hunter left, things got easier, but not completely. The second diffuculty was having to keep Pigrlm for 4 days until his owner could pick him up.  Having 2 puppies at once was harder than I had already envisioned.  In addition, the puppies needed some help with some basic manners, like biting inhibition, potty training, and crate training.  The only positive about having Pilgrim here was that Gracie had some company as she adjusted.  When Pilgrim left, however, she was pitiful in the crate.  She just wouldn't calm down initially.  So we ordered a snuggle puppy (which has a pocket for a heart pulse piece and a warm pad). This helped immensely.

Let me back up to the beginning though, on how the new puppy ended up being Gracie, or for that matter, how the idea of a new puppy came to be. I didn't want another puppy while Logan was still with us.  But, so much was going right with this litter.  First, I had top pick.  Second, the temperament and physical structure was there.  Third, I knew the breeder well and both the parents (Braddock is the dad). Yet normally I only look at males, and in this litter, the females seemed to outshine the males.  There was one beautiful sweet male named Falcon who I was really interested in but he just didn't have the energy that the girls had.  Anne ended up taking him.
I never really connected with green girl (Sage), so my choice was between Clove (white girl) and Rosemary (red girl).  Red girl is Gracie.  During the 5 week visit, I felt that Clove was more attentive, but I was concerned that she would be more reserved.  Red girl was definitely more active and busy.  I think it as important to evaluate them at this time because that allowed the temperament test to be validation for impressions already forming.  Clove was definitely more reserved during the test whereas Gracie was quite the comedian.
temperament test
Yet, even with the test, it was still hard to make that final decision.  Most people leaned towards red girl, but I couldn't make the decision that day.  It took the ride home and a couple days to think it over.
Gracie Decision
We have had her 2 weeks now and it is amazing how much she has grown.

Her personality is really coming out too.  She's been very attentive wanting to watch and study how things work around here.  She's learned the routines quickly.  At first, she reminded me of Logan, she didn't want to leave the house.  Some of that was due to the bitter cold weather, rain, and snow.  Now she enjoys the hikes through the woods.  She's a poop eater though, just like her daddy.  We've taken her to Outdoor World and she strutted around like her daddy in New York City.  The guns didn't bother her, nor did the glass elevator (which  actually bothered Braddock).  She's learned to go into her crate for food.  Her commands so far are sit, down, touch, left, and right. 

She has also learned to balance on the blue disk and to chase the Velcro throw toy.  Tonight she mastered a puzzle.  She sleeps with me at night (since Braddock is confined to the first floor due to his right rear injury).,  She likes to get under the covers too.  Everywhere we have taken her she has been confident - Deep Run park, Poor Farm Park, Outdoor World, PetSmart, and the vet for her first vaccines and checkup.  It's been a lot of work and 8 and 1/2 years since I had a puppy.  Our vet said that I seemed discombobulated and not like myself.

Probably the biggest surprise is that Frye has been pretty tolerant of her, but she's definitely not happy about Gracie being here.  Braddock, Logan, and Cadia growl her away.