Samson is our new baby puppy. We named him after his puppy mommy, Sammy. Samson's a Chocolate Labrador Retriever. We affectionately call him “puppy.” My Honey and I adopted puppy before he was even born. 
We asked for a Chocolate male. It was unknown if "Sammy" - puppy's mother, a Chocolate Lab, would give birth to the pup we were hoping for. Puppy's daddy was a Yellow Lab. Sammy gave birth to a large litter with two males. We were happy and excited. We had to wait at least six weeks before our pup would be ready to ween from his mommy.
The breeder sent us pictures many times over the next few weeks. That was so nice. We were able to sort of bond with the pups. We "pictured" along as pup opened his eyes, learned to eat and drink, visited the vet and played with his puppy mates. I was so happy seeing the pics.
While we waited for the time when our new puppy could come home, we got him his sleeping crate and a playpen. I bought him a microfiber bed mattress with waterproof cover to avoid development issues. He needed a solid mattress for good sleeping. I sewed him a sheet with matching bumpers for his grate to protect him from injury. That made it easy to remove and wash his bedding.
We also bought him a few baby puppy dog blankets, pillows and toys. We decided he could use the new food table that we bought Bailey. That was a difficult decision.
We set up the crate and playpen in the family room by the door. That way My Honey could take puppy outside to learn where to potty quickly.
The breeder notified us that pup got a good health report, had his initial shots and was ready for adoption.
Puppy was 8 weeks old when we drove over 100 miles to pick up our new puppy. When we got there, the pups were running around so cute. One of the males ran right to me. That was that. He chose us.
Puppy cuddled in my arms, looking at My Honey all the way home. My heart was his from that moment.
We slept in the family room with him for two months. We wanted to be with him so he knew he wasn’t alone.
My Honey took him out to potty every two hours. That sounds like it was "no sleep" time. It was worth it. Samson learned in record time. He was potty trained, but didn't come out of the playpen for another few weeks just to be sure.
You could say “we were trained: before he was. It’s a “training strategy we’ve used many times. We only used the playpen with his crate at first during training. Once he was potty trained, he didn't need it anymore.
He is so smart. We don’t have to take him out on a timetable anymore. He comes and tells us. That’s why the first 2 months was so important.
We started buying him all different texture toys until we discovered what kind of toy he prefers.
When he snatched the t-towels, we took it away and gave him one of his toys. He started replacing a t-towel for his toy,.We continued the "this is yours" strategy. It didn't take long before he learned not to get what wasn't his. Dogs want to please. We just had to "communicate" nicely until he figured it out on his own.
Today, he knows what belongs to him and what’s ours. He even knows the "name" of all his toys. He has a sweater for cold days, a "patriot" neckerchief for the 4th of July, and a Christmas scarf.
After his initial "puppy" food the breeder gave us, we started him on Wellness Core puppy food. Dry kibble and wet can meat for muscle strength. He is as solid as a rock. He gets a bath with his own shampoo and towels. His coat is brushed and his teeth get brushed with doggie toothpaste. None of taking care of our puppy is a chore. He loves the attention. He loves "clean" bedding.
From the first day, we had conversations with him using "keywords" that we repeated. Now, he knows exactly what we say to him… and he answers us with a head nod, jump jump or voice sound. He uses his voice and we know what he’s saying.
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| My Honey and Puppy |
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| "Look, Pup" |
Here's My Honey laying on the floor with young Samson next to his playpen.
We put a shower curtain under it with an old chenille bedspread just in case of puppy drips.
Pup''s crate bed is in our room. The door is always open. Pup sleeps in his bed, until some time in the wee hours, then, he jumps up on our bed. In the morning, he's with "his pack." That's us. We love him so much. We're happy he's taken to us. Of course, he's treated with love.
Here he is playing tug-a-rope with his "daddy."
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| Samson tugging on rope |