It is like Christmas around here....! Every day I have been receiving a package of some sort. I get home, and it is sitting there with my name on it- looking all pretty.

What are in these packages, you ask? DOGGIE START-UP STUFF!

I told you I was going through a dog nesting phase. I wasn't kidding. Yesterday I got his crate in the mail. Now mind you- the only other dog I had was Dakota. He was a lab, with a HUGE crate.

I set up Bruce's crate- and just had to laugh. It fits dogs up to 12 pounds (which is the "max" the Brussels are supposed to get. He is a small one though, so maybe he will have a growth spurt and be too big for the cage. We shall see.)

What we decided to do is give Bruce the full run of the kitchen during the day. I made a small

"layout" of my kitchen so its easier to understand. We are putting the baby gate at the entrance of the kitchen and placing the crate (where he will sleep at night) along with a toy box/ bed/ food and water bowl and puppy pads. Our kitchen is TEENY TINY, so this is enough space for him du

ring the day.. but not too much.

I have to get that "icky icky do not chew" spray for the bar stools for our tall kitchen bar. That is really the ONLY thing in the kitchen that could possibly be chewed on. I have puppy proofed the apartment.

Right now, all I have is the crate. The puppy pads and puppy bed are on their way (tracking said "in transit") so I am really looking forward to getting those!

Here is the crate. See how teeny tiny that is?

Basically- I have been doing research nonstop. My plan is to enroll him into puppy kindergarten and then have him to go to classes with me until he is pretty well trained. I am also doing the at home clicker training! I have watched a bunch of videos and done some reading. Also, I got this "puppy plus clicker training" starter kit.

According to what I've read- I now have a list (in order) of what I want to work on with Bruce.

CLICKER TRAINING TO DOS:

1. Charge the clicker- make him understand that clicker = treat.
2. Teaching him to "leave it" (GREAT video! The person who does the kikopup training is awesome)
3. Teaching him to like his little room- so he doesn't get upset when we leave. (Again, a kikopup video)
4. Teaching Bruce his name
5. Teaching him sit/ lay down
6. Teaching Bruce not to bite or jump up

Those are the key ones I want to work on, and then from there- I will develop my list!!!

Well... its August 6th. In exactly 14 days (hey- that's 2 weeks from today!) Bruce the Brussels will be home with his mommy and daddy. Look >>>> it's our first family photo!

I have been a dog

person for ever. Growing up I had a black lab named Dakota. He was the greatest dog known to man. He passed away a few years ago at 13 years old. RIP Dakota! We miss and love you.

Long story short- I've been without a dog for about a few years. My future-husband to be (see above. Isn't he cute!) is a cat person. About a month ago Alex told me that we needed to get an animal. I figured with him being a cat person- and us living in a 1 bedroom apartment- he meant he wanted a cat. NOPE! Turns out, he wanted a dog.

The Brussels Griffon are described as a big dog in a small body. Quoted below is a description of the breed from the AKC website. (http://www.akc.org/breeds/brussels_griffon/)

"The intelligent and cheerful Brussels Griffon has a terrier-like disposition and is known for his almost human expression. This affectionate breed comes in a variety of colors, including red, belge (black and reddish brown), black and tan, or black. This breed makes a good watchdog and can be taught to perform a variety of tricks. A Brussels Griffon was featured in 1997's hit, "As Good As It Gets", starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. The affectionate, charming and curious personality of the Brussels Griffon makes it a good companion dog. However, this breed is not typical of the "pampered pet" stereotype of Toy breeds. Their active indoor lifestyle and small size makes them ideal for apartment life, but they still need to be taken for daily walks. The breed can have either a rough or smooth coat. Each coat needs twice-weekly brushing and shaping every three months."

In other words.. Awesome.

We met Bruce on July 23rd. Choosing from 4 puppies- he was the one who was constantly at my side. He slept in my lap. He played with me.. he snuggled with Alex. We knew then THAT was the dog for us.

In fact- Alex even made a video of our first meeting:

Meeting Bruce!

I am planning on using this blog as my "puppy outlet" to talk about the countdown until he comes home, updates on training, etc etc.

Welcome to Bruce's home on the interwebs! I hope to see you again soon *waves*