*~Bonnie Lea~*

This pup and his sister made it all night last night, from about 10pm till almost 6am. They didn't cry to go out and didn't have any accidents in their kennel. Yay!! An improvement is an improvement is an improvement!

We're figuring things out, slowly but surely.

They go out about 6am, eat breakfast, and then go outside for about 15 minutes to potty and run around. Then they go back in the kennel while the kids and I get ready. They go out to go potty and then get to play inside for about half an hour. Then outside to potty again and back in the kennel for an hour or two. Then start all over. They eat again about 4pm, a cup of kibble, softened with some warm water and mixed with a couple tablespoons of wet food just to make it yummier :o) Then I try to get them to play outside for a good half hour or so. Then inside for playtime and snuggles, kennel while we eat dinner, I pick up their water bowl and put it away for the night, then back out to potty, then more playtime and snuggle time, then kennel while I get the kids ready for bed. After the kids are in bed, I usually take them out two more times before I head to bed around 930. Especially at night, I like to take them out front, on a leash, one at a time, to walk with them a little bit and to make sure they're actually going potty.

I really am was against kennels. I never liked them, never thought they were a good idea. But when potty training.... let's just say my feelings about crates have changed, drastically!!

The pups don't generally mess in the kennel. Because they have to lay there.

So I let them play for a little while right after they go potty, then put them away until they're ready to potty again. We've had a lot less accidents in the past two days. Still several a day. But around 4-6 accidents, total, for two 3 month old puppies... not terrible. I don't think so anyway.

Anyway, things are starting to go a little more smoothly.

I am enamoured with these pups. And I'm glad things are *starting* to settle down.

Still gotta keep working on the house-breaking and the barking (mostly Bailey, she's quite the mouthy little girl!) and the cat-chasing (they're not out to get Ben, by any means... just curious, and Ben runs, and their instinct, of course, is to chase after the things that run!).