Taco the Terrible

Isn't she cute? I bet you wouldn't believe she was racing through the house with a pair of underwear in her mouth (I won't tell you whose) just a few minutes before this photo was taken. Ah, the joys of a puppy.

Taco is our first little puppy ever, and she has been quite a handful so far. Our last dog (Baxter, RIP) was 9 months old when we got him, so we missed all the young puppy fun. We all wanted a little puppy for our next dog, so we could train it and bond with it and most importantly so it could grow up with rambunctious children and not be freaked out by them.

We went to the local shelter and came home with a cute little two month old fur ball. I picked her out, even. Her little face reminded me of Baxter's, and I couldn't consider any other puppies after I saw her. 

She had just been weaned, and didn't really know how to eat solid food yet. So we taught her, and went through several different foods before we found one she liked. And then we had to house train her. That was messy. Really messy. But she trained right on time (according to the vet) and hasn't had any accidents in a long time. 

The worst part has been the chewing. And the stealing of items and running around the house with them. And then chewing on them. She has put holes in several of the kids few decent looking shirts and has chewed on canning jars (that didn't last long), stuffed animals, and the aforementioned underwear. This is not for lack of real doggie chew toys. She's had pig's ears, real bones, rawhide bones, and rope toys. She'll chew on those some, but nothing can compare to a good teddy bear or a Barbie doll.

As you might imagine, this makes the kids pretty upset. They've taken to playing in their rooms with their doors closed, and Max even has a sign on his door that reads "no dogs allowed" (courtesy of Claire). Legos and puppies don't mix.

She's a very sweet puppy, and we all love her despite her crazy behavior, but I've been at my wit's end lately (she has been hanging out with the neighbors some, too). So the other day, we got her an outdoor lead. I didn't really want to do it, but did I mention I was at my wit's end? You know what? She loves it! She can run around a good bit, roll in the grass, chew on sticks, and just enjoy being outside. And I don't have to worry about her chewing up teddy bears or swimming in the neighbor's pool. She still spends a good bit of time inside, including all night (we have coyotes around here), but now we have a safe outdoor spot for her when we both need a break. Problem solved, for now.