Helga: 12 weeks

I didn't want a puppy. Cody was the one that wanted a dog.  The subject was a dispute in the house for months following Roxy's passing. It took a lot of convincing for Cody to get me to consider another dog. I always did like the idea of the boys growing up with a dog in the house but I knew I was going to take on the majority of the responsibility of a puppy.  At first I told Cody, we couldn't get a puppy until I had Henrik potty trained first. I didn't want to be potty training our almost 2 year old and house training a puppy at the same time! Then came along Helga... I saw her online, fell in love, and all that went out the window!

11 weeks

Some days, I feel like I am running around like a maniac just trying to survive the day.  

Henrik loves Helga almost too much.  He pretty much never leaves the poor dog alone! She will be trying to take a nap and he will come over and start to pester her... tug on her ears, poke at her with his feet, shove toys in her face, etc. She wakes up then it instantly turns into a puppy brawl. Helga treats Henrik like they are litter mates. Henrik thinks its all fun and games until she takes it too far. Then his laughter turns into tears and screams of "NO PUPPY. NO BITE!" The louder he gets, the harder she plays...and this goes on all darn day.

Some of our worst moments have been getting out of the house.  Trying to get the boys dressed, ready, and out the door is sometimes a challenge in itself.  Add Helga into the mix and she's either running off with a sock while I am trying to get Henrik's socks and shoes on or peeing in the house when I look away for a second to get Henrik's coat on.

Then there's breakfasts, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner.  And you bet, Helga is there to beg, steal and bribe for each and every meal. Snatching sandwiches, toast, bananas, celery... you name it, she will eat it.

She's usually wore out by the nap time so she usually naps while the boys nap. However, I compare her to a baby that will fall asleep in your arms but wake up the second you put them down because she will fall asleep right at my feet and as soon as I try to leave the room, she will wake up and follow me. Typically, I do laundry, prep dinner and clean the house during nap time but I wasn't able to get these things done with her.  So, my laundry was piling up and the house was a mess and these two things totally stress me out.

So, yeah its been a little crazy.  Juggling the three of them is a lot of work. Some days are harder than others. I told Cody the other day that it's a good thing I wanted Helga so much because I can tell you I wouldn't handle all of this so well if I felt like he just stuck me with a dog (a dog that I didn't even want) to train and care for all day. Oh but Helga. How I love her so much.  She's worth it all! Plus, we are 4 weeks in and I am starting to get things figured out a little bit.

I started putting Helga in her crate for 10-15 minutes in the morning while I get the boys ready for the day. So, getting out of the house has been a lot smoother.

We recently started giving her a bully stick at mealtimes (thanks Kim for the suggestion).  As of lately, she's been mostly preoccupied with her special bone (one that she only gets at mealtimes) that she's been mostly leaving us alone at the table.

Now she naps in her crate during the boys nap. That way she gets a good nap in and it free's me up to get stuff done around the house.  I feel like the house and laundry are back on track.

She's doing awesome with the house training! We are down to one or less accidents on most given days.

And as for Henrik and Helga...their overly playful relationship is still a work in progress.

Overall, I would say things are going much better. She's added a new dynamic to the house and it's just a matter of adjusting to the new normal.

12 weeks