Oh, I forgot one VERY IMPORTANT product,Hil Nature's Miracle. You want to use it clean anywhere your pup pees that they shouldn't and do it immediately and thoroughly.Just soap and water will not get rid of the scent and she will pee there again. Another hint is to take a pee pad she's used and put it outside where you want her to pee before you take her out there.

I don't know what that means.

Probably something very itchy on her back.

She mostly slept through the night this time. I had a folded up towel for her to sleep on on one side of the playpen, and a pee pad on the other side, and it looks like she got up a least once during the night to pee on the pad and then went back to sleep on the towel. Now I'm trying to give her breakfast, but she's not interested so far -- she'll sniff at it a little bit, maybe eat one piece of kibble, then find something else to do.

Hil, best of luck training Buffy. I have no puppy advice at all.

I've been awake for an hour, and so far everyone is annoying me. My doctor's office called to say my ferritin levels are still low and I should start taking two iron pills a day. Firstly, no way could my stomach handle that, and secondly, my hematologist (who I would think knows a thing or two about iron levels) says everything is fine. And, of course I missed the call, and now they're not calling me back. H canceled my babysitting job for next week, which I was both looking forward to in terms of money and seeing G. And the cooler I asked TCG to get from the basement this morning is still in the basement.

It's probably a really good thing I have a therapy appointment today.

Yikes, that's a no-good start to the day, sj. Hope things improve, and quick!

Hil, you are doing great, even if it is stressful right now. You and Buffy are both adjusting and it will all work out eventually.

Whoo, Friday.

I had a folded up towel for her to sleep on on one side of the playpen, and a pee pad on the other side, and it looks like she got up a least once during the night to pee on the pad and then went back to sleep on the towel.

Aw, good girl. She will get there!

OK, getting there. I noticed her circling in the spot where she seems to like to pee on the carpet, so I got the leash on her and got her outside, waited about five minutes, and she peed on the grass. I tried giving her a few pieces of kibble and saying "Good girl!" but she was totally uninterested. I waited another five minutes or so for her to poop, but she didn't, so we came back inside, and she ran over to the pad and pooped there.

(Sorry about all the potty-training talk. I kind of have no idea what I'm doing, so any advice is great.)

Hil, Frankie wasn't motivated by treats at all until a couple of weeks in. She may just be anxious. You can also get "training treats," and generally the stinkier the better.

She's already making progress! Good girl, Buffy.

It took Darby a long time to take treats at all, but you may want to try upping the value of the treats you give - like a bit of raw meat or something. (I was able to find at the grocery store a package of tiny pieces of cut up ham, intended for soup, that made it super easy, but I don't know if you'd be okay with that.) But if you got a small package of stew beef or boneless chicken and cut it up that could do it. Some dogs really love sweet potato too.

Plus the praise alone is as good as a treat for many dogs, or a ball if she's into that. You cannot go overboard on the effusiveness of praise, I think.

Hil - maybe she is more toy motivated than food motivated.

Mystuff: not going well. I had to give them the attorney's no so thst they could fax him a court order because they've scheduled demo for Monday morning.