Benelli at Seven Months with her Kids

Benelli is growing fast and becoming quite the lady. The mouthiness issues are largely over, as promised, and she's becoming gentle, except when provoked by "the boy." She's SO smart. She's doing long division now. 

Boys can be lots of fun because they can play tug-of-war and fetch ALL DAY. They have become quite good playmates.

The girls love Belli, too. They can't keep their hands out of her soft, soft fur. They like teaching her to do things like "sit" and "fetch," and they love to give her treats. She makes a fine pillow, too. 

Belli saw her first snow on Christmas day. Here, we show her how to eat it! Benelli mastered her technique for running, jumping and scooping up and eating snow ... all at the same time.

Benelli at 6 months

Belli hiding

Benelli at 6 Months

When Benelli has a toy or treat that she thinks she's not supposed to have, she "hides" in a hula hoop (the Hoop of Invisibility) in the back yard. We haven't got the heart to tell her that we can see her. So I guess it works after all.  

The Bully Stick is allowed, Belli. (They saved us during teething.) By the way, if you have a puppy and haven't discovered Bully Sticks, you might give them a try. Dogs love them, they last a long time, and they don't become a soggy rope like rawhide.

Train Encounter

During a recent walk along a rail-trail in Denton, we noticed a commuter train approaching. Although not as long as a freight train, it was still big and loud. To her credit, Belli stood there and just watched it go by. She didn't hide, flinch, bark or attack. Just watched it go. SO proud!

When she's napping, she really shows how long she is. Tiny little waist, too. Still big feet like frying pans. She's very expressive, putting her ears down for a pat on the head. At night, she comes up on the bed for a little patting time, and when she's had enough, she gets up, jumps on the floor, and walks into her crate. I've never seen anything like it. 

Benelli at 5 months

Benelli 5 months

With her favorite ball thrower (easy throws)

"This is my far-away look." 

Our little Principessa Benelli of Sparta is growing  up so fast. Next week she'll be driving and then it's off to college. : )

Here are some pics from October. Pretty girl. As predicted, once the teething was over (and by the way, that is a violent thing going on in their mouths), she did settle down quite a bit.  

A Grand Romp with Mom, Sisters

It's been two months since we brought little Benelli home. She had a play date with mom Kyrie, sister Blazie and half-sister Astra today. What fun! It has been raining off and on for two days, so everything was good and damp. Woo-hoo! Benelli's timidness from the dog park was GONE and she had a grand romp.

Blazie likes a good belly rub.

Kyrie: "I remember you! How big you've grown!"

The girls pat Astra.

Blazie: "Catch me if you can!"

Water break. Just like old times.

Mom Kyrie supervises.

"Almost ... got ... the ... tail ... "

Run, Forrest, run! (As of this writing, Benelli is still sleeping off the playdate.)

Woo-hoo! Wet grass is loads of fun!
Looks like Blazie doesn't mind getting wet any more than Belli does.

All the girls. Left to right: Astra, Kyrie, Blazie, Benelli.

Astra graces us with a pose. She's such a lady.

Blazie: "Erm ... not so rough, Benelli."
Confidence is not Benelli's problem around THIS gang.

Dog Park - First Visit

We took Belli to the dog park and met some other puppies there. The big dog section was a little to exciting for her, so we went to another section. There, she met a five-month-old Boxer named Bean, a five-month-old Australian Cattle Dog named Brandy, and a bunch of laid-back dogs and puppies. What fun! Here, she's shown in a moment of repose. She showed good social skills, even though she got overwhelmed from time to time. She stuck to the kids pretty well, and interacted with the other pups without fear or aggression. Good girl.

The Ravenous Belly Meets Her Match

Benelli came into this world hungry and she hasn't stopped. In fact, she doesn't stop at food. Like most puppies, she explores with her mouth and everything goes into it. She eats rocks, tissues and all the normal stuff. We've done our best to keep an eye on her and puppy-proof the house. However, a couple of weeks ago, she got ahold of some hair bands (including one with little plastic ends) and ate them.

One week and $1700 later, she's recuperating comfortably.

She had to go to the emergency vet hospital, where X-rays showed us the objects she had swallowed. She had surgery, but fortunately, they didn't have to open up her bowel or intestine; they were able to "milk" the blockage out the other end. So the recovery is going well and she gets her sutures out on Friday.

So now she's a cautionary tale for other mouth machine pups. I re-puppy-proofed the house and this time, found a few additional things that should be put out of reach. The girls no longer drop their hair accessories on the floor and all's well that ends well.

Belli has had her last round of shots, so she's ready for more active socialization. We sure do love our little girly-dog and we're glad she made it through her ordeal. It has not affected her appetite, I must say.

: )

Owies, bath time and modeling

Benelli has been super cute the last week or so, also she is SO smart and easy to train. She and Finnegan are getting along better and are playing and showing some affection.

About a week ago, Benelli was playing on our bed and jumped down, spraining a shoulder. Our vet told us not to worry but that it would take a few weeks to totally resolve, and to "keep her calm and sedate for a week". Lisa's response was "how do you keep a 13 week old Shilo puppy "calm and sedate for a week"?". Benelli is doing much better, no more limp and she has learned to be a lot more careful.

Here are some pictures from the last week or so.

Benelli siting in Dad's lap after the jumping from the bed incident.

Benelli's first bath at home. looks like a huge Chihuahua. 

And lastly, a couple of my favorite pictures from this week, they really show how beautiful our puppy girl is.

First bath today (at home, anyway). All that hair slicked down and she looks half her size. Big head, skinny body. She scored high on forgiveness in the LER, though, so in the end we were back in her good graces.

A Ride in the Minivan

Benelli looks huge in this photo

Went to the park with the kids on a not-too-hot day and took Benelli. She's learning to come when called and spit out something that's not supposed to be in her mouth. Alissa has to hold onto her leash in the van's third row because her favorite spot to ride is under the brake pedal. : )

Benelli: 1, Ball: 0

A Week of Firsts

Benelli has had a big week and it's only Wednesday.

Benelli went to the groomer for the first time, and met a new friend, Morgan, the groomer. She's also a good photographer. Here's a picture she took for the Woof City (Lake Dallas) Facebook page.

They have a puppy orientation program that acclimates the puppy to clippers, brushing, bathing, nail clippers and all that stuff. We weren't going to "do" anything the first time in - just visit and have a great time - but she was doing so well that she actually got her nails clipped and a little trim. She did fine.

Another first was our oldest daughter (age six) walking her home from the groomer (half a block away, with mom and siblings following in the minivan). She did great there, too. A little pulling, but was very good.

Alissa is an aspiring dog trainer whose current hero is Cesar Millan.

"This is the first and probably the last time we can get her on the exam table."

Yet another was Benelli's first trip to the our vet for her 12 week shots and a check-up - and to meet all the cool nice people there. Dr. Carol Eddy has been our vet for about 10 years and is super, she has been with us through a lot and we love her.

Belli took the whole vet thing in stride, and took the opportunity to take a nap.

This week, we're beginning to see the puppy crazies. Yesterday, we came home from dinner (we'd left her in her ex pen) and she was loose in the house. The door to the ex pen was still firmly locked. Shilohs can jump and climb! She'll be in the crate when we're not home from now on.

Her personality is really developing. Wish us luck!

Belli Barks at Bowl, Attacks

After Benelli finishes her breakfast, she attacks the dish. Not every day, but when she does it, it's quite funny. Managed to catch her on video during our own breakfast one day last week. Enjoy.

10 week update

Benelli is doing super. It's been 12 years since we had a puppy, and they were a Lab and a Collie: Benelli is a very different critter than they were. She is scary smart, at 10 weeks she understands things and figures things out like six month old puppy. 

House-training has gone easier than any other dog i have seen. Her only problem behavior is that she is a little too mouthy (sharp puppy teeth) with the kids - she is getting better, but her nature is to use her mouth to figure out the world.

Belli is sleeping in her crate in our room with no problems, she usually needs to go out once in the night but she is very polite about asking. She spends most of the day in her exercise  pen, sleeping and playing, when not getting focused attention. We are transitioning Belli to a raw diet and she is loving it. Her ears are starting to stand up and she is growing like a weed.

The Princess & The Pea

SUCCESS!

Tonight, we were all watching the Olympics when we heard the bell that hangs from the back door jingling. Sure enough, it was Benelli. Frank jumped up and let her outside and she ran out the door. We paused the TV and waited. From the back yard, Frank said, "She went!" We all bounced and clapped on the sofa. Yay Belli! 


How is it that a 9-week-old puppy can be so far down the road toward housetraining? Other puppies we've had would not have the physical control or understanding at this age to do what she's doing. We only have to get up once during the night, typically, to let her out. 


Un. Freaking. Believable.


9:40 PM - She just did it again. : )

We've Discovered Water!

Not sure whether Shilohs are water-loving dogs in general, but this one LOVES water! She can't keep her paws (or toys) out of the water! 


So when I filled up the inflatable pool for the kids this afternoon, Belli couldn't resist wading in it. I didn't want the water to get higher than her ankles, however, so I lifted her out after taking this picture. She did NOT want to come out. But she was considerate; only her paws and tummy were wet.


Got absorbed in Tina Barber's book today and forgot to keep an eye on little Belli-button. I heard her playing with something and figured I'd better find out what it was. It was Frank's sock, which she had dunked in the water bowl and dragged all over the living room. There are random damp spots in the carpet from where she had sat down to chew it. Silly girl!

Belli Tries Her Paw at Chess

Shilohs are smart, but come ON!

Belli is now into chess, evidently. Belli did this on her own last night. I had to pull her off the board three times. She can't remember how the rook moves, but it sure does taste good!

She's acquiring quite the stable of nicknames: Bellini, Belly Button, Bellissimo, Bella ... Honey Badger (this because of her markings, not her personality).

Belli Goes Visiting

It's been a busy couple of days. Benelli is learning all about going outside and not in the house. She's been accident-free for two days, thanks to an exercise pen and frequent trips outside. If she "goes" while outside, she gets 30-40 minutes of unrestricted play time in the house. If she doesn't, she goes back into the exercise pen. It's low drama, and she has caught on. 

Today, she had her coming out. She went visiting at Auntie Robyn's office and got passed around for a while by the nice ladies there. Dutifully, she shared her puppy breath, soft fur and cuteness to (shown, from top) Denna, Jill and Sandy. 


Many smiles, a few treats, and a walk around the fish pond later, she was tired, and napped all the way home. 

It's exhausting to be the belle of the ball. She conked out as soon as she got back to her exercise pen. Three hours later, she's still napping.

It's Hot!

Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch ... 

It's hot in Texas.

In July.

In the middle of the afternoon.

Belli doesn't like the crispy grass, hot sun and ouchy patio. We're pretending we don't need to go potty.

Air conditioning ... now this is living!

Big Red, as she refers to Finnegan, our Irish Setter, continues to be aloof. He's not sure who left their bear cub here, but he's maintaining plausible deniability until further notice. He'll come around; he's an adult rescue with an unknown past and rather awkward social skills, but a very gentle and sweet boy.

Our kids help Finnegan get a drink at the dog park.

Hopefully, we'll have a picture of the Finn and Belli soon, but for now, he gets scarce when she comes over to investigate.