Valkyrie is driving me crazy!

Valkyrie has been biting and garbage mouthing (eating things off the ground) so much recently! People keep telling me "She's a puppy. All puppies bite." I know all puppies bite, but she wasn't this bad a week ago! She used to try and eat every other thing she saw, now it's everything that she knows exists whether she's seen it or not. And the biting is getting ridiculous, almost anytime your skin is within reach it is being bitten. I don't think the biting is malicious in any way, it seems more like she's mistaking your hands (and feet, and cloths, and arms, exc.) for toys.
The first thought that came to mind was that she was teething, but her gums aren't swollen and she's still a bit young. My only other idea is that school started on Monday (although she started acting up a few days before that) and she's having a hard time with people coming and going all the time.

On the up side Valkyrie is AMAZING on outings! I'm shocked by how well she's doing. Last night she walked all the way through the pharmacy, across the parking lot, and all but the last 15 feet or so in the grocery store! Then she went and walked through the library. She has a jaunty little walk that she does in stores like she owns the place. It's very cute.
I haven't seen her be frightened of anything yet!

KELSA!! Oh, and maybe some other puppies and a bus outing.

My puppy raising club joined another puppy club, Sightmasters South, for an outing yesterday. Miss Kelsa  is now in Sightmasters South so of course I had to go! Sightmasters South has two more transfers from us, Jethro and Bonnie. All our puppies over 4 months were supposed to go, but Karma was getting spayed, Kashi is in heat, and there would be too much walking for Lowell to go because of his sore leg. I'm not sure why Mia wasn't there, but Ozark and Elvis did come.
It was so great to see my girl! She seems so much bigger than the last time I saw her! I don't know whether that's because she really is bigger or if I've just gotten used to how small Valkyrie is.
It was wonderful to meet her new raisers. They are great people, I liked them a lot!
 I got to take her for the outing. We did more walking than I would have been comfortable doing with her 6 weeks ago and she was great! She's getting better! She was a little stressed if we weren't with her current raisers. She was confused about who she was supposed to be with, so she wanted to be with all of us just to be sure. She finally settled in to me handling her at the end of the outing when it was time for her to go back.
I can't tell you just how wonderful it was to see her and how much I miss her now!

Bonnie

Jethro

The whole gang

Jethro

Kelsa!

Bonnie sleeping on Millie

Close up of Bonnie sleeping on Millie

Kelsa

Kelsa

Together again!

Club Puppies

I've been trying to fulfill my role as my puppy raising club's unofficial photography better recently. Its a bit hard to take pictures while holding on to a squirmy puppy, but I enjoy the challenge.

Here are some of my recent pictures.

Lowell - 9 months

Ginger - 9 weeks

Puppy wrinkles!!!
 Sapphire - 11 weeks

Karma (Kelsa's sister) - 10 months

Karma

Ginger playing with Valkyie

Ginger - 9 weeks

Elvis - 8 months

Also, I thought I put up pictures of Kashi's puppysit in August already, but I was wrong. So, here they are. It was weird to puppysit Kelsa's sister a week after she left. We had a ton of fun together!

GERD Flair up (not guide dogs related, except for pictures)

When I got Valkyrie I was so busy with her that I didn't watch what I ate and I have been paying dearly for it this week. I've been trying to avoid gluten, cow dairy, white rice, white sugar (mostly), and as usual excess fat. This is as hard as it sounds, so I've decided I need a plan for the next time this happens. This will include a special folder with recipes that fit those requirements, freezing foods, and finding products that are useful. Two useful products I've found just recently are Gluteno pretzels, a great snack that is gluten and dairy free, and Newman's Own makes cookies that are also gluten and dairy free.
Yesterday and today I've been feeling better so I think I'm getting back to normal.

And as always I've had great support to get through the hard times.

Free cuddles from a sleeping puppy.

Free cuddles from two doggies, thats even better. :P

3 weeks with Valkyrie

It's now been three weeks with Valkyrie. It's funny; the first week she drove me crazy the whole time, the second week we were okay, and this week I'm really enjoying her. She's now only waking me up once a night, which makes our time together much easier. She's had diarrhea on an off this whole time. She would be getting better then we would go to a meeting and the diarrhea would come back. She finally switched to all kibble (i/d: Gastrointestinal Health, not the usual Purina Pro Plan) on Monday. She has so much more energy now and she was a busy puppy to begin with! 

Because she's such a busy puppy she's gone on a bunch of outings this week. She went watching in the grocery store and the library, then she walked through the produce section and we carried the rest of the way through the grocery store on a second visit. On Friday she went to the vet for 12 week shots (along with the cat and my pet dog. It was a very full exam room.) then to the beach. And on Monday she was carried in and out of our local pet store (Don't worry, she didn't touch anything including the ground).

She is also great at FIR and Go To Bed. She will come on the long line in the front yard and she'll go straight to her bed and lie down right away.

Tazzi and Valkyrie sleeping in the sunshine.