New Puppy at Our House

July 12 was a grand day at my house. We adopted a new puppy from the Knox County Animal Shelter. My son named him Spartacus due to his behavior during encounters at 7 pounds verses our full-grown dogs. He's quite a little warrior. Curr Mountain is his breed. He's black with brown face, legs, and other spots. We could not have gotten a better puppy. After reading how to potty train a dog to always go outside, I learned that being consistent, using the same words for the deeds, and lots of praise are the keys to teaching a dog to do his business in the yard and not on the carpet. I dedicated myself to taking him outside and saying, "Pee pee," over and over and "Poopie" over and over. He only had 3 small peeing accidents inside the house and, after three weeks, he appeared to be totally trained. I continue to be consistent with him, too. I claimed victory when I missed him one day and found him using the potty in the yard witout my coaxing. What a good puppy! Spartacus is very smart and must be entertained at all times. However, he finds ways to amuse himself. I also trained him to take naps in my bed. My son bought him a set of steps so he can get in my bed. At first, he could barely climb up those steps, but now that he has grown, he does just fine. I am amazed at how he puts himself to bed when he gets ready for a nap. I have never seen a puppy do this before. He simply walks up those steps and wallows in the bed until he falls into a deep sleep without prodding from me. All in all, we could not have found a better puppy. His latest accomplishment is to sit or lay at my feet while I work on the computer or sew. I look forward to many years of joy with our new, little pal.