Miss Pepper Grace Wallace

Well, after weeks of agonizing over what I should name our new puppy, the moment I saw her, she was Miss Pepper Grace!  She is solid black, and full of spice!  Her name fits her perfectly!  She has been with us only nine days, and already, she has learned to potty and go "bobo" outside!  We tried puppy pads, but all she did with those is shred them!  She is so funny!

She has also learned the "sit" and the "lay down" commands!  I am so in love with her!  She sleeps through the night, with absolutely NO crying!  She fits into our routine beautifully!  I took her for her first vet appointment with us, and she weighed in at a whopping 7.4 pounds!  She got her second round of puppy vaccinations, but got a complete healthy report from her new vet!  Oh my goodness, I love Miss Pepper Grace!  She has been sleeping most of the afternoon, and it seems that her right shoulder is sore from her shot, so I have been pampering and petting her most of the day.

The vet told me that I should begin some soft bite and calming exercises with her so she will learn not to chew on my hands!  The technique the vet instructed me to use is "remark, remove and replace".  Basically, if Pepper tries to nibble on my hand, I should say "OUCH", remove my hand, and give her a bone or chew toy instead.  Eventually, she will learn not to bite people's hands.  She got a little over-excited this morning when my mom was playing with her and she nipped mom's hand  hard enough to draw blood!  I had to correct Pepper, and then doctor my mom's hand with alcohol, ointment, and a bandaid.

I mailed off her registration papers today, officially naming her Miss Pepper Grace Wallace.  We are very pleased with the newest member of our family!