We picked Bella up yesterday, as planned! It was hard taking her away from her old family. They were sooooo nice. He's a proper aussie country bloke (a bull rider apparently), and when he shook my pansy hand, he nearly crushed it. They evidently loved her loads, so it was hard for them to give her up. She really wasn't sure of the car and had to be lifted in and out, but she won't be in it very often.
Had a bit of a nightmare on the way to Warners Bay from Tamworth. We stopped at a rest stop to have some sandwiches and let Bella out of the car. All fine. But when we went to set off again, the car wouldn't start. We've got full insurance but didn't have breakdown cover yet, and it was now pitch black. Fortunately there was somebody else in the rest stop who gave us the number for NRMA. They don't serve non-members and the local tow guy wasn't answering his phone, so we paid $300 on a credit card to join over the phone. They were then out within half an hour (we were only 6km from Singleton) and it turned out that we had a flat battery. Argh. Anyway, he got us on our way again and we got here about 10:15pm. Bella had been in the car longer than we wanted her to be, but she was great throughout.
When it came time to go to bed (roll mats and a sleeping bag as a blanket for us), we set what is now her bed down, but she wanted to be near us and just wouldn't settle. We don't really want her to sleep in our bedroom, but we brought the bed in and fairly quickly after that she settled on the bed next to us. We figure we'll have her sleep in the bedroom long enough to learn that it's her bed and then slowly move it further away.
She's taken to us well, but it's obvious she misses her old family (and the older dog they had). She's been very attached to us so far, following us around and stuff, so we left her outside today in the garden on her own. She cried (heartbreaking!), but she's got to get used to us being alone. We'll try and extend it a little bit every day and ease her into it. We've also done two walks today, one this morning and one later in the evening. She's not been on a lead that much before, so we thought she was surprisingly good. She doesn't pull too much and was fairly calm when other dogs and people came along.
One concern we have, and a question for all the more experienced dog owners, is about toilet habits. We picked her up at about 4:45pm yesterday, and she doesn't seem to have poo'd yet. We haven't seen her wee either, but it's possible she's done that when we haven't been looking. She's had plenty of time outside in the garden and on the walks to do it. She's also had plenty of water. Not very much food yesterday cos we were in the car, but she's had a normal amount this evening.
Oh, added info, she's a year old today! Happy Bithday Bella!
So, as new dog owners, we're wondering, is this ok? We're not sure how often she should go, or if it's harmful for her not to go for a while. We thought maybe at her old place she had a specific spot, and isn't sure what to do now she can't find it. If that was the case, is there anything we can do? Do we just wait until eventually she has to go?
Any suggestions or advice will be eagerly received!
Had a bit of a nightmare on the way to Warners Bay from Tamworth. We stopped at a rest stop to have some sandwiches and let Bella out of the car. All fine. But when we went to set off again, the car wouldn't start. We've got full insurance but didn't have breakdown cover yet, and it was now pitch black. Fortunately there was somebody else in the rest stop who gave us the number for NRMA. They don't serve non-members and the local tow guy wasn't answering his phone, so we paid $300 on a credit card to join over the phone. They were then out within half an hour (we were only 6km from Singleton) and it turned out that we had a flat battery. Argh. Anyway, he got us on our way again and we got here about 10:15pm. Bella had been in the car longer than we wanted her to be, but she was great throughout.
When it came time to go to bed (roll mats and a sleeping bag as a blanket for us), we set what is now her bed down, but she wanted to be near us and just wouldn't settle. We don't really want her to sleep in our bedroom, but we brought the bed in and fairly quickly after that she settled on the bed next to us. We figure we'll have her sleep in the bedroom long enough to learn that it's her bed and then slowly move it further away.
She's taken to us well, but it's obvious she misses her old family (and the older dog they had). She's been very attached to us so far, following us around and stuff, so we left her outside today in the garden on her own. She cried (heartbreaking!), but she's got to get used to us being alone. We'll try and extend it a little bit every day and ease her into it. We've also done two walks today, one this morning and one later in the evening. She's not been on a lead that much before, so we thought she was surprisingly good. She doesn't pull too much and was fairly calm when other dogs and people came along.
One concern we have, and a question for all the more experienced dog owners, is about toilet habits. We picked her up at about 4:45pm yesterday, and she doesn't seem to have poo'd yet. We haven't seen her wee either, but it's possible she's done that when we haven't been looking. She's had plenty of time outside in the garden and on the walks to do it. She's also had plenty of water. Not very much food yesterday cos we were in the car, but she's had a normal amount this evening.
Oh, added info, she's a year old today! Happy Bithday Bella!
So, as new dog owners, we're wondering, is this ok? We're not sure how often she should go, or if it's harmful for her not to go for a while. We thought maybe at her old place she had a specific spot, and isn't sure what to do now she can't find it. If that was the case, is there anything we can do? Do we just wait until eventually she has to go?
Any suggestions or advice will be eagerly received!
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