A Pupdate

She's getting so big!

Lula continues to be an absolute delight! We've owned her for almost a month now, and she is just the coolest little lady. I daresay she shares #childgenius status with Opie!

In the 3 weeks and change that Lula has been with us, she's totally nailed the house training thing and now asks to go outside when she needs to. I am PUMPED she's been so quick to pick up on that concept and learn to communicate that she has to pee - now! She certainly surpassed Max, who took a solid 9 months to house train reliably.

She is solid on "Come," "Sit," and "Down," and while she understands "Stay," we're still working on her patience and attention span when it comes to actually staying for more than 2 seconds. Lula has also nailed the "Crate" command for going in her crate when we're not home, which took her a little bit to figure out. And speaking of crates, Lula is also SO GOOD that she has already graduated from having to sleep in her crate at night. She's still restricted to just our bedroom, but this Very Good Girl curls right up in her bed when it's time to sleep and snoozes all through the night until morning without a peep. She's amazing.

Our canine prodigy is also well on her way to being an amazing farm dog. She stays outside off-leash with Mike while he does outdoor projects, and never strays very far away. I'm thrilled that she's already so reliable at such a young age - it's a treat to have a dog that we can trust to come back every time we call her after years of anxiety with Max, who would just peace out and forget his name at any given time. He's the greatest dog ever, but he lacks the whole "desire to please" thing, that one. I can't WAIT to start bringing Lula to the barn more often. I might finally have my barn dog!

Lula has also been a really wonderful playmate for Max. Our normally sedate little man has been roughhousing and wrestling with her for HOURS every day since she came home, and it's been so good for him. Maximus is more active than he's ever been, and it's great that he has a friend to play keep-away, tug, and bitey-face with. Plus, they also snuggle in bed together and chew bones, and if that's not the cutest thing ever, I don't know what is.

She also follows people into the bathroom...

It's been so fantastic to watch Lula grow and develop, and to see glimpses of the Very Cool Dog she's going to grow up to be. We just love our smart, sweet, sassy little lady!