4 Months!

Lacey is now four months old. She reminds us of the poem that goes:

"There once was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead
And when she was good
She was very very good
And when she was bad
She was horrid"

Our hero is Cesar Milan -- the Dog Whisperer on Animal Planet channel. We keep watching him and believing that we will get Lacey to where she needs to be. She is clearly more energetic than any dog we have had before. That makes training all the more important.

We start basic obedience training with other dogs in a little over a week. But the first class is for the owners only. Kind of emphasizes Cesar's point that owners need more training than dogs do.

She is at an age that real breakthroughs should be achievable over the next few weeks.

If Lacey's name was behavior-based, right now it would be "Jaws". The principal strategy is redirection to her authorized chew toys -- away from blankets, sheets, clothing, slippers, carpet, wood and, most particularly, hands. We're told we may have another 4 months of this based on accounts from friends who are a little ahead of us on the puppy track. We are hoping that it is not any longer than that. We know puppies learn a lot with their mouths, but do they have to keep repeating the same lessons?