Expanding Families Take Some Getting Used To

Pup is having a hard time. While he loves people, he really likes his routines and  to command where his 14 pounds plants itself when he wants to lounge about. One way he has always shown his disapproval with someone or some situation is to take something of theirs, and guard it. He has been taking and guarding a lot of M's things the last two weeks. Last night, after hours after school of getting things back, the girls shut him out of the room they were doing homework in. H laid outside the door like a lost puppy. DD#2 had soccer practice so while she was getting ready to go, Pup found his way into her room and did the ultimate guard scenario-he jumped up and whizzed on M's bed. While most beaded up and I think we got it off before getting to the mattress, to be safe, I did a lot of scrubbing. We let it dry a couple hours then flipped the mattress.

This morning, despite that he lays on our floor to sleep at night, I found several shoes he must have been guarding earlier in his dog bed. At least one was M's, and of course mine because I was the one that disciplined him. With new babies, we always brought the hospital blankets for our dogs and introduced the to new family members slowly. Maybe we should have done that for pup.