PUPPY TALES: The Difference Is Like Night and Grey

Our two puppies are a study in opposites. Male; female. Large; small. Lab mix; Pit bull mix. Aggressive; docile. Hyper; relaxed. Wide awake; sleepy. Alert; oblivious. 

Our own little Night and Grey

Chuck teased, "The difference is like night and grey." Yes, our female Sami is as black as night, and our male Bristol is solid grey.

The puppies were born a couple days apart in December 2016. At nine weeks, Bristol weighed just over 17 pounds; Sam weighed 13. She doesn't let her smaller size stop her from going all alpha dog on Bristol, though. 

Sami dropped her bone, and is going for Bristol's. Poor guy.

The two things that have surprised me about Sam is that she is taller than Bristol, and she likes to dominate him. I'm pretty sure that their pecking order is going to end up with that little female being the alpha dog. 

Sami has a rule: every dog toy in the house belongs to her. If Bristol is playing with anything, that's the only thing she wants. It doesn't matter if she has an identical toy in front of her; she wants whatever Bristol has. Poor Bristol isn't quick enough to keep things away from her. 

Every toy belongs to Sam. All of them.

I'm not surprised at all that Sam is the more active dog. Every Lab pup I ever had was extremely energetic. Walks outside and play time are critical for her happiness, but last night hyper little Sam settled down after we took them for their walk, and she was happy to have Chuck rub her tummy while she stretched out on the couch beside him. You can be sure Bristol is always good for some quiet time on the couch. He is a study in inertia, especially the part about "an object at rest remains at rest."

An object at rest remains at rest, for as long as possible. 

Another difference in the dogs is their potty schedules. Friends had suggested NOT waking the puppies up to take them out during the night for potty breaks, and listening for their cues. They're almost on the same schedule for their pee breaks, but that other break has been tricky to predict. It seems that they're pretty good to let us know with an urgent bark if nature calls, though; thank goodness.

Since our bedroom is upstairs, and the puppies are crated downstairs, we either needed to buy a baby monitor, or to sleep near them. We decided to bring our air mattress down to the living room for awhile. Yes, our house just looks more stylish all the time. If you'd like to come see our babies, please do. Just excuse our current state of affairs. It's a crazy life we're living until we have successfully housebroken and crate-trained the little ones. 

While Bristol and Sam might be like night and day in some ways, we are so lucky that they are both good-natured and very loving. There is no shortage of puppy kisses and cuddles. We've got puppy love for daaays around here, and that feels so good.


MORE PUPPY TALES:

I Accidentally Fell in Love  

All Bets Are Off  

Furever Home  

A Two Puppy Home  

Doggone It! Have a Happy Heart Day!

Just What Kind of Dog Is Bristol?