She's asleep and I am typing as fast as I can!  Whew!!! It really has been 10 years since we've had a puppy in the house.  Actually, we are filled with love and happiness already and Stella is a very special girl.  I picked her up Friday afternoon at Kaylene's house. We let her and Gordo run around outside together before we loaded them up.  He still just ignores her and she chases after him on her tiny legs wanting to be with him so badly.  Because Kaylene has done such a great job with the puppies, the hour long ride home was peaceful. Each dog was in their own crate and both slept.  Starting off with a crate trained dog is a dream.  When we arrived home I took her straight to the yard to go potty. Well, so much for good intentions. With snow to dig in (she loves snow!) and exploring to do, she wasn't the least bit interested in doing her business. So I tried to be very patient and finally she obliged.  Then it was praise for a job well done and we were off to a good start.  I had  purchased a child's gate to block the kitchen off from the rest of the house.  It's a good way to keep an eye on her and also not overwhelm her with a big new space all at once. Her first adventure was an encounter with our cat Tinker.  Tinker is old and just sniffed and walked away, however, Stella loves any other creature she comes across and tried to "join up" with her.  That's where the gate came in handy. Eventually we slowly allowed her into the other rooms of our home. It's a small house so it didn't take her long to find her way around. We keep a close eye on her at all times and she only had one potty "accident".  We don't scold when accidents happen, just clean it up with no fuss and do a better job of watching her.  It doesn't do any good to get mad at them. They don't understand and it just upsets them when they feel your anger. Rather, it is praise when they get it right to reinforce positive behavior. It is the same when it comes to other behaviors such as chewing on things they shouldn't.  Instead of yelling and getting mad, quickly bring a toy or something appropriate for them to chew on like a bone or rag. I cut up an old tea towel into 6" squares,  soaked them in water, tied them in knots and froze them. It feels good on her gums and Stella loves them.  She slept through the first night until about 4:00 a.m.  Today it was 6:00 a.m. When she awakes, it is right outside to relieve herself. She then wants to play so I give her something to chew on.    Today she was starting to show how comfortable she is here.  She is getting very playful and tearing around the house looking for trouble. Again, we find something for her to do that is fun and appropriate.  She likes to bite my pant legs when I walk by and she went after my new window shears in the bedroom.  She's a puppy and the whole world is a fun exciting adventure.  We don't scold her but re-direct her again to her toys and chew bones.  We don't ever want to spoil her exuberance for life and if we reward her positive behavior and ignore her undesirable behavior and redirect, she'll stay happy and secure. Gordo is still growling softly at her if she tries to get too close, however, it is getting less and less.  It is normal for him to set his boundries and we just ignore it.  He has never been very friendly to other dogs at first but given time he will become friends with her.  They have to establish their own status within the pack. Stella is very subservient to him and respects his warnings.  Already  this afternoon, I saw them out in the yard crusing side by side sniffing and enjoying each other. I find if I pay too much attention to either one of them when they are together he growls.  If I let them have their space, they work it out on their own.  Her friendly easy going personality will win him over in time. Uh oh,  stirrings from the doggy bed and now I'll leave you for another energetic episode of  "Life with Stella".