Molly's Journal

ngraham · Post by **ngraham** » Sun May 07, 2006 5:03 am

I thought it would be kind of nice to keep a sort of journal for Molly's progress over the next week or so as she adjusts to her new home and environment. Kind of like Mandy was trying to do when Chewie tore his ACL and went through his surgery to repair it. That way if someone else had a brand new chowling, they would know what to expect.
Day 2: Molly is really getting over the shock of leaving her litter mates and coming into her own here. I think she has decided that this new Mommy person is not half bad after all. She stays pretty close to me and now follows me around. I think we have both finally caught up on the sleep and rest after the long trip. She is really starting to play now and it's great to watch her find new things to explore. I have been spoiled with King Koda and not having to keep things picked up anymore that could be a possible chew toy. Potty training is going as well as can be expected. If we take her outside, she knows she has to potty. She did have 2 accidents in the house yesterday, she was playing with Sam and she just squats when she has to pee. It was like "Give me a second... I have to pee" and we'll play again. LOL The grass is still a neat experience to her. She hops and runs around in it like it's the greatest thing this side of heaven. She is still a little skiddish of noises. One of our neighbors was having a birthday party yesterday and they got a little loud occassionally and it would scare Molly. But these are all things she has to get used to. She also is starting to pick her times when she wants to be cuddled now. She is too busy when she is awake exploring everything. But when she tires out, she wants to cuddle. This morning she did her best to get Koda to play with her. Poor Koda, he just doesn't know what to think of her. But they did play chase a little longer this morning. Sam loves her to pieces, just can't figure out how to play gentle with her since she is so small. Molly has already gotten the "attitude" from Sadie. Sadie hasn't had to swat her yet, so far the hissing and the paw up in expectation to swat has been enough to make Molly back off. Lucky just lays there and looks at her like, whatever. Both cats are bigger than Molly, so I guess she decided not to push the issue yet. LOL Now Max the ferret is a different story. Max and Molly do play chase and it's cute to watch. But we have to watch them close. Max is used to playing and having to defend himself agains Koda and Sam, so he does the same thing with Molly. Then we have to make him quit. But then they start all over again... Max chases Molly and then Molly turns around and chases Max. As far as the humans go... of course we all love her. She has definitely won our hearts. She is definitly going to have a different personality than Koda. I can see it now. This little girl has no fear and Koda had alot of fear. It still makes me sick thinking of what could have happened to make him the way he was after being around Molly and watching her. But it also makes me more grateful that he is here with us and knows how much he is loved. And I know that's the bottom line.

chowfrnd88 · Post by **chowfrnd88** » Sun May 07, 2006 12:15 pm

Great idea Nancy!

Is she still sleeping on the bed? If she is, I'll be so curious to see whether she chooses to stay on the bed when she gets older or if she finds another spot!

ngraham · Post by **ngraham** » Sun May 07, 2006 4:57 pm

Well she slept on the bed with me again last night, but my bet is she won't do it long. The floor is always cooler for them. I just wanted to give her some added security for her first few days/nights. She's sure coming into her own today. She's running and playing and barking, and boy does she have some sharp little puppy teeth. LOL She wants to chew on my hands, so I have to distract her with her monkey, which has turned out to be her favorite toy so far. She's also not as much of a cuddler now either. She is just as content now to sleep by my feet on the floor as she was in my lap Friday night and Saturday. In fact she gets mad if you pick her up and she doesn't want picked up. She's a busy little thing too. Always exploring. She doesn't like to get out of eye shot of me, and usually follows me every where I go that she can go. If she looses me or can't get where I am, she cries. She may as well get used to it since mommy has to go back to work tomorrow. Wonder who it will bother worse... me or her?

sweetpea · Post by **sweetpea** » Sun May 07, 2006 5:10 pm

She sounds like such a sweetheart. Gracie is over a year old and she still follows me everywhere. Its funny because I'll go to the bathroom and here she comes with me like I might fall in or something. The funniest thing is when I go in to take a shower, she follows me in but the second I turn the water on she high tails it out of there!
I'm going to enjoy hearing about Molly as she grows.

Post by **Auddymay** » Sun May 07, 2006 8:31 pm

That must be a curios chow thing. If I leave the door ajar, Miss Nose has to take a peek in to see what's what. She will even sit outside the door while I dry my hair. Just don't point it her way. How are your Chows around vacuums? Lily runs away as soon as I appear to be getting it out.

ngraham · Post by **ngraham** » Mon May 08, 2006 3:38 am

Koda follows me to the bathroom too. I don't think it's a curious thing, I think they want to be where we are.
Miss Molly is realy full of herself this morning. Of course she slept with me again last night and when the alarm clock went off, outside she went. She has eaten and gotten a drink and now she is wound up and ready to go. She and Koda are playing chase. He's allowing her to get a little closer to him this morning and he is acting more like his old self with me today, so I think things are getting better Koda went outside with me this morning and never attempted to leave, so that was a good thing also. They are taking turns barking at each other now. And Koda is even initiating some of the play. Things are really looking up. Molly is such a little spit fire. And she loves this stupid stuffed monkey that is longer than she is tall.

I truly think she has decided that it belongs to her. She takes it and hides it on the side of my recyliner so it can't be found. Life is so good with my furkids. I have to work today which means leaving Molly for the first time. It is gonna kill me. This is like having a brand new baby all over again.

TXSusiQ · Post by **TXSusiQ** » Mon May 08, 2006 4:22 am

I love this journal! What a great idea!

tons of info for me to think of over the next few weeks when our little boy comes home!

chowfrnd88 · Post by **chowfrnd88** » Mon May 08, 2006 7:59 am

Nancy, she sounds so wonderful and I'm so glad that Koda is getting back to normal!! I can't imagine how hard it's going to be for you to be at work today!! I still get that way with Special. I always try to hurry up so I can get back to him as soon as possible!

Auddymay, Special is the same way! He will come into the bathroom until the water turns on and then it's every man or woman for him/herself! His other pet peeve is the kitchen. He hates slippery surfaces and the bathroom and teh kitchen are the only places in the apartment he won't go into. He's made peace with the bathroom and even sleeps in there now (I think it may because the tile is cooler). In teh kitchen sometimes if I over-stuff the basket with all the recycling in it, a plastic bottle will drop to the ground and he comes charging and abruptly stops at the door and barks and growls at teh "intruder!"

So I always show him it was just a bottle, but I don't think he believes me. The only times he's actually come right into the kitchen is when he desperately needs a hotdog (you'd think the poor guy starves by all the drooling and the little pathetic look he gets on his face--I always have to not look at him because he's too good at getting what he wants! And he is so scared of the vacuum too!

His tail goes down and he runs away, but when it's off he comes over and smells it and tries to tell it whose boss, never getting too close just in case!!

Judy Fox · Post by **Judy Fox** » Mon May 08, 2006 8:32 am

Molly sound gorgeous!

Milly and Mabel follow me round, or check where I am. It I am sitting in my chair in the sitting room and they are in the garden, one or other or both of them will pop their heads round the kitchen door to check where I am and then go out again.

They are not much for cuddles either, just as much as they want (usually a brief snuggle) when they want.

But, I did get a kiss last night!!

ngraham · Post by **ngraham** » Wed May 10, 2006 5:21 am

Well, I kind of skipped day 4, but I am "journaling" now. Things are getting back to normal around here... as normal as normal can be with a brand new puppy in the house and a move into a house coming up. King Koda is pretty well back to his old self... my happy, sweet boy. I do see him at times "allowing" Molly closer to him more often, but still not for very long. When Koda and Sam play, Molly does her best to be right in the middle of it, altho she is so much smaller than they are and ends up either getting pushed out of the way or yelps cause she's gtten hurt. But she is a determined little thng and turns right around and tries it again. Sam's long tail is usually the object of her play. Sam is really good with Molly and doesn't seem to mind at all if she is close to him. He's usually gentle with her, but then tries to play a little too hard with her and then she yelps. Then he looks up at us like... hey I am just playing with her. Of course she tires quickly and when she's had enough she retreats to her "quiet spot" and snoozes. She has deemed the area to the side of my recliner which is out of sight to everyone, her quiet spot. That is also where she hides her stuffed monkey to keep anyone else from touching it. It is really funny to watch her with that thing. It's so much longer than she is tall, but she still carries it around with her and keeps it just for her use. Heaven forbid one of the boys invade her space or mess with her monkey.
Molly turned 8 weeks old today and potty training is going as good as can be expected, for an 8 week old baby. She has never soiled in the house, altho we have had a few puddles. But even now, those are getting fewer and farther between. I'm used to a puppy who gives off warning signs of an impending puddle. Molly doesn't do this. But she is starting to go to our patio door and scratch when she wants out to go potty, whch I think is simply amazing. She's not doing it all the time, but she does do it. Last night I fell asleep in my chair watching TV. I woke up about 1 am and let both Koda and Molly outside and then decided I needed to sleep in my bed and not the chair. LOL All this time, Molly has been sleeping with me. I get comfortable and then she gets comfortable and that's it for the night. But when we went to bed last night (this morning) she kept whinning. She kept this up a good 20 minutes. So I figured, well that's it, she has decided she doesn't want to sleep on the bed, so I put her on the floor with Koda. She still whinned and threw a fit. So I picked her back up and put her back in bed with me.... same thing. So I asked her, do you have to go potty? She acted like she knew exactly what I had asked her and got excited, so I got out of bed and turned on my patio light and took her out again. That's what was wrong. She HAD to go potty...numerous times. Now altho I don't do 1:37 am potty outings very well, I was really proud of her. First, as bad as she had to go, she didn't have an accident on my bed or the floor when I put her down on it thinking that's what was wrong, and second, because all of that whinning was telling me, pleeaassee take me outside to go to the bathroom again. I just wasn't listening to it since I had just taken her out before I had gone to bed. For 8 weeks of age, I think that's pretty amazing. After I was sure she was done this time, we went back to bed, and she got comfortable and went right off to sleep. My smart little girl. So she showed me something. She is eating well and seems like she is adjusting well.
I do see her trying to challenge the pack order more and more. I am doing my best to stay out of it and just let all of them work it out like Kiwani suggested. I was looking at Melanie's web site and noticed that she had said that all of them, including cats, will have a pack order. Then it dawned on me, she is so absolutely right. My almost 5 year old female cat Sadie, is the "top dog" around here... period. Both Koda and Sam will walk a wide circle around her to avoid getting swatted in the face. Even Lucky (our year and a half old male cat) and Max the ferret usually have nothing to do with Sadie. I even see it with Sadie's interaction with Amber. IF Miss Priss is in the mood, she will "allow" Amber to pet her or hold her.... usually when I am not home and only when Sadie initiates it. But usually, Sadie's greeting to Amber is a quick swat on her arm as Amber walks by her, for no apparent reason at all. But usually Sadie sits on her throne and just watches as the world goes by, leaving everybody and everything but me, alone. With me she is always loving and sweet and knows that I am boss. Now I see Miss Molly challenging Sadie's hierarchy. And she has gotten the exact same thing the other's have gotten... a quick swat, usually across the nose. Molly yelps, retreats to her "quiet spot" for a few seconds and then returns and challenges Sadie again. Koda and Sam learned real fast that messing with Sadie just wasn't worth the pain it caused. Once in a great while Koda forgets his lesson and will try to get Sadie to play, but then he remembers and puts the breaks on. But Molly just doesn't seem to care. She keeps going back for more. I must say this little cream furball is determined. It's going to be real interesting to see who wins this. My money is ultimately on Sadie, but I have noticed that she doesn't sit on the floor, staring one of them down, just daring them to do something as often as she used to.

chowfrnd88 · Post by **chowfrnd88** » Wed May 10, 2006 5:41 am

Your "little cream furball" sounds soooooooooo soooooooo smart and wonderful!

I really don't undertsand why chows are said to be unintelligent, it seems like they pick up on things very, very fast. Does she let any of the other play with her monkey? How are your full days at work going without her?

ngraham · Post by **ngraham** » Wed May 10, 2006 6:13 am

I don't think I ever heard that chows were unintelligent, in fact, just the opposite. It's the other stuff like them being aggressive and dangerous that I have heard. I have found with my chows anyway, that they were all highly intelligent. Sometimes alot more intelligent than their humans, as Miss Thang showed me early this morning.

No way does anyone mess with Molly's monkey. LOL We try to keep it close so we can hand it to her to focus her chewing on instead of our fingers and toes. LOL I had Amber go get it out of my bedroom this morning and Sam saw it and tried to get Amber to give it to him. LOL Amber told him no, that it was Molly's and handed it to her. She promptly took it and hid it under the table that I have in front of me to keep my laptop on. LOL Amber handed Sam one of his rope toys instead and Molly played tug of war with him with this huge rope toy. LOL Sam held on to the rope and Molly held on to the strings that were hanging from it. LOL Her monkey stayed under the table. She wasn't about to share it!
I worked Monday and Tuesday and am now on vacation the rest of the week so we can finish up the packing for the move into the house. Monday Molly whinned all day, and by the time I got home, Amber had had enough of her! LOL yesterday she did just fine... no whining at all. I think she just needed to adjust and learn that mom will be home. Koda didn't like my leaving at first either, but once I got Amber to quit babying him, now he does just fine with my leaving him during the day. I give him a hug and kiss, tell him I love him and open up Amber's door and in he goes to sleep. So I'm sure Molly will learn.

Odessa's mum · Post by **Odessa's mum** » Wed May 10, 2006 6:33 am

The Petvalue I went to, when I decided to switch Odessa to Nutro, has a list of intelligent and unintelligent dogs and I told the cashier I would never again visit if he kept the list posted as it had Chows third on the latter list.

Told the guy he should meet Odessa and then would change his mind. Poor guy was just working there and said he did not make up the list and believed me that Chows were intelligent.

Odessa does not like the vacumn either and sits by the storm door or goes out in the backyard when we start it. Sometimes though when we use the attachment for the stairs, she chases after it and barkes at it.

Molly sounds like she is adjusting very well and making friends. She will get used to you working away from home soon hopefully - it's so sweet to see then waiting by the door for you to return though. My hubby says Odessa moves from whereever she is to just inside the front door around 3.50pm every day as I normally get home between 4-4.15pm. It's like she has a clock in her head

I enjoy reading Molly's journal.
This site is really a wonderful place, thanks to all you chow lovers.

Mildred

ngraham · Post by **ngraham** » Thu May 11, 2006 5:50 am

Other than the feeding issues in a different post, Molly is doing well. She woke me up again last night to go to the bathroom. I have NEVER had a pup do that before. So of course I got up and took her outside. I feel like a sleep deprived new mom to a brand new non-fur baby. LOL Of course I can't blame all of that on Molly. Getting ready to move into a bigger place is all stressful too. Koda and Molly are playing well now, but Koda still makes Molly keep her distance. Of course Sam adores her. But when they are all outside together, it is Koda that Molly prefers to follow around. Molly definitly has a different personality than Koda. Koda (like Sasha was) is more laid back and doesn't get mad easily. Molly has quite a temper when she wants to have one. She is also a very determined little girl. This is definitly going to be a learning experience having her as a part of our family and I may have to re-think some of my views on training. It's almost like I am experiencing the "chow attitude" for the first time. Even at 8 weeks, Molly is just so different than either Sasha or Koda was. She will let us love and cuddle her when she is in the mood. If she isn't, you may as well forget it. I love watching her explore new things. It's so cute.

ngraham · Post by **ngraham** » Fri May 12, 2006 4:36 am

Well Molly has been here with us for one week today, and this will probably be the last entry for Molly's journal. You guys that are going through the anticipation of waiting for your new babies to get bigger to come home, I sure don't envy you, I am so glad that part of it is over for me, but also be prepared for some major changes. LOL I am so glad Molly is here and can't imagine her not being here now, but I had honestly forgotten how much work a baby chowling is. Koda is still a puppy (8-9 months old) so I still consider him a chowling, but life with Koda is not as not near the work any longer. Sure, we have our busy times for grooming and playing outside and having fun together. But I don't consider all of that work. It's time spent loving and bonding with my sweet boy. And that's what the work is with Molly. There's just alot more of it.

It's great watching her little personality come out and watching her learn and explore new things. A week ago she had never touched grass before and was scared of it. Now she loves the stuff. LOL It's adorable watching her pick a stuffed toy up that is bigger than she is and try to shake the stuffing out of it and fall over. It's funny the way she has learned to go up and down our front and patio steps. Big work for her with such little legs. But she insists. It's great watching her interaction with Koda and Sam and try to play like they do. But the best part of all of it is when she allows herself to be cuddled, the puppy breath and the sweet little purple kisses. Yup every bit of agnoy waiting in anticipation was worth it.

chowfrnd88 · Post by **chowfrnd88** » Tue May 16, 2006 5:40 am

Thanks so much for sharing all of that Nancy! All of Molly's firsts make me smile! I bet years from now, it will be so nice for you to look at all the things you entered in her journal!