So this is the newest addition to the Nicora clan. A beautiful 10 week old girl German Shepherd. We are in the process of finding a suitable name for the little girl. We have a theme going right now with our two cats, Pepsi and Sprite. We thought about Root Beer, which is cute, but a tad bit too masculine and a little long as well. I really like A&W, but that too is a little long. There are a few ambiguous names like Soda-pop or suds, but we may want to stick with a brand name, although Cola is cute too. If you have any suggestions, let us know.

So the first task on the agenda list is to housebreak. I have gone through this procedure numerous times, never with great results, but all eventually reaching success. One thing I have learned is to have patience and not to use physical punishment. Rubbing noses in it is pretty crude and never works. So this time we are going to use the "crate" technique. We have setup home base for her in the bathroom, gave her plenty if toys and water and a comfy bed. The idea is that puppies will not eliminate in their own bed, so every two hours I take her out to use the potty and use positive reinforcement (doggy treats) for successful deployment into the yard. I will keep the site posted with progress. Another task is to keep her constantly surrounded with people, nice people. We want her to be very social and accepting of new faces. GSD can be very protective, and we would really like to avoid that if possible.

So that's it for today, wish us luck with the new little puppy!

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