I have zero interest in getting a puppy until my kids are big but if any puppy could make me change my mind it would be a golden. We're in the process of getting a rescue greyhound, though...so we have that to look forward to!
I'm not going to lie, she is a huge lifestyle shift. We're getting used to lots of baby gates, early mornings, etc. Housebreaking is going really well, but sleeping at night? What a disaster.
We did a few nights with the crate in our room at first, but we've moved it downstairs because that's her "home." Until she's really housebroken she's a kitchen dweller, so the crate is there so we can feed her in it, she can relax in it (which she does), etc., plus that's where she goes when we're at work. We broke down and got ear plugs to sleep, because she was barking all night when separated from us and we were a sleepless mess. She didn't have to go, or have anything wrong, she'd just rather be with us, which isn't ok to bark for. We take her out at 10pm, 2am, and 6am, and otherwise, we have to (try to) sleep through the barking. She's very, very, painfully slowly (for all of us) getting used to being by herself at night.
She is super adorable and cuddly though which makes up for it. I think!
Oh man, she is sooo cute! That soft fluff is just irresistible. The boot photo might be the cutest thing I've seen so far in 2013. You should definitely send it to LL Bean! She'll end up in a catalog.
Also it's amazing at how much of Quincy's baby puppyhood I've put out of my memory. It's all coming back now - overnight potty trips, bite inhibition, constant supervision (like literally every second), moving everything chewable that was lower than two feet off the ground, crate placement, etc. We ended up getting a second crate to keep upstairs so he could sleep in our bedroom.
Awww, what a cutie! Gosh I miss having a puppy, even with the sleepless nights.
I can remember doing the crate shuffle every day. At night, Sadie would be next to our bed in her crate and then in the morning we would carry the crate down so she could be in the family room during the day.