Nova can be a little Tasmanian devil at times.
Her needle-sharp teeth get into everything—especially, of course, the things that are off-limits.
Naturally, puppies have their wild moments—that’s just part of it. We try to ensure Nova doesn’t get overstimulated and, consequently, overtired.
It’s hard to gauge exactly when that limit is reached, as no two days are the same. I admit it’s hard work; I realize now that I was incredibly lucky to have adult Beagles whenever we brought home a new puppy. There is NO doubt that Charlie and Oscar have been absolutely fantastic—first Charlie with Oscar, and later, Charlie and Oscar with Darwin.
This is just a phase with Nova, and we’ll get through it. She’s starting to understand that we aren’t chew toys! That said, we’ve had to “puppy-proof” our home much more thoroughly than we initially anticipated.
We talk to Nova a lot, and she remains completely calm. She gets very upset when one of us has to leave—for instance, when Dad heads off to work or Mom goes out to run errands. Yesterday, while being held by our son, Nova watched through the kitchen window as I drove away to go shopping.
When I returned about 30–40 minutes later, she was right there, ready to greet me. There’s no doubt that she is VERY pack-oriented and loves having her humans around her.
Today, she sat on our son’s lap while I ordered some paw wax for her. I chose the same brand I used for Darwin and Oscar, as it’s made from 100% natural ingredients—and, most importantly, it actually works. Besides that, I also bought a thick blanket for Nova, since the nights are getting colder now, and she can have it in her crate. If it works out, I’ll buy another one.
