Next time...don't get a puppy BEFORE Christmas!!!

"Buddy"-I have decided-has become the 3rd child in our family. Not that we set a seat for him at dinner, have a bedtime story before tucking him in or anything crazy like that. But figuring out how to take care of a puppy and training him not to become an obnoxious dog has been a chore in itself. When Buddy first came home he was out of his crate almost all day- and I just had to be the potty timer. It came to a point where I pretty much had to have the puppy all day. There had to be an easier way. At Christmas time- I always find a way to have a million projects that I thought would be fun to get done. Christmas presents everywhere. Some almost finished, some not even started! And to add a puppy to this disaster is a recipe for a nervous breakdown. Everytime I turned to get something finished, Buddy would leave me a little reminder that I forgot about his tiny bladder again. AAGGGHHH! Plus- he had been crying in his crate at night. All night. So between internet searches and some wise wisdom from some family friends, things are so much better! If I ever loose my sanity and we ever get another puppy- things will be ten times better-and not BEFORE Christmas. Josh and I realized that we haven't been crate training him...and that we haven't really been training him at all. Crap! We found that puppies will potty train faster if left in their crate unless being played with. They won't go to the bathroom where they sleep and they will learn to control themselves. Fascinating idea! So-to the disappointment of the kids- Buddy spends more time in the crate. He can come out if Josh or I are right there while the kids are playing with him. But since we have done this- he has been accident free at night- and so far- my carpets and tile are safe during the day. YEAH!!! But we are supposed to be going to Salt Lake for Christmas. I am wondering if that will even happen. Buddy can't stay here- and we aren't going to go stay with family (even though they say it would be fine) so Buddy could have an accident on someone else's stuff. Yuck. But slowly but surely-my Christmas present list is getting finished!