Welcome to YT.:)

So I picked up Bella early, on Tuesday. She rode down with us to Miami. She was so good! She whined a little bit at first when I was holding her, so I put her in the kennel and she fell right to sleep. Then she did so well at my uncle's house! Everyone was holding her and she didn't mind a bit! And she was great with the other dogs. In fact, she was often the one chasing them around. Today on the ride back, I initially put her in the kennel since she seemed to like on the way up, but today she was whining so I took her out and she curled up next to me and fell asleep. She's doing well with the puppy pads! When she's sniffing around, I just say "potty bella" and she does right to the puppy pad and does her thing! Well, peeing that is--she can't seem to remember to use the bathroom there the other time!! She's definitely become a chewer (she chews on my hands, her kennel, my hair)! I had to go out and buy some plastic bones with different ridges on it and I discovered that she loves the crinkle sound of her puppy pad (she loves to pick it up with her teeth and run around with it!) I did find one ring toy that has crinkly things attached, but if anyone knows of anymore toys that make crinkle sounds, please let me know!

Oh, and this might be a silly question, but do puppies get hiccups? Twice today when I was holding her, her stomach/lungs were spasming like a hiccup, but no sound was coming out.

And does anyone know of any good stairs to use. Bella wants to be on the couch with us but when I put her up, she likes to walk around and I'm afraid she's going to fall. She already jumped off one time and about scared me to death! But when I looked at the stairs at Petsmart, all of the steps were still too big for her to climb.

Whew! But oh my, how I love my baby! It's amazing how attached I got so quickly! And how attached she got! (while she runs around wildly a lot of the time---I think one of her treats does this) right now she is laying on her back on my lap sleeping. So precious!

I omitted some items in your quote...TAKE HER TO THE VET FOR A CHECK UP INITIAL APPOINTMENT-it is so important to have her looked over, tested for parasites, especially worms and or any diseases she may need antibiotics for (coccidia etc), and for your initial meet and greet with the vet. Many purchase contracts require a dog or pup to be seen by a vet within the first 10 days for a check up-really having as much testing done initially is so important. You can nip a lot of health issues in the bottom, or get immediate treatment or know about any permanent health issues. Sorry if it all sounds scary but better to know immediately than later. Make sure to ask about the hiccup symptoms.
Kenneling a pup can be so hard when they whine to come out...it's so much like getting a baby (human) to sleep in their own crib etc. If you break down in the beginning its harder to do later with a dog though. A lot of people on here don't seem to like the idea of kenneling their dogs though. I kennel two of mine and it was hard to keep the pup in there even though she came kennel trained, worth it now she loves her den and goes in willingly. We had a week of whining, and intermittent but she easily settled when we didn't respond after about 2 or 3 minutes. Of course it was hard e saw another dog out sleeping on a bed next to her. Since she is so used to it now and such, it's comforting for her. My Yorkie wasn't kenneled though so it would be cruel to kennel him now, he doesn't have the same comfort with it-it's a cage to him.
Stairs are a great idea! I was just talking on here about how Elvis has done a flying squirrel super man dive off the back of our couch-he was fine-I thought I was going to have a heart attack though. The little shop of terrors is pretty cute but kind of pricey-try eBay too for small dog stairs I really like the whole eBay whole salers pricing and getting used items from people (there's a sales forum on here too might wanna try there or post a wanted item need!) below is terrors link you may want to just consider a step stool-we recycled the kids old bathroom stool to put next to the bed...it was cheaper (free recycling of something we already owned) and it worked for our need.
Pet Stairs and Pet Steps
Congratulations on everything sounds like you are doing great and all is going well for you! :thumbup::aimeeyork

I agree totally about the idea of don't buy except directly from the breeder or at least meeting the breeder and at minimum the mom to the pup. The shop owner can tell you anything about where the pups came from you would have no idea if this is true. If they got it from an 'elderly couple' ask to meet this couple and at their home.
Also if buying from a breeder, do your homework as some breeders are not someone you would want to buy from. Read the many many posts on this forum for more info or feel free to PM me, I am always glad to help if I can.
As for allergies to the dog, if your friend is allergic to dog dander it is a problem as all dogs have dander including the alleged hypo allergenic ones. Some allergies are to the types of fur and oil that is in breeds such as German Shepherds, Poms, and especially the Spaniels.

Thanks for all of the advice! I did take Bella to the vet we are going to use as soon as I picked her up. The vet said she looks great!

As for the stairs, I will definitely looks into the sales section here--thanks! For now, we've just lined the area around the couch with pillows and now I don't have a heart attack when she jumps off!

One more question for now--grooming. I am having a hard time brushing her and brushing her teeth. She is a little wiggle worm and keeps trying to eat the brush and the toothbrush. Any ideas? Thanks!

I don't use a toothbrush, I use my finger. Have a glop of toothpaste on your finger, make her sit for it (ie make it seem like a treat), then I put one hand on thier back and then use my finger to brush thier teeth. Just play around with toothpaste types until you find one that she loves. Harley just loves the brand you buy at Walmart, it's simple and works well.

1. Brushes: I use a people boars hair brush on my dogs-I don't like dog brushes at all they hurt when I tried to brush my own hair with them-I use a people's thick bristled comb and sometimes a pick to get out any tangles. Grooming takes practice-ever try to brush a three year old girl's hair-they're all wiggly until the learn to get over and get used to it-but you have to make sure they aren't being hurt or irritated by it too.
2. Teeth: Again ever try to brush a toddler's teeth LOl-it takes practice I use Greenies for cleaning and Dogswell Breathies for breath. I do brushing with a brush but not even as close to as often as I should so I have wiggly brush biters-it all takes practice and training which may take awhile.
:congrats:Really it sounds like you are making great progress and doing so much better than most best of luck...how happy are you to have a little furbaby now?:yorkiesar

I am so happy! Bella is just the sweetest thing! (she's asleep on my lap!) But today she gave us a scare. At first we weren't going to put her on the couch with us so she wouldn't jump down but she was whining and looked sad so we lined around the couch with pillows. That seemed to work for a while until today when my boyfriend had her on the couch with him and I walked by and she took a flying leap off the couch, over the pillows, over the carpeted area, and onto the tile floor. She landed with one leg bent and her face hit the floor and she did really loud, high puppy scream. It broke my heart. The way she was holding her leg, I thought it was broken...turned out she was just bending her leg. And she was fine. She didn't whimper at all when I was feeling her leg, didn't limp at all, and was licking the tears off my face. My poor baby! No more couch for her!