>>Rated the 4th most intelligent of all dog breeds, behind German shepherds, poodles (!), and I forget the other one. They hide their brains behind their charm.
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>>Have I mentioned I'm excited? I'm excited.
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>We just came back yesterday from a week-long (short) vacation on the beach, and although the weather did not help us a lot, our dog, a German shepherd - Airedale terrier mix had lots of fun it would have been a very different vacation without him, so you should be excited :). I do not know how intelligent is he in the dog scale (I know nothing about dogs, it's my first one) but he is very sweet and obedient dog, when I walk him (not as much as my wife), I tell him "go pee" and he pees immediately, or "go poo" and he pooes on demand, I wish I could do that with that easy!. Also the mix is either not very common or our dog has some other weird genes (a rescued dog we adopted from the local SPCA) for he has a very funny face and we cannot walk a block with him without people stopping us asking what breed is he :)

Good for you for taking in a rescue dog. That was my plan, then fate intervened.

It sounds like your vacation relaxed you and recharged your batteries. Excellent.

I am doing a couple of things every day bracing for the onslaught of a puppy. Puppy proofing the house, making a list of what I still have left from the last dogs who I gave up a year ago. I know I should not give control to this critter. The book I am reading about a puppy's first year says keep their crate in your bedroom for a while, set your alarm for 3 a.m. to take them out to piddle, and do not respond to their cries. Otherwise you will be training them to cry for attention. Can I be that tough?