Savannah was the second addition to our family.  In fact, she was my birthday present to myself.  Initially we thought we had a 'dud' dog, as she was nearly impossible to train.  Our male, was so easy to train and so obedient, Savannah on the other hand, was a dog unto its own.
Once she had her first litter, she calmed down incredibly, all the training we had thought she refused to adhere to, was there, out of the blue.
Since she was due to have her first litter, I brought her into the house, and sat with her through each pup.  Now the precendent is set, each litter she is due to deliver, she announces loudly, until I wake up, and bring her into the house, stroking and cooing to her, giving her warm milk every few hours, or eggs, to keep up her strength.  Savannah is my baby, and has turned out to be an incredibly intelligent dog, as well as a model mom. I look forward to her greeting me every morning, and know we have many happy years ahead of us, together.