Yes, some overly busy days around here!!! All going well though. Lots of fun and sweetness and learning and exploring and silly antics...
Last night was Lucky's first campfire experience. She ran around the yard and forest with my two doggies all evening long(dead squirrel discovery, creek splashing, digging, wrestling, running, kids on trampoline bring her up for a hug, scooters, bikes, passers by on the street, and...) Then Lucky fell fast asleep on a blankie at the fireside!
I took Lucky along on the group dog walk on Thursday because there were only 5 other dogs (and all good ones of course). I brought a little "Snugli" kind of pack for her but I didn't end up carrying her very much. We were on gentle forest trails and she took it all in stride. Interaction with other dogs is perfect so far -- confident and responding appropriately to their subtle communications. She crossed a couple of simple wooden bridges with hardly a second glance at the gaps between the slats. An ATV went past (happily a quiet and slow one) My routine is to call all the dogs to me whenever a bike or such goes past and hand out the extra good treats so the other dogs and Lucky hardly noticed it! Ensure that new stimuli have positive associations and it isn't left up to chance!
Housetraining so far is going the best of any puppy I have ever had!
Crate training so far is going the worst of any puppy I have ever had!
... don't worry I'm not letting her get upset and stressed 'cause that is counterproductive to getting her to actually LIKE the crate in the end. My oldest daughter is done school now so Lucky is rarely alone long. If she is alone she is in an exercise pen so she doesn't associate crate with stress. Guess that long airplane flight didn't get crate training off to a good start for her. Sigh. Night time she is in a crate beside my bed but she is my first puppy that doesn't sleep through the night. She rouses and moans and fusses quite a few times in the night (she is generally a vocal little pup anyhow) my hand hangs over the edge of the bed and she settles easily with that now. (She doesn't have to eliminate in the night though) When I've had enough of restless sleep at about 5 am I haul her out of the crate and put her under the blankies with me until 7am. (I can't believe I did that past the first night!!! But I know that you are okay with that so.....!!! I have to take time out to play some games in and out of the crate (Such as "Crate Games" by Susan Garrett)
Back to housetraining. Many puppies have times when they are active and playing where they pee as often as every 20 minutes. Lucky has a bladder of steel. She easily goes 1 hr between and can make it all the way down the stairs and outside without having a quick stop along the way. She also learned how to use the doggie door ALL BY HERSELF! She does her biz in gravel or grass. Only two "accidents" so far (one of each kind) but at 8 weeks of age it isn't about the puppy having control it is about the owner taking the puppy out. We have a blank chart on the fridge door to record input and output to help keep track. (I will try to copy it and put it on my website)
Nipping and biting is part of puppyhood. They are learning about their world and learning about bite inhibition. Lucky's little shark teeth are testing the world allright! She learns how hard to bite when wrestling with other dogs -- if she clamps down too hard they tell her in doggie ways by yelping, stopping play, and perhaps giving her a short reprimand back. Human skin is even more delicate than dog fur so we also have to teach them not to bite hard when playing with us. Yelp sharply and stop play abruptly by standing up or walking away. Give them another try or substitute your hand with a toy. With repetition puppy will learn to inhibit biting. Lucky is progressing as can be expected. Many more weeks of repetition....
Obedience commands. Ugh ... I hate those words. They are signals or cues that we want them to learn as life skills. Dogs aren't meant to obey ... we must earn their willing compliance ... this isn't the time to go on and on about my views on training ;0) Puppy pushups is a fun little exercise (Sit, Down, Stand). Sit is fast becoming a default behaviour for Lucky! I love default behaviours! Whenever she wants attention she sits and looks at us! I never miss a chance to reinforce that behaviour, with a pat or a treat or playtime! She sits for her food dish and I almost see a hesitation waiting for the release word "okay"... Coming when called is so easy to teach a puppy! Lucky is no exception. Recall or come cues are all too easy to ruin though, so I am ensuring that something extra good or extra fun always follows ... and if not I would actually get her or not use the sacred recall word. Jumping up is fast extinguishing ... that's when people walk away and fun ends. Waiting at doorways is something that I feel is important to teach so we are playing around with that too. Smart puppy learning how to get the good things in life!
I worked at the vets on Thursday and brought in her stool sample in for testing. Negative for worms or eggs! Yay! Check with your vet again when you get back as apparently you want to have three successive negatives. I will bring her by the vets office again next week just to make sure vet visits are always happily anticipated! Mmmmm.... liver and friendly people!
She is eating and pooing normally. I have done some preliminary resource guarding prevention exercises by coming up to her food dish when she is eating and given her some extra yummy things so that people near her food dish are good news! These exercises should also be carried out with toys and bones. Speaking of which ... I have given her a couple of raw knuckle and marrow bones. Yum! At first she didn't know what to do with them and whined at it ... she soon figured it out though! She has eaten and drank out of a couple of different dishes in a couple of different locations. The water dish that she liked to dig in got replaced and put outside! Maybe I should buy a kiddie pool today for recreation time...
To teach her to accept handling I am in the habit of occasionally restraining her gently and holding a paw and fiddling with the toenails. Her ears are clean but I check them and pretend to clean them too. If she struggles slightly I maintain my hold and then when she is calm I set her down again and we have a little play time. I still have to do mouth and teeth handling...
Yesterday I took all three doggies to Sonja's school because they had a fun day. All the children crowding around her was like a fun party for Lucky! Then the three dogs got to zoom around the huge grassy field! Yay! To get to the school we had to walk over a concrete overpass that crossed the highway. On the way over, the children carried Lucky and on the way back over she confidently trotted back across. Then back in the van she fell fast asleep!
Riding in the van is a pleasurable experience for Lucky. She is calm and content. When she gets sleepy I put her in a small crate I have beside my drivers seat and there is no fussing there.
What else was on that checklist to expose her to in the crucial first 12 weeks of her life? Oh yeah ... household appliances, vacuum cleaner, different floor surfaces, people with glasses or hats or beards, cats, other peoples houses, check, check and double check. Have to go and visit with my friends horses today to put a checkmark on the livestock column...
And pictures .... yikes, I've been so busy having fun that I haven't taken enough pictures! Must remember to pack camera along with all the puppy gear!
Oh oh ... Lucky is awake from her nap! Gotta go! More adventures this weekend!
More reading on what experiences your puppy should have from 8 - 12 weeks of age: http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/puppys-first-month-home-8-12-weeks
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