Wednesday, October 15, 2014

5 weeks (2014 Sky X Benny)

5 weeks old today. We are establishing the clicker, exploring the yard, and enjoying lots of group play time. Smaller crates in the sleeping area help them get used to sleeping in crates very early. They are doing very well at going through the dog door to potty outside, but we still have the litter available indoors just in case. The only accidents they have are the ones right next to the litter from putting front feet in but not getting the rear feet all the way in. Very good for puppies who are only 4-5 weeks old. The HERE cue is being conditioned at every feeding as I call HERE HERE HERE and all the puppies come zooming out the dog door to greet us and eat! Everyone is eating softened food and they are separated from Sky, except during the daily walks and occasional play time. Sky is a gentle weaning mamma, preferring to taper them off and speed away instead of snapping at them. She still loves playing with them and gets very excited to see them each day.










Saturday, October 4, 2014

3 Weeks Old Yesterday! (2014 Sky x Benny)


3 weeks old Wednesday! So hard to believe. They are getting mobile and messy. And teeth! Their ticking continues to darken and personalities are developing and shifting.

We've rearranged the whelping box in in an attempt to continue the natural potty training, but the clumsy puppies still make messes and need cleaning up after. Sky still does her part but unfortunately that entails digging up the papers and blankets making things worse at times.as you can see in this picture we have a sleeping area, a transition and play area, and a litter area. The papers in the litter area are to help the puppies smell what that area is to be used for. Currently the puppies are doing pretty well at getting out of the sleeping area to potty. Getting into the litter area is still a work in progress. We have added a few toys, but have to be cautious what we add because Sky is a toy hog, and she'll take them all outside if I am not watchful. So today it's just tennis balls for puppies to nudge and roll. As we wean they get more toys!

They also had their first outing into the yard yesterday. A few explored, but mostly they climbed back into my lap for naps.

Friday, October 3, 2014

23 Days and Learning (2014 Sky x Benny)

   From the beginning we have daily handled the puppies, but now we are beginning more focused touch desensitization. Handling the head, mouth, paws, tails and everywhere keeps them used to and tolerant of being groomed, and touched. Later mature dogs who are well desensitized to touch do not startle as easily when bumped by things, people, and other dogs. They are more tolerant when handled by strangers and usually value human contact as a reward. If you have ever worked with under socialized or shy dogs you know that being petted by people, even trusted people, is not innately rewarding, and often can cause shy dogs to be nervous or fearful. And of course nail trims and ear cleaning are much easier when dogs tolerate having their feet and ears touched!


    They also are clearly responding to sound and exploring and practicing with their own vocalizations now. When startled several will make puppy barks, and they play growl and yip with each other. Now is the time to start teaching them what we sound like and condition them to coming when called. Yep this early! I start simply by talking to them when I walk up to the box and saying "Hello Pup Pup Pup." And "Here Here Here Puppies," conditioning them to the staccato of 3 short words followed by gentle pleasant interaction and now sometimes FOOD too! They quickly begin pricking their ears and looking for me when I call. They are too clumsy still to make much progress towards me, but for now just recognition is plenty. 
We've started introducing a marker word as well, but I'll cover that in the next post.