Puppies are doing GREAT! Sleeping thru the night, eating 3 meals a day, playing outside as often as possible. They are finding that pottying outside is good and fussing when they cannot get there to do so.
Here is the latest video!
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Showing posts with label dog stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dog stories. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 10
Wednesday, August 19
Duncan X Rowan - 5 1/2 Weeks
The pups are 6 weeks tomorrow!
Everyone is doing great. They are really enjoying their outside time and coming along nicely with their baby housebreaking routine - they are already mostly pottying outside so long as I can get them out as soon as I hear them waking up from their many naps. Tonight they came in after their supper and were up again whining at 10PM - they wanted to go OUT!
We have also managed to get them to start following us indoors and outdoors, so less carrying than this past week! Much easier on my back and quicker, too!
Puppies will get their first shots soon and will be wormed one more time. They are eating regular food three times a day and now nursing only once or twice a day, when Rowan is feeling uncomfortable. I suspect puppies having teeth is a major contributing factor to Rowan wanting to wean them!
We are trying to expose the pups to as many new things as we can. This week I took a bucket into the puppy yard to water some flowers and they all were fairly sure the bucket was WAY TOO SCARY. Once it was empty I tossed it into their yard and left it for them to investigate. You can see how they did with it in this photo of Banks and in their latest video:
Everyone is doing great. They are really enjoying their outside time and coming along nicely with their baby housebreaking routine - they are already mostly pottying outside so long as I can get them out as soon as I hear them waking up from their many naps. Tonight they came in after their supper and were up again whining at 10PM - they wanted to go OUT!
We have also managed to get them to start following us indoors and outdoors, so less carrying than this past week! Much easier on my back and quicker, too!
Puppies will get their first shots soon and will be wormed one more time. They are eating regular food three times a day and now nursing only once or twice a day, when Rowan is feeling uncomfortable. I suspect puppies having teeth is a major contributing factor to Rowan wanting to wean them!
We are trying to expose the pups to as many new things as we can. This week I took a bucket into the puppy yard to water some flowers and they all were fairly sure the bucket was WAY TOO SCARY. Once it was empty I tossed it into their yard and left it for them to investigate. You can see how they did with it in this photo of Banks and in their latest video:
Wednesday, August 12
Sunday, August 9
Four Weeks - Rainy Day Update
Puppies have been doing very well outdoors. Now that they are getting around better, they are beginnning to enjoy the grass and learning about toys and new smells and how to play together.
They have also started on regular food which we try to feed outdoors so they can potty afterwards OUTDOORS! Yesterday was so nice they spent most of the day outside and there was no pooping indoors at all!
However, this morning was drizzly but still fairly warm. I put the pups outdoors under the eaves of the porch so they could attempt to potty outside before their breakfast. A few brave souls ventured out into the wet grass and drizzle to potty. Soon, of course, they were all huddled under the protective eave and I opened their gate to let them onto the covered porch to eat. One by one they followed me onto the porch and discovered their meal. Soon the bowl was empty and the pups were exploring the porch.
There were many new things to see: a few toys, furniture (ooh! wicker!), a broom, rugs of different textures, a bucket full of scrub brushes and garden tools, the grill... One puppy managed to knock over the broom but nobody seemed to mind. Soon they were all examining the handle and attacking the bristles... Someone found a plastic piece of who-knows-what and proudly carried it off to show the others.
The pups are very curious and every day is a new adventure. However, at this age their stamina is limited and after about 15 minutes they were all huddled under a table, looking cold and sleepy.
One by one, I called them into the laundry room. Each puppy managed to brave the BIG 5" doorjamb into the house. Keeping in mind the pups are only about 6" at the shoulder right now, it was quite the climb! The pups each are learning to respond to my voice and follow my fingers. As each pup made the big climb he or she was scooped up, given a smoosh and put into the box. This apparently was NOT part of their plan! Soon they were all at the front of the box, yelling for their lawyers and wanting BACK OUT!
All is peaceful now. They are piled up under their heat lamp, sleeping off their breakfast and getting warm and dry again.
Thursday, July 30
PUppy Video #3
I cannot promise a video every few days, but I have another for your enjoyment.
First an update. Pups are all doing well, continuing to grow and learning new things every day. They have been outdoors twice now and were somewhat braver on the second trip out. As they are still only awake for 10-15 minutes at a stretch, all adventures dissolve into naptime...
Pups have been wormed once so far, due again next week. It is pretty funny to see them standing and sitting about the box, all coughing and gagging on this new taste. Even the adults seem to gag on the wormer (which apparently tastes like butterscotch). It must be the slightly sticky texture.
As a treat, in preparation for their introduction to real food, I placed a plate in the box today which was smeared with yogurt (just vanilla). I dipped each little nose into the plate, and soon they were all sitting around, licking their lips humming with pleasure. I went to answer the phone, and when I came back 5 minutes later, the plate was licked clean and the pups were working on each other. I let Rowan back in and she finished up the cleaning.
Since I caught several of them standing elbow deep in Rowan's food bowl the yesterday, I think they will be quite pleased when it's time for food. Rowan was a bit annoyed that three little heads and six little feet were taking up most of her bowl, (altho she just growled and pushed in between them to eat) so I've gone back to feeding her OUTSIDE the box. They have also had a few sips from the water bucket clipped inside teh box - so they are learning that not all good things come from Mom. I'm not, however, in a hurry to start them on food so long as they are still gaining steadily and Rowan is maintaining her weight (albeit with about 12+ cups of food per day plus goat's milk and eggs). Once they begin on real food, often the dam is less willing to help keep the box clean and my job gets quite a bit more arduous.
Here they are, after their nap, wide awake and full of vinegar:
First an update. Pups are all doing well, continuing to grow and learning new things every day. They have been outdoors twice now and were somewhat braver on the second trip out. As they are still only awake for 10-15 minutes at a stretch, all adventures dissolve into naptime...
Pups have been wormed once so far, due again next week. It is pretty funny to see them standing and sitting about the box, all coughing and gagging on this new taste. Even the adults seem to gag on the wormer (which apparently tastes like butterscotch). It must be the slightly sticky texture.
As a treat, in preparation for their introduction to real food, I placed a plate in the box today which was smeared with yogurt (just vanilla). I dipped each little nose into the plate, and soon they were all sitting around, licking their lips humming with pleasure. I went to answer the phone, and when I came back 5 minutes later, the plate was licked clean and the pups were working on each other. I let Rowan back in and she finished up the cleaning.
Since I caught several of them standing elbow deep in Rowan's food bowl the yesterday, I think they will be quite pleased when it's time for food. Rowan was a bit annoyed that three little heads and six little feet were taking up most of her bowl, (altho she just growled and pushed in between them to eat) so I've gone back to feeding her OUTSIDE the box. They have also had a few sips from the water bucket clipped inside teh box - so they are learning that not all good things come from Mom. I'm not, however, in a hurry to start them on food so long as they are still gaining steadily and Rowan is maintaining her weight (albeit with about 12+ cups of food per day plus goat's milk and eggs). Once they begin on real food, often the dam is less willing to help keep the box clean and my job gets quite a bit more arduous.
Here they are, after their nap, wide awake and full of vinegar:
Tuesday, July 28
Puppies First Outside Adventure...
This is a video of the pups' first time outside. They are 2 1/2 weeks old. They were a bit sleepy as they had just eaten. Keep watch for Grammy Scarlett, who pretty much hogged the limelight...
Saturday, May 30
The Rules According To Dogs
One of the key tenets of all dog training is to be completely clear at all times. Dogs only learn what we teach them. They invented "literal interpretation." So, sometimes their idea of doing what we say we want tends to incorporate a LOT of leeway into er... what THEY want.
For example, at our house, just like at YOUR house, dogs are not permitted to countersurf. Verbal reprimands such as "Hey!" and "OFF!" to "Are you insane?" and "What do you think YOU ARE DOING?" naturally end up becoming mild to intermediate physical reprimands like collar-grabbing and toe-smacking. Rowan, naturally, was one who required the more intermediate response of having her little toes whacked a few times for trying to help me cook... She got the message. I later observed her in the reflection of the french door from my chair in the living room. She was VERY CAREFULLY counter-surfing. She was on her hind legs, front feet carefully tucked in, reaching for whatever was closest. However, her toes were NOT touching my counters. Apparently, the message she got was "No feet on the counters" instead of "No dogs stealing in the kitchen." Hmmm
Her other misinterpretation involves the rule of "If you MUST beg, do so POLITELY from a distance that does not permit your DROOL to touch my lap." When we eat at the table, the dogs know NEVER to come into the room until we give them an "OK." However, we normally eat in the living room, because naturally one would not want to miss a SECOND of those Law & Order reruns. After all, we've only seen them 150 times apiece. There's probably a world record in the offing somewhere.... So, there is begging. However, the proximity rule applies.
The other night, Rowan observed that my husband had a lovely plate of fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Soon her little face was peering over his elbow beside his chair, pink tongue flicking towards his nice chicken. Up went his elbow, back went the dog. "NO!" A few minutes later, a little black face appears on the OTHER side... Nope, that wasn't clear, either.
We've had many discussions about the magical household item referred to as a TRASH CAN. I believe the dogs refer to it amongst themselves as "The Recepticle of Joy." It is a temptation that often defies all efforts. Finally we gave up and bought a metal kitchen trash can that has a step-lid and a top which is flush to the can, so the noses cannot flip it up. The day we installed our new dog-proof can, Bad Solo strolled up to it and looked it up and down. Down came the paw, up went the lid. "Cool!" she said, "It has a handle!" SIGH
Z learned her lesson about robbing the bathroom trash when I purchased a small plastic trash can with one of those lids that SPIN to allow the trash to be put in, and then settle back over the can to hide the contents. I arrived home from work one day to find used tissues strewn all over the living room. I hear Z coming down the stairs, and nearly fall down laughing. She is WEARING the trash can lid around her neck. Likely has been for some time, given her nonchalance...
Pointers are bedhogs. There is no cure. Scarlett firmly believes she should have the exact center of the bed, no matter what. Imprecations to "Get off!" or "Don't even think about it" are patently ignored. Pushing or shoving result in her taking on mass to become roughly the weight of a red giant. We got all excited one night when, finally, our demands for her to "MOVE!" resulted in her getting up. At last! Scarlett stood up, stretched, turned around 3 times and plopped back down in the same spot.
Vegas demonstrates bedhogging...
Well, she did MOVE...
Sometimes having commands that dogs misinterpret can be useful. All my dogs know the command "Kennel." This, roughly translated, means "Go thru that door." However, sometimes one gets an interesting result. Years ago we had a beagle living with us and our pointers. She had her own crate in with the others. One night, I had put the dogs out for a last potty after a long evening away from home. It was dark. It was late. I brought them in and called to the herd of pointers milling in my small laundry room, "Kennel!" And began closing doors after them as they obediently leapt into bed in their crates. One pointer remained, still milling excitedly around the room, being a goofy boy dog. "KENNEL!" I yelled, thinking only of MY bed, and the nice Sunday morning sleep-in I had to look forward to... Silly boy pointer frantically casts about for an open door (I had forgotten that I closed HIS crate because he still hadn't finished his supper). Unable to comply, he crammed his head and shoulders into the open beagle crate. With the beagle. Complaints were heard. The pointer retreated. Oops... My bad...
All in all, human to dog communcation can be tricky. One needs to try and look at it from the dog's point of view to be as clear as possible. Teaching your pointer to give hugs can result in in appropriate greetings when your grandmother comes to visit. Allowing your dog to play with an old sock can leave your hamper full of well-chewed footwear. And telling your dog to "get in the car" before you actually opened the hatch can result in him heading home with the guy parked next to you at dogshow...
Oops. My bad...
For example, at our house, just like at YOUR house, dogs are not permitted to countersurf. Verbal reprimands such as "Hey!" and "OFF!" to "Are you insane?" and "What do you think YOU ARE DOING?" naturally end up becoming mild to intermediate physical reprimands like collar-grabbing and toe-smacking. Rowan, naturally, was one who required the more intermediate response of having her little toes whacked a few times for trying to help me cook... She got the message. I later observed her in the reflection of the french door from my chair in the living room. She was VERY CAREFULLY counter-surfing. She was on her hind legs, front feet carefully tucked in, reaching for whatever was closest. However, her toes were NOT touching my counters. Apparently, the message she got was "No feet on the counters" instead of "No dogs stealing in the kitchen." Hmmm
Her other misinterpretation involves the rule of "If you MUST beg, do so POLITELY from a distance that does not permit your DROOL to touch my lap." When we eat at the table, the dogs know NEVER to come into the room until we give them an "OK." However, we normally eat in the living room, because naturally one would not want to miss a SECOND of those Law & Order reruns. After all, we've only seen them 150 times apiece. There's probably a world record in the offing somewhere.... So, there is begging. However, the proximity rule applies.
The other night, Rowan observed that my husband had a lovely plate of fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Soon her little face was peering over his elbow beside his chair, pink tongue flicking towards his nice chicken. Up went his elbow, back went the dog. "NO!" A few minutes later, a little black face appears on the OTHER side... Nope, that wasn't clear, either.
We've had many discussions about the magical household item referred to as a TRASH CAN. I believe the dogs refer to it amongst themselves as "The Recepticle of Joy." It is a temptation that often defies all efforts. Finally we gave up and bought a metal kitchen trash can that has a step-lid and a top which is flush to the can, so the noses cannot flip it up. The day we installed our new dog-proof can, Bad Solo strolled up to it and looked it up and down. Down came the paw, up went the lid. "Cool!" she said, "It has a handle!" SIGH
Z learned her lesson about robbing the bathroom trash when I purchased a small plastic trash can with one of those lids that SPIN to allow the trash to be put in, and then settle back over the can to hide the contents. I arrived home from work one day to find used tissues strewn all over the living room. I hear Z coming down the stairs, and nearly fall down laughing. She is WEARING the trash can lid around her neck. Likely has been for some time, given her nonchalance...
Pointers are bedhogs. There is no cure. Scarlett firmly believes she should have the exact center of the bed, no matter what. Imprecations to "Get off!" or "Don't even think about it" are patently ignored. Pushing or shoving result in her taking on mass to become roughly the weight of a red giant. We got all excited one night when, finally, our demands for her to "MOVE!" resulted in her getting up. At last! Scarlett stood up, stretched, turned around 3 times and plopped back down in the same spot.
Vegas demonstrates bedhogging...
Well, she did MOVE...
Sometimes having commands that dogs misinterpret can be useful. All my dogs know the command "Kennel." This, roughly translated, means "Go thru that door." However, sometimes one gets an interesting result. Years ago we had a beagle living with us and our pointers. She had her own crate in with the others. One night, I had put the dogs out for a last potty after a long evening away from home. It was dark. It was late. I brought them in and called to the herd of pointers milling in my small laundry room, "Kennel!" And began closing doors after them as they obediently leapt into bed in their crates. One pointer remained, still milling excitedly around the room, being a goofy boy dog. "KENNEL!" I yelled, thinking only of MY bed, and the nice Sunday morning sleep-in I had to look forward to... Silly boy pointer frantically casts about for an open door (I had forgotten that I closed HIS crate because he still hadn't finished his supper). Unable to comply, he crammed his head and shoulders into the open beagle crate. With the beagle. Complaints were heard. The pointer retreated. Oops... My bad...
All in all, human to dog communcation can be tricky. One needs to try and look at it from the dog's point of view to be as clear as possible. Teaching your pointer to give hugs can result in in appropriate greetings when your grandmother comes to visit. Allowing your dog to play with an old sock can leave your hamper full of well-chewed footwear. And telling your dog to "get in the car" before you actually opened the hatch can result in him heading home with the guy parked next to you at dogshow...
Oops. My bad...
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