Today is a VERY special day. Today is International Dog Day!
Personally we feel that EVERY day should be International Dog Day, however we digress.
Today brings awareness about the number of dogs that are currently in rescue centres and encourage the adoption of these dogs. An issue very close to our hearts.
Sadly, each year, millions of dogs become homeless because they are unwanted or their owners are unable to care for them. So this day aims to encourage people to adopt dogs and help her find a forever home, a forever family.
To celebrate this special day we hope you’ll share a photo of your furkid and tell us how what makes them special and how they’ve changed your life.
#internationaldogday
He cracks me up. Always has to find his blanket if there’s no toy right next to him. Usually their blankets are scattered all over the yard in the afternoons 💙😂
Gibbs playing again at 5 weeks post knee surgery makes me happy. He’s been off medication for over a week.
Lucky I vacuum under the rugs!
You might have noticed we’ve had a slight name change, back to where it all began. My Princess Bonnie.
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Bonnie was my first dog and she was especially important to me. She was a Christmas present from my father after years of begging him for my own dog. We lived on property and the neighbouring dogs convened at our house, because that’s where the kids were. I always loved the visiting dogs but just wanted one of my own.
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Bonnie and I were glued at the hip. We ate, slept and drank together. She went on to have her one and only litter of 4 puppies as she was sadly taken from me in a road accident shortly after.
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That’s where my passion and joy for seeing the difference dogs can make to a family came from.
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My Dogs Australia breeders prefix remains the same, PrinceBonnie.
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These two are just adorable, Louie dotes on Charlie and looks up to him as his big (taller) brother 🥰
Louie 💙 was born 40 minutes earlier than Charlie 💚, with Romeo ❤️ born between them 💛
Good night Louie Dog, and Sulley 💙🩵
Ultimate game of keep away! It was an epic battle
over this packet of baby wipes. Any guesses on who won?
This clip gives you a little insight into the energy bursting forth from a 7 week old puppy. I often joke that they are like the Energizer Bunny, only their batteries wear out after about an hour. It is up to us to interact with them accordingly.
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One big mistake I see with visitors is the inclination to hold a
puppy against her will. It is nearly involuntarily, as the human so desperately longs to hold the puppy that he ignores the puppy's efforts to say, "let me go."
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When the batteries wear out, puppies are incredibly snuggly. There is nothing quite like holding a noodly polar bear while she sleeps on her back, cradled in your arms. It's heavenly.
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But when the batteries are fully charged, or even waning, puppies don't want to be held. And here's the kicker: if they get held against their will, they become frustrated. When they become frustrated, they act like a dog. They use dog behaviors to get what they want (freedom from restraint).
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They'll start with a whine. Then wiggliness. Then big
wiggliness. Then a growl. Then an air snap. Then a bite. They aren't doing anything wrong, as they are dogs using the communication tools that dogs have.
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It is up to us to honor their boundaries and "hear" them. When they wiggle, that's communication! That's "Hey, I don't want to be held." As I have mentioned previously, surprising kids with a puppy is a huge mistake, partly because they have had no time to learn how to properly interact with a puppy. How to read their body language. How to honour them.
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Here, it would be unwise to try to pick up any of these puppies. It might be a great time to play a follow game or kibble hide and seek. But it's my job as the human to read their body language and conclude that this is not the time to snuggle.
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Our dogs (and puppies) are talking to us all of the time. We just have to listen and learn to spea
Though Goldens are notorious water dogs, we want to build drive. (Same with all sorts of behaviours, actually, including fetch). One of the best ways to build drive with water is to allow the interaction to be on their terms. They are single event learners so it must be positive, fun and engaging.
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If I had turned this hose on then sprayed it on the puppies, they would have run away and some would have been wary of water FOR LIFE (unless counter conditioning occurred to help them overcome the initial thought of “water is scary.”).
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Instead, we make the water a neutral. It is predictable as it fills this container, splashing a bit & attracting that famous puppy curiosity. Each day we do this, the pups get a little more bold and a little more enticed. Some will stick their head under the flow, biting at the water. Some will actually jump in the bucket. All of those are a reflection of their water drive growing.
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As with so much related to puppies, we must honor their
boundaries. We will never spray them with a hose or drop them in the pool. Water play happens on their terms and their timeline.
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Slow is fast with puppies!
Here they come! Barrier challenges are such an essential part of our training program. Here, the pups are rather adept at getting over the lip of this gate. It's amazing
how fast they learn!
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While an enriched environment is important (thus all of the
novel items & ample toys), equally vital is the daily challenges we offer the puppies. Every day we offer a new challenge could be something as simple as climbing on a box, or as complex as getting through a 2 sided crate. But every day, they have something new to conquer. Problem-solving builds those brains!
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That "I can do it" muscle continues to grow while the puppies log the new challenge and texture into the "not scary" file in their brain. The more barriers they solve, the more the "I can do it muscle" grows. The more new challenges and flooring textures they experience, the bigger the "that's not scary" file grows. This is all foundational to become a stable, emotionally resilient dog.
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The puppies turn 6 weeks old today and have started all
sorts of new things, including eating individually. By feeding
each meal individually, we can accomplish so much teaching! One simple thing is to create small challenges. We put the bowl of food in the crate & set puppy down a few
inches away (individually). Each puppy sniffed out the location of the food, which not only created comfort with the crate, but engaged them in a fun game. And all of you know what that means - their brains grew!
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Because their brains are growing at warp speed, & because food is SUCH a great learning tool, we rarely just stick a bowl of food on the ground & call it good. We want to take advantage of the amazing learning opportunities that meal times provide.
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That is why you'll see us feeding in a crate in the car or around our house. We want our puppies to conclude, "Oh! Look at that! Every time I go someplace new, something good happens!" We are formatting those little hard drives, so we just don't have anv time to waste. Nor meals!
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