We refer to this puppy as Big Chill Guy. β€οΈ
Puppy Culture. Each day, several times a day I am introducing new things, they are learning loud sounds are not scary.
Puppy Culture is a program that helps breeders get puppies ready to go to their new homes. It is a week by week program which helps the puppies get off to a great start.
Here we are making noises and letting them crawl through a tube.
Puppy Culture puppies are amazing!
Everybody showing off their good manners this morning# β€οΈ
This fella will be the first to go home, he will be going next Wednesday. I am starting to get them used to being alone in a crate.
Right now we are all right by him, but tomorrow I will move a little further away for a little longer.
This doesn't mean he won't howl in protest at his new home, but his first experience alone in a crate won't be in a brand new place with brand new people.
This should help him adust to his new home with a little less drama. β€οΈ
Today I introduced a van ride. I do not want their first van ride to be to the vet with all those new smells, or going to their new homes where nothing and nobody is familiar.
None of them loved it at first but they all got used to it and relaxed after a couple minutes and even started chewing random stuff in the floor. Except Gladys. She didn't like it at all. So tonight we are just eating dinner in the van. I want her to associate the van with good things, not scary things. She didn't have any fear tonight but she didn't love it either, though it was an improvmemt from earlier today.
At this age they can easily become fearful, it is a very important time in their development.
It is much easier to work these things out of them at this age than it is even a few weeks from now. We have a short, short window of time here and it is much easier now than it will be later.
They have been eating from a pie plate, not a metal dog bowl. I had this fella out by himself and I kicked the bowl and he jumped. I take note of anything that scares them. So we worked on not being afraid of the bowl. I scooted it around and let him back away, then I let him come over when he was ready. At first he wouldn't even eat a treat out of the bowl, but I gave him a treat near the bowl, then a little closer, and then my hand in the bowl, then just the treat in the bowl. Then I slowly added noise. Slow is the key.
I introduce new things every single day, several times a day. This was his first time reacting to anything in about a week.
Tomorrow we will revisit the noisy bowl. π
I am pretty sure this is not normal. π
When I watched the video of how to show the puppies that I expect them to sit to ask for attention, I laughed. (The term is manding, this is not the same as obedience sitting) I was like NO WAY, maybe I can do it one at a time but that is NOT gonna work with them all at once.
Y'all, it works!! π
Enjoying the pretty weather! Everyone is sleeping soundly now. π€£
We are working on sitting. So when they come to me I pet them as soon as they sit. I do not say
"sit", I just give a rub the second their bottom sits down.
Within 2 minutes of the first session all puppies were sitting for attention, not climbing and pawing me.
Now they are 4 weeks old, they are not going to run and sit like Copper does, but their little brains are learning humans like it when I sit. ππΆ
I am also gradually exposing them to more and different types of noise, as well as slowly seperating them from their litter for short periods of time. All this should help them not be as likely to be fearful.
This dog always has fallen asleep sitting up. π