Making Loki Magical

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Making Loki Magical

Puppy Board and Train - Potty Training & Household Manners !

11/20/2019

Loki Learned how to Chillax a little and was doing great with Potty Training - He is gonna spend some quality time with his Dad and practice some of his new skills !! I miss him already ! He will be back to learn more fun stuff soon ! Meanwhile - I’ve got little 13 year old Jake with me to re-potty train for his new home ! Check us out
https://www.facebook.com/JakesThirdAct/

11/18/2019

Loki is becoming a super hang out buddy !❤️

11/18/2019

“wait” practice ! At first keep it really short and successful ! 😎🐶💚

11/18/2019

Loki may have some Greyhound in him !! He sure is a great runner !! 💙😀

11/18/2019

Working on a little bit of patience & waiting politely for breakfast ! 😋💙🐶

11/18/2019

This was Loki’s first night with us.
He is very focused on toys and playing by himself.
I had to figure out a way to influence him in a positive way.
I made our goals for the week to have him focus more on people and find calmer ways of behaving, while still enjoying being a playful dog.
We’ve come a long way since that first night and that first time I said “oh my goodness 😀” !!

He is so very creative ! In the shelters, often puppies get toys ; but no- one to play with during the long, lonely hours. Loki invented his own game, to amuse himself, pass the hours, within the confines of a shelter kennel - with tossing and playing with toys !

The challenge is now to join him in his world. 🤗

11/18/2019

It’s been a good day & weekend when a coupla dogs can chew their good doggie bedtime marrow bones together !! 😊❤️

11/18/2019

Getting into good habits.
Loki gets to spend chill time chewing his rope, we are interacting, and Izzy is role modeling good behavior.
A dogs life should be about hanging out with his p*eps and playing with doggie friends.
The more time that you are able to spend with your puppy, interacting, playing & learning: the more he will look to you for direction ; the more he will “ care what you think “. He will look to you for approval or not. He will look to you for what he should be doing. It helps to be pro-active and have chewy things, cookies, a solid crate schedule, and practice obedience skills that can re-direct him from any behavior that is inappropriate.
Dogs have needs for exercise, entertainment & potty schedule. When those needs have been met- all they really want is to spend time with you because you provide all of those things for him. It’s not an Alpha dog scenario. It’s the people ( all people ) in Loki’s life that provide for his needs and also let him know that he is doing good when he is making good choices.
Simply: behavior that is rewarded (calm stuff) is repeated.
At the same time, if Loki doesn’t get enough exercise & play opportunities- his naughty behaviors will get the most attention ( stop, no, leave it, chase, tug) and he will keep doing the things that get him the most attention.

Make it be that he gets attention for being good as much as possible. And direct him toward behaviors that are acceptable for you and your family.

Puppies want you to approve of what they are doing, and to make good choices. If you can be clear what it is that you like ( chewing a rope- for me- in this case) they will keep doing that same thing. It will become a habit. 😊💙😀

11/17/2019

To help with potty training; I try to make sure to monitor how much water puppy is drinking, in order to maybe predict when they will need to go out. I want Loki to have many, many successes of getting it right, and then he should WANT to wait to go outside to p*e - because it pays so well and makes everyone relieved (pun) and happy ! 😊😁💚

11/17/2019

Izzy showing Loki all the best sniffy and potty spots in the neighborhood! ❤️🐶

11/17/2019

2020 Update : I’ve since learned and have come to understand that the ‘delay your potty tactic’ is a long-time resident shelter dog phenomenon.

You see, Pups in shelters get lots of walks, if they are lucky 😃🐶, and quickly
Learn that as soon as they go potty- they get put back in the kennel- so that the next lucky pup can have a turn ! This translates to long time shelter dogs holding their potty as long as possible because it means that the fun ends ! 😯😔

The good news, is that Loki is a super Smart Kid, quick learner, and I better understand how to work within that scenario for potty training 😊🐶😎🤗🥰

This could be an hour long video of the same. We walked for an hour.
Loki can walk very nicely and is interested in all of the sniffles out in the world.
He and Izzy are wonderful walking pals.
The thing is -he needs to learn to go potty while on leash.
He had plenty of water and should have to go. Didn’t happen.
Walked home, took him on leash to his favorite spots in the back yard and stayed there on leash for a long while without any distractions.
I’m ready with my cookies and my camera for all of the glory of him doing his potty thing.
Nope.
I decided to test the theory that it is a leash thing, and let him off leash and he immediately p*ed.
Like in 10 seconds.
In that same area.
Luckily he has a dog park at his complex at home and has a few favorite potty spots around there, cause I’m rather baffled about the leash thing.
Ideally, you pair a word or phrase with him going. Like-“go potty”, say it as he is doing it and he gets cookies when he’s finished. We’ve been doing that.
He will eventually learn to p*e every time he goes out with that sequence of events.
He still got his cookies and his photo op
For doing his thing outside. 😊
💚🐶💙❓

11/17/2019

Loki Loves Toys. He loves tossing them around and chasing them. He has a great time doing it.

In order to train Loki calmer, more acceptable behavior, we have to use what he likes most: Toys.
The first step was to show him that people like toys too, so that he would include the people in his life with his game.
I taught him to catch toys- which will help him focus and learn to listen and be interactive.

Once that was working most of the time, I tried to get him more interested in a less stimulating toy like a rope or a tennis ball. Still a game, but he doesn’t go so berserk about those items.

With a lot of repetition and making the rope something he was rewarded for playing with, he became more able to listen and take direction - like “drop it”, “leave it”.

As Loki chose calmer activities like chewing on bones and Kong’s, his overall demeanor becomes more open to learning new things like Sit, down, wait.

Then I heavily reward those behaviors the more he chooses to do them on his own. When he is laying down, chewing something, he can not be running around looking for mischief.

Making good habits is a process of going in the right direction repeatedly.

For Loki that meant using what he was already doing (toy toss) and try to guide him toward a similar but more appropriate behavior.

He is improving a lot. 😊🐶

He has a lot of enthusiasm and energy, as all puppies do - so exercise and play opportunities are gonna be a big part of keeping the other aspects of his life calm and happy for everyone.

11/17/2019

Now that we have Loki interested in playing together with a rope toy - it’s important that he learns how to “drop it” when requested. He gets a treat for willingly letting go of the rope, then gets the rope back again. We repeat that over and over so that Loki thinks it’s a pretty good deal , letting go, getting a treat, and still gets the rope back. If you practice this enough, Puppy will learn to let you take anything away because it has a history of paying off pretty well ( treats). 😁💙🐶

11/16/2019

Loki got to spend a few hours with his Dad today walking and talking. 💙
The goal is for Loki to feel Safe, Calm & Happy. He will feel Safe by having a consistent and fair routine,
he can be guided toward Calm activities like Kong’s and chewys & focus practice.
Loki will be Happy when he knows he is making good choices most of the time & getting rewarded for it, plus enough exercise so he doesn’t have to go full steam rowdy at every opportunity. 😊🐶💙

11/16/2019

Loki picks a stick to play with over his stuffed toy. A lot of dogs like to take things apart. Sometimes I make cardboard boxes into puppy projects and let them take those apart. It’s just a natural dog behavior to shred stuff. Loki is not actually eating this stick. He’s just taking it apart and spitting it out. You can guide your puppy toward shredding something that is appropriate for your lifestyle. I’ve used all kinds of containers, boxes, paper.
With any behavior- if puppy is going to do it anyway ( shred something) - turn it into something you approve of and can live with.
It’s a calmer behavior than a stuffed toy toss, so I’m okay with a stick as long as he’s not eating it. 😋🐶💚

11/16/2019

Spending bonding time, as well as playtime has helped Loki to learn to trust me and to focus. When those two things are accomplished teaching obedience and household manners requests like “leave it” become much easier. This is our first time trying to clarify what “Leave it” means with treats (kibble) to start with. 🐶
Puppies need to learn that learning can be fun and rewarding. Once you have puppies focus, then it’s just a matter of timing the cookies immediately after he does what you ask of him !
And lots and lots of repetition!
💚🐶💙

11/16/2019

Potty Training Proof ! It’s a big deal ! It’s the #1 reason dogs are turned into the shelters around 6-10 months old. It takes vigilance, persistence, routine & observation. Puppies want to do the right thing, but to train them, you need to be right there telling them when they get it right !!😀😎🐶
Haha. I’m right there alright 😎😊💙

11/16/2019

Izzy initiates this romp and run, and she is pretty good at giving puppies feedback when they are too rough. Loki is Lean and Young with loads of enthusiasm. Loki will hopefully find appropriate playmates at the dog park in his complex. Or daycare might be a good option because they group dogs together according to play styles and ages. 🐶🐶
Izzy is 6+years old here & possibly Loki is too enthusiastic for her.
Well- matched play groups are Brilliant together! 🐶💙🐶💖❤️🐶

11/16/2019

Working on Loki learning to like rope toys for a relaxing activity. We want him to prefer to chew on that instead of blankets, sofas, people. I present the rope to him over and over again, hoping that it becomes his new habit and routine. 😎🐶💙
Ropes are pretty boring to puppies, but a great item to keep on the sofa to redirect them from
Chewing cushions, pillows,etc.
Many times it is hard for puppies to tell the difference between household items and (soft) toys. Ropes can help with that because they have a unique‘mouthfeel’ and chewing stuff will Forever be calming to a puppy !
Best to be prepared with acceptable chewing items in advance of sofa time ! 💙

11/16/2019

Progress !! 😊🐶💙❤️

11/16/2019

Hello Weekend !! 🐶💚🐶💙

11/15/2019

And then there’s Sweet, Sleepy Loki. 💙💚🐶

11/15/2019

Loki is a Lunatic for toys.

The problem is the soft toys and him eating them. I’m trying to teach him more interactive games with balls that might be a calmer activity for him.
My idea was to kick the basketball around for him, play with the ball and distract him from eating the toy he was running around with.
My poor, poor yard !
He wasn’t the least bit interested in the basketball 🏀
But here’s what happened - he was actually pretty good —
When he runs behind the tree, I don’t see him toss his toy on top of the table, when he does, he lays beside the table ( good) - but I’m intent on him playing with the basketball instead.
I didn’t see the toy anywhere at first. I was looking on the ground.

He is wild. He does need to learn calmer activities.

But, once I realized he actually made a good choice about not jumping for his toy on the table, I understood him a little bit better.

I like for puppies to have hobbies, and it’s cool that he likes toys, but there is not much chance of getting him to listen when he is completely crazed about toys.

Hopefully we can create a new, fun hobby for him that his family can play together.

11/15/2019

Lookit Loki so snoozy snuggly ! Really hoping to teach him
Solid sofa rules so he can have a great cuddle life at home ! 💙🐶💜

11/15/2019

A good way to bond with your puppy is with shared activities. I invite Loki up on the Loveseat while holding some chewy horn thing, and hold on to the other end while he chews it.
That makes it something that we are doing together & prevents him from chewing the furniture or me ! Many puppies need something to chew on to get sleepy. Kinda like a baby with a pacifier! 🐶💙

11/15/2019

Today’s Potty Post 😬🥳

11/15/2019

Teaching Loki “Off”
It’s a great bonding experience to snuggle and cuddle with your puppy on the sofa. Puppies are more likely to follow your requests after you have spent some quality time together playing, learning, lounging.

Also, it’s a great way to keep an eye on them 👀.

In order to create rules around getting on the furniture, Loki needs to learn what “off” means. We practice getting on and off a bunch of times and use the request “this way” for permission to get on. One of the reasons that I like “this way” so much is that it’s very versatile

11/15/2019

Time Lapse Loki - keeping himself busy with a chewy thing while I’m in the shower. I like to have a variety of chewy projects for puppies, for different occasions - for example, he only gets to work on this chewy in this room. He will look forward to getting back to it next time. It’s very helpful if you pick what projects you want your puppy to work on and when, or he will find his own busy work- 😆😁🤡

11/15/2019

Loki Learning to play calmly with toys instead of crazy kid solo toy toss. 😁😀😎

11/15/2019

Snack Time !! Frozen Blueberries !

11/15/2019

This is interesting because Loki made a good choice. My thing is acknowledging good choices and, if possible, ignoring the bad.

I gave everyone their mid-morning chewy thing - this case - Marrow Bones - ( frozen-cheap!- at Publix- I give them to doggies straight from the freezer-) and Loki CHOSE to take it
Into his open door crate. Because that’s what we had done the previous two days. (We’ve been working on him loving his crate, too !)

That’s the power of habit and Routine. Guide your puppy to make good choices from the get go, and Life can be Routine and Secure for your Pup ! Puppies love having a predictable Routine !

11/15/2019

We walked for an hour, smelled every blade of grass, every bush,tree,pole, hydrant, went in everyone’s yard. Loki was just not gonna (infringe ?- maybe he’s being polite ?)- but he would not p*e on our hour walk. Izzy was with us and p*ed 3x- got treats for it-didn’t matter. Loki just for some reason doesn’t want to potty when he’s on a leash. Cuz - we got back- and spent 5 minutes alone in the front yard. Nada. Came in, went out in the back yard, off leash, & he immediately p*ed and pooped. Outside ! Outside is good enough for now ! I absolutely cannot be mad at him for not going potty on walks - he must have a good reason - but he lives in an Apartment Complex - and a goal for him is to potty on walks. We will get there. Walks are a breeze with him ! Fun Stuff ! 💚💚

11/15/2019

Loki had a Great Day !! Great Day for a Great Dane mix ! 💙💙

11/14/2019

Calm and Relaxed Loki 💙

11/14/2019

Some Loki Portraits. He is such a Poser !! 💙

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Saint Petersburg, FL
33710

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