Severe weather, what's that?
It helps to have a "big brother" to show Norman that rain and wind and some flooding is a-ok.
Norman, the Great Dane service pup in-training went out in public for the first time today. It's always a big deal because first experiences can carry some serious weight.
We want things to go as smoothly as possible and be enjoyable for the puppy, so it takes some consideration to determine where to go.
I wanted Norman to have a low-key, low-stress place to explore, but also wanted it to feel like it was a public outing. We have a great brewery in our area that fit the bill perfectly.
I chose 3p on a Thursday because I knew it would be fairly slow and quiet. We had a beer, Norman had some snacks and sniffs, and then we came home!
Norman did a really nice job. His body language was soft and waggy, he was interested in his surroundings, and he was able to focus on me and settle on his mat. ⭐💯
Santa came through the neighborhood and it was a great chance to introduce the pup to a little bit of controlled chaos.
* Sound on * That moment when it all comes together:
✅ puppy learns to target the 🔔🔔
✅ 🔔🔔 moved to the door
✅ I remove myself from the equation
✅ puppy makes the mental leap and rings the 🔔🔔🔔 all by herself. 💯🏆
The house training is on track!
The life of a board and train pup. 🧡
Miles is learning all the 💦 things. It helps when you have a Labrador as your retrieving coach. 😂
So much rain here in the Mid-Atlantic! 💦
The boys have resorted to playing like crazies in the house.
When you gotta work all weekend, you "make hay when the sun shines."
Today I spent a few hours with a good friend at a farm brewery with Rogan.
Rogan's reward for hanging out with us is that now he gets to retrieve the afternoon away. 😎🎾
When it's late in the day and this is the only kind of play you can muster. 😂😊
Each puppy gets equal time!
Here's Dougan's first training session working on eye contact.
He gets a click (and treat!) each time he looks up at me.
Age: 9 weeks.
A little loose leash walking practice while we got our exercise this morning.
My biggest personal training challenge is husbandry: cleaning ears, trimming nails, administering eye drops, etc.
When I went to The #ranchkpct, I got all inspired (also awe-inspired) to get my butt in gear and really face this challenge.
I am working cooperative veterinary care training into Rogan's daily training schedule.
In this short clip, I'm working on the beginning of a chin rest, some paw handling, and then throw in a nose target because that's really easy for Rogan.
The Labradors have discovered the allure of water. 💦💧💦
Sleepless Nights…with Puppies
When one of the pups had an upset stomach, I took night shift in the living room on the couch so my husband could sleep.
And so we'd be closer to the door and on hardwood floor.
"Better living through caffeine" is my motto today.
