22/06/2025
I keep trying to catch good videos of Gabe with the adult chickens, or even the goats and sheep, but he’s “good” 99% of the time which makes for very boring and repetitive videos. And during the other 1% of the time my focus is on appropriate and timely feedback for whatever he’s up to, and videoing is ignored in favor of that.
Gabe and his siblings are now four months old. Everyone is due for their 16 week shots soon. Reminder that:
-It is NORMAL puppy behaviour that around this age your previously “solid” pup experiments with a few behaviours that they think might be fun now that they are bigger and faster. This includes attempting to play with and/or chase livestock. Puppiess play. Chasing is fun. All dogs play and chase things. Low prey drive does not mean your dog will never play or chase. It means we have a better chance of shaping that behaviour so they only chase things that do not belong in their space, such as predators, but they tolerate all the things that normally are in their space. One reason most guardian dogs don’t seem to chase as much is because they are stuck in a fence. Interupting unwanteded behaviour the moment it starts is really irritating for your pup. If you interrupt them every time they almost start something, they are going to give up on it and just go do anything else.
-It is NORMAL to go back and forth on how much supervision your pup needs as they age. I’m convinced they can only remember three things at once, and it will be the three things most frequently reinforced. If your pup has been “good” that means they have not needed the reinforcement of certain behaviour much or at all recently. As their brain grows they drop the unused connections and concepts they had learned if they are not routinely reminded, and will need a refresher to rebuild that wanted behaviour. If you are consistent and present, they will pick up on that reminder quicker each time. If you are at a point where you cannot trust your pup unsupervised with livestock right now, even though you could yesterday, it is okay and encouraged to seperate them out for a few days and do only supervised time in the pen. It is better to take a few calm days to rebuild a wanted habit than to let a dog build an unwanted or harmful habit that you may not be able to get rid if later.
-It is NORMAL for a puppy to explore the world with their mouth just like a toddler does. They are teething until almost 8 months old. They will try to gum or chew everything at least once. Everything that’s not nailed down will be moved. The things that are nailed down might still be chewed on. Your puppy only has access to things you gave them access to. If you choose to let your puppy outside of fences, that is your choice, free for all for the pup with what they find. If you keep your pup in a fenced area, they only have access to the things you put in there. They do not have opposable thumbs. They cannot leave. If you don’t want your pup to chew on something you need to remove, secure it, or spend the time to teach them not to put their mouth on it.
These puppies are going to get really big really fast these next few months, but they are still puppies. Making sure they are eating enough throughout the day to offset this growth will help a lot with some unwanted behaviours.
