Now 10 Weeks Old

My puppy is now a week older!  I’m so excited about what we will be doing over the next week – but I’m also nervous about the socialization window that will be closing in just a few weeks. What have we accomplished in the last week?

At Newark Vet Hospital

First Vet Appointment: This was actually his third vet trip – he had two before he came home to me. We had a really great visit with a local veterinarian that I’ve met and talked with (about training!) but I had never been to her clinic with my pets. Once we were in the exam room I let him on the floor and table. I played with him and did some easy training so that he could have a good experience at the clinic. During the appointment he did a pretty good job with the vaccinations, worming, and exam. He seemed comfortable and happy. We will be sure to make his future vet appointments just as pleasant – and especially these early experiences.

More Class: We only did two puppy classes this week. He got pushy during play (and reflecting back – he only really got to do puppy play at his first puppy class – he fell asleep during the other weeks!).  On the second puppy class we structured his play more carefully to be sure he -and the others- would have a good experience.

Dogs: Griffin finally started doing good play!  Gentle wrestling and face-bitey games and even tugging together. I took three dogs out on leash on a few trips -sometimes even coming in and out of the training building.

Play: We played with many toys, some fetching, some chasing, some tugging, and other silly games. He seems to like chasing me – I can’t tell how much of that is who he is, because he’s just a young puppy, or because of some training. I want him to like running towards me for come-when-called, agility, and so that he can be off leash in the woods. Usually I can get him to play without too much work – I think this interest will only grow as he gets older.

Informal Training: During our time at home I often will call him over and reward. I’ll go and reward him for chewing his own toys or lying on his bed. We’re adding a cue to eliminating outdoors. He’s learning to wait quietly while I prepare food. He learned to use the car ramp – he went up it on his own with no encouragement from me! Sometimes he will chew on inappropriate items and I will encourage him over to me and then to release – I want him to bring items to me rather than to take them away for chewing! Sometimes he can be very bitey – if I anticipate puppy biting I will invite him to play with a toy before he even bites at me. Sometimes he just needs a nap. He does a great job of putting himself to sleep at home – we need more practice doing that out in public or away from home. Unfortunately we can’t sit at the park for a long time in this weather!

Formal Training: We have intentional, offered behaviors! Last Saturday he finally started offering behaviors during training sessions. He now has quite a few things he will do – sit, down, stepping on a platform, the first part of a pivot, hand touch, spins, go to crate, release and a roll over – these are by no means perfect, but they look intentional. Training sessions are much more entertaining for me now that he is participating better. He also has more interest in food which also helps our training. We started adding our informal come when called cue – and today he came out of play!

Out and About: We’ve done a few trips out in public. I’ve carried him if there are areas where other dogs may have been eliminating. We’ve met more kids, adults, watched dogs, cars, trucks, bikes, and more. He’s seen cows and giant snowflakes. He’s quiet and relaxed in the car. There was also that time when I was setting up for agility class and then saw him carrying a kong toy across the top of the dogwalk…

What’s Next?  We’ll probably only get one puppy class this week. On Saturday we’ll be teaching a 4-H clinic and I hope to bring him in to meet some more people. We might join in an adult dog class so he can be around more dogs. I want to continue to train the behaviors we have started and maybe something new. I also really want to get him out in more public locations. I want to start formal leash walking training – he stays with me because he’s so young but he’s starting to get more adventurous. I want to do some more training for brushing and nail trims – he did well before because he was asleep – not because of training! I want to do more careful exposure to new things. We didn’t get out quite as much as I wanted over the last week.