Puppy Update - 11 Weeks

It hardly seems possible that it's been a month already since I picked up Elsa and Vinny!  Things have settled into a routine for the most part and have gotten easier.  Pups know the daily routine, and I know their potty schedules.  They are sleeping through the night.

Sweet Elsa left for her forever home a couple days ago.  I am so thrilled for her and for her new family!  She is in an experienced double merle home that will help her have every opportunity to shine and develop her full potential.  Plus, I will get to see the updates and pictures of her growing up!

In preparation for her going to her new home, both puppies got their first bath.  Elsa was content while I got her wet and soapy, but then decided during the rinsing that she was not a happy camper.  She complained extensively and loudly!  But she was oh so very white and sparkly afterwards!  Vinny wasn't quite as vocal, but he was frustrated with the whole thing.  Vinny has had a harder time with containment and restraint since he came home with me.  He is learning more tolerance one situation at a time, but he did not like being contained to the tub and wanted to go exploring.  He was very wiggly to give a bath to!

Continued socialization this week included meeting and playing with new people, taking long lead walks in new areas for playtime and sniffing, nail cutting, new meal toys, new fenced areas to play in and explore, new adult dogs, and new obstacles and toys.  Both puppies take it all in stride.  Interestingly, Elsa, who is the more rough and tumble and active of the two, can be the one who stressed quicker.  This has been seen in her giving up easily with the food challenge toys.  Also on our long lead exploring walks, she is confident and happy for the first 10 minutes and then she starts to get a bit concerned about getting back to some place she knows and is comfortable with.  Because these experiences are meant to be positive ones for her, I allow her to go back to places she is more comfortable with when she decides she's had enough.  

Some interesting things happened this past week.  When exploring a new play area, Vinny discovered a plastic drain pipe spread along the ground.  He stepped over it in one direction, turned around and then stepped back over it in the other direction.  This continued as he went first one way and then the other, just as proud as could be stepping over the drain pipe.  Even when he seemed to tire of his new game and he went off to explore other things, he continued to come back to "his" drain pipe to step over it back and forth a few times.  I don't know why he found it so fascinating, but it was fun to watch him.

Vinny has gotten very confident on the few steps leading to the outside.  I had stopped holding his collar to help guide him and only used the tactile cue at the top of the steps to let him know there was a step down. He has gotten creative and will take the first step down, and then make a flying leap down the last two!  But to my surprise, he did not land in a heap at the bottom.  He lands perfectly on his feet and has judged the distance perfectly.  I tried to tell him he shouldn't be able to do that since he can't see anything, but Vinny was not impressed.  My daredevil Vinny.  So, I am back to holding his collar to remind him to take each step so he won't get hurt.  

I introduced Vinny (while holding that collar!) to the big flight of steps this week.  He confidently went down the entire flight on his first try!  He did stop after the first few and seemed a bit confused as to why there were more steps, since he had only done the few to the outside up until this point.  But he did stop 1/2 way up that staircase and decided that was far enough, so I carried him the rest of the way. 

I wanted to work on some sits with Vinny for his lunch yesterday and wasn't thinking.  We were near his crate and he smelled his food.  So he was frantic to get himself into his crate to eat, and had a hard time focusing on his sit cue even with the food right at his nose.  After letting him eat a handful of food from inside his crate, he did eventually come out and do some sit practice with me.  So smart - I guess he showed me! He knew what he was supposed to do!  

Vinny knows his way from the back door to his potty spot and back in.  He will lead me with little puppy bounces and happy circles around me as we go.  He knows his way from the side door to the grass to potty and then to the car to head to work in the morning.  His nose is getting more keen and he is more accurate with searching for dropped/hidden treats.  He can also scent his way back home from our short walks to new places.  While he is confident and happy on our way to a new area, on the way back he is leading with his nose in the air, trotting toward his yard.  

Third Week - Puppy Update

Pups have turned 10 weeks old this past week!  They are settling into the routine and starting to sleep through the night.  They know their way by scent from the door to the potty area and to the door again when they are done.  They are doing the few steps up and down on their way in and out to the yard.  Our car trips to and from work are now quiet and calm with puppies in their individual crates.  Things are getting a bit easier.  I know what to expect, they know what to expect.

Lots more fun stuff happening this past week for the puppies!

Food bowl games are continuing - not at every meal, just now and then, petting while they eat, looking in an ear while they eat, sticking my hand in the bowl to hand feed a few pieces, moving the bowl slightly while they eat.  I am watching for any signs of stress - hunkering down lower over the bowl, tensing up, stopping eating, eating faster.  But I am doing these things infrequently and very briefly and their reaction is neutral.  I do believe a dog has the right to eat in peace and not be bothered, but I also know that things happen and what the puppies learn now will carry over for their lifetime.  So, I take some time to do food bowl games now while they are young.

Long lead walks to run and explore new areas,smells and surfaces.  Just letting puppies sniff and explore, pick up a stick or a feather they find, I take along a couple toys and encourage some play with me in new places.  I may stop and sit on the ground and just let them explore so they have me to come back to as their security.  Of course these are puppy safe places - watch out for hot surfaces in the summer, and places where lots of other dogs don't frequent.

Puppies are starting to ask to go outside and potty if they need to go at a time that is not on their usual schedule. This is VERY nice!

Puppies did muffin tin eating and food ball eating of their meals - put meals in an empty muffin tin for them to experiment with, and also in food ball toys.  Vinny is very confident in his techniques, picking up and tossing the muffin tin, pouncing on the ball; while Elsa can be more easily frustrated and will tend to give up and walk away.  I help her and make hers easier so she can be successful at this point to help her learn problem solving skills and confidence.  I have no concerns about her as she is normally the more active outgoing one. Just want to make sure she is having good experiences and learning to be successful.

Oh, the empty cardboard box I gave them at the office has been great fun this past week and a half.  It doubles as a toybox that they can pull the toys out of, and a chew toy, as well as a wrestle partner.  They toss it around and dig inside it and roll around with it.  Just the other day, I filled it with new toys.  They had kept the same toys in their office pen for the past two weeks, so I gave them all new toys and they had a blast pulling all the new toys out of the box over and over again.

The puppies' ears are trying to decide whether to stand or tip or flop this week.  Vinny spent most of this week with one ear tipped or straight up, and the other one still floppy.  Elsa's are pretty much both tipped all the time now, although sometimes one will go straight up.

More grooming!  I'm brushing them more thoroughly now - brushing the hair the wrong way to fluff them up, focusing on around the ears, ruff, and back legs where there will be LOTS of Collie hair soon.  And introduced other grooming tools that I used just for a few swipes on their body to help them get used to the different feel - the undercoat rake and the comb.  Worked toward nail clipping with lots of foot handling and managed to cut a nail or two.  Here's a hint:  try to cut puppy nails when they are sleeping!  But if you teach them to love their crates too well, like I did, it is hard to do because they will go find their crates to sleep in. And, it's hard to cut puppy nails while they are in their crate sleeping.  Also did mouth and gum handling to get them used to tooth brushing, looking in their ears, etc.

Elsa and Vinny learned that they enjoy popcorn!  And they learned how sitting like angelic puppies gets them more popcorn than leaping up to pull the whole bowl down.  They also learned about taking turns with the other dogs.

The puppies learned about wearing different types of clothes this week.  Jackets and skirts and shirts - oh my!  Dressing up puppies can be fun for special events and taking pictures - IF the puppy is not bothered and stressed by it.  Elsa and Vinny took it all in stride and were walking around and having fun in their outfits. Dressing puppies in clothes helps them get used to feeling new sensations on their body parts, having their bodies handled and manipulated, and can help them be more accepting of new equipment later on, like harnesses, vests, gentle leaders, etc.

We had a make-shift puppy class this past week.  The puppies got to have their own little class with Nike, a border collie/pitbull puppy of about the same age.  There was no group playtime, as Elsa was a bit worried when Nike tried to jump up on her, but we let them meet and gave them treats to hunt for side by side to let them see that they could be near another puppy and nothing bad would happen.  They each got to go through an obstacle course at the office - new place, new equipment.  Lots of fun!  It's important not to have an agenda when doing a puppy obstacle course.  Let the puppy explore and take the obstacles in the order they want to.  No forcing, just fun and however much they want to do.  It's the puppy's choice.

Two of my adult dogs are really just starting to play with the puppies in a nice way.  This is important for the puppies, as they learn the rules of being a dog, playing, bite inhibition, etc.  They have been learning already when it is ok or not ok to take a toy or a bone the other dogs are chewing on.  There have been a couple times when puppies yelped at being reprimanded by the adults.  I am always supervising them when they are together.  When adults need some quiet time away from puppies, it's important that I provide that.  When puppies get too far out of hand, as they do, I make sure I step in and keep the peace and create space.  It's nice to see them starting to have some real nice playtimes together now.

Elsa will be having a big week this next week, as she is leaving us for her new forever home!  I am so excited for her and her new family, but Vinny and I will miss her.  And I think the other dogs will miss her a bit too.

And, as usual ... a sleeping puppy, is a good puppy.  Vinny has the most unusual sleeping positions!

Happy Independence Day!

Second Week - Puppy Update

Elsa and Vinny are growing so much!  I can't believe how much bigger they are already than two weeks ago!

Being bigger means they can reach more stuff when on two legs and can get into all the things that I put up on top of tables to keep out of their reach too!  They are more sure of their bodies now, and are continuing to climb over and crawl under everything.

What fun did this past week hold?
More puppy pool wading - last time I helped them out after a minute of them experiencing the different surface under their feet, before they had time to get upset about it.  This week they paddled for a moment and then found their own way out.  So far, not huge fans of the pool, I guess.
Separate crates still at night and now in the car also.  Elsa will be leaving us in two weeks and I want both puppies to be comfortable on their own without the other.  It will be an adjustment for them both, but hopefully not a traumatic one.
More brushing
Lured and captured sits
Housetraining is progressing - Vinny now potties and puts his head in the air, expecting me to pet him.  If the petting doesn't come quick enough for him, he starts moving his head around in the air "looking" for me.
Both puppies mastered going down several steps in a row this week with my support.
Continued socialization meeting new people of all ages, and both genders in different places
Puppies are learning the walking route to the door to go outside.  We don't do this every time, because often they need to potty in a hurry, so carrying is still the safest way.  But they are getting bigger very quickly, so I want them to be comfortable walking the route.  I help steer them, as they will run into a lot if I don't.  That will continue to get better as they are more comfortable with the route.
Taking longer walks with me on leash, individually for each puppy, around the yard and at work
They are getting more skilled at finding food/treats when sniffing them out and from my hand.  Their nose - mouth coordination is getting better!
Food bowl games continue.  I am careful not to allow the puppies to butt in on each other when they are eating.  They don't care now, but I don't want to set up a feeling that they may need to defend their food at all.  Let's start good calm eating habits now.  At their age, it's easy to get them used to me petting and touching them while they eat, and hand feeding them goodies from their bowls.
Some things can't be planned for - such as fireworks.  Vinny is deaf but did startle a couple times. Hard to tell if he noticed the vibrations of the closer booms, or if he startled because Elsa did since they were near each other.  Elsa is able to hear and did startle at the louder booms while we were outside.  She didn't notice inside and didn't notice the softer ones at all.  We  minimized our time outside as much as possible, but she wasn't upset, just an initial startle and then we'd have a quick game to get her happy again.
Other things not planned for - both puppies learned to eat their meals in a light rain.  Good experience since they were both happy to be eating and barely noticed the rain.   They also learned to potty in the rain - took a bit longer as the rain was harder by then - with lots of extra special petting and praise!

Here's a picture of the puppy playground I set up this past week.  Many surfaces and new things for the puppies.  I sprinkled a few treats around to reinforce them for exploring and then mostly just let them have fun.

Surfaces included a foam pad, plastic striped mat with texture, a fitness step, a plastic tarp, a small pink fitness disc, and a purple snuffle mat with goodies inside.  It was interesting to watch the pups' different styles.  Vinny followed his nose right to the snuffle mat first thing and stayed until all the treats were found. Elsa covered the whole pen right away, sniffing out the scattered treats, until finding her way to the snuffle mat to help Vinny.

Here's a link to watch some of their fun:  Video Click Here

And, as always ... a sleeping puppy is a good puppy!

First Week Socialization

The amount of information a new puppy takes in just in one day is phenomenal.  Much of the exposure to their new world happens without us even trying.  The exhausting part for me is making sure that all of that exposure leads to something positive, or at least neutral, for the puppies.  Usually this means setting up the environment and directly supervising so I can intervene quickly.

Everything is new to the puppies - new house, people, dogs, car, smells, places, routine, potty areas, etc.  Plus it's important to introduce them to things now at this young age that they will be living with for the rest of their lives.  When introducing them to something new, it's important to go slowly even if you don't think the puppy will be bothered by it.  You don't know for sure how puppy will react.  Better to break it down into smaller pieces if you can, to ensure a positive experience. The puppy's behavior will show you when he/she is ready to proceed further.  

In addition to leaving mom and littermates, coming to a new house, riding in the car, meeting new people and dogs - what else have they experienced this week?

Collars and leashes

Crates

Ex pens

Toys - lots of toys!

Dog beds

Plastic bags

Young children

Different people

Work place

Pottying on leash

Short walks

Being held and carried

Body handling

Surfaces - grass,gravel, sidewalk, bumpy rubber mat, linoleum, carpet

Steps

Paddling in a couple inches of water in a kiddie pool

Eating dinner from a Kong

Ice cube treats

Being brushed

Playing with new adult dogs

Vacuum cleaner

Whew!  Most of those are things that were just a part of moving into a new home.  Their puppy minds must be swimming with all the new information!  It's important to allow puppies plenty of time to sleep.  This allows their minds to rest and digest all the new information.  Their brains and bodies are developing so fast at this age, that they do need their sleep.  And ... new puppy parents need that time when puppies sleep to get things done (or to nap themselves!)  

Collie Puppies!

Introducing ... two new foster puppies.  7 week old collies, both double merles.  They are adorable, of course. And, I'm sure they will have me exhausted in no time!

Vinny, the male, is the bigger of the two.  He seems to be deaf and blind, although he has a partial eye visible on one side.  He doesn't seem to be able to see anything from it.  I do think he can see light and dark, though.  He seems to notice the camera flash sometimes.  He has the look of an adorable teddy bear!  

Elsa, the little girl, is gorgeous.  She will be a real pretty girl once her long white locks grow in!  I was told that Elsa may be able to see shadows.  She does have one eye partially visible.  Elsa is very active and runs into things all the time. But if I or another dog walk past her very close, she can track our movement.  Once we walk a bit farther away, though, she seems to lose track of us.  She can hear and every day seems to be responding to new sounds.  She knows the sound of the screen door when I come outside, but can't see me so she starts sniffing all around the air when she hears the door.  She also notices the camera flash.

While I'm fostering, I will try to give you an insight into raising puppies with special abilities from day 1.  Please realize that raising TWO puppies is extremely time and energy consuming, so posts will come, but they may be a little behind schedule!

Limited by Our Expectations

As a much younger person, when I trained my first specially-abled dog, I had great ideas of what we could accomplish!  No one told me I couldn't teach a blind and deaf dog to jump over a hurdle she couldn't see, or to fetch a ball she couldn't watch or hear falling to the ground.  And together this dog and I accomplished everything we set out to do and learn.  I wasn't limited by anyone's expectations of what I could or couldn't teach her.  (In fact, no one expected her to learn anything, but they didn't care enough to pay attention to what I was doing or comment on it.)  And to me, there were no limits to what she could learn.  This amazing dog taught me that if I didn't place limits on her and I kept my expectations high, great things could happen.

Often we are limited by our expectations.  Let me explain ...

In order to accomplish or create something, we need to have a thought that we can do it first.  If I didn't think that I could teach that dog to fetch, would I have even tried it in the first place?  No, of course not.  None of us likes to fail and we don't set out to do something we expect to fail at.  I had a thought - it all started with a thought that it might be possible.  Believing that something is possible is the first step toward achieving it.  

I meet many people who believe that Treasure spends her days just sitting in a corner waiting for me to do things for her because she can't see or hear.  Some even think that I must feed her each morsel of her food because she can't see to eat it on her own.  They don't believe it's possible for her to navigate without the sense of sight.  They don't think she is able to function on her own.  

Let's think for a moment about if I thought those things about her as well.  

When I first brought Treasure home, if I believed that she was not able to navigate and function on her own, would I have treated her any differently?  I think I probably would have.  I may have put her in a very tiny area, expecting that she would be content to sit there all day waiting for me to do everything for her.  I may have fed her each morsel by hand, holding it right to her mouth so she didn't have to look for the food.  I mean, she is blind, after all.  Treasure never would have learned and tried new things because I would have done everything for her.  While this may be a funny picture to those of you who know me and Treasure personally, and know what she is capable of, this picture really isn't that far off from what might have happened.

We limit ourselves and those around us by the expectations we surround ourselves with.  When we say we can't do something (or our dogs can't do something), we are usually right.  But I don't think we are right because those things are impossible to accomplish.  I think we are right because if we think we can't, we won't try.  And if others think we can't, we often won't try either.  

If you haven't figured it out yet, this post is not just about our dogs.  Expectations can limit what we can accomplish ourselves, with our dogs, and with those around us.  Expectations can limit what our children, friends, family, co-workers, etc, try to accomplish as well.  

From the very beginning I believed that Treasure was great and intelligent and could learn and accomplish anything.  I have tried not to limit her except where her physical safety may be at risk.  It is an amazing journey she is taking me on - one that surprises me every day.  The more I am open to the possibilities, the more she shows me that she can rise to the occasion.  

Today is Specially-Abled Pet Day and we celebrate all the amazing special animals out there that inspire us and break through the limits of expectations! Especially my two very amazing specially-abled dogs!