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!  

Four Amazing Dogs!

Recently, Treasure and Vegas both earned their Expert Trick Dog Titles, bringing the total of Expert Trick Dogs in my home to four!  Here they are with their certificates.  

These are super fun trick dog titles that can be earned from Do More With Your Dog!  Vegas learned his tricks with hand and touch cues, and Treasure learned hers with touch and scent cues.  Congratulations to my crew!  

But, How Do I Tell Him No?

One question I hear often from people who live with a deaf or blind/deaf dog, is "But, how do I tell him no when he can't hear me?" They assume that if the dog could just hear them say no, it would stop doing those behaviors that they don't like.

The word no does not hold any magic power to stop behavior.  It is not a magic wand that we can wave to instantly create a world to our liking.  And, dogs are not born knowing what the word no means.

What does the word no mean anyway?  Does it have a single, clear meaning?  Or, do we use it to convey a wide degree of emotion?

No, don't do that right now.  No, don't do that ever.  No, I don't want to play with you now.  No, how could you?  No, don't chew on that. No, don't jump on me in my good clothes.  No, get off the furniture. No, don't knock over the children. No, you can't have that.  No, there's no more dinner.  No, I won't buy you that.  No, I don't like that.  No walk today.

To a dog, each of those is a very different situation.  How is he supposed to know that the word no means all of them and more?  Most of the time, the dog doesn't understand what he did to upset you, he only knows that you are often upset and when you get upset, you yell this strange word no at him.

Think about when people have told you no.  How do you feel?  Deflated? Disappointed? Embarrassed? Wanting to avoid that person? Angry? Frustrated? Confused? Apprehensive?  If this small word can bring about those types of feelings and confusion, why is it a word we would want to use with our dogs?  Do we want our dogs to feel those things?  Do we want our dogs to be stressed and confused?

Dogs have natural behaviors, just like humans do.  They have a need and a desire to perform those behaviors, even if those behaviors are ones we would rather they didn't do.  Dogs have no reason to believe that their natural behaviors would be unwelcome to us.  They use those behaviors to interact with their world and to communicate to others around them.  To them, each behavior has a meaning and an importance. 

When we try to stop behaviors we don't like, we end up increasing our dog's stress levels as they try to suppress certain behaviors to please us, but they don't have an outlet for the impulses they still have to do those behaviors.  Often people try to stop many behaviors all at once and they end up telling the dog no a lot!  Everything the puppy tries to do is met with a no and an unhappy person.  

Frustration results, not only on the part of the person, but especially on the part of the puppy.  Frustrated puppies naturally try to use their behaviors to dissipate that stress - by running, chewing, digging, barking, mouthing, etc.  Hmmm ... more behaviors that lead to no.  A not-so-pretty cycle begins to ensue.

Dogs that are stressed, frustrated and confused are physiologically unable to focus on learning, so it is not an ideal time to try to teach them something new.  The more the dog hears no and stays in this state, the less you will be able to teach him.  

Let's change our perspective.  Instead of pointing out to our dogs, in our unclear human way, all the things we don't want them to do, let's focus on teaching our dogs in a kind and clear manner, what we do want them to do.  By creating clear expectations of what we do want in each situation, our dog will feel more relaxed and secure.  A relaxed dog is more likely to show behaviors that humans like!  Behaviors like being quiet, lying down, moving calmly, finding his own toys to chew on, etc.  

When dogs have a clear understanding of what we expect, they can make choices about their behaviors. The behaviors the dog was showing before out of stress, frustration, and confusion, will no longer be relevant and will be replaced by the new behaviors of a relaxed and secure dog.  Dogs want to do what will bring them pleasant feelings.  Feeling relaxed and secure are pleasant feelings.  

When we see more behaviors that we like, we will have more reasons to let our dogs know how much we appreciate these behaviors.  Having a happy, relaxed human who reinforces their choices is a pleasant feeling that the dog will try to attain.  This creates a much prettier cycle!  And a win-win for us and our dogs!

There will certainly be times when we need to stop our dogs from doing behaviors that are unsafe or inappropriate. But yelling no will very seldom solve the problem at hand.  It is much quicker to go to the dog and interrupt the behavior than to stand there helplessly yelling no over and over again.  If it is a behavior that is likely to happen again, decide what you want your dog to do instead in that situation and take the time to teach it.  It will make your life so much easier in the long run, and both you and your dog will be much happier.   

So, my answer for those people who want to know how to tell their dog no?  Tell your dog yes instead!