Day 53 A.M. & P.M.

Mary-Ann Sontag July 18, 2020

Puppies are like watching a show on fast forward. Everything happens so quickly. They are small and helpless one day and ready for action in less than two months.

The structure took a 2 - 3 day break and is back this morning. That is all it takes for something to be novel when life is in fast forward.

Don’t let the still photos fool you — they are incredibly active.

I am glad there are few fixed and solid things in the yard because they are both fast and still a bit uncoordinated — they run into things, tip over, roll, bounce, jump, and so on. I hardly know where to look half the time — life in fast forward AND on multiple screens at once.

The puppies are REALLY fast — surprisingly so.

I was thinking as I watched this morning about the need to keep the puppy on-leash when not in a fenced area. Their default response is flight and if startled, they will be off without regard for safety. Terrifying to contemplate.

Creating a ball pit with the pool is proving to be a constant source of fun for the puppies. They never seem to get bored of it.

As the wrestling matches get more raucous the balls are flying everywhere — oh well. They have SO much fun.

I hope your day is fun-filled, even in the absence of a ball pit.

EVENING: PHOTOS FROM THE DAY

The Wildflowers had another visitor…

After a fun morning of playing and socially distant visiting, it was time to head inside for a bit…

And then it was back outside in the early evening but the puppies still thought it was a bit hot…

But fun called and they were soon romping with wild abandon…

And then it was back to the house for bed…

Good Night, Friends!

Day 52 A.M.

Mary-Ann Sontag July 17, 2020

The Just Say No campaign of the Reagan administration was problematic for all kinds of reasons but one relates to Life with Dogs — saying no doesn’t help a human or a dog know what to do instead.

Raising a puppy is all about creating desired behaviors — this happens by supporting and reinforcing those desired behaviors and NOT by telling the puppy “NO.”

I am willing to say if we have said no to a puppy — shame on us for at least two reasons. First, we failed to help the puppy know what to do in a situation and second, we are attempting to teach something using REALLY unfortunate techniques.

Would you enjoy learning a new language and culture by being scolded for every mistake with little/no understandable information and support about how to be right?

That is unfair and mean — and super discouraging.

Puppies are not small dogs — they are babies — and so we must manage our expectations accordingly.

Would you shout NO to a baby peeing in her diaper or pulling your hair? I hope not. A diaper change and redirection/substitution — those are the appropriate responses.

I have raised a dozen Berner puppies of my own and what I have learned over the years is to chill out and relax — there is just no need to sweat the small stuff. And most all stuff is small.

Too soon they are done with puppyhood…

…and in a blink of an eye you are bidding farewell.

Wildflowers bloom — but not forever.

Don’t waste one second of a dog’s short life being disappointed or upset with her.

#noregrets

Video HERE from this morning.

EVENING: PHOTOS FROM THE DAY

The talking and flashing red ball is a Big Hit these days.

My latest creation — a raft in the splash pad! Buttercup thought it was big fun.

So did Lupine.

Clarkia at attention as she contemplates the lawn mower.

A neighbor dropped by…

Buttercup and Daisy — all the feels.

Good Night, Friends.

Day 51 A.M.

Mary-Ann Sontag July 16, 2020

Observations and reflections from Puppy Central this morning…

The slide is a way to put some distance between siblings and the bully sticks — it rarely works as intended.

Bully sticks (or similar high value chew things but let’s just say bully sticks) are like screen time and kids: they get obsessed and zone out on that thing to the exclusion of other things.

Good info.

Use bully sticks to your advantage.

Need a break — bully stick. Need your coffee — bully stick. Wild and crazy puppy — bully stick.

Like screen time for kids, bully stick time is a good thing when used in moderation. But we also want puppies to engage with us and their environment, and so just be mindful of all that.

And speaking of paying attention — please pay attention to your puppy.

Ignoring a puppy’s attempts to engage and connect is a perfect way to teach them to just ignore you.

Paintbrush made it clear this morning that he needed some attention — he did this by standing on the x-pen and whining at me as other puppies were engaged with bully sticks.

One might say we should ignore the puppy who does this because acting on it would reinforce undesired behavior. Who wants a puppy that is climbing the x-pen or jumping up, One might say.

Sigh.

I see that behavior as a desire to connect and I WANT that in a puppy. I reinforce engagement all the time because we need a dog who is engaged with their humans.

You can see at the end of THIS video that I stop recording when I see what Paintbrush needs. I put the phone down, reached in and shaped/lured his little body into four feet on the floor and picked him up.

OF COURSE.

The behavior I reinforced was his bid for connection or engagement; I also let the puppy know that a human will meet his need.

This is REALLY important.

When we ignore behavior, it will go away/be suppressed — but consider carefully the behavior we are extinguishing by ignoring it. People spend months ignoring their puppy’s bids for connection — and then are puzzled as to why their dog ignores them.

Ahem — you taught that lack of engagement by ignoring the puppy’s attempts to connect.

I do not want to teach a puppy to jump up BUT I won’t ignore that bid for connection.

Instead, I will quickly lure the puppy into a sit (or at first — just four feet on the floor) and then pick her up or otherwise engage with her. In addition, I will look for opportunities to reinforce that sit (or four feet on the floor) BEFORE the puppy has a chance to jump.

In this way, I will be reinforcing the bid for connection and teaching the puppy how to make it — just sit/stand and look adorable. Works every time when you are a puppy; not so much in an adult human, FYI.

What if the puppy is crying in the crate in her new home? If she might need to potty — take her out.

If she was just out and it is minor whining — ignore for a bit to see if she settles down.

Hysterical and upset? Take her out, soothe her for a few minutes, and put her back with a stuffed Kong or something like that — and/or just have yourself close and try to keep her calm by petting/talking.

Remember — these are not little dogs. They are BABIES and as Lori says, they are babies longer than they are small.

One last thing — because I am with puppies all day, I decided to collect some data. They always potty when they wake up so remember that — but how often do small puppies pee when playing? So far, it looks like just under 30 minutes but I will continue data collection for a couple of days.