Day 39 A.M. & P.M.

Mary-Ann Sontag July 4, 2020

Walking politely on a leash — without pulling — is something that needs to be taught; dogs do not come equipped with that skill.

Puppyhood is a great time to teach leash manners because they cannot and should not go on significant leash walks anyway — they are best exercised with free play in the house and/or a fenced yard.

THIS is a brief article on leash training from the AKC. The basic idea is that we do not move if there is pulling, and we reinforce what we want to see more of from the puppy (i.e., loose leash).

The Wildflowers will start their leash training soon but it will be some time for those leash manners to be solid — teaching a puppy to walk on a leash without pulling takes dedication and time.

Collar vs. Harness. This is another subject that can be complicated by strong opinions.

Let’s start with collars. If a strong dog pulls, collars have the potential to damage things in the area of the neck. Collars can slip off and they represent a strangle risk.

Harnesses can also slip off, can cause chest damage in a strong puller, and some harnesses impede the natural shoulder movement of a dog, which is particularly not desired in a puppy.

What to do??!

Teach leash manners — that is my solution. A collar or appropriate harness will not hurt a dog or puppy with good leash manners.

Pop Quiz for Clara and Elena — who are these three puppies?

Truth — I prefer collars, and especially martingale collars that are less likely to slip off. ETSY has many shops that make martingale collars in fun patterns.

I worry about harnesses impeding shoulder movement and so an acceptable harness is one in which the chest strap goes between the front legs — not across the chest. THIS is a good option and especially for baby puppies — thanks to Lori for the suggestion :)

Important and somewhat mind blowing: Dogs should not wear their collars (or harnesses) except when they are going someplace and/or being trained.

Collars get caught on fences and other things, and dogs are hanged. True story.

Dogs can and do get their jaws caught on a playmate’s collar. This happened to me and it was absolutely terrifying — had I not been right there and Galen close by, Halo would have strangled to death. That was it for routine wearing of collars at our house.

Dogs should not be running loose but in case of a loose dog disaster, they can be microchipped for easy identification and so collars are not necessary for that purpose.

I do have ID on the dogs’ collars for safety when we are out and about — I have collars that are embroidered with phone numbers and others have tags that say: REWARD and two phone numbers. I have a lot of collars!

Breakfast this morning (besides ongoing nursing) was quinoa/butternut squash/goat’s milk/sardines.

As they finish their breakfast, they move to the living room play area…

Soon we will all head outside to the new outdoor area…

Two more x-pens are on their way from Amazon to support the expansion of the outside area. In addition to a lot of collars, I have a lot of x-pens — they are handy!

I do not leave the puppies outside alone and so all of us hang out there. I work while they play, and when it gets too warm, we will head inside again.

I get a lot of steps moving puppies around all day — and they get a variety of experiences, which is so good for them.

I hope your day is filled with a variety of fun experiences!

EVENING: PHOTOS AND REPORT FROM THE DAY

The Splash Pad continues to be a hit — this is Sage and Clarkia…

Paintbrush got brave and stepped in — he is getting ready for the wading pool, which is coming up soon.

Clarkia…

It is really cute to watch them drink from the streams — this is Mariposa…

Buttercup…

Lupine…

Something new today — a ramp that has a rough surface..

The long tunnel is no problem for the puppies — this is Lupine…

After playing for a bit, they all sacked out and rePete kept an eye on things…

While we were outside, all the puppies had at least one session of stacking practice on the grooming table — I introduced a tiny bit of string cheese to stacking practice today and that was new. Everyone had their nails dremeled — that continues to be easy peasy for the puppies. Claire and Sparkle both needed baths and so I did that — including blow drying — right next to the puppy area so as to expose the Wildflowers to the noise of the dryer.

After a few hours we all moved back to the living room where it was cooler. This is Sage…

Daisy with Larkspur on one side and — I think — Sage on the other side.

A take-down of Clover by Sage…

Karma stopped in to say hello…

They are napping now and will have one more wake-up-and-nurse-and-then-play session before heading back to their bedroom (aka the dining room) for the night.

Another successful and fun day for the Wildflowers.

Good Night, Friends!

Day 38 A.M. & P.M.

Mary-Ann Sontag July 3, 2020

A relationship with a great veterinarian is so so important. Like any relationship, we need a veterinarian who “fits” and it is completely normal and acceptable to have to shop a bit for that right person.

It should be reasonably clear that I am a fan of my veterinarian, Dr. Shoni Card. She is wicked smart and that means she is a team player. The best professionals know there is always value in learning, listening, and teaming — and intelligence and experience tend to foster humility.

I show up with articles and questions and opinions — and Dr. Card is not offended or put off. Instead, we discuss. I have great respect for her expertise but the real reason she is our veterinarian is her professional openness and humility; it is those things that engender my trust in her.

When a professional insists on “my way or the highway” — get on the highway. Your dog, like any human, needs the benefit of a team approach to his/her health care, and a good veterinarian knows the owner is part of the team.

On the other hand, I can only imagine what it must feel like to be an experienced veterinarian and have someone come in with the wackadoodle ideas on the internet related to dog care. I try really hard not to be THAT kind of client.

The Wildflowers will go home with a vaccination plan that may cause veterinary consternation as it will not match Standard Operating Procedure — same with the worming situation. In anticipation of this, I am getting the ducks lined up — Dr. Card, who is a pretty traditional veterinarian, will sign off on all instructions.

In addition, I will provide a document referenced with professional veterinary literature/recognized experts to support the recommendations; this will be ready in a week or so new families can visit their prospective veterinarian in advance of the first wellness exam. Yes — a veterinary visit sans puppy is a thing and a great idea.

In anticipation of puppy arrival, new homes should explore whether their veterinarian has or is willing to order Distemper + Parvovirus, MLV (e.g. Merck Nobivac [Intervet Progard] Puppy DPV). Not a three-way or a five-way vaccine — just Distemper and Parvovirus. More on vaccinations this weekend.

The Wildflowers are welcoming special visitors today — I will post a video and photos later. In the meantime, please have an awesome day!

Video HERE

EVENING: PHOTOS FROM A FUN DAY

Puppy Central moved outside today in anticipation of our visitors — and to use the splash pad.

The father of the Wildflowers, Major, came to meet them — with his wonderful family, of course…

Once again, I was so pleased with how the puppies handled new people — they met five new people and visited their Auntie Suzanne as well…

Photo op! Major with the five girls…

Major with the four boys…

Major practicing for the next level of Trick Dog…

Major and Lawrence…

Yes, that is our view!

Good Night, Friends.

Day 37 A.M. & P.M.

Mary-Ann Sontag July 2, 2020

We are motivated to feed our dogs well — we are tricked by advertising into thinking that must mean kibble.

It does not.

Kibble is a highly processed food. It is convenient and there are certainly better brands than others — but it is not the only or even optimal way to feed dogs.

If you are at all shocked by that assertion, the dog food industry is happy to know their advertising dollars work.

I consider myself a middle-of-the-road dog food type because compared to extremes on both sides of the raw vs. kibble continuum, I am pretty darn flexible in terms of a dog’s diet.

You want to feed raw? Okay — go for it.

You want to feed primarily kibble? Okay — just pick a good one and be willing to add normal, whole foods as toppers.

But I actually do not think either of those ways of feeding dogs has the corner on Optimal nor do I think there is evidence establishing the one true way to feed a dog. That makes things tricky.

In humans, we should aim for a variety of whole foods in moderation — since dogs evolved with humans and therefore are used to a similar diet to ours, I think this is a reasonable approach for dogs as well.

Therefore, I feed a homemade diet to the dogs plus some kibble and occasional raw food.

Variety!

I stumbled across a product/business that not only helps generate recipes for homemade diets but also has a quality product to ensure balance; it is aptly named BalanceIt.

Developed by a UC Davis veterinary nutrition guy, this product is recommended by veterinary nutritionists and in spite of no advertising or marketing, their business is a booming one.

The Wildflowers will be eating recipes supported by BalanceIt — with the approval of their veterinarian. A homemade diet for dogs is really not all that wacky — or hard.