Day 54 A.M. & P.M.

Mary-Ann Sontag July 19, 2020

Today is BIG in the life of the Wildflowers — it is Match Day.

For almost eight weeks I have observed things. Who is chill about things? Which busy brain is especially busy? Who is reliably loud and demanding? Who is a big time cuddler?

And so on…

A single episode is not significant — the picture of a puppy emerges with observations over time, and it will be further shaped by — and with — their new homes.

My tentative opinions have changed with the new information normal development brings.

I am reminded of the importance of being open to new ideas and new ways of thinking. Over-confidence and hubris are dangerous things, preventing us from growing, changing, and making sound and informed decisions.

At some point, decisions must be made and for the Wildflowers — that is today. Since perfection in decision-making cannot be achieved, informed will have to do.

And so Suzanne will be here and we will video and take photos and then study all that. Then I will make informed matches I hope will be perfect for all involved — especially the puppies.

Have an imperfectly perfect day!

EVENING: PHOTOS FROM THE DAY

My wonderful friend Heidi sent me a text this evening — it went like this:

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And the true answer is that I am not sure yet. More on that tomorrow.

The Wildflowers had more visitors! Lee and Adri brought Henry and Sawyer to visit puppies…

We do know that Larkspur will be living with his dad, Major, and the Duncan family here in Montana.

I love all the puppies, of course, but — this is the Cuddle Bug of the litter and I has a soft spot for him. Paintbrush also has beautiful, correct movement — a lovely puppy.

Today the ball pool included water, and the puppies thought that was cool — literally. This is Clarkia.

They are so darn fun to watch!

Good Night, Friends.

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.