Wildflower Updates!

Mary-Ann Sontag August 13, 2020

It is wonderful to get Wildflower updates and hear how very well they are all doing. Now eleven weeks old, they are growing and changing and learning as you will see from these reports of all the fun.

We start with an update from Bridget about Kitsap (Sage):

Kitsap had another good week. With each day he seems more settled into recognizing our house, yard and neighborhood are part of his domain. He is very comfortable sleeping underneath my chair all four feet in the air. Although not under my chair in this photo you see the relaxed nature of his napping. Notice the paw holding himself in place. He’s definitely a sound sleeper with vivid puppy dreams that include all kinds of twitches and whimpers without ever waking up.

Kitsap is a good eater and his willing to be quite vocal if I don’t have a BalanceIT meal precooked and ready to deliver on a moments notice. Late this afternoon in particular while I was cooking the next batch with tuna, egg, pumpkin and quinoa he barked more than we have collectively heard since we got him. Clearly he wanted me to speed up the cooking phase and get to the serving phase pronto. You would think he’d never been fed. We will get an official weight at the vet tomorrow, playing the game of weighing myself with and without holding him, it looks like to me he is about to about 19.5 lbs. Our vet, Dr. Scamahorn, has authorized our use of the BalanceIT site for Kitsap so I have developed a variety of combinations. So far every combination I have served has been eaten quickly. He’s also quite willing to eat the Darwin’s raw having sampled all three meats in his sample package.

He is rather pleased with his ball pit and tends to come in from outside and hop in for a bit of joking around. Talking a chomp and deflating a ball or being so rambunctious as to send many balls flying outside the pit. It has become a good activity to practice the be wound up in play and then have to settle for a few moments for coming back at it with gusto.

Kitsap is very attentive no matter who is cooking, as is evidence by the care with which he is keeping an eye on Bob as he cuts veggies for a salad. He also shares that type of attention if treats are on offer for training. I have to really pay attention so I am sure to reward that wonderful focus.

Kitsap had fun getting to know Hasley, a friend and colleagues, English Springer Spaniel field type. The two had a great time and we plan to make it a regular activity a couple days a week. In a picture below are the two coming together for treats.

And to wrap up this week’s update. The book case is still the preferred station for chewing and to bring all toys. Tonight’s rendition is bringing a food bowl as if to say can I have some more please.

Thank you so much, Bridget, for the wonderful update and photos. It sounds like Kitsap is doing all the right things in fulfillment of the Puppy Job Description :)

We also have a fun update from Penny and Caleb about The Adventures of Zeus (Mallow):

On Sunday we went to Georgia and Patty's for a play date and had the joy of not only meeting them and Buttercup, but also Barb and the puppies’ great-great Aunt Maddie! Zeus and Buttercup wore each other out while we all enjoyed the pups and got to know each other. Georgia then offered to spend some time in her training room...

Georgia gave us all a lesson in classical and operant conditioning with her Manners Minder remote treat dispenser. Then offered to work with us for Zeus's AKC Novice Trick Dog checklist. Caleb followed Georgia's lessons and worked with Zeus.

Georgia signed off as our evaluator on Zeus's Novice Trick Dog Checklist so we can submit it for his title!! He performed: Get in (a box), Sits in box, Get on (4 paws), Paws up( 2 front paws on step) Push-ups, Spin in circle, Touch It, Agility Tunnel, Hand signal for sit, and Jump (over low bar)! It was a lot of fun watching them work. Zeus was super engaged and confident. What a day!

We are so appreciative of Georgia and Patty for welcoming us and sharing their time and knowledge with us. The kids had a blast! We are looking forward to attending training with Georgia in one of her upcoming class series.

Over the last week, Zeus has continued to enjoy getting to know his home, his yard, and the chickens. We have worked a lot on Sit-Down-Come and Crawl. He knows his name and Sit is definitely his go-to maneuver if he suspects a treat is involved. He has been very attentive and engaged and we are rewarding him for that behavior.

He experienced his first rain and wasn't sure he liked it very much do we'll definitely be working on that given our location in the rainy Pacific Northwest! He also had his first vet visit and handled it well! And we're trying to add more people to the running tally.

Raymond and Ada continue to enjoy playing and cuddling with Zeus. Raymond is watching the training videos with us and learning ways he can help train and how to best interact. And we are focusing on lots of positive associations for Zeus with the kids.

We really appreciate the Puppy U videos and seeing everyone's updates. We are a lucky bunch!

Best wishes to everyone!

Thank you, Penny and Caleb, for such a fun report of your weekend adventure. It is so great that Buttercup and Zeus live close enough to visit each other, and that Georgia and Patty can be a wonderful resource to our new members of the Berner community.

Yes — we are doing an online Puppy U. Alison Jaskiewicz and I work together to offer this to the Wildflower families, and we have a couple of other upcoming guest instructors as well. It is a team effort for the new members of our community.

And did you catch that Zeus has also earned the Trick Dog Novice (TKN) title! Buttercup was first, and then Zeus — and not to be left out, Pozy Clarkia also added TKN to her name.

The AKC’s Trick Dog program a fun way to engage a puppy and master new things — and it is not especially hard for confident, smart puppies like the Wildflowers.

This is the video I submitted for Pozy’s TKN, although the evaluator suggested I hold off on my two Handler Choice options shown in the video since they can be used at a more advanced level. Therefore, I substituted an additional behavior suitable for the Novice level and Pozy earned the title. FUN.

I hope it is not too tricky for you to have a fantastic day!

Kjempe Update

Mary-Ann Sontag August 11, 2020

We will have random Wildflower updates from now on, aiming for each puppy updating once or twice a month. Today we hear from Mariya about the puppy formerly known as Paintbrush:

Kjempe continues to convince the cats that he is now "family." They seem quite interested in his crate and Huxley has to be taken out of Kjempe's bed in the crate so that Kjempe can go to bed. For some reason, everyone prefers drinking out of the water bucket in the crate...I'm happy to see Pido (the bengal) exploring the crate. Kjempe is also learning that the kitty food is for the cats, and he gets his own special food. I am amazed that he will sit there and let the cats eat, knowing he'd like to devour their kibble too. Not at all easy for a dog, let alone a puppy.

Kjempe is learning quickly to "be nice" to the cats, and he is rewarded when he approaches them slowly. This means, we are working on "impulse control." I cannot believe how quickly Kjempe is learning to "leave it." I've started this training by holding a treat out in one hand and saying "leave it." When he decides not to "grab" for it, rather sit there patiently and look into my eyes instead of the treat, then he is rewarded with a more exciting treat from the other hand. He learned "leave it" in about 2-3 short sessions. This is one part combined with rewarding him for sitting patiently or approaching the cats nicely instead of a chase or nip. We are pretty much there with the two ragdolls...Pido...he's a whole different beast (who knows he can outrun anything thus easily becomes "fun" and "play," or worse, "prey."). But we are getting there with Pido too...I suspect by the end of the week, everyone will be "friends."

We have now learned the basics (sit, come, stand, heel, "watch me," down, his name, giving kisses, and are working on longer stays and down. Down was tough, but he learned it over the weekend (YAY!!!) and now we are practicing a lot. I hope by the end of the week to go from sit, down to sit, down, to stay. We tried it a bit this morning, but quickly realized timing was not appropriate as he was ready for his nap. So instead, we did an easy "Kjempe come" into the house for toys and nap time. He's passed out in puppy dreamland now.

This past weekend was very hot. My intention was to bring him out for social interaction downtown Fort Collins, sitting in the square quietly and observing people, children, etc. But I couldn't bear the heat myself, let alone have him out there. So, we went into the AC of a small pet store where we were the only customer, checked things out, got new treats, and met the owner. When Kjempe gets hot, he's done. He will either go directly into the house, to the car, or just sit there and stare at me like "no. not going to do anything." He makes it very easy to know when it's time for a nap, too hot, or just not the best time for a training snippet. I'm grateful for his clear cues.

Kjempe is building more and more confidence and independence. He will spend more time in the yard checking things out as I watch by the door or through a window, or will continue to chew on his bone while I run in the house for something. On our short "walks," he is confident to check out new smells and move farther away from me to see something, and is always rewarded when he comes back to my side.

We started brushing teeth last week, and he gives me the funniest looks when I do this. I don't think I've found his favorite flavor of toothpaste yet. The last time we did it, he actually let me brush them a lot, so we got a lot of praise and treats for that. Kjempe also got his first bath this weekend, which went well. Towards the end, he did get a little bit tired of it (though a very quick bath) and was no longer interested in treats. I spent some time close to him, reassuring him, looking into his eyes and telling him it was ok, and that calmed him fairly well. I took him out and dried him off "in a fun playful way" and then he liked treats again. We got use to the blower again by leaving it on and when he came near, he would get rewarded - by the time it was over, he had no concern about the the blower or being dried. Score! (Editor’s Note: WELL DONE, both of you!)

Tonight we have a friend coming to town who loves puppies - she will be staying at the house, so he'll have some fun with a new visitor (#40) :-)

It will be cooler this week so we are planning a trip to the nursery to look at plants or to Home Depot, a coffeeshop at a small shopping center where there will be people, but fewer dogs, and I think a dog play date with Howard and Karen.

Thank you so much for this wonderful update — and keep up the great work, Team Kjempe!

Have a fabulous — and safe — day!