Every Day Something New

We are making progress with the potty issue. She has pooped on the leash and has had no poop accidents in the house. Pee is another issue. She has gone outside some, but she will hold it for long periods and then when we have had to leave her in the crate and she has not been able to hold it. If there is a pad or rug available she will go there. It is just going to take some time and patience to teach her what is appropriate. and acceptable. She is smart and she will get it soon. We just have a lot more laundry to do now.

We have been taking her for lots of walks and she does great but we have to pay attention to correct her pulling. She has been all around the neighborhood and does not seem bothered by dogs, people, sirens, bicycles etc. This morning we took her for her regular walk. She pooped right away. But since it's Sunday we decided to take her to Piedmont Park for some socialization. She is 19 weeks old and after 20 weeks it can be difficult to socialize and introduce her to new things. This is where so many people drop the ball with a puppy. Many veterinarians tell them, contrary to what the AVMA says, to not let their dog meet any dogs or leave your home until they have all their shots. This can be as late as 20 weeks and by then you have a dog that is going to require a lot more work than many owners who didn't have time to train the puppy will take the time to train the now problem dog.

We parked near the Beltline and walked to the park. She got to see bicycles, see and hear cars, wait at the light in a sit all before we even got to the park. We walked to the dog park and she got to meet a few dogs on the way and watch the big dogs in the park. I'm very cautious when it comes to dog parks. A lot of people don't care that their dog is being a bully and wont do anything to control their out of control dog. I know of several dogs that have been injured and even killed at the dog park. We went to the small dog park and saw that there were less than ten small dogs that all looked pretty friendly. We went in, getting her to sit and wait at the gate. She met several dogs and we only stayed about 10 minutes. It is best to not let her get over stimulated and have a bad experience.

After we left there we walked to the play ground so she could see children. We met a Great Dane, a Westie, and Boston terrier. It was a very long walk and when we got home she immediately laid down in the kitchen and didn't move for over an hour. I took her outside to see if she would pee and she plopped down in the ferns and went to sleep. I put her in the kennel and she barked after about 10 minutes. I took her out and she peed immediately. GOOD PUPPY!



 She even got to meet the geese at the lake.

 

 Hanging with Mom

 

 Sitting with Dad

 

 Meeting a Westie

 

 

 Lucy and Great Dane standing back from wild Boston

 

There can be several reasons why people have problems with a new puppy, but I think that most problems would be eliminated if they would just exercise the puppy. A energetic, healthy puppy like Lucy needs at least 3- 20 minutes walks a day. The walks should be training exercises as well with the puppy learning to walk at your side, sitting along the way and break it up with a few recall exercises and give them plenty of time to take care of business, but when you decide, not the puppy.

Potty PLEASE

It's out third day with Lucy. I was up at 5:30 to take her out. She still has not peed or pooped. At least not that I know of. There was a minute she was in a dark spot outside and she may have urinated but otherwise nothing. I've walked her three times. Put her back in her crate twice. She has eaten and drank water but nothing is happening. I'm sure she has never gone on the leash but I've given her plenty of opportunity to go off leash. She is now asleep at my feet in the office with the other boys. I've got to leave for a lesson in about an hour so if she doesn't go before she will be kenneled for 4 hours.
It really is fun having a puppy and dealing with issues my clients have been dealing with. I'm following my advice: if you know it is time for her to go and she wont then don't let her wander around the house, just keep taking her outside. At some point nature has to take over.

Great Puppy

OK It's been over 24 hours and I'm really amazed at how great this puppy is. I had left her in the kennel while I picked up the boys from the groomer. They wanted to look their best when they met her for the first time. When we got home Joy already had her on the leash and in the backyard. Joy's first words were, "I'm already in love." When she saw Radar the first time she tried to run away and barked and really seemed bothered but within 5 minutes she was sniffing his butt. She met Ziggy and Paco and there was not reaction. We took everybody for a walk and when we got home Aunt Sidney was here. We hung out on the front porch and she just laid around with the boys like she has been here forever.
The only real issue is house training. She didn't eat yesterday and she didn't poop and barely peed, so it was no surprise when she was crying in her crate at 4AM. I took her out but she had already peed in the crate. She went back to sleep and came down at 6 when we fed the boys. She still would not eat. As soon as the boys finished eating she ran upstairs and I was 10 steps behind but she was already pooping on the oriental rug when I got there.
I took her to Pharr Road Animal Hospital for her first check-up and she peed and threw up in my car on the way. She road in the floor on the way back. But she got a clean bill of health and has all of her shots.
I worked with her on the leash and with just a couple of minor corrections she was walking a heel around the neighborhood. We saw a cat and she didn't react at all. She is not bothered by the street traffic or noise. I worked on recall, getting to respond to "Come". We also worked on door manners and sit. She seems very smart and picks up on things very quickly.
Now she is sleeping at my feet with the boys. I've kenneled her a couple of times today for about two hours but she is so good that as long as I'm home I think she will be good with us in the office.

Lucy's first day with MaxEnJoy

We got our new puppy, Lucy, today. Well it's not really us yet because I'm the only one to meet her. I picked her up at Skye Labradoodles this afternoon. She was born February 20 so she is 18 weeks old. She had been at the breeder longer than usual because her coat is not perfect. I don't see the problem. It's is a little wiry but she is a beautiful puppy. So far I'm amazed at how good she is considering she has never been walked on a leash or trained at all. She road home in the front seat and except for getting car sick she was great.
     I introduced her to the yard, the house and walked her and she didn't seem bothered by anything. I eve got her going through the doggy door. She is sleeping in her crate now. She cried for about 5 minutes and this quieted down. I'm glad she is getting some rest because her brothers and mom and Aunt Sidney will all be home soon.