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| Walker listens intently to instructions from Breeze. |
I brought Breeze home six days ago. She's adjusting beautifully. Yes, we still have the occasional complaining when she's first crated, or left alone in her puppy pen, but it's nothing like the first couple of days. This girl has quite the set of lungs!
Since all my dogs come to work with me, Breeze has impressed some of the classes with her vocalizations, the longest of which timed out at 30 minutes on Thursday morning. Unrewarded behavior does extinguish itself...the first of many lessons Breeze will learn in the next few weeks. She eventually settles down to chew on a bone or entertain herself with a toy.
Breeze and her littermates got off to a great start at breeder Michelle's house. The puppies received lots of love, attention and the right kind of socialization. Michelle is like many breeders (myself included) who match puppies to owners based on owner personality, puppy temperament, family lifestyle and future goals for the puppies.
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| Breeze loves her flying squirrel toy. |
The past week has been full of change for Breeze. She left her siblings and breeder to join my pack. A new house, new dogs (all black!), new yard, the training center, meeting lots of new people, adjusting to a new schedule and routine. Before bringing her home I had a plan in mind, so it was easy to integrate her into my life.
Breeze sleeps in a crate in the bedroom at night...and at 11 weeks she's now sleeping through the night. Housebreaking is progressing well because I'm being proactive. She's learning to potty on grass as well as river rock. (I have a 30 x 60 river rock potty area that I prefer the dogs use...especially when we get home late at night from work.)
Because my back yard is pretty large, and the other dogs are very energetic, Breeze has a 20 x 50 play yard made of exercise pens. This allows all the dogs to get to know one another in a safe manner, and I can monitor their body language and dog communication. It will be a while before she's allowed to run free with one or more of the other dogs; right now there's just too much risk of injury (running too hard, playing too rough, etc.). Her little body is growing and her muscles are developing.
At the training center Breeze has a double size x-pen at the edge of the training room floor where she can watch the action (and I can watch her). She plays, naps, eats and hangs out. In between classes I get her out for play and socialization. On Wednesday night she did a brief demo for my conformation handling class. She showed everyone how she's learning to walk on leash, pay attention, stand still with ears up for treats, retrieve toys and play tug with me when she's "off duty."
I picked a time when she was tired for a pedicure and trimming the hair on the bottoms of her feet. She fussed a little and then realized it wasn't worth the effort. Good girl! (I fully anticipate some temper tantrums in the future, if she's a typical Belgian. I'll be prepared with reinforcements as needed!)
I'm careful to socialize Breeze in a way that builds her confidence and sets her up for success. I prefer that no one pet her without permission. (One person wanted to pet her while she was having a temper tantrum. Had I allowed the petting, Breeze might think "you scream and fuss and people come pay attention to you." We waited until she had been quiet for a few minutes so we don't reward the wrong behavior.)
I also prefer that people wait for my puppies to approach them and that puppies are petted under the chin (so the ears stay up and alert). Breeze even met a few children this past week, and they were asked to sit on the floor and wait for her to crawl in their lap. That allows her to get used to "little people" in a positive way.
When she's on her Flexi Leash and people walk by, Breeze wants to chase them and herd them. I'm careful to alert people to watch out for her, and I need to make sure she doesn't grab clothing, so I'm encouraging her to carry a toy when she's on her Flexi. Redirecting her mouth is working well so far.
Breeze had her first well-puppy visit to our vet this week. She was so relaxed she fell asleep in my arms in the waiting room. She was happy and relaxed during her exam and eagerly went with Dr. Cumming when it was time for her microchip. The staff at Spring Glen Veterinary Hospital is wonderful and takes extra time to make sure puppies have good experiences when they visit the clinic.
The first few weeks with a new puppy are always fascinating. I love to just sit back and watch. I can learn so much by just observing. Raising a puppy is rewarding, challenging, a whole lot of work and a great deal of fun! My latest journey has only just begun. My plan is to share the adventure through this blog. -- Kathy
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