Day 15, Sunday May 16, 2010
Good Sunday keeping with the schedule. Still no accidents and she’s good about going to the back door when she wants out.
Trying to tackle the biting issue now. She gets tired and cranky then it’s all over. She is clamping down hard with those needle teeth and has started in on ankles ( believe me I would rather have her gnaw on my hands).
It is suggested that you hold them down cupping the neck like an adult dog would do until they relax and submit. Of course the Dog Whisperer changes the dogs behavior in a half hour with commercials. He should make it obvious that it requires about a thousand times to get a puppy used to this. We saw some response but it took a long while and she got me good a couple of times. She did relax after a while but she fought like hell. I hope it gets easier. She will have to be broken of this. Other than the discipline there was lots of play.
It rained and she was thrilled. She splashed through the puddles for a half hour just like a little kid. So much fun to watch her have a great time.
Every day is filled with different challenges and the opportunity to learn more about these amazing creatures. I’m loving every second.
Day 16, Monday May 17, 2010
Regular workday schedule which means Ellie spends two 3 to 4 hour stints in the crate. In addition this means extra pent up energy for when I get home. Right now a frustrated, energy laden puppy means the teeth come out and I have to work extra hard to try to drain that energy to be able to relax a little later on.
I reread the chapter on the biting issue. I think I mis interpreted this incorrectly the first time. I was holding her too long. It is much more subtle than I originally thought. When she gets mouthy and doesn’t bite down it is OK and they soon release or move on. It is when she starts seeing how much she can get away with that I cup the back of the neck. The timing seems to be essential as she relaxes and I release. It is much quicker than I thought. Although I start the more relaxed method later when she was winding down, I did have some immediate success. Hope this works she got me good a couple of times. Once in the cuticle on a finger.
Day 17, Monday May 18, 2010
Work day schedule as well as I had to run out when I got home for puppy food and supplies. The dingo rawhide bones are working pretty well for keeping her busy while I am writing. Her energy level is through the roof since she has been crated most of the day with a brief break at lunchtime.
After I change clothes we go out for some play and exercise. We run some and play some ball, since she has been crated this barely faze her. We work on some leash training. I have been putting her collar on her while at home for the last couple of days and she is getting used to it. I think that collars and leashes are some of the hardest thing for these guys to get acquainted with. She pulls like a mule and we walk around the yard five or six times until she poops out. I keep it going by walking up to her (she gets up when I do this) and then encourage her to walk with me. Mostly it is ‘tug-of-war’ but persistence wins out and near the end of a 30 minute session she starts to let the lead go and walks like a big dog. Good start.
The rest of the night is pretty smooth except for one urine accident (?) where she just walked in front of us both and squatted. She had been out plenty so I do not know if she is just testing us or what. A buddy of mine has a pup just a couple of weeks older and she has had lapses in house training also. Hopefully it is just passing.
Day 18, Monday May 19, 2010
Second visit to the see our Veterinarian (he is the best). She is about twice the size she was when we first brought her home. Everything checked out good and she is happy as a clam.
She did real well on lead and did not try to chew or tug on it. I guess my work yesterday paid off.
My wife has been home all day so I am hoping Miss Ellie will be a little less frantic when I get home today.
In fact she is doing real well. I decided to lighten up on the discipline and just stop playing with her when she gets cranked up and start biting, ignoring just the mouthing that doesn’t hurt anyway. I have been reading Cesar Millan’s new puppy book. I’ve found somethings very helpful, however I think each pup stands on their own and you have to have many ways to deal with issues rather than just one person’s methods. I have gotten back into a book we bought fourteen years ago for our other pups that is real good “the art of raising a puppy” by the monks of new skete. Excellent and I’ve found more useful info in it.
My wife said it perfectly the other day when she commented on my time training her. She said that I was so intent on raising the perfect puppy that I was in danger of missing having any fun with her at this age. This helped me to lighten up and start enjoying ourselves. I don’t want a perfect puppy anyway. I appreciate the rascal in them and enjoy when they get into things, things that will not hurt them of course.
So Ellie and I are training less and having more fun. For me that’s what it’s all about.
Day 19 Thursday May 20, 2010
We are about to go on vacation so the next couple of days are pretty hectic with going out of town for a week. Ellie gets taken care of for basic needs. There is little time to spend doing much training work. We do get in some exercise in the back yard. She is doing well otherwise.
Day 20 Friday May 21, 2010
Running around and packing gets Miss Ellie a little anxious. This being the first trip away she has no idea what is going on. Our old labs would bolt out the door and sit in the car to make sure you were not going to forget them. Not much time to work on any training,etc. today. Ellie gets the basics and a little back yard running with me.
Day 21 Saturday May 22, 2010
We are leaving today for the beach for a full seven days. Unfortunately for Ellie she has not had all her puppy shots and we have been advised by our veterinarian not to take her down to the beach or any area where dogs that have not been vaccinated may have gone to the bathroom, which is how it spreads. I get the crate all fixed in the car and load everything else up leaving the most valuable cargo for last. Ellie is real good an sleeps most of the way.
Day 22 Sunday May 23, 2010
At this point I am going to do weekly updates instead of a daily updates. So we’ll start tomorrow with the vacation week leading off. In the meantime Ellie is doing well at the beach. The collar and lead are something pretty new and she does not like them at all. She does the ‘gator roll’ when I want to go back to the house and she ‘Does not’. I thought she would have a hard time with the stairs. She attacked them on the way down. The up was a little slower but she’s not scared.