Oh my goodness - I am so happy that my little zoo is complete once again. We picked up the puppies from school this morning and I am thrilled to have them home. This first week is going to be tough with trying to acclimate them back into our environment under a who new set of rules. Here are the primary focuses we have for the next week:
- No paws on people, no paws on stuff - this means no jumping, scratching at the door, getting on the furniture, etc.
- No teeth on people (play biting) and no teeth on stuff that is not theirs - this means no chewing up shoes, paper, etc.
- Dogs under human control at all times - this means on a leash or in a crate 100% of the time this week - ugh.
- CALM - the theme of the week is calm - don't stir them up - don't talk to them in a crazy, excited 'dog voice', don't yell at them - just conversational corrections and interactions.
So - I didn't love the idea of that much crate time so luckily the kitchen is large enough that we can have three 'dog stations'. Each gets a dog bed, toys, a bone, a water bowl. They are connected to a leash that is connected to something stationary. For instance - Juliett's leash is hooked to the leg of the kitchen table. They are far enough apart they can see each other but cannot interact. So far it has gone well.
In addition, I am keen to get them better at going in the car so I have decided that my Starbucks run will have a dog in tow each time. Today I took Charli (because she hates the car the most). She did okay, she did not get in trouble for being afraid and the return trip was much calmer than the way there. We will keep working on it.
All in all - the change in the dogs is remarkable. They are much more calm. They were always fairly mellow, but they are calm as well. Their leash manners are amazing - they had none when we started as we were terrible and never leash trained them. Obedience has vastly improved. If you tell them to do something or stop doing something they listen. Now, there are still times they need corrected and they are only three weeks in to training so its not perfect but its great.
All in all - so far so good. Thankfully I have a long weekend and can spend a good bit of time doing dog things over the next few days. In the next 7 - 10 days we will head back to training center with all three pups to do another session and expand the scope of their world slowly but surely. By August - they should have a good amount of freedom and be in the beginning stages of maintenance mode.
Emma is thrilled they are home. Winston hasn't seen them yet - that is a few weeks away....
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