Tomorrow will mark the first full week that I’ve had a puppy in the house and it’s been a joy for me at least, I won’t speak for my husband or the other animals 🙂 Babe, as we’re affectionately calling her, makes me laugh and smile everyday. She is starting to potty train by gravitating towards the back door when she needs to go outside and at night she is using her puppy pads. We have other dogs and have helped with a bit of dog boarding before so we have plenty of experience in teaching them and getting them used to it bit by bit. I have not been crating her at night; she gets to sleep on her own bed with the big dogs in our bedroom. And she has been sleeping through the night until about 6 AM when she makes it clear that she needs to go potty and then eat breakfast.
This past week it’s been absolutely beautiful in Winona, so the dogs and I have been enjoying the warm, sunny weather by playing in the yard and going for hikes. Since Babe hasn’t had her puppy vaccinations yet (she’s too young), I am careful as to where I let her roam around since Parvo and other illnesses are a risk for pups her age and can be deadly if contracted. Monday, I will take her to a Mobile full-service dog groomer, where I normally take my other dogs for dog grooming. She doesn’t exactly need it but I want her to get used to it early. Next, we have to go to the vet to have her left eye and both her knees checked out. She appears to have Entropion, an inward folding of an eyelid where lid hairs contact the cornea. And her knees pop out funny, like she had luxating patellas. Poor pup, good thing she’s cute!
Tomorrow I will begin clicker training with Babe. She is already grasping her name and to sit politely for attention and food. I think clicker training with her will be a breeze and I’m excited to get rolling with it. Videos to come!