Wow, puppies are time sucks – it’s crazy how much there is to teach those first few months. I do really enjoy it though, before things get more complicated and puppies grow up to have a lot more opinions about the world. But that first meeting of minds, where puppy is learning how to communicate – it’s a magical time to see the little gears start to turn.
Haven has been a super fun little puppy with no big quirks or issues so far. We have just started to move into the more independent months. She’s starting to think about following the other dogs rather than just sticking with me, and starting to weigh her options when I ask her to do something. She is definitely not a border collie, she wants to know what’s in it for her – and she has more caution about things than border collies. I do think of BCs as fairly oblivious where things like cold, rough surfaces or wet things are concerned. I wouldn’t say that Haven hates them, but she notices them.
Environmentally, Haven has been fairly bombproof. Every place I’ve taken her she’s shown no signs of shyness or worry. She may notice things like big bangs, but doesn’t seem worried or upset (she thinks leaf blowers are fun!). She loves visiting with all the people (and LOVES kids!), and has developed the full body wag, complete with her tail hitting her side on every wiggle. She’s also okay NOT visiting people, so if they don’t come over cooing at her, she can walk by them no problem. Most people have to come coo at her though, she’s one charming puppy.
Been doing my best to get her out and about and seeing things like traffic and crowds and kids – things that I don’t normally go around in my every day life. So that’s been novel, and she’s done great everywhere we’ve gone. Obviously done lots of dog related things too, she can be reasonably cautious with unfamiliar dogs, but is soon right up giving appropriate greetings. She’s seen big dogs, small dogs, hairy dogs, barky dogs – and no issues … except one. For some reason her BP cousin Sophie and her have it out for each other, I have no idea why! Haven has been doing great hanging out in a crate in the arena while I teach, doesn’t carry on unless she needs to go out and hasn’t had any issues with the other dogs and goings on at classes.
Now, while Haven is excellent at being appropriate with new dogs, she’s absolutely obnoxious with my dogs – and they just let her. I have never seen them correct her after that first week. Haven is the worst with Bryn, she latches on her cheeks relentlessly and Bryn WILL NOT correct her. Haven is the baby, and they all just let her get away with MURDER. All the toys are Haven’s, all the treats are Haven’s, she’s allowed to jump all over and bite and be as obnoxious as she desires – and they LOVE her. Even Haku just ADORES her. So I don’t know how this going to play out – surely the puppy license will expire? Time will tell, but right now, omg, such a spoiled brat. A very loved, spoiled brat.
Haven continues to sleep on the bed, that puppy sleeps like the dead – I have pick her up to wake her up in the morning. She CAN be a dick to the cats where the bed is concerned, resource guarding? Being surprised by them in the dark? Hopefully she will get over all that. She continues to try to play with Haru, and I still think it may happen – Haru needs a friend, even if he doesn’t agree at the moment.
We have been having a blast training, she picks things up quickly. She’s a fairly serious learner, but gets more animated once she’s confident with something. She has low frustration tolerance, and not a huge love of repetition. Still, we train usually just a few minutes twice a day and she has picked up a lot. I think the list is too long to type at this point, but the only thing I’m unhappy about was my experiment with a more ‘passive’ reverse luring (hand opening and closing) to indicate duration. It works fine, but I found it messed our hand touch and other things where I WANT her to come to my hand. An ‘active’ reverse luring (waving the treat), I have found more useful. And she knows that one too, but, hey, live and learn – it was an experiment. I did do a different method of teaching her to heel, and I like that better. No issues sound or motion, took a bit to get her pick things up – but once I found the right item (a pen!) she was picking up and holding no problem. Thing in a thing took longer, but it’s never been my specialty. She loves her position changes and can do down and back on verbal, but not sit yet (don’t use it enough!). She has some nice baby stays, can wait until her name release in a group and waited probably 40 feet while I checked the mail today.
Haven is a fun little player, she continues to be a pretty natural retriever, loves to chase, loves to tug, loves personal play. I really haven’t found anything that she doesn’t like playing with, and that was one of my worries with a borderpap. At this point I’d say she has about equal food and play drive, but food doesn’t really get her super animated like toys.
She did have her first public ‘event’, we dropped in on the local disc club and she got to have a little turn doing some rollers. I thought she might get distracted by the crowd, but she did fabulous tracking and retrieving her discs. She did pee mid-session though 😉
Structurally and movement wise, she is definitely different. I did have her adjusted when I took the rest of the dogs, as the chiropractor felt that a baby adjustment was helpful after the stresses of birth. And Haven DID look better once she had been adjusted. But she’s also a puppy, and no point in judging structure at this point. She’s also not a border collie, which is what I’m used to. We shall see, she’s jumping up on the couches and the bed (and into the car if she has enough of running start!). She can be very fast and turn quickly when playing. She was 7.8lbs and 11.5 inches at 12 weeks, and 10.6 pounds at 14 weeks. Sometimes she seems really big, and sometimes she seems small. I’m thinking 15-16 inches and 15-20lbs? She’s getting fluffier too, medium hair?
Anyway, I have continued to be very happy with my impulse puppy. She’s sweet, so happy and very fun. I may not have needed another puppy, but I have no regrets. I also definitely think she’s easier than a border collie, so it is not a big deal to add her to the household like a BC puppy can be.
As for the other dogs, Bryn has been a loud and sassy ever since the puppy came home. Good lord, I’ve never seen her bark so much! I don’t know where it came from, but she has decided to be much pushier now that she’s not the baby. She’s shoving her way in for cuddles, she’s shoving her way in to play and work. So that’s novel. Asher may be feeling a bit more sensitive, as he got in trouble a few times for being too crazy when the puppy was around. He loves her though, and is trying his best not to squish her.
Tried to go a bit longer on Haku’s Legend infusion this month and he was MUCH stiffer. So we’re back to going every 4 weeks. Definitely struggling more to get up and down. Went on a hike with the puppy, and even though we cut it short he was noticeably very stiff that evening. I don’t know, it may have been his last hike – but it will be hard to say no next week. He still had a good time, but Asher did spend the whole hike behind him, possibly making sure he didn’t get lost. As he would get distracted and I wouldn’t notice as he walks behind me.
Navarre was very excited to go to the disc club, he got to play with Jessie and Shannon and absolutely loved it. Not as fast as he used to be either, time does catch up with you. Still, he could do that all day long.
Bryn and Carol are off for their first AKC herding trial this weekend. My expectations are low, especially with Bryn being super pushy and we haven’t practiced AT ALL. Asher is also playing, so we’ll see how it goes. They will have fun … Carol may not.
Winding down the summer I will start looking at trials for the dogs this Fall. Navarre and Martine are heading to the West Coast Open, so that will be fun. Just a few more weeks and the hot weather will be over. Can’t complain, this has been a super nice summer up until the last couple weeks. I’ll take it.
Oregon Dogs 