Week 10 - What Good Puppies
6/16/09
6:00 a.m. -- I can't believe how fast the time has passed. It seems like an eternity ago I was struggling to keep these guys (and gals) and their mom alive, and here we are with only two weeks left before they leave me for their new homes. The thought of them leaving makes me emotional, so I can only imagine how it's going to feel when it happens.
Yet here we are, the final weeks and there's so much more I want to teach these puppies. So far they've absolutely excelled in their lessons. Their potty manners are improving and I no longer have to use Bobbi as bait to encourage them to go outside. I've had four poopy-free nights in a row and two poopy-free days (meaning they're no longer pooping in their play pen, they're doing that business outside). Yesterday I set up one of the large crates because they're out growing the play pen. I've been rotating them in groups of three and they've taken right to the new arrangements -- including a poopy and pee pee free night (crated puppies only, the play pen puppies peed during the night). Of course, that meant I had to get up at 2 a.m. to let them out this morning, BUT the lesson is learning to hold and signalling when you want to go out. Of course it was Green Boy, my little politician, who alerted me to his needs.
They're not perfect in their house manners yet. They have experienced their first rainfall, and most of them don't like it. On sunny days, they're manners are much better than on rainy days.
Next on the list of training is teaching them to eat in individual bowls and getting accustomed to walking on a leash. Yesterday I bought 10 stainless steel bowls at Big Lots for $2 each -- what a BARGAIN! The same bowls at the local pet food store were $10 each! The hard part about teaching them to eat in individual bowls is figuring out how to keep them from wandering from bowl to bowl. I've decided they'll have to be fed in smaller groups, but logistically speaking that's difficult to do as well - not to mention taking so much more time - so, I'll have to figure out a way to divide the yard into thirds since they're still dining al fresco - as long as it's not raining - and feeding them in groups of three. I have one x-pen, I might have to buy a second to accomplish this goal.
The other day I found Booker's puppy leash, and today I'm riding along with Kim to a dog show (I miss showing sooooo much), so I'll pick up another puppy leash and will start taking them for short walks around the back yard in pairs on a leash. It was suggested I get one of the leads with a clip on either end and hook two puppies together and let them take themselves for a walk around the back yard. I think I like that idea even better! Let them struggle and argue and fight each other instead of doing all that with ME x 9!