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update on Ginko…now Abby!
Here is from the family that adopted Abby (formerly known as Ginko) Just wanted to let you know that Abby is doing very well.
She slept through the first night in her crate – snuggled up to the piece of bathmat you gave us. We took her out to potty around 10pm, and she woke at 6:30 for her morning potty. I think she was also a bit stressed, seeing that she ate very little, and tired exploring her new environment. Her second night was good too, with one potty break at 4am. Between the two days, only one potty accident in the house. We’re very proud of her.
Abby cried and whined very little. We focused on rewarding good behaviors, and she’s learning her boundaries very quickly in repsonse to the annoying ‘Ah’ command. We’ve practiced with the leash a few times, making sure there were no tension or resistance on it. And we carry it with us whenever we go out for a walk – so she can associate the leash to a fun outing.
Abby has many chew toys. So far, her favorite is nylabone and a tug toy. S- and M- both enjoy Abby’s company, and we are keeping new visitors to a minimum. Surprisingly, Abby is mostly attached to my husband C-, following him everywhere.
Thank you again for choosing us to be Abby’s new forever family, and we will keep you posted of Abby’s progress.
Cherry is now Juno
Another update; this one on Juno (formerly known as Cherry):
Juno (Cherry) is adjusting beautifully to her new home. She loves her new crate, thanks to the quilt that you gave to us– thanks! She took a nap in her crate after long afternoon. So far she has not had an accident inside the house, and she has even let us know that she needed to go potty (it may have been a coincidence, but we’d like to think that she’s smart)! She is a rambunctious little pup– full of beans! She definitely loves her squeaky toys and balls. She is such a friendly little thing– simply adorable!
Puppy update on Red Bud
Here is the first of what I hope will be many updates from the adoptive families of Willow‘s litter. This note on Rubi (fromerly known as Red Bud) is from Rubi’s new forever family – keep the updates coming and we will share!
An update about Rubi (formerly called Red Bud) howled the entire ride home. Since she’s been to her new home, she hasn’t howled once (so far). She was shaking when she first got inside, but in about 10 minutes, she started to trust me and became herself again. The blanket helped and is still helping tremendously. I’m so glad you gave that to us. Thanks. Found out HOW small their bladders are. She had a little to drink and 4 minutes later, she piddled. Taught me a lesson really quick. She has since piddled and pooped outside! She sniffed around for about an hour and 1/2 and then went right into her huge crate (that we have to make a little smaller somehow) and passed out. I attached a picture. Absolutely adorable! We love her so much.
Enjoy the peace and quiet.
E- & D-
10 Tips For Your New Puppy
Willow‘s puppies all went home today with their new forever families. Here are tips for all families that bring home a new puppy:
Limit the number of rooms the puppy/dog has access to for the first week or so.- Limit the amount of “attention” you give the new member of your family for the first few days…let them get acclimated a bit.
- Place the crate in a bedroom for the first few nights or sleep next to the crate. Remember, all the puppies slept lumped together, spending the night alone will really be scary and having you nearby will greatly help.
- Unless you want a dog that whines in her crate, do not let her out when she is crying/whining/pawing or barking. Wait until she quiets and then let her out. To avoid this, set an alarm for every 3 or 4 hours that first night and wake her up to take her potty. Soon you will be able to cut out those middle of the night potty breaks but if you do this for that first few nights (first week?) it will really pay off. The alternative, letting the dog wake you up can lead to reinforcing whining and barking in the crate. We don’t want that!
Take your new family member to the same spot in the yard every time he transitions to a new activity (or every hour or two) and tell him “go potty” or some such command. If nothing happens in a few minutes, come back inside.- Watch for nervous behavior, circling and sniffing the ground, whining – these are cues that your puppy needs to poop.
- You have 3 seconds to reward or correct a behavior! That’s it! So, unless you catch the puppy in the act of peeing, scolding him will only make him afraid of you. If you miss it, let it go and commit to being more attentive in the future.
- Your puppy won’t need a real walk until they are about 4 months of age but do get them used to their leash and collar by putting them on and walking around the yard and house.
- Remember: these guys (Willow included) are like blank slates…they will learn what you teach them or let them do regularly. Be mindful not to condition them to expect behavior that you won’t want a full grown dog to do. A good example, letting them pull you to the door. As anxious as you are to get the out to potty, try to keep good leash manners in front of your mind. Walk to the door with the dog/pup at you side or behind you. Go out the door first, then the pup/dog. Once outside, give a command word as you walk to your potty spot and then let them have full reign of the leash. Otherwise, you are teaching a dog to pull on leash while you are house training it!
Remember to love them up good but don’t “cut them slack” – keep in mind the behavior you want and reinforce it (with cuddles, praise and treats) and ignore or correct (NOT PUNISH – just make a disapproving sound – I like AH!) behavior you don’t want. They will appreciate the clarity.
Cherish your new family member!
Puppies going to their new homes
Today is the big day for Willow‘s puppies. Most of the remaining pups are going home with their forever families today. Ash was the first to go yesterday. Will post more about this event in the next day or two. For now, here are a few more photos from this week…
Puppy Ash goes home
Ash goes home
Well, we just said goodbye to our first puppy…Ash is driving home as I write this. I decided to let them take him early (sorry to all you other puppy families – it was an impulse decision on my part and does NOT mean anything personal!!) Anyway, he was sweetly wagging his tail as I saw the door shut, surrounded by three of his four soon to be life long playmates. It made me so happy to see, and I think I even saw his new mama tear up a bit.
I just love how grateful my adoptive families are…it really means the world to me. It makes up for all the poopy puppy papers and hours of bleaching floors and cleaning out water bottles, and food bowls, and toys, and laundering bedding…sigh.
It is so strange – it is the hardest right now, the pups are HUGE (this group especially – they’ve got to be close to 20 pounds!) and take a lot of time and make a lot of mess. But then, in one four hour period they are all gone. Forever, I hope. Strange to be SO SUPER busy and then boom – nothing. I usually wander around aimlessly for a few days, unable to bear going into the puppy room to clean it but unsure what else to do with myself. It takes so much of me to do this work that I forget what I did before the puppies came. Especially this summer when we’ve had back to back litters (something I do NOT recommend to anyone!) I’ve been fostering puppies for three solid months. What DID I do before??
