Jaime is doing well and learning fast. Having two days to work with him really helped, although I got a lot less done around the house than I should have! It's really important to put the work into young pups as you can never go back and do things quite as well later, and he already has some catching up to do. It's such a fun age though, and he's such a cheerful little guy and so responsive. He's quickly learned that a loud "Errrr" means to stop whatever it is he is doing.
Two days without an accident - good dog, Jaime, but it really means that we were watching him closely. He's out of his crate when we know he recently peed, and is crated or outdoors when no one has the time to keep an eye on him. He's teething now, which means he wants to try out his teeth on inappropriate items, so the supervision prevents other incidents as well. Pups are a lot of work, but it's so much easier to prevent bad habits than to fix them later. He's already much better about keeping his feet off the edge of the counter, and because we never leave food out when we have a puppy around, he won't have any successes at that either. Once a dog has gotten a few prizes off the counter, it's a lot harder to convince them to stop foraging.
Jaime went for a car ride and a visit to Chuck & Don's (pet food store) yesterday. The gals who work there really like Argus, so I decided to take his son there rather than to Petco where I normally socialize my pups. We'll do Petco next time. Knew Jaime had been getting carsick, but I suspect he had only gone for longer rides, so we will do lots of short trips and let him out to have some fun when we arrive. It's important that he enjoy trips rather than dreading them, or it will take a lot longer for him to be comfortable in the car. He rode in Argus's big crate with a blanket, a towel, a rawhide and some toys, and didn't make a peep. I stopped at the library, told him I would be right back, but did not make a fuss over him as emotional departures trigger separation anxiety. He was chewing on a toy when I got back so we drove right to Chuck & Don's. I snapped on his leash, and he walked through the door with a bit of apprehension. Everyone said, "Oh, a puppy!" and I warned them that I had just gotten him and that he might be a bit queasy from his car trip. Not to worry! Jaime greeted everyone with hugs and kisses and acted as if they were all old friends. Everyone offered him a cookie and he sat readily on command, then had a great time exploring the store and meeting other customers. The only thing that made him nervous was a big obnoxious dog who made me nervous too. Guess he needs to meet some of Argus's doggy friends in the neighborhood.
New furnace gets install today, so I'll go into work a bit late, after the installers arrive. Hope they don't find any "extra" costs. . .
Two days without an accident - good dog, Jaime, but it really means that we were watching him closely. He's out of his crate when we know he recently peed, and is crated or outdoors when no one has the time to keep an eye on him. He's teething now, which means he wants to try out his teeth on inappropriate items, so the supervision prevents other incidents as well. Pups are a lot of work, but it's so much easier to prevent bad habits than to fix them later. He's already much better about keeping his feet off the edge of the counter, and because we never leave food out when we have a puppy around, he won't have any successes at that either. Once a dog has gotten a few prizes off the counter, it's a lot harder to convince them to stop foraging.
Jaime went for a car ride and a visit to Chuck & Don's (pet food store) yesterday. The gals who work there really like Argus, so I decided to take his son there rather than to Petco where I normally socialize my pups. We'll do Petco next time. Knew Jaime had been getting carsick, but I suspect he had only gone for longer rides, so we will do lots of short trips and let him out to have some fun when we arrive. It's important that he enjoy trips rather than dreading them, or it will take a lot longer for him to be comfortable in the car. He rode in Argus's big crate with a blanket, a towel, a rawhide and some toys, and didn't make a peep. I stopped at the library, told him I would be right back, but did not make a fuss over him as emotional departures trigger separation anxiety. He was chewing on a toy when I got back so we drove right to Chuck & Don's. I snapped on his leash, and he walked through the door with a bit of apprehension. Everyone said, "Oh, a puppy!" and I warned them that I had just gotten him and that he might be a bit queasy from his car trip. Not to worry! Jaime greeted everyone with hugs and kisses and acted as if they were all old friends. Everyone offered him a cookie and he sat readily on command, then had a great time exploring the store and meeting other customers. The only thing that made him nervous was a big obnoxious dog who made me nervous too. Guess he needs to meet some of Argus's doggy friends in the neighborhood.
New furnace gets install today, so I'll go into work a bit late, after the installers arrive. Hope they don't find any "extra" costs. . .
