Puppy Basics

 Rundle has been here for almost one week and we are still working mainly on basic puppy things. Housetraining, crate work, recalls and name recognition are at the top of the list of things we work on every day.

House training is going well, but it does take a lot of diligence on my part. A 9 week old puppy cannot be expected to hold his pee for hours at a time or to ask to go outside consistently. Rundle gets lots of bathroom breaks outside whenever he wakes from a nap, has had a play session or looks like he is wandering around sniffing. So far he has been doing very well. He knows where "outside" is and is going to the back door much more often on his own. Every time he happens to walk near the back door, I ask him if he needs out and we go outside, even if it has just been 2 minutes since he was out last. I'm sure some of the time it's a coincidence that he is near the back door, but I also know that sometimes he is actually making the choice to go there. I will not expect him to be really solid in the house training area for a couple months, but so far he is making good progress.

I think we have had a breakthrough in crate training. I was putting Rundle in the crate with a Kong and leaving for a short time but he was upset at being alone and would not eat the treats in his Kong. Yesterday I re-watched Susan Garrett's "Crate Games" DVD and we worked on the basic skills last night using Rundle's supper as a reward. He is now going in his crate on his own and is quiet and calm when I leave. When I got his Kong treat out today, he ran in the crate to wait for it.  I am happy with the quick turn around in Rundle's thoughts toward the crate, but we are not done yet and I will continue to reinforce this and continue with the basics of the Crate Games method.

Recalls and name recognition kind of go hand in hand. When I say Rundle's name I want him to look at me and respond enthusiastically. I call him to me lots during the day and I am now getting a good response when I say his name - mostly running to me. When I say his name and he responds he always, always gets some reward - a treat or a play with a toy or a happy "good dog" tustle.  We are still doing lots of "chase me" games in the yard to make coming to me fun and exciting. I want to build a solid recall foundation before we leave the safety of the yard.

"Here I Come"

Other than those basic things we have been working on "sit" and Rundle is getting good at that, especially when there is food coming his way.  He has started to learn "down" and a nose touch to my hand.  We have been doing body awareness work using the balance disk and the peanut ball. He thinks those are fun.  Rundle is still a baby puppy, so everything we do is based in fun and done in short sessions.  I want him to know that learning and experiencing new things is fun.