The successes and failures of training a puppy.

It has been an interesting week for us.  It has become apparent to me that much of my daily life currently revolves around teaching Mina how to successfully navigate through life.  Everything is a teaching moment.  Every action can leave a lasting imprint on her and affect her and how she reacts to every day life in the future.  

While I had at least a basic understanding that it would be my responsibility to make sure she is prepared for life as an adult, I don't think I had really thought about just how much she would depend on me to teach her how to be a confident, happy, and well-adjusted dog.  She is a sponge just soaking everything in right now and anything I do, teach her, introduce her to, or forget to teach her can impact her future life.   That's a lot of responsibility!  

Somehow, by complete accident, Imke turned out to be a really confident and well-behaved dog, despite my shortcomings as a puppy owner 19 years ago.   I knew nothing about dog training and behavior back then...looking back, I was completely clueless!  I know so much more about dog behavior and socialization now, that I went into the decision to get a puppy again with a lot of confidence, knowing that Mina would be the most well-behaved and confident dog I've owned.  Crate training, potty training, loose leash walking were all going to be a breeze.  

What I forgot to factor in was that I would have a real live puppy with a mind of her own, unique genetics , and an already developing personality with likes and dislikes and fears...all things that I must work with and through...so I can help shape her into the dog I know she can be.  Some days that is harder than others, but luckily she is cute and cuddly so the struggles don't seem quite so bad.

Overall, we have had a pretty good week.  Every morning we spend some time snuggling on the bed before work.  I'm okay with her being on the bed as long as she listens when I ask her to get down, which she does.  She spends most of the night sleeping next to Peaches on the dog bed next to my bed.  She does weasel her way into my bed many nights, and I wake up to a puppy curled up in a tiny ball right next to my face, but she gets back down with Peaches as soon as I ask and I am okay with that.  

While she hasn't received all of her puppy vaccinations yet, I am trying to be careful about where I take her and when.  I can't lock her away from the world, because she needs exposure to new people, places, experiences, and things, but I can be picky about what we do.

Monday we took a walk around downtown Lansing and did a little geocaching.   We explored the LCC campus where we saw some theater students practicing an outdoor play.  Mina was fascinated by all the action! 

We met some of the firefighters at Fire station #1.  That was exciting because meeting firefighters was on our scavenger hunt list for her class and one of the firefighters was female which I was happy to see.  They offered both girls a drink of water from a hose, and while Peachss was happy to take advantage of it, Mina kept her distance.  But the big noisy truck and all of the sounds of a fire station didn't bother her at all and she was happy to make some new friends.

We spend a lot of time outside every night and, with the nice weather this week, they were also out a lot during the day while I worked.  Both girls are happy to be able to spend many hours out exploring the yard, wresting on the patio, or lounging in the sun.  It is one if the best parts of me working from home, in my opinion. 

One of Mina's favorite activities is stick chewing and I find sticks dragged all over the yard and throughout the garage.   

We also had a fun visit early in the week from Bonnie and her boy Duke.  Somehow I didn't get any pictures, but the hour they spent playing and lounging together made for some very tired girls.  Mina was not intimidated one bit by the big, boisterous coonhound, and he was very gentle with her.  I'm glad she has been able to meet some new dogs in safe ways so she understands that they are her friends.

Mina has recently discovered the lightning bugs and enjoys watching them and then pouncing around the yard trying to catch them. None of her efforts have been rewarded yet, but it is cute to watch her.

 

She and Peaches spend so much time playing now.  Most of it is fairly quiet wresting, but there are also rounds of chase and tug.  And Mina isn't the only one initiating the play times.  Peaches will often start a good round of play and that makes me very happy.  Peaches has also thoroughly been enjoying our daily traing routine because it means she gets to share in the treats...what she doesn't realize is that she is also learning a few things too!

On Friday morning, we had the first death of a baby bird in our backyard this year.  It was a joint effort with both girls getting involved.   While the little baby was definitely not going to make it after Peaches leapt to snatch it out of the air (on what I assume was it's first flight) while being dive bombed by its dad, Mina ensured it wouldn't make it by picking it up and eventually swallowing it whole while I watched in horror.  If only she understood the leave it and drop commands.  Nearimg 36 hours later, she seems completely fine so I guess she just got a little extra protein in her diet. Neither of them felt one bit guilty about what they had done. 

After nearly two weeks of trying, I think we have finally mastered the down command.  That was our biggest accomplishment this week.  Mina is smart, but stubborn, and luckily pretty motivated by almost any treat so as long as I stay consistent, her training should go well.   I'm most happy with her very solid recall because of all the skills I need her to learn, that is number one on the list.  Life as an adventure dog is a lot easier and more rewarding if you can be trusted to come when called.  

This week I introduced Mina to the kiddie pool. I'm just going to leave it out so she can explore it whenever she wants.  I was pretty happy she decided to get in and stay awhile today.  Next step will be to take her to a inland lake, so a trip to Higgins Lake may be in our future.  I really hope she'll be a water dog. 

We had a trip to Gumps this morning for some breakfast tacos and, of course the girls got some pulled pork.  Mina even sat nicely while Gump fed her.  She is going to learn to love our trips there as much as Peaches does.  We spent some time in the yard, took a nice walk around the neighborhood, and were pretty busy most of the day so the girls happily went down for a late afternoon siesta so I decided to write now, before we get busy again!

We have fun plans for tomorrow and maybe even some more fun later this week that I'll share in the next blog.  The girls are awake and ready to play again and it's almost time for our evening training routine.

Enjoy your weekend!  We look forward to sharing  with you next week. 

The puppy days of Summer

It has been a rainy and dreary Sunday and we enjoyed a quiet day at home.   We needed the rain, so I was happy to have storms move through the area.  My garden is definitely happy.

I should have been more productive, but sometimes you just need to take the day off from everything and that is just what we did.

The girls have spent a lot of time outside enjoying the long Summer days this week.  We have continued our training, walking, and playing routine to continue to give Mina the structure she needs to learn and build her confidence.   

After our morning training session and breakfast, the girls head outside to enjoy the fresh air and fun before the days get too hot.  I try to keep them inside as the day gets hotter, but despite the heat and humidity, Peaches whines until I let her outside to lie in the sun.  I just make sure she doesn't spend too much time out there in that heat.

When they aren't playing chase or wrestling, they can generally be found napping together.  Mina really likes to be close to Peaches and I think Peachea has given up hope of ever having an entire bed to herself.  I know how she feels!

The snuggles are absolutely adorable!

Mina is a smart little girl and she is doing well with her training.  We are struggling with a couple of things, but mainly she's doing very well with her class and all of her lessons.  She's definitely eager to please and really loves her treats.  I'm pretty proud of her.

After a long busy day, we've been enjoying some good snuggles every night.  I can't resist letting her sit in my lap while she's still small because I know she won't be small for long.  I can already tell she's getting bigger. 

We spent a quiet weekend at home and while I did some things around the house Saturday morning, Mina and Peaches kept themselves busy with lots of games of chase and wrestling.  I spent a lot of time outside with the girls Saturday afternoon enjoying the sun.  

We had a nice Sunday morning of snuggles, and even took a nap, which is totally unusual for me.  We still did some training and took some time to play, and of course the girls had a few good wrestling matches, but mainly we just rested.  I could just tell it was what I needed. 

We have finished the first month of Summer and are officially one third of the way through the season.  I've noticed the daylight starting to get shorter and just can't believe how fast time is going.   The weather this week is supposed to be a little cooler so I am hoping that we can get out for a few more adventures.   I'm really feeling like we could use a good adventure soon.  Gotta get out there and make the most of the final week of July.

Have a great week!

Every day is a new experience

It is hard to believe we've reached the middle of July already! I can hardly believe that Mina is already 11 weeks old and that Fiona will be 3 months old this week.  The big news for our week is that Fiona has started rolling over and it now seems to be her favorite thing to do.  I haven't seen her do it yet, but I'm hoping to make a visit this week so I can.  The other big new of the week is that Mina started her first puppy class and we'll be heading off to school every week for the next 6 weeks.  She's a smart little girl and learning quickly.   I'm learning too.

This Summer is flying by and we are busy trying to make the most of it when I'm not working.  We've gotten into a good routine this week, and with Mina's new class, part of that routine is the  homework that we have to do every morning and evening.  The homework routine is Potty-Walk-Train-Play-Eat-Potty and then a quick crate training session.  Other than the crate-training, the rest of the routine is going great  My favorite part of the day is the post-crate training snuggle session we get have each morning.   She is really learning to perfect all of the crazy ways GSPs sleep and snuggle, and I love it.

Mina and Peaches have been enjoying a lot of outdoor time during the days this week. The weather has been really nice so I've had the windows open and have been spending a lot of time outside with them.  It has been wonderful.  

When they aren't outside, the girls like to be close to me when they can, and when they can't, they can usually be found napping on the bed.  

As we went through the week, Peaches became more willing to let Mina snuggle with her.  They are pretty cute when they are snuggling!

Now that Mina is a little older and is getting better walking on a leash, I decided we could start taking some small adventures around town to start exposing her to new things.  Thursday we took a trip to campus for a little geocaching adventure.  We had a nice walk and I was even able to get Mina to sit nicely for a picture.

Friday evening was drizzly and dreary, but the girls were able to get out before the rain started.  Mina was very interested in making friends with the new dog of our new neighbors.  This little black pit bull is a really sweet boy and it's really a shame that they don't have space to play along the fence.  But they do sniff noses and get along well, thankfully.

The drizzly evening meant there would be no adventures, but it led to more snuggles instead.  They just melt my heart.  I know once Mina gets a little bigger, they are going to be really good friends.

Saturday we headed to Lowell for a fun adventure with Vanessa.  We had plans to visit Barb, Tom, Sherman, and Ruby, so we decided that we would add on a short geocaching adventure along a short portion of the NCT we needed to complete.  We are working our way North on the trail in Kent County and this section was one that we needed to complete still.  

It was a combination of wooded path and road walk and was a nice section for Mina's first long hike on the trail.   It was humid, but the bugs weren't bad and Mina did a great job for her first hike being walked by someone fairly new to her.  

We completed a total of three miles and Mina went strong until the very end.  I think Peaches was pretty happy to be out on the trail too.  It was a great start to our day.

After we finished our hike, we headed out to Barb and Tom's for our visit.   Can you tell that Tom had treats?

Mina and Sherman had a great time playing right away and Ruby and Mina had a good round of play later in our visit.  Everyone had a great time and all of the big dogs were so good with Mina.  She had a great time exploring, finding new toys, and playing with her new friends.

By the end of our visit, everyone was ready for a nap.  Peaches and Mina were quiet for the whole trip home so I'd say it was a good day.

I expected a quiet Saturday evening after our busy day, but Mina had other ideas.  After a power nap on the way home, she was ready play.  She eventually climbed into my lap and crashed, and I was sure she'd be down for the night once she ate dinner, but I was wrong.  After dinner she dragged several of the toys out to play.  She had a second, third, fourth, and fifth wind before I decided we would head outside at sunset to watch the lightning bugs.  Apparently that last trip outside was just what was needed.  Peaches put herself to bed and finally Mina climbed up on to the couch for the night.  

Today I had things to get done so after our morning routine and snuggles,  I put Mina in the crate and headed out to run errands.  I came home after my initial errands to get the girls so they could join me for the final couple of things I needed to get done and then I took them for a walk through the Meridian Historical Village.    I can't believe how good Mina is at sitting nicely for a picture.  She's definitely better than Peaches is...at least for now.

I got lots done that needed to get done today, most importantly I got out into the garden to pick the zucchini.  The garden is doing great-basil, zucchini, and kohlrabi is growing well, and I'll have green beans and tomatillos by the end of the week.  I'm anxiously waiting for the tomatoes and broccoli still, but I know they'll come soon.  Garden season is a wonderful time of year!

 In the next week, we'll continue to get out for some local adventures as I continue to introduce Mina to new people, places, things, and experiences.  She has a scavenger hunt list of things to expose her to as part of her class and I want to make sure to introduce her to as many things as I can in these formative weeks so that she'll be a happy, healthy, and well-adjusted adult dog one day.  It is the most important job I have right now.  

The joy of puppy hood

We have officially had one full week with Mina and it is starting to begin to feel like she belongs here now.  I've seen so much growth in her personality and she's gaining knowledge and confidence every day, not that she lacked confidence previously.  

While having a puppy can come with challenges and frustrations-potty training, crate training, and basic obedience training as well as just settling into a regular routine,  Mina has also brought new life, hope, and joy into the house.  

There are lots of things about being the mom to a young GSP that I have really missed as I lived life with my older pups over the last several years.  While I loved those precious moments with my loyal companions of many years, I am looking forward to starting this new journey with Mina and watching her learn, adventure, and experience things for the first time with the inquisitive nature of a GSP.   

Since we were home on the 4th of July this year,  I wanted to get the girls out of the house for a little fun, so we headed downtown for Lansing's July 4th parade.  The parade routes goes around the Capitol grounds and any time I go, I try to get a nice shady spot on the Capitol Lawn.  

Because Mina is new to walking on a leash, I didn't want to walk too far from where we parked so I was excited to see a nice empty spot on the southwest corner of the Capitol lawn.  In this same spot 10 years ago, Jake and I sat under the shade of a big beautiful tree and watched the parade together.  Sadly, due to recent construction at the Capitol, the big tree is no longer there, but we did find a small tree that offered us sufficient shade for the time we were there.

While a protest shortened the parade, it was nice to get out with the girls for Mina's first Capitol visit and to start making memories together.  

 

Tuesday arrived and it was back to our work from home life.  Thankfully Mina is pretty good at this point and was happy to be outside enjoying the day with Peaches.  I sat outside or inside at the dining room table so I could keep on eye on them while I worked.

Mina really likes sticks and decided to climb right into the fire pit to find some good sticks to chew.

She had her first visit to meet our friends at Patterson Veterinary Hospital this week and she was a big hit!  I mean, who doesn't love a puppy?!?  She weighed in at 14.18 pounds and did a great job with her first nail trim, a vaccination, and being handed from person to person.  I know this is the beginning of a long and happy friendship!

We have settled into a nice routine and she has some cute quirks, like standing on the bowl to drink water.  She especially likes to stick her head into the water bowl while Peaches is drinking.

She quickly discovered the toy basket and, after spending lots of time outside during the day, likes to drag all of the toys into the living room after dinner.   She prefers the big dog toys to any of the special puppy toys I bought for her and this giant bear is regularly used as a place for a nap.

Peaches is adjusting to having a puppy around, but we are still working through some growing pains.  She wants to play with Mina, but she also has times when she just wants her space.  I'm trying to make special time for her, but it isn't easy at this point.  I know in time she'll adjust and be very happy to have a little sister to play with her.  

When things like this happen, and Peaches lets Mina get this close to her, I know we'll be fine.  

When it is time to stop our play for the day and settle for the evening, the best way to make that happen is to let Mina climb into my lap.  After we snuggle for a bit, I can put her down on the cozy cave and she'll relax for the remainder of the night until bedtime. While I know I'm setting myself up to have another oversized lap dog, I can't resist holding her and snuggling while she is still a baby...because this time is going to go so quickly.

As the week progressed, Mina's confidence grew and she started playing chase with the neighbor's dogs.  Now, every time she runs outside, she is looking to see if they are out to play with her.

She and Peaches have also started playing together a little more.  

She has also decided that she wants to stick her head out the window as we drive around town.  This makes me nervous, so I haven't let her do it much, but she is pretty cute with her ears flapping in the wind.

Earlier this week I introduced her to zucchini and she wasn't quite sure about it.  I want her to like fruits and veggies because they make good healthy snacks and I love sharing with them when I'm meal prepping. 

She really enjoys lying on the kitchen floor right under my feet whenever I'm in there.  I can't tell you how many times I've tripped over her.  While she doesn't beg, I want to teach her that dogs are not allowed in the kitchen, but that she can sit just outside of the kitchen.  Saturday morning I had the perfect opportunity to start teaching her that.  

As I was making my smoothie, I dropped a blueberry.  Mina snatched it up and ran to her dog bed like she had won the lottery.  So we started working with the berries on showing  her where she could sit and get lots of delicious treats.  I'm pretty excited that she loved all of the berries I shared with her.   I haven't had a dog that loved to share berries with me like this since Imke.  I've missed that.

Saturday night I finally got to see Billy Joel in concert at Comerica Park.  I bought the tickets in November 2019 for what was supposed to be a 2020 concert.  Well, we all know what happened there.  All I can say is that it was worth the wait!  

Nicol joined me for the concert and so I got to visit with Fiona before heading to the concert, and Tyler got to be on puppy sitting duty.  I think Mina had a good time there, even though she had to be crated for part of the evening.  Crate training is still a work in progress.

Since I spent Friday night and Saturday morning catching up on laundry, cleaning, and yard work, we were able to spend time today relaxing and enjoying the day.  It was such a beautiful day to be outside!

The garden is looking good too.  I did a little work in there yesterday and I'm excited that in the next couple of days I'll be able to pick my first zucchini and basil of the season.   I can't wait for the beans and tomatoes to be ready!!  I sure do love this time of year!

Now I'm off to enjoy a peaceful evening outside before we're back to the grind again tomorrow.   Hope you all have a fantastic week!