No Barking

The first week went great!  The second week she started coming out of her shell, and has continued to do so.  Most of the time she is still a very good dog.  The behaviour that gives us the most trouble is her barking.  She barks more when I am not around.  She barks more if she is outside.  If we are outside, she barks when she has to be more than 6 feet away from us.  This usually wouldn't be as much of a problem but we are renovating around the outside of the house and can't always have her right aways.  

She is also a timid dog, or can be, when she is unsure of the situation or people.  We are working on this all.  Plus she is still a puppy.  Lots of teaching/training is still needed.

For every behaviour there seems to be many ways and opinions to correct/train the dog.  So here is one video from Canine Companions.  Canine Companions is an organization that trains dogs to be an assistant to people with disabilities.   If you have any tips for me, I'd love to hear them.  She is getting better, but it is a work in progress.  For both of us.  : )

First Day Home

 I had been waiting for this day to come for a long time.  I was SO excited!  I was like a kid in a candy store, except that puppies are way better than candy!  

I dropped the kids off at school, came home to set up the puppy pen with puppy pee pads, a sleeping area (soft spot), food and water dishes and toys.  Then I collected all our puppy gear, towel, box, toy puppy, leash and collar and headed to the breeders.  

When I was researching for bringing the puppy home and the first day, I found a neat website written by Colby Morita called PuppyInTraining.com  He is a Guide Dog Puppy Raiser in the US.

One of his suggestion that I really liked is buying a stuffed dog (I got ours from Ikea and so did he).  When you go to pick up your puppy, rub the stuffy on the puppy siblings and parents so that they can have the scent of their pack.  This smell will be calming for the puppy.  I tried it for Rosie and it worked really well.  For the first week she treated the stuffy like a sibling and slept with it all the time.  During the night for the first month we also put a talking radio station on.  So together with the radio and stuffy she hardly whined at all, and part probably her personality too.  She only soiled the kennel or the puppy pen a couple times during the first month.  I was so amazed with her.

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She is so sweet and soft (it makes me happy just to pet her).  Of course she was a hit with the kids.  I got a couple hours with her before I had to go to pick the kids up again.  It was a good bonding time for us, and a good way to introduce her to our house and property.  The sun was shining and we just enjoyed each other in the calmness.  It was so good for my heart.

When the kids got home they each had to have a turn with her!  Of course!  First it was Drew's turn.  Drew was so calm with her.  They went outside and played for a while and then they lay down on the ground for about half an hour, just resting together.  Drew hadn't been that calm in a long time.  Then it was time for the twins to have a turn.  They took her in her pen, that would soon become her safe place, and "read" stories to her, she was so calm and laid beside them the whole time.  Sweet puppy love!  And a very good addition to our family.  

The next week she woke up and got used to living in a new place. . . . but we'll leave that for next time!

Puppy Breath

Of all the things I miss from veterinary practice, puppy breath is one of the most fond memories!

~ Dr. Tom Cat

Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies.  

~ Gene Hill

                                                 (our Rosie, yes she is real)
 

Naming the Puppy

I went to visit with the puppies and breeder many times before we actually brought the puppy home.  The first time I went by myself because I didn't want the kids to get there hopes up before we knew for sure if the puppy would fit our requirements and lifestyle.  


There are many things to consider when getting a puppy.  You are not getting what you see but the potential of what could be.  Puppies will go through many changes during their journey to being a well behaved adult dog that is trained and has the appropriate social skills.  And that is what we are looking forward to when we get a puppy.  It can be so exciting to get a puppy and they steel our heart so quickly.  But we need to keep a level head and ask many questions to the breeder.  This is one reason why it is so important to meet the parents and find out their health history, manners, etc.


Once we knew for sure that we were getting one of these puppies, and had chosen which one we were picking.  Then we had to choose a name so that the breeder could start using it with the puppy.  It is good to get the puppy used to his/her name early on.


So back to the name:

My Mom had a puppy puppet when the kids were younger, that they loved to play with at her house.  The puppet was called Rosie.  I thought that having a positive connection to the name might give them a positive connection  to the puppy even before she came to live with us.  This is what I was thinking, but I also wanted to let the kids be involved with picking a name.  So I asked my five year old twins what they wanted to name the puppy.  Right away they called out "Rosie!".  So it was pretty much set! I still had to run it by my older son, who has Asperger's syndrome.  He is very high functioning, but has a lot of his own ideas.  I explained it to him and he was good with it too!  Yeah!  And my husband didn't care what name she had.  So ROSIE it is!  Ends up being a good name for her, she is a really happy, cheerful dog!

Found our Puppy !

***Ps - These dates are a little off because I had some health challenges.  But I am trying to catch up so they will be in the right order. :)  ***


So after looking for the right poodle puppy for a long time we found her.  She was raised by a very nice lady who loved the whole bunch so much!  And had so many good things to say about her parents and sister - from another little.


Sometimes it can be hard to find the good breeders.  It takes time but it's worth it to get the right dog for you and even then sometimes it doesn't work out.  Even the good dogs will have some challenges.  They are puppies/babies after all!  But it's totally worth it!  


 *Duke the Dad:

*Duchess the Mom:

We Are Getting a Standard Poodle Puppy !

Hello and Welcome to SnickerDoodles !!!

I am very exited to get our puppy!  After much research, dog shows and talking to Poodle owners, we have decided to get our first Standard Poodle.  It seems to be a good match for our family.  Stay tuned for our adventures :)   . . . .