Bye bye Vespa

The Sunshine Litter are ready to go off to their new homes! Vespa has already headed off into the sunset with her family. She will have a wonderful life in Cornwall, with her big brother Bentley, from the Lovely litter.

Travelling at 8 weeks old

Vespa was a good girl in the car on the long journeys and so far seems to doing well. When puppies are this small they can travel beside you on the seat, or in the footwell, where they are more likely to settle. Of course they do need to be secure when they get bigger and the sooner they can cope with this, the better.

Meeting older dogs

It’s hard to know how to manage meeting the other family dogs. Most older dogs are indifferent to puppies, until they get into their faces! They hate that, so should not be left alone with a puppy in the first few weeks.

Sometimes the older dog wants to play with the puppy, but again, that is not a great idea for a little while. Fortunately these puppies understand that not all older dogs are friendly, but some like to play.

8 weeks old recall in puppies

I don’t really understand why people keep their dogs on lead all their lives? Well, I suppose not all dogs are Border Collies! This is what happens when you call two 8 weeks old puppies:

It’s not that hard really, is it? Bearing in mind these two were out of my sight and exploring a new part of the garden, which is unfamiliar and exciting! And there are two of them, so they tend to stick together.

IT JUST TAKES PRACTICE!

Honestly, I call them several times a day, from the time they can run around. I call them and give them their food. Or I call them and make a fuss of them. Or I call them and give them a treat; they are good at eating from my hand now.

Before I take my new puppy for a walk, I have already practised recall hundreds of times. My puppies know that I am a big reward! They love me – see Murmur’s face 🙂 Because I work so hard on my recall with my dogs, every day, they come to me.

They come even when they are running across a field chasing a deer. Or engaging in a game of chase with another dog. They stop dead and run back to me. It is not rocket science. Quin barks at strange dogs (ones he doesn’t know and ones that are strange). He will start towards them barking and try and chase them off, if possible. But if I call him (not shouting, just calling) he comes straight back.

Quick Quiz

Why don’t you have a go at a quiz I wrote for fun, a few years ago. Here’s the link: Quick Quiz. My top tip: dogs are not people.

NB: THESE PUPPIES ALL HAVE HOMES. Visits are by appointment only. There is someone here at all times.

Buy the Workbook

The Workbook – A Year With Your Puppy is available to buy. It was written and designed to be a hands-on, interactive book for you. It will help you survive the first year with your puppy, but also act as a memento of that time and the journey you have been on. You can write notes and stick in pictures of your puppy throughout the year. Lovely!

Remember..

Please CONTACT ME if you want to know more about me and my dogs?  And feel free to COMMENT if you want to tell me what you think. NO PUPPIES AVAILABLE