Potty Training success!

I have tried to be very consistent with Bailey's daily routine. When it comes to potty training, it is absolutely essential that the dog is given the opportunity to potty at key times in his day, when he first wakes up in the morning, when he has been in the crate for a while. About 20 minutes after drinking a lot of water, after vigorous play, after eating.

This morning I took Bailey out first thing. And he pee'd and Poo'd right away. We came back in to the kitchen and I let him run around with toys and playing with Frank. He had a rousing game of tug of war with Frank. and some retrieving for good measure. I was busy on my computer. All of a sudden Frank said, 'Sallee, he went to the door!" I grabbed the leash and took him outside. Sure enough, he had another big poop! Im so proud of him! He knew he had to go. And he knew he had to go outside.  What a special boy!

First Puppy Playdate

Every mother of a toddler looks forward to her child's first play date. She knows how important it is that her child learns to get along with others. It's no different from puppies. They too must learn the 'rules' for getting along with others. There is a social hierarchy among dogs that must be respected. The way the puppy learns the rules is that an older dog and/or another puppy teaches him. They learn first from their mother and litter mates. But they must be able to transfer those lessons to the larger world. That's why it is so important to me that Bailey have this opportunity.
What better place than at the home of my friend Valorie and her wonderful service, therapy dog, Tyler? She has a puppy as well, named Frankie.
On sunday we went down for a visit. First we let Bailey sniff around the property and get to know who was there. Then she brought her older dog Tyler out. Bailey immediately went to him and crouched in the submissive position.  So far so good. After establishing who was in charge, the dogs chased each other around the yard with gay abandon.

Then it was time for Frankie to come out. He is an energetic 4 month old Australian Shepherd.  First it was a nose to nose greeting. Then Frankie showed Bailey his take on things.

Frankie was pretty overwhelming to Bailey, both because he is older and because he is a high energy boy, while Bailey is more mellow. So we couldn't let them loose to play. But we were able to get them quiet for this picture. 

All in all, it was a very successful day!

Learning the basics

Be respectful to Tess

It used to be, that we thought puppies were too young to learn basic commands. We concentrated on potty training and pretty much let the pup run rampant, while we struggled to keep him from damaging everything in the house. That was before crate training. That was before a lot of research. I don't know how I managed to raise my Irish Setter years ago. I don't think I would be willing to take on a puppy if I couldn't crate train him. 
With Bailey, I started right away teaching him how to be a good member of the family. He is learning every day. Here are some of the things he is learning:

Quiet in the crate

Sit! Wait! Ok, you can eat.

Sit, Wait, Ok, you can go out.

Look at me.

When you own a puppy

When you own a puppy, your life turns upside down. Whatever you are doing whether at home or out, you have to plan for the puppy. You create a routine for your puppy, and it becomes your routine too. When did he last pee? poo? When does he usually need to go out. Is it time for his next meal?BE THERE. . The puppy learns when things are going to happen and is less anxious. When we first brought Bailey home, he cried and yiped  whenever I  left the room. I left him alone until he was quiet. After a few days he figured it out. If he is quiet, Mom appears and fun things happen. If he is barking and yipping, nothing good happens. He learns to entertain himself in his crate. He has his favorite toy in there  and he can roll around and have fun with it as much as he wants. Even though he has a lot of needs,  he is on my body clock schedule. He goes to sleep when I go to sleep, and wakes up when I wake up. If I get up in the night, he knows it isn't time to get up, and I will be back in just a few minutes. When he is quiet in the crate and Im sitting near by, he has his head on his toy with an eye on me. 

When you own a puppy,  you keep your little bag of puppy treats attached to your waist at all times, ready to treat him for good behavior. Sometimes he gets treats with praise. And sometimes he just gets praise.
When you own a puppy you get a lot more exercise. No more couch potato. You get up a million times to pry things out of his mouth to remove things that you didn't notice that are not puppy safe.You bend over and squat down a lot, because the puppy is near the floor!!
Every minute you are asking yourself, what is he learning? Is that what I want him to learn. You have to educate the other members of the family to be as consistent as you are. 

When your puppy tires of play and comes over and lies down at your feet, your heart fills up, and you are so glad you own puppy!

Bailey's big day

Today Bailey was out and about. After reading more about puppy socialization, I realized that I had to find ways to get Bailey into new situations even before he had all of his shots. Between the ages of 8-12 weeks, puppies are little sponges, slurping up every experience and storing them in their little hard drives. They are hard wired with this information for life. 
Puppies are most accepting of new experiences between 3 and 12 weeks old. After that age, they become much more cautious of anything they haven’t yet encountered. From about 12 to 18 weeks old the opportunity to easily socialize the puppy ends—and with each passing week it becomes harder to get the pup to accept and enjoy something that he’s initially wary of.
ASPCA

The plan is to take the puppy to places where there are not usually any dogs. So I decided to start with Home Depot. They are dog friendly. But you don't see a lot of dogs there. I have take my other therapy dogs in training there. There are so many sights, sounds and people.  I was hoping it wouldn't be overwhelming for Bailey.
We hadn't even walked across the parking lot when we heard squeals of delight. We were headed to the garden entrance and the Home Depot greeter was so excited to see Bailey. She loved on him and he happily wiggled around. Then I put him in a cart on a towel and pushed him around the store for about 10 minutes. Then back to the exit for more pictures and snuggles before we headed home. Bailey passed the first test with flying colors.

Later in the afternoon, our neighbors came home. They have an 11 year old boy. I called to them to come over and meet Bailey. They were delighted with him. Ethan played with him for quite a while. Then I heard our other neighbors out in their front yard. They have two little girls ages 4 and 6. I walked Bailey over to see them. They were all giggles and cuddles. The loved playing with Bailey. 
Bailey is one tired puppy. I think he learned a lot in one day!

Vets, Vaccinations and Decisions

At the Vet

As with human babies, there are a lot of decisions that need to be made about managing our animal's  health care.  We are bombarded daily with all sorts of pronouncements and 'studies' that influence every decision we make in our daily lives.  
There are several schools of thought about when to vaccinate, what to vaccinate, when to neuter and what to feed our animals.  I won't try to summarize them all. If you want in depth information Google this. You will find as I did, that there are a myriad of opinions, each with appropriate studies to reinforce the opinion and guilt trip if you don't buy into it.
Bailey's breeder is a case in point. She is wary of too many vaccinations for puppies and dogs. She also didn't want me to take the puppy to the vet before 3 months.She says they can get parvo just from going to the vet. She gave me enough vaccine to administer myself. The vaccine was only for Parvo and distemper. She feels that the other vaccines overload the dogs system unnecessarily.  So I didn't take Bailey right in to the vet when we got home. He had had his second distemper/parvo shot from the breeder two days before we picked him up. But I had misgivings about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines she gave me. If they had not be properly refrigerated any way along the supply chain they could be ineffective.I didn't feel good about not putting Bailey into the care of my excellent vet. 
A few days ago I got an email from a woman who volunteers her dog with Paws'itive Teams, the organization Toby and I volunteered with. She wanted to inform me of the Golden Retriever cancer study and encourage me to enroll Bailey. She is a doctor  and professor of medicine at UCSD. So I took the opportunity to ask her opinion about vaccinations. She told me that vaccinations are safe, and that the illnesses they prevent are nasty. This has always been my thinking. It comes from 45 years as an RN. I saw first hand some very sick children who didn't receive all their immunizations. I remember the polio epidemic of the 50's when many died or were paralyzed. When the polio vaccine was developed everyone rushed to get their children vaccinated and polio was eradicated. I decided to return to the main stream and get Bailey all his shots. I felt a great sense of relief. I believe that people come into our lives at just the time that we need them.
So, yesterday was Bailey's first vet visit. He passed everything with flying colors, right down to his poo. He got his shots like a little trooper. I kept him in his crate while transporting to minimize incidental.exposure to pathogens.
Another piece of advice I got from the breeder is about what to feed my puppy. She told me to feed him Costco puppy chow. She said, the higher quality food is too 'hot' and will make the puppy grow too fast, which is bad for his hips and joints. hoo boy!
So that's what Im feeding him. Im going to research this some more. I want to know who makes Costco dog chow.
Im very interested in feedback from this post!

Separation Anxiety

When you love a puppy, all you want to do is be near him and hold him and snuggle him. Soon that's all he wants too. What could be wrong with that? He could develop the dreaded separation anxiety.  Separation anxiety is when a dog gets very stressed whenever he isn't with his people. It can lead to all sorts of problems. If not nipped in the bud, it can be very difficult to overcome. The dog goes from whining and barking to destructive behavior. If he is confined to a crate, he could even start chewing on himself. 

I realized that Bailey was showing early signs of separation anxiety a couple days ago. Whenever he was crated and I was out of the room he began to bark and whine. When I reentered the room, even if I didn't let him out of the crate he quieted down. In the evening we have a routine. After dinner and potty break and play time, I put Bailey in his crate in my bedroom. I like to sit in bed and read, or do computer work or watch TV. I put Bailey in his crate near my bed. He can look out and see me there.He keeps an eye on me. But he doesn't fuss.  Several times in the evening, I leave the room for a while. When I do, Bailey starts to bark and whine. When I return he quiets and doesn't even seem to want to get out of the crate.  So, what Im doing is waiting outside the room until he quiets. Then go back in without acknowledging him. He peers out of the crate with his big black eyes and watches my every move. 
I put a crate in the kitchen, so that I could confine him while I worked in the kitchen. Whenever I left the kitchen he kicked up a terrible fuss. He kept it up for 45 minutes.  Since Frank wasn't home to be bothered, I let him fuss. Finally he quieted enough so that I could let him out.
I called my good friend Cris. She has a wonderful dog training business called Better Dog Training. She is one of the best dog trainers I know. She told me I need to leave him in the crate and let him bark it out. Not easy for a new 'mom'.She also told me to get rid of the crate in the kitchen and just use the one in the bedroom. He needs to get used to not being by me every minute.
I do leave him every morning to do my exercise and errands leaving Bailey in his crate. Some times Frank is home. And sometimes he is alone. Frank says he is usually quiet when Im gone.
Right now he is in his crate in the bedroom. He was quiet for about 20 minutes. But he has started barking and crying. I absolutely must deal with this now. And to do it, I have to go against my strong strong nurturing instincts. It will be rough. But it must be done. 

Bailey's First Therapy Visit

My good friend and neighbor, Martha has been suffering from a shoulder injury for several months. Last week she had shoulder replacement surgery and has been housebound. She asked me if she could meet Bailey. Last night we went up to see her and her husband  bringing their dinner and Bailey. 
Bailey did great. We gave Martha a treat and told her to tell Bailey to sit. He sat for her and she gave him the treat. After a short visit, I sat down with Bailey on my lap and we had a nice chat. Bailey fell asleep for the duration of our visit. When we left we had to go down a long flight of stairs to the car. Bailey handled the stairway beautifully. He carefully went down, one at a time. Pretty good for a 9 week old puppy!

Making progress

Tess is a little more tolerant of Bailey. At least she doesn't get up and walk away when Bailey comes over to greet her. She still doesnt want to be BFF with him. But she will put up with him in her space for a while.

Bailey had a first today. He went into the crate without being told and stayed there for a while.

On the downside. He is starting to develop some separation anxiety. He is usually pretty quiet in the crate, as long as Im in the room. But when I walk out he starts up a fuss. The longer Im gone, the more he barks and whines. This has to be nipped in the bud. So, after his needs have been met, Bailey is going to have a lot of crate time until he learns the lesson, Mom will always come back, and he has to be quiet until she does. 

He has learned one set of behaviors of which Im pretty proud. He will wait in the crate with the door opened until I give him the OK to come out. Then he must sit while I put the collar on. It was easy to teach him this. As I open the door of the crate, I tell him 'wait' and block him with an opened palm. Once he is waiting I reach in and give him a treat. He must continue to wait until I give him the ok. He already knows how to sit. So I give him the sit command. He sits quietly while I put the collar on. 

I think he is going to be pretty mellow once he gets past being puppy puppy. When Im sitting in the kitchen with my computer and he is playing around on the floor, he eventually lies down at my feet. So sweet!

Little reminders

When you have been on this planet as long as I have, you most likely have losses. Sometimes they run together in one big ball of pain. Little things trigger memories.  But those same things that remind you of the loss, also remind you that there are good times ahead. So it is with Bailey.
When I took the picture above, it reminded me of an old picture I have of Toby.

Loosing Toby opened up the wound of loosing Mike. This can happen. One loss triggers memory of another loss. It's just a normal part of life, I guess. I don't try to change it or push it out of my mind. I know I can't, anyway. So I embrace it and find the comfort I need in the form of a little white bundle of energy.

Routine

Sit!

I've been brushing up on puppy raising. There is a lot to remember. Most of it is pretty basic. But oh so important. Puppy's thrive on routine. It helps me too. Bailey goes from one thing to the next in a matter of seconds. I have to watch him like a hawk. The time can slip by quickly. It's a lot like caring for Oliver, my grandson. He is just so busy that it would be easy to forget to feed him at the right time. 
So I have a schedule. I have been waking up at 6AM. Bailey is still asleep. He has been sleeping through the night for several days now. I get up and take care of my basic needs, bathroom, teeth brushing, comb hair. If I don't, half the morning will slip away with me going around with bad breath and bed hair. As soon as I leave the room Bailey starts to whine and bark. He kicks up quite a fuss. So I have to wait outside my room until he is quiet. Once that happens, I go to his crate and tell him to wait when I open the door. At first he would do his best to bound out the door. I would close it quickly so he couldn't. It took only a few days for him to learn he isn't going out until I give him the ok. Once he is waiting quietly, I reach in and give him a treat, then give him the ok. When he comes out of the crate I ask him to sit while I put his collar and leash on. You would think that this would be a bit much for a little guy. But he has been offering the 'sit' behavior since day one. All I had to do was name it and reinforce it with a treat. 
Then its out the door. through two rooms and outside to potty. But first he dashes across the kitchen to say good morning to Frank with lots of puppy wiggles. Since he has gotten himself worked up over me leaving the room earlier, he is ready to go potty. In a matter of minutes he has gone #1 and #2.

So we are back inside for play and fun, and bugging Tess. She has gotten more tolerant. But still isn't crazy about the little guy. I distract him with toys so he doesn't annoy her too much.
The rest of the day continues with play time, potty, nap, lunch, more play, more sleeping, playing outside in the yard, then dinner around 4:30.
In the evening we play in my bedroom. He has lots and lots of toys. Im calling each one by name. I want him to learn all the names of his toys. When we do therapy work, Im sure the person he works with will get a big kick out of asking him for a certain toy and he will go and get it. I got this idea from a book called Chaser by John Piley. 
Last night Bailey played for a while in my room, then curled up next to my bed and went to sleep for an hour. Oh my! Toby used to sleep there too! What a wise little guy this is!

Good-bye and Hello

In October of 2013, my good friend Cris who is a dog trainer was visiting from her new home in Dallas. She has been my friend for over 10 years and has helped me train our two dogs, Tess, a lab , 11 and Toby a golden retriever, 9 1/2. She observed something  we weren't seeing because we(my husband Frank and I) were with the dogs every day. She said to me, out of the blue, 'You should get a puppy.'  'A puppy??" I said. She explained that our dogs were older and not very active, except when we took them out to play or for a walk.She also observed that Frank and I, who are both retired spend are not as active either, even though we both exercise regularly. It is a known fact among dog lovers that larger breeds don't live much longer than 10-12 years. Cris knows me so well. She pointed out that when Toby goes, I will be pretty devastated. I trust Cris's intuition, especially when it comes to dogs. Toby seemed healthy at the time. But it felt like the right time to get a puppy.
So I started looking. I decided I wanted a puppy that would be ready to go home right after Christmas. And I wanted one of the lighter, cream colored goldens. I called a friend who has had golden retrievers all her life and she gave me the name of her breeder, Emerald Acres Goldens.  I called and sure enough she had pups that would be ready to go home right after Christmas. When I looked at her website, and saw the parents of the pups, I knew that this was where I would get my puppy. I put down a deposit.
In early November I went to Sacramento for a scheduled visit that would last until a few days after Thanksgiving. Frank stayed home with the dogs, planning to come up for our big family Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks.
Not long after I left, Toby showed signs of illness. Frank took him to the vet. She didn't find anything seriously wrong. One of his back legs was trembling and he was limping a bit on his front leg. Toby continued to go for walks with Frank. But he had slowed down, walking slowly beside him instead of joyously bounding around.
Frank was more and more troubled by Toby's symptoms and called frequently. I tried to help him from afar. But I wasn't much help. Finally Frank couldn't stand it and took Toby back to the vet and told her, 'Find out what is wrong with my dog!'. She did $500 worth of tests and called me with the bad news. Toby had a large cancerous tumor in his lung. The dreaded Golden Retriever curse had struck again.
Frank was wracked with uncertainty.  He just couldn't bring himself to put Toby down. And he shouldn't have to make such a decision without me. As Toby deteriorated, I decided to come home. I came back on Thanksgiving Day.  Toby seemed stable, but slow. The Vet had given us pain medicine that seemed to keep him comfortable. I spent Toby's last two days with him. He slept by my bed as he always did. He was loving and affectionate. He continued to walk up to my bed and put his big head on the bed to be loved and petted. He was such a magnificent animal, a big boy with deep golden fur and liquid brown eyes. He had been a therapy dog and was adored by all the children he worked with. He looked to me for his every need. On Sunday morning, I knew what he needed from me. My love for him overrode my desire to have him with me. I called the vet and told her it was time. Frank and I went down together. Frank stayed in the car with him while I signed him in. When they had a room ready, I went and got them. It was a busy morning at the vet's office. We found ourselves waiting for almost a half hour in the examining room. The staff had put a comfortable blanket on the floor  for Toby. I sat on the floor with him, put my arms around him and buried my face in his soft fur. His breathing was labored. And he was restless. He tried to lay his head on my lap. But he just couldn't get comfortable. I often think about that last half hour with Toby. Im glad it worked out that way. It confirmed our decision to say good bye. And it gave me one more half hour to love on my big boy.

When we walked back into the house, there was an emptiness there. Our faithful little Tess, helped ease the pain. And it was very painful. Some people who loose a beloved pet, decide to never again put themselves through the pain again. But Im willing to pay the price, for the 10 years of joy I get from my dogs. So, as I grieved over Toby, in the back of my mind was a newborn puppy wiggling towards his mother, with potential beyond my imagination. I knew he was there, and I was comforted.

In December 27, we stopped at the breeders which was about half way from Sacramento and picked up Bailey.