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| Name: |
Pudd'N
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Age: |
Eight weeks old
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| Gender: |
Female |
Breed: |
Chocolate Lab |
| Home: |
North Carolina, USA |
Pudd'N
is eight weeks old in this picture, and she's just getting used
to being a house dog. She's special because she's a puppy! They don't
get much cuter than that.
She started out named Molly, but then we changed her name. (Well, she'd
only heard it one day so I don't think she cared much either way.) Her
new name is: Chocolate Pudd'N, we call her Pudd'N for short. I was in
the yard playing with her and my girlfriend said, you never call her by
her name, you either call her by 'punkin' or 'pudd'n' I said, OK, we'll
call her 'Chocolate Pudd'n.
She's too young to do much, except try to experience the world through
her mouth... She's a puppy and loves to chew. She learned in ten minutes
not to chew on me. No, I don't punish her, except by putting her in her
sleeping box when she bites me and picking her up when she doesn't. And
she doesn't cry to be picked up because I make a point of picking her up
when she's not crying. If she cries, I first take her outside to pee and
then take her to her food bowl. If she's not hungry, she gets put down
and in a few minutes when she's playing quietly, I pick her up. She's
been with us a week and when she wants to be picked up, she comes to us
and sits down and looks up at us and we pick her up. You can either let
puppy teach you when and how to give them attention, or you can program
puppy to have the behavior you want her to have. The way we train
puppies (or children) is to reward behavior we want to continue, ignore
behavior we want to go away (while giving suitable alternative choices)
and punishing dangerous behavior. (like running in the street). It only
works if you are consistent with the goals and rewards.
I would say Pudd'N is learning to fetch, but she's just doing what comes
naturally right now. Labs pick up and carry objects and they chase
things that move. So when I throw a stick, she'll go pick it up. If I
call her, she'll come to me with it most of the time. In a few weeks,
she'll be fetching naturally. The only unnatural part of fetching is
going to get specific objects you want fetched and giving them up when
they come to you. If you develop trust with the puppy early in life,
it's easy to teach them the tiny part it takes to do what you want them
to do. That's why I always start with a seven week old puppy. I only get a
puppy when I have enough time to care for it in the early days of it's
life. Right now she's my constant companion. I take her outside at least
once every hour and take her for romps at least twice a day. So far,
except for a time or two when she got excited, she's not messed the
house. Oh, and she has a sleeping box next to my bed and the first night
I slept with my hand in the box to keep her company. It was her first
night away from the litter and a new puppy is always anxious. At 7 weeks
they take to you like you are both mom and litter mates, then later in
their lives you've built a bond that makes it much easier to train them.
Right now 'Pudd'N' is uncomfortable to be alone. If I leave the room
she'll stop eating and look for me. Outside she doesn't want to be out
of my sight. So, to teach her to come, I just walk around a corner and
call her. She'll come running now from just about any activity (even
chasing the cat or playing with the small children next door). I live on
a sailboat on the weekends (and anytime else I can) and she likes the
lake shore. She's not too sure about the water yet, though.
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