Anything the puppy/child doesn’t experience during this
“fear period” will often be scary and difficult when encountered later in
life. So the more experiences, the
better, as long as they’re good experiences.
This is a simple concept---get the puppy out and socialized, as well as
having lots of adventures and being exposed to new ones. But of
course, this is also the time the puppies are getting vaccinated for all the
communicable diseases possible and developing a mature immune system, so
knowing what you’re doing is also important here.
Ries is the only male in our pack: Great Grandma, Vinia; Grandma,
Jolie; and Mother, Schöne are trying to train him in how to become a dog---what
we call “dog lessons”. Schöne spends
most of her time with him in puppy play, so has totally reverted to a 3.5-year
old puppy. Jolie spends less time playing
with him, but has her puppy moments, too.
She also tolerates his using her as a pillow on floors, beds, and
sofas. Vinia does most of the formal
training, snarling and growling at Ries when he dares intrude on her space on
the couch. But she too has puppy moments
(at almost 10 years of age) where she plays with her great grandson.
Ries is a lover, not a fighter. He plays with his pack and any other dogs he
meets. He likes being a lap dog
(currently a 30-pounder, destined to be a 70 pounder). He’s adventurous and loves life. Friday, he visited his first wetlands
preserve and ran through his first deep water (up to his chest). It was cold water so we didn’t know how he’d
feel about it. But he followed Schöne
and Elaine right into the water since they seemed to like it. We know he likes warm water, as he showers
with Elaine whenever she lets him join her.
He also obviously thinks he’s still small. He loves sharing Elaine’s chair with her
whenever he can get up on it behind her.
If he can wrap his neck around hers, it’s all the better.
Ries has mastered the “come” command, but has a ways to go
with “down”. He loves jumping on things,
dogs, and people who, he reasons, must love the experience as much as he
does. Why on earth would people have
laps when they sit down unless they were designed for him to sit or lie upon? And, one of the major dog lessons has been to
keep ever vigilant for the dreaded virtual squirrels (as well as the real
ones). Barking, growling, squeaking, and
staring out the window in rapt fascination are all appropriate responses to
squirrel scent or sightings, real or virtual.
Tonight Ries curled up in Elaine’s lap with a big chew toy
and actually watched TV with her for a couple of hours. I think he liked the bright colors and the
sound, but maybe he got into the plot as well?
He’s very much a lap dog when he flips his switch to the “off” setting.
Vinia likes playing with the puppy on her terms---out in the
open (backyard, out in the field). At
night she wants her couch unpolluted by puppy germs! And she has the growls and snarls to enforce
the “puppies off” rules. Ries likes to
test her. After all, she may have
changed her mind since the last time!
But he gets the dog lesson and leaves her alone after she lets him know
that’s the rules for the night. Last night
when I went into the family room to join Elaine for a bit of TV watching, Vinia
had clearly decided to make a statement to Ries. She collected all the loose cushions and
pillows she could find to build a fort on “her” couch. Burrowing deeply into the couch, surrounded
by cushions on all sides and at the top, Vinia made sure that the puppy
understood what she meant when she snarled “Keep Out! This means you!
Speaking of older playmates, Matt and his family visited
today. Part of his nuclear family is
Doug the dog, Jolie’s littermate (twin) brother. Doug and Ries seem to have bonded, so a very
small and a very, very, large puppy have a two-dog playgroup they’ve
organized. Doug is careful not to hurt Ries
and they seem to derive endless pleasure from the classic game of “chase me”. Indoors and outdoors!
No comments:
Post a Comment