Just a quick puppy update to end the week…..
Muse’s puppies are now 9 1/2 weeks old. This is a really fun age because they are really able to start socializing, learning, and doing more “doggy” things. The first puppy went home last week, so only three are still with us.
Over the past few weeks, the puppies have learned about leashes and crates. Crate training isn’t their favorite, but is going a little better everyday. They have really enjoyed their daily leash walks and got the hand of it pretty quickly. I use harnesses rather than collars for small puppies because I have found they adjust more quickly and there won’t be any risk of putting pressure on their jaws when they start teething. After the adult teeth come in at about 5 months, I will start to transition to collars.
The puppies are definitely chow hounds like their mother and grandmother. They eat their meals quickly, love working on challenging puzzle toys like the Kong Wobbler, and are happy to be able to earn treats in training sessions. Most of their training right now focuses on life skills like going up and down steps and games from Susan Garrett’s Recallers program. Teaching scent hounds to come when called is always a challenge, but I’ve found the more they are rewarded at an early age the easier the recall will be to maintain as they get bigger, faster, and braver about exploring the world.
This is Clancy’s Down the Rabbit Hole. Alice will be staying with us and joining the pack. She’s a pretty girl with a lot of confidence, so I think she and I will have a lot of fun together.
One of the boys went to his new home last weekend and the other will be heading to the midwest in a few weeks. Alice’s sister will stay with us until she finds the right companion home.
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