Everything is new

Like most puppies, adjectives abound in describing Tai’s personality.  Cute, sweet, brilliant, awkward, curious.  Right now as I drink my coffee and watch him in his puppy pen, goofy is the word that comes to mind.  He is wrestling with a chew toy in his donut bed as though it’s an imaginary puppy.  Of course, he makes me laugh.  We haven’t had a training session this morning because I want him to understand the breakfast comes first and frankly, he’s not finding the puppy kibble that interesting.

I ask myself what do I think Tai learned yesterday – his first full day home?  He learned that the Mama has good treats, will play tug and will be happy to give him a full body rub, it’s ok to be alone for a little while, that Dad will take care of him when the Mama isn’t home, there are sticks to chew, that the garden statue of a rabbit will not respond no matter how many times he barks and attacks it (his first wildlife encounter), that jumping on Lacey’s head is not a good idea, that raw chicken wings are quite tasty (no skins), that shelties bark, outdoor noises include birds, trains, trucks and teenagers laughing and a collar round his neck means tasty treats.  Not a bad first day.  He also experimented with stalking the Mama to get her to play.  Hmmm….

Today, we’ll continue with collar conditioning, build value for a crate, possibly go for a short car ride to visit a friend,  continue shaping a sit and hand targeting.  And appropriately for a such a young guy…7 weeks and 3 days old…lots of rest and relaxation.  I think Tai has that down just fine.