Week 4

This week has been maintaining what we started from the previous week. Potty training intro has been a major point, because once we expand the footprint of their living area, they will have a harder time making the effort to the potty area. But it's time to expand very soon. They are outgrowing their area quickly and need more room to roam and play. Several puppies understand where the potty area is and make a beeline there when needed. Every time any puppy misses the mark it becomes an invite for everyone else to go at that same spot. Several puppies are slower to get the target. We’ll keep working on it as we go.

Physically they are running, & wrestling in addition to all of the other prior abilities. Their teeth are eruted and long enough that we can hear yelps when they bite down too hard. This is the beginnings of some hard knocks learning. They yell when something is not fun. They are corrected by their mother when they bite down while nursing. Where their world up until now has been largely protective, they now are getting schooled in behavior and consequence.

They know what they want and have become very loud and demanding. But Gloria and Maya don't give into it. Their demands are not being rewarded, but their needs are certainly being met.

Training this week has focused on potty area and on noise training. There is an earlier blog dedicated to noise desensitization if you want to read it. Puppies have been exposed to loud noises near their living area, making sure it's not too much. They startle or awaken, some may whine a bit, and then they go right back to whatever they want to do. We are trying to build in them a strong recovery response to stress. We've been working on it since the first week when we did ENS. We've also been exposing them to sounds and noises that may grow their brain, acclimate them to life noises, and desensitize them to common scare triggers like the sound of thunder and fire. We enjoy cuddling them and bonding with them. I'd like to work toward outdoor adventures and exposures, but the weather was unusually rainy this week and everything got saturated, leaving our property damp and cold. Though sunny, when I took a couple of puppies outside, they started shivering within a few minutes and we needed to go back inside. We hope to go outside soon, but meanwhile we'll keep adding toys and small challenges indoor for their enrichment.

The two litters have always been kept separate and not yet integrated. I’d like to introduce them to each other for growth in doggie socialization. Sometimes there Will be puppies on opposite sides of a common wall trying to look at each other because they can hear each other. They are curious. With introducing the two litters together in the future and climbing abilities growing daily, we did two things to mark the litters distinctly. We added tags to their collars: Mayas are bone shaped and Gloria’s are paw shaped. (side note: the only collar change color I had to make was Maya’s brown collar male had to be changed to orange since there were no brown tags. I call him Padre since brown orange and yellow remind me of the SD Padres glory days). We also microchipped one of the litters to definitively identify them. All puppies rare microchipped prior to matching/selection and I can giv you your puppy’s microchip number tge day you meet him or her. We will verify your puppy by microchip at going home.

Some logistics & homework:

For Maya's litter, I'll be paying for AKC limited registration for the puppies prior to going home. I'll need you to provide me with the official name you want your puppy to be registered as, plus owners name(s). I won't need it until 1/11/22, but please start thinking of possibilities now. You can solidify it after you meet your puppy in week 7. Both litters will be microchipped and registered in a national microchip database. So I'll need all families to provide me the name, address, phone number, and email you want on file if your puppy ever gets lost or separated from you. Please send that information to my email at bennettgoldens@gmail.com. Thanks!

All puppies from both litters, must be vet checked by you within 72 hours of going home to verify health on delivery. AKC families (Maya’s litter) a free vet check is included with your AKC registration I am paying. AKC offers a certificate program with registration and you have 60 days to redeem it. Vet must be resistered with their certificate program. You can search here for a vet in your area and make an appointment. https://webapps.akc.org/vetnet/#/main. You are welcome to use that certificate for your pickup vet check, use it for another visit within 60 days, or forfeit the certificate and use your personal vet. Your choice! Maya's puppies are going home 1/13-1/15. Gloria's are going home 1/14-1/16. We need to make appointments for meeting puppy the week of take home and we need to make appointments for going home.

Getting ready!

Now is the time to get ready for puppy!!! Please google information on puppy proofing your home. It's really important. Your puppy comes home with the ability to run, climb, and bite, so there is work to be done in every home to prepare for that to prevent harm to puppy and damage to important possessions. It's also the time to start gathering supplies/gear needed for puppy. You may want to reference my blog on gear! You may want to add some things to your Christmas wish list from it.

Training:

If possible, now is a great time to figure out how you want to train your puppy, and start making yourself ready for it. I did a blog on training also. The only thing I would change is that Avidog Puppy College is no longer available for purchase because they were bought out by another company this year. After searching this year for a great recommendation, I've landed on Baxter & Bella. If you are looking for a do-it-yourself training, I think it's a great program, and it is a seamless transition from how we prepare our puppies for obedience training. They cover beginning through advanced obedience training, and have really good information on getting ready for your puppy, how to be a trainer to your puppy, a step-by-step guide for week one at home, games to play, and socialization to continue. Their program is a lifetime access program which helps later when your dog needs refreshers, or if you just simply drop the ball on training and need to pick it up later; because let's face it, life happens. And they do live one on one coaching calls/videos as needed. So while there are many options for dog training, they are our highest recommendation because of the breadth of what they offer for the price ($238). Dog training is standardly quite expensive, going into thousands of dollars for private board and train. I called them to tell them how much I like their program. Baxter & Bella has offered a 25% off ($59) discount code for anyone interested. Code:bennettgoldens.

There are many other places you can look for training and it is a large world of it's own. I've mentioned other options for training in a blog I wrote on training.

Growing!

Puppies continue to grow and mature. Weights as 4 weeks old:

Maya's puppies: 3 1/2- 4 1/2

Gloria's puppies: 3 1/2- 5 1/2 pounds