At Pine Lodge we offer puppy training on a very limited basis. We do this because we are busy and if we are to train, we want to do it right! We will only commit if we have the time to do it right. We also have a trainer we sometimes send puppies to who is absolutely excellent!
Today’s training was a very special training: a trip to the pet store and an over-nighter with our assistant, Brenda. Brenda is an amazing person. I think she could do just about anything! She took the same puppy training course we did, also. Brenda’s daughter, whom you will see in some of the pictures, is our photogapher Emi Sue. If you have not already, you can see some of Emi Sue’s photography on facebook at Emisue Photography.
Getting ready to take puppies anywhere is like packing for a baby!
There is a lot of gear to take.
The puppies are not fully immunized yet. Because of this, they cannot walk on the ground just anywhere. However, it is important to get the puppies out and about. They are at the most receptive age for becoming familiar with sights, sounds, and smells. You want them to experience them, but you also must protect them. We do this by carrying them, keeping them in a crate, or using our puppy stroller.
Where you can take a puppy can be somewhat limited. One place for sure is the pet store! There are sooo smany smells for a puppy there! A couple of other fun features are the birds flying and chirping in their cages, and the aquariums of swimming fish.
Brenda and Em found another place I would not have thought of-the craft store! I am sure the other customers were ooooing and awwwwing over the puppies! This is something for puppies to get used to also-it is hard to go anywhere with your Australian Labadoodle without some of that!
From there they went to their home and set the puppies up for the eve. Sleeping in a different home, but with familiar people, is their next training challenge.
These three puppies-Yoda, Ebby, and Gus-are doing great! They each have their strengths and their weaknesses. They each keep excelling and stalling in different areas because they are living beings and very individual. We feel it’s important to let them be that, as we train them.
More to come later on our puppy training adventures!
I can’t decide which is cutest, puppy or trainer.