Orchid and Starbuck Puppies' Activity Page
04/2/2014. The two pups started their first Puppy Kindergarten at Sheboygan Dog Training Club. It's a bit of a drive for us but we feel it is well worth the effort. SDTC usually gets a good mix of puppies but in size and age which is great. We definitely think the puppies should know that not all dogs are dark with curly hair. Plus the instructors are very nice and the puppies get lots of play time.
04/1/2014. And now there are two! After much debate and analysis, conferences with other Poodle breeder friends, Lipstick girl pup is the one for us. We're going to board Sunshine for a few weeks while her new owners are overseas. It is very fun to have two puppies playing together - much more entertaining than watching a "reality" TV show! Since the all the other puppies have moved on to their new homes Sunday, we've continued with the socialization program.
Monday, the two pups went to Lickety Split Agility training with me. Of course, all the other students had to visit/pet/hold the girls. The pups watched quietly from their crate while the big dogs practiced Agility.
Since it is a bit quiet around our house, the puppies ride into town for a bit of excitement at every chance. Today, Tuesday, the pups visited one of our favorite places - Pet Supply Port in Saukville. They did more than window shopping. We went into the store to model the nice colorful collars and leashes to Jen, the always helpful store owner.
03/27/2014. The puppies have been keeping us quite busy. Today we 'sorted' the litter to make decisions on who goes where. Thanks to my mentor Pepsi Gilson for the always great advice.
All the pups went to the Saukville Veterinary Clinic to see Dr. DeJardin for their wellness exam and microchip. First puppy to leave for his new home, brown boy, Forest. All the puppies are very friendly and should do well with little adjustment issues. After all, they have seen 54 different people(some multiple times) and have been petted by most of them all in the last four weeks. I kept a 'guest list' of puppy visitors. It doesn't include the Assisted Living facility nor the Vet visit.
03/26/2014. Big day today, bath and grooming day before conformation testing. Great big thanks for Sally of Moonlight Poodles for helping out. Washing, drying, clipping, and scissoring really is time consuming with a big litter of nine active squirmy puppies.
03/21/2014. Volhard Puppy Aptitude Testing today! This is always a fun day. Thanks to Rosanne, who owns Ch. Ascot Eat Your Heart Out MX MXJ "Webster" for doing the testing and to Sally of Moonlight Poodles for doing the scoring. I don't get to watch much of the testing because I'm the go-fer, shuffling puppies in and out of the test room. But, looking at the scores there weren't too many suprises. Two things stood out: 1) All the puppies retrieved the crumbled up paper back to the tester. A first for any of our litters. 2) Most of the puppies reacted to the touch sensitivity exercise much quicker than usual.
The puppies are just over five weeks old today, 02/09/2014. They have really started to get active since they turned four weeks old. They've been busy learning about the world in the last week. So far they have met 34 different people not counting everyone they met on the excursion to Applewood Assisted Care Retirement Home.
- Rode in the van twice
- Dined in five different locations, Poodle Parlor, Poodle Puppy Playroom, Poodle Paddock, Poodle Deck, and the Retirement Home.
- Had a bath.
- Face, Feet, and Tail clippered.
- Wore their collar - a few times.
- Had their leashes on.
- Been in a closed crate.
- Met people from the ages of 10 months to 94 years old.
- Started house training in earnest.
- Began taking treats from hand. They love the Wisconsin Cheese!
- Are fully weaned.
Other developmental things going on: The puppies teeth are all coming in nicely - sharp little needles for canines. They're practicing using them on everything including themselves - all normal puppy play. Eating dry grated Fromm's Four Star Nutritionals, a grain-free kibble. Once their molars come in, the grating and grinding of food will stop and they'll be eating kibble "straight-up". The pups drink water after every meal, which is four times a day, but not so much at other times. They have been going outside for brief periods. They've all been on the snow. Haven't seen any grass yet! Very unusual for March even in Wisconsin to have no grassy spots.
As you can tell, we really believe in Early Puppy Socialization. We attended a seminar by Christopher Pachel, DVM, DACVB, a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist from Portland, OR, while in Maryland attending the Poodle Club of America's Specialty. His presentation really emphasized the small window of opportunity and the great benefits for early Puppy socialization. You can read more about the critical importance of these varied experiences at the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. Be sure to line up Puppy Kindergarten classes starting in the beginning of April so the pups can continue their "education".
