Journey of Rue: Weeks 1&2

Mariah and Jake showing Rue the "ropes"

   My little Rue is now 9 weeks old.  (Where does the time go???)   She is scheduled to get her 2nd set of vaccinations on July 3.  We are without a doubt in that critical period of socialization.  This is the best time to get the most out of introducing our dogs to just about anything.  But we are told to avoid dogs and places where dogs frequent, until the pup's immunity is ready to handle it.  Now luckily for me here we have some amazing  dogs that Rue has already met. I know the health and status of these dogs so she already has a great start.  First of all she has my Mariah.  For those who don't know Mariah, she is my right hand girl. She has raised many pups of her own and is a pretty balanced dog.  She is patient and kind but can be firm when needed.  I think Rue is attracted to her maternal nature. She also has Jake.  Jake is our 13/14 year old Aussie we took in a few years ago and the reason for my new found love of this breed. Jake is not as kind and patient with her.  In fact Jake is crabby and snappy at her. We do have to watch him with her as he has "put her in her place a few times"  That is not a bad thing by the way. It is part of canine 102.  She does have to learn when to leave dogs alone. Jake is doing a good job at that.  But she does gain what I call "Aussie" experience from  him.  Quite often, you will see her "following him" around.  She almost mimics his behaviours of fetch and play and I am even seeing some glints of herding coming through.  He is  so focused on "working" that he doesn't even seem to notice his little shadow following and studying his every move.

   So what have we been doing the first two weeks?   Well we have been working on routine. Week 1 we focused on: crate training.   Crate training is and always has been my best friend. Crate training when done properly can be a life time tool, long after housebreaking has been completed.  My 13 year old beagle still uses his crate.  Many times people will ask me, "when can I get rid of the crate?" I never understood that.  Why get rid of something that has so many benefits?   But for some, I guess they still view it as mean to keep the dog  confined. As I mentioned if done properly this tool can be a lifetime tool.  Crates can be a safe place, a place where the dog goes to have his/her space. It is also a great tool to prevent separation anxiety, because teaching your dog to be away from you is just as crucial as socializing.    When my kids were young the crates were used  to keep them safe from dogs. Toddlers and dogs don't mix. But as my kids got older and more respectful of the dogs the crate stayed as a safe place for the dogs to hide when the kids craziness was to much.  My kids were then taught to never bother the dog in the crate. Under no circumstance were they to touch or talk or even look into the crate.  The crate became a sense of security and familiarity to the dog.  And that is a wonderfully powerful thing especially if you like to travel with your dog.  Now if I go anywhere, my dog always has his/her home away from home. Hotel rooms, cottages, or visiting a friend, no matter where I am my dog has his/her place and immediately relaxes in it.   How do we accomplish this.  Well it isn't really about training. It is more about setting up for success.  First thing I like to tell people is to make sure they have the right mind set about the crate.  If you feel bad for the dog, the dog will feel bad about the crate. Simple truth.   And really what is there to feel bad about?  A new puppy, even an adult dog that is new to your home doesn't want to have (and shouldn't have ) the responsibility of the WHOLE HOUSE on his/her shoulders.  Its a lot to expect them to manage all that space.   I start off with as little space as possible and it grows as the pup grows.  Always remember to never put a highly energized dog in a crate. You want to make sure your pup has done all its business and is good and tired before putting them in the crate. You want the pup to associate calm state of mind when being in the crate. And of course we never make a big deal when we take the pup out of the crate. It is a simple hello and out the door for a bathroom break and walk.

Rue walking with the kids

 Week 2 we worked on some basic follow me stuff.  Now this is the best time to work on walking with you and  " follow me" as the puppy is naturally going to "want" to follow you.  This time is fleeting and will be gone before you know it, so make sure you take advantage of it.  Soon your puppy will want to start to explore and sniff and play and inevitably start to ignore you cause something over there smells way better than what ever you have to offer up...and  then you've miss it.  So right now I have a puppy that LOVES to follow me around. She does it with almost a smile on her face.  There are lots of great "check ins" and "look at me's" that she is volunteering up, so I don't want to let these training opportunities pass me by.  We make lots of great games out of follow me. Chasing , running catching up only to take off again.   Add some rewards like toys and treats and praise and you have a pup that thinks you are the best play friend ever!!  And of course I add a couple of dogs to an off leash walk and I have my own little mini pack following me everywhere.





  We haven't started with much leash work but I have introduced the collar and will let her drag a very light line on some of the walks so she gets use to the sensation.   She still scratches at the new collar but is getting use to it.

 This combination of exercise and play with subtle training is helping to create life strategies for her  Now I am fortunate enough to have lots of really good dogs in my life for Rue to learn from which is making my job easier for sure. Together we are working to create a well balanced and social dog. Next week we will start to social to more dogs, and people and new settings and environments.