Fun at Puppy Grand Central

Mary-Ann Sontag March 1, 2021

We have settled into a routine that gives the Moonshadows a couple of hours in the big playroom in the morning. Unfortunately, it is dark and so their photos are not as good/easy. That said, aren’t they adorable?! And they are the friendliest puppies ever — so many wagging tails, which is just so cute…

The Moonshadows still mostly wander around the play area exploring but are starting to interact with things more each day. This is Andy, Titan and hmmm…

When the Bright Stars move in for the day, more stuff is added in — they are ready for all that. The x-pen is separating the two litters, and so you can see that the Moonshadows do have things to interact with, but not as much yet. Baby steps — or rather, Puppy Steps — literally and figuratively!

So judgy, these cats!

When Lee was here yesterday, he flipped the Cato Board over to use in moving the 5000000 balls back to the ball pit in a more efficient way (he is a smart one, that Lee!) and in doing so revealed that the underside of the Cato Board has its own challenge — how cool is that? Now the puppies are doing football drills…

The teeter has been modified to add a drop of about two inches — we are building up to full (puppy) height.

This is Orion with the Babble Ball — you will hear it in the video posted below…

Ignore the piles of laundry and etc. and enjoy the chaos.…

Evening

The Moonshadows had some early evening time in the big play area…

Puppy Grand Central!

Mary-Ann Sontag February 28, 2021

Something I find interesting in puppies is how they are like the sun as we head for the summer solstice — they shine more and more every day.

Awake periods noticeably lengthen with each day. The Moonshadows play for maybe 10 - 15 minutes and then they are out.

The Bright Stars play for at least 30 minutes before they start dropping off.

And every day their awake periods are longer, and their interactions with the external world increase.

The Moonshadows are still mostly interested in exploring and playing with each other — “stuff” is only mildly interesting at this point.

The Bright Stars head for the playroom ready to go all in on whatever is new today.

This all reminds me that yes, like children — puppies are developing and emerging beings. We must manage our expectation accordingly — I cannot say that enough.

Puppies and human babies/toddlers cannot be expected to behave or act like mini-adults. When expectations are appropriate to developmental needs, we manage behavior by managing the environment and we use distraction and redirection — never, ever, ever punishment.