We will have random Wildflower updates from now on, aiming for each puppy updating once or twice a month. Today we hear from Mariya about the puppy formerly known as Paintbrush:

Kjempe continues to convince the cats that he is now "family." They seem quite interested in his crate and Huxley has to be taken out of Kjempe's bed in the crate so that Kjempe can go to bed. For some reason, everyone prefers drinking out of the water bucket in the crate...I'm happy to see Pido (the bengal) exploring the crate. Kjempe is also learning that the kitty food is for the cats, and he gets his own special food. I am amazed that he will sit there and let the cats eat, knowing he'd like to devour their kibble too. Not at all easy for a dog, let alone a puppy.

Kjempe is learning quickly to "be nice" to the cats, and he is rewarded when he approaches them slowly. This means, we are working on "impulse control." I cannot believe how quickly Kjempe is learning to "leave it." I've started this training by holding a treat out in one hand and saying "leave it." When he decides not to "grab" for it, rather sit there patiently and look into my eyes instead of the treat, then he is rewarded with a more exciting treat from the other hand. He learned "leave it" in about 2-3 short sessions. This is one part combined with rewarding him for sitting patiently or approaching the cats nicely instead of a chase or nip. We are pretty much there with the two ragdolls...Pido...he's a whole different beast (who knows he can outrun anything thus easily becomes "fun" and "play," or worse, "prey."). But we are getting there with Pido too...I suspect by the end of the week, everyone will be "friends."

We have now learned the basics (sit, come, stand, heel, "watch me," down, his name, giving kisses, and are working on longer stays and down. Down was tough, but he learned it over the weekend (YAY!!!) and now we are practicing a lot. I hope by the end of the week to go from sit, down to sit, down, to stay. We tried it a bit this morning, but quickly realized timing was not appropriate as he was ready for his nap. So instead, we did an easy "Kjempe come" into the house for toys and nap time. He's passed out in puppy dreamland now.

This past weekend was very hot. My intention was to bring him out for social interaction downtown Fort Collins, sitting in the square quietly and observing people, children, etc. But I couldn't bear the heat myself, let alone have him out there. So, we went into the AC of a small pet store where we were the only customer, checked things out, got new treats, and met the owner. When Kjempe gets hot, he's done. He will either go directly into the house, to the car, or just sit there and stare at me like "no. not going to do anything." He makes it very easy to know when it's time for a nap, too hot, or just not the best time for a training snippet. I'm grateful for his clear cues.

Kjempe is building more and more confidence and independence. He will spend more time in the yard checking things out as I watch by the door or through a window, or will continue to chew on his bone while I run in the house for something. On our short "walks," he is confident to check out new smells and move farther away from me to see something, and is always rewarded when he comes back to my side.

We started brushing teeth last week, and he gives me the funniest looks when I do this. I don't think I've found his favorite flavor of toothpaste yet. The last time we did it, he actually let me brush them a lot, so we got a lot of praise and treats for that. Kjempe also got his first bath this weekend, which went well. Towards the end, he did get a little bit tired of it (though a very quick bath) and was no longer interested in treats. I spent some time close to him, reassuring him, looking into his eyes and telling him it was ok, and that calmed him fairly well. I took him out and dried him off "in a fun playful way" and then he liked treats again. We got use to the blower again by leaving it on and when he came near, he would get rewarded - by the time it was over, he had no concern about the the blower or being dried. Score! (Editor’s Note: WELL DONE, both of you!)

Tonight we have a friend coming to town who loves puppies - she will be staying at the house, so he'll have some fun with a new visitor (#40) :-)

It will be cooler this week so we are planning a trip to the nursery to look at plants or to Home Depot, a coffeeshop at a small shopping center where there will be people, but fewer dogs, and I think a dog play date with Howard and Karen.

Thank you so much for this wonderful update — and keep up the great work, Team Kjempe!

Have a fabulous — and safe — day!