Kadi & Developmental Thoughts

Today we check in with Kadi (formerly Mariposa) — Eden sends us this report:

“Kadi is a typical 4 month old puppy. She is 38.6 lbs and about 19” at the shoulder.  House training is going well and she will either bark at the front door to go out or head out the dog doors to the back yard by herself.  Of course we would like her to head to the back yard without any prompting but there haven’t been any accidents for a few weeks. 

She generally sleeps 7 to 8 hours but she is not quite up to retirement hours of sleeping yet.  We enjoy training times and continue to work on the foundation for a variety of sports.  Our morning heeling training, which is used as a redirected activity instead of her biting at my ankles and feet, is coming along well. 

There is one more puppy kindergarten class but she is signed up for a puppy agility class next month. Tracking class is on Thursday.

This is Kadi finding the sock at the end of a 100 yd track first time in high field grass.

 We are in the honeymoon part of puppyhood; the puppy is basically housetrained, sleeping through the night, tiger shark has become mostly a kitten, and still very attentive to us.  However this is a fleeting time, as the puppy coat and teeth fall out we will be heading into the juvenile delinquent phase of puppyhood. However, I am sure Kadi will remain the perfect puppy that she is and skip right through that phase.”

Thank you, Eden! What an interesting and wonderful and fun life Kadi is having ❤️ Her heeling is just lovely.

Eden mentions some important developmental milestones that I suspect we are all seeing — I know I am. Pozy now goes to the door when she wants to go out, her puppy coat is falling out, she sleeps all night, and new teeth are arriving. She is easy right now, with very few Baby Shark moments.

BUT the changes are not just physical — there are cognitive shifts as well.

Pozy is is now continually sizing up her external world. It is like a comment box appears over her head: “What do I think about that?”

She does this with new sounds, new people, new places. It is not fear but rather she is engaged in Cognitive Appraisal, deciding what the new thing means to her and how she should react.

This is a normal developmental process.

Yesterday: Novel trail, novel people on the trail.

I am introducing something novel almost every day right now, and being thoughtful about how I support Pozy as she engages in this period of cognitive growth. I give her time to decide what she thinks AND I am actively helping her understand that “novel” is good through association with cookies and praise.

Since my goal is confidence, I never, ever force her to engage or interact — confidence happens with mastery, not force.

Have a terrific Saturday — and stay safe and well.

Kjempe

We have a another fun Wildflower update but first, Sparkle and Claire from this morning…

Mariya sends us this report on the puppy formerly known as Paintbrush:

“It probably goes without saying that I couldn't be more pleased with Kjempe and how well he is doing.  Loving, social, smart, fun, curious, and just a sensation overall.  As I had hoped, we can't go anywhere without some social interaction, as everyone loves a Berner - especially a Berner puppy.

We are so busy these few weeks.  As Mary-Ann knows, Kjempe is about to have a new home...we are moving to a small acreage North of town, and life has become a maze of pathways through boxes, piles for donation, and piles for the dump.  While the animals don't quite understand yet, they are about to have a LOT more room to play!  I know I can't wait to be fully transitioned :-)

Kjempe starts puppy school this Saturday.  For the most part, I pat myself on the back that we are ahead of the game on our training.  We have sit, down, stand, paw, shake, touch, "watch me," leave it, heel, "check in," crate, and all of the little things like - "out of the kitchen," sitting before he gets his meals, getting his toenails dremmeled, and sitting at the door to take his harness off, or get his tootsies dried when they're wet.   The most important training for me, at this point, is simply averting his attention back to me when another dog or person really has his attention...(I mean...really has his attention).

We are finally old enough to make it to the top of the ridge behind the house - see pics.  We entertain the other patrons at the breweries and the park.  We have a bestie named Howard (Portugese water dog) who comes over here - and shares treats and toys.  Funny enough, whatever Howard liked/played with, becomes Kjempe's favorite thing for the next few days.

The temperature has finally cooled in Colorado - with crisp, cold mornings and gentle breezes in the afternoon.  It has made a big difference for Kjempe who does not like the heat (neither do I).  We are excited for FALL and WINTER - which many of you know Colorado had an early touch of winter last week.  Kjempe loved the snow!

Following suit - he is going to be a lap dog.  

Things he loves:  other people, especially Karen, my nieces, his vet; playing fetch and tug, his tug rope toy, squeaky tennis balls, his Fox toy, his snuffle mat, bison & beef bones, ME :-), his cat brothers, the cold bathroom floor, carrots, his crate, riding in the jeep with the window open, breweries and coffee shops (me too!), freeze-dried chicken hearts stuffed in a kong, any cat toy he can find, sneakily chewing on mulch (so glad the new place does NOT have mulch!!!)

Things he is not so fond of:  Peanut butter, cauliflower, carpeted floors, bully sticks, loud aggressive barking dogs on the other side of the fence (who is?).”

What a wonderful, happy report — thank you, Mariya! Best Wishes to you, Kjempe, and the cats on your move.

Kitsap

Yesterday was a busy day and so our Wildflower Updates got interrupted— oops!

One of the many things we did was a veterinarian appointment for Harper B for Best Senior. Her ninth birthday is coming up soon and so it was just a routine check-up — all bloodwork is perfect, as is Harper. YAY!

And now we resume our regularly scheduled Wildflower Updates with a check-in from Bridget and Kitsap:

“Kitsap spent his 4 mo birthday doing his favorite things, eating, playing and sleeping.  We started with our weekly play date with Hasley, an English Springer Spaniel Field type, who is great about only playing as hard as his play partner.  Chase, tug with a toy, checking out the frogs in the frog pond, digging together in the dirt, and just laying next to one another catching their breath were part of the activities of the hour.  After such hard work a solid nap was in order until it was time for second breakfasts and more naps before a late afternoon walk.

Earlier this week was one of those moments as an owner that you love.  I came home from teaching, Bob had just given Kitsap a meal and he was eating voraciously as I walked in the door.  He came running over to the edge of the x-pen tail wagging so hard that his entire backend was wiggling, whimpering with excitement to greet me.  You know you have bonded with your puppy when you are more important than food.

Kitsap continues to grow like a weed.  At his appointment Thursday at 17 weeks and 2 days, he weighed in at 42.2 lbs, either he is going to be a big boy or he is an early grower.  Still Dr. Scamahorn and I think he looks great, one can easily feel every rib and when we look at him from the top, there is a clear waist line.  He’s quite tall, like Posy, long lean legs.  It is fun to watch him grow, one day his back legs grow and the butt seems high, then a day or two later the front legs catch up and the back line is perfectly flat.  Another few days go by and I notice the torso has lengthened and everything looks in proportion again.  It is a bit hard to measure because he wants to checkout the tape measure by putting it in his mouth, I think he measures about 18” at the front shoulder.

He loves the come between his two humans game.  With treat rewards on offer, sit, down, stay, turn and switch, come front, tunnel, circle, spin, figure eight around my legs, touch, and crate are all reasonably consistent.  Nearby we have two flag polls conveniently positioned and we have started working on the obedience figure eight in small bits, we go around one pole with Kitsap on the inside, treat, then do the other pole with Kitsap on the outside, and treat again.  He naturally loves to walk along side me in a wonderfully attentive heel position. We aren’t naming it particularly just encouraging and praising the presence when he chooses it.

Many students and colleagues ask to see how he is growing and so he often gets up on my lap for part of a Zoom meeting.  Many have commented about how big his paws are.  My hands are perhaps slightly smaller than the average adult but not much, still his front paw fills my palm. 

He has an entire yoga routine that he performs as he goes down the stairs in the morning on our way out for the first time.  He continues to keep his lungs and vocal cords in good shape for the Montana puppy choir, singing in excitement, demanding with strong woofs if one isn’t responding quickly enough to suit him.”

Thank you so much Bridget — for everything. I am glad (sort of) to hear that Kitsap is also practicing to be a soloist in the Montana Puppy Choir — this litter likes to sing.