Time for a proper introduction

I've finally found time to load my new camera software etc. and upload some pictures, so thought that I'd introduce you all properly to Brontë at last. She's been with me for 2 weeks now, and is 12 weeks old. While she has been settling in quite well, she does not like to be alone even for just a few minutes - we're working on overcoming this! Apart from that she is gorgeous - inquisitve, mischievious and full of energy, but then all cuddly when she's ready to sleep.

We started puppy preschool last week, which she loved: so far she is looking to be a very social girl who loves people and other dogs. She has been learning quite quickly - housetraining is progressing (accidents sometimes happen when she gets overexcited or upset), and she has learned to sit, lie down and stay on command (unless there are too many distractions - ha ha). She is also slowly learning that people and furniture are not chew toys (!!!) and that jumping up at people does not get her the attention she craves. No matter how hard I try, however, I cannot convince her not to try to eat everthing she finds in the garden. I have also had to cover my pool fence in chicken wire to stop her getting through as she loves water and is fascinated by the pool.

So far we've had a steady stream of visitors, all of whom have offered to "adopt" her (an offer I can't see myself taking up!). Anyhow, here's a couple of recent photos:

... calming down after play time:


... doing what she does best (chewing):


... grubby (but happy) after using all 4 paws to empty the water from her water bowl, then running through every bit of dirt she could find:

I am so taken with her!!! Ben is whistling......saying, "Chewing & digging and friendly? That's my kinda girl"!
Beautiful indeed!!!

She's just beautiful!

Oh, Val, she is absolutely darling! I LOVE the last picture. What a cutie.

OH my!! that last photo is GORGEOUS! I think it should get framed it's so fantastic! What an adorable little girl!!!

We had that exact same gate when Pepper was a puppy and day 3 she figured out she could fit between the bars...luckily a blanket placed over it was enough to stop her.

Thanks everyone - I think she's pretty gorgeous too (although in the last couple of days she's had a few feral patches where she certainly wasn't so cute ... can't wait until next week when she's considered fully immunised and can be taken on proper walks to get rid of some of her excess energy!!!).

Mandy - I'm fortunate that she's too big to fit through the bars of the baby gates - we've blocked off a few sections of the house with these. The pool fence was a different story: I waited until I got her to see if she could fit through, and she just walked through as if it wasn't even there. It's now covered in chicken wire which seems to be doing the trick!There's one little section of fencing that doesn't actually lead to the pool so I've kept that uncovered as a "test" section - she's growing so fast that she already has to squeeze her hips to get through, so it won't be long until the chicken wire can come down.

It's starting to get quite hot here, so I went out and bought her a plastic paddling pool yesterday (part of her Christmas present). Considering she tries to climb into her water bowl as often as she drinks from it I suspect the paddling pool will be a big hit. I'll be sure to post some photos after Chrissy.

She is so lovely! Just the perfect little girl for cuddling.

how do you get her to pose like that? Outlaw doesn't sit for a second unless there is kibble involved.

Sarah, how old is Outlaw? You could try teaching a "wait" or "stay" in addition to the sit. Then use "sit" and say "wait" and puppy gets kibble after waiting 1 second, 3 seconds, progressing up to longer waits. I use "stay" to mean don't move from that exact position until the release word no matter what and "wait" to mean pause whatever you're doing and wait for further instruction, whether pup was going for a piece of food or heading towards a busy road.

That's what I've done with my boys. Finnegan will stay until you get out of sight, or he gets bored. Whichever comes first.

Outlaw is currently 8 months. we have to re-sign him up for a training class. i have tried to tell him to stay and he does until he can't see me!

Start by going just out of sight for literally 1 second and go right back into sight. Then make it 2 seconds, 1 second, 4 seconds, 2 seconds, varying the time you're out of sight. If he ever breaks before you come back, make the next stay way short and easy and build up slower. If you just do it a few times a day in the middle of other things (while you're waiting for the microwave, during a commercial, that sort of thing), it won't seem tedious to either you or Outlaw (or Finn).

I didn't mean to turn this into training central! I just really enjoy training. I don't know if you were actually wanting tips, they sort of come out of me automatically. :)

Training comment--see Tricks

I thought I'd post a couple of updated photos - Brontë's growing and changing every day!

We have graduated from puppy preschool and are now attending a puppy primary class - lots of training, but they also give the pups about 15 minutes of off-lead play time (in a secure area) at the end of class. I'm sure you can picture it -- a dozen puppies running wild. Brontë absolutely loves it -- and generally sleeps for the rest of the day when we get home. On other days I try and wear her out at the park or on a walk (plus lots of play times) - she has loads of energy and can be a bit mischievous (ha ha - that's an understatement!!) if she doesn't get enough exercise.

VAL! What have you done with our puppy? Oh the growth in a month is shocking. She's growing beautifully. What a great opportunity for training and playtime together. She will be quite the lady.

Thanks Bons - although I can't yet imagine describing her as "quite the lady" ;) She does, however, have a number of other nicknames already: Princess Waggy Bum (the whole back end wags when she's happy); Fluffy Butt (due to two identical little swirls of hair on her backside, on either side of her tail); Brontë Bear (when she's being cute and adorable); Brontë-saurus (when she's being the antithesis of cute!!); and -- my personal favourite -- Devil-in-a-dog-suit (speaks for itself, really). So you can see that "lady" is still a fair way off.

It wasn't until I looked at these photos myself that I realised how much she's changed - although I knew she was growing because she is able to reach (and steal/destroy) way more things than she used to! Puppy class is good because she's actually one of the smaller puppies there, which reminds me that she's still a baby. She loves to play with the bigger puppies, though - she loves a bit of rough and tumble, and is equally happy being squashed by a labrador or trying to flatten a husky!!

She is gorgeous, Val!! How can you ever be mad at that face? (Depends on what she's gotten into recently, I'm sure!)

My favorite nickname is Bronte-saurus. Hilarious!

what breed is she? she is marvelous!

Thanks lefty and sarah.

Sarah - she's a welsh springer spaniel. They aren't very common - everyone who meets her can tell she's some sort of spaniel, but nobody yet has seen her and actually known what she was.

OMG-- she's adorable! She's super-cute!! Never heard of her breed before, though. The water routine is true with my pup too. He's six months.

The other afternoon, I was spending my afternoon sitting on my backyard patio reading. I tied my pup to my chair because if I let him lose in the yard he refuses to come back. He was hopping in the mud, smelled terrible, and panted the whole time. I finally got so mad, I tried to pour some water onto his paws to possibly clean them, but then he freaked out and ran with the huge and heavy chair along behind him. So, there he was in the back of my yard, behind the bushes, him on one side the chair on the other. ^_^

Puppies can be peculiar sometimes, huh?

Oh maidas - I can just imagine it (like the scene out of Marley and Me, when he's tied to the table at the cafe and takes off down the street table and all...).

Brontë doesn't handle "restraint" very well at all - she seems to think she should be free to roam anywhere she chooses. We compromise at the park - she has a 10 metre lead which gives her a fair bit of freedom while I retain ultimate control. We have, however, discovered a lovely group of dogs and owners at the local park, and last night while she was distracted with all the other dogs I let her off lead for the first time. It took her a while to realise she was free, but she was so interested in playing that she didn't choose to roam very far. Then one of the other pups gave chase and she just took off - I'd never seen her run so fast! My heart was in my mouth as I called her and she just ignored me -- but then she did an about face and came running back (at least in my general direction - but not quite right to me because there were still pups to play with!). I got her back on the lead by waiting until she was being pinned down by one of the other dogs.

How great to have found puppy friends! I love watching groups of dogs play. I'm always on the lookout for new friends for Miles.

A long leash is a great way to teach off leash. Some time when you want to practice "come" with distractions, bring really good treats (I use pepperoni usually, but use whatever Bronte can't resist) and keep her on the long leash. Then you can say "come" while she's diving into bushes or whatever else and if she comes, she gets a truly spectacular treat, if not, you can drag her away from whatever was so enticing and she has to sit or lay down for a short time out.

I also used the long leash to teach Miles "this way" which I use to get him to change direction. He doesn't have to come to me, just head in whatever direction I'm heading. I use this a lot off leash in the woods so he doesn't go too far off the path.

Valerie2-- You're absolutely right! I remember that seen, too! :)

Ohh What a darling. I haven't been online for seems like forever...
Bronte !!! That was one of the names I suggested. I knew it was right for her. Toto sends tail wags and I can't wait to read about her exploits....What fun..
Yippe !!! She is a beauty

#19- ive heard of those in a puppy book when we were still deciding what breed to get.

Thanks for the training ideas lefty - I hadn't thought of having "extra special treats" for the really important stuff. She is becoming very good on the long lead - generally comes when called except if she's really preoccupied with something, so I'll have to use the special treats on those occasions.

ljreader - you're right - Brontë was one of your suggestions - and I liked it for the same reason you did! (ie. I love the Brontë sisters). Brontë sends tail wags and puppy kisses right back to Toto.

sarahy - the first place I ever saw welshies was in a puppy book too - I loved the pictures and the description, whch encouraged me to do some more research into them, and I decided that it was the perfect breed for me. Although we've had a few challenging moments :o) she is fitting in very well.

for special treats we usually use carrot, chicken, or whatever we have. Any ideas on how to wear Outlaw out? Its snowy here, so he doesn't get out side enough and he is going to daycare 2 times a week, but he is still a bundle of energy!

#27 -- I forget, how big is Outlaw? Sophie likes to chase the light from a laser pointer; we use that for indoor play in the living room. If he's not too big to play that sort of game in the house without knocking over furniture, that might work.

Any interest in running? I run with Miles at least every other day. There is, thankfully, a place we can run where he can be off leash. That tires him out for two days easily if I run with him for just 30-45 minutes. We're about to go run three miles now, on leash. That will keep him settled tonight.

You could try mind activities too, not just physical ones. Teach him hide-and-seek (you hide and he runs around to find you) or to track down hidden food. Teach him some new tricks. One game that takes some thinking and energy on his part: take a cardboard box and set it on the floor. If you have a clicker, click and treat every time Outlaw does something new to the box. If no clicker, just a verbal "yes" or "good" with treat is fine. So click and treat for a nose-bump. Then, if a nose-bump is repeated, no treat. When he tries something else -- paw swipe, tipping the box over, etc -- click and treat! Since usually the treat comes when repeating a behavior (i.e. learning to sit, down, etc), this game takes a little figuring out for pups. A thinking game might help wear him out as much as a physical game.

Outlaw is about 20 (ish) pounds. foggi- that sounds fun! I'll have to give it a try.

Hi, I'm new to LT. Just wanted to say hello and introduce my little guy "Noah", he is a 4 year old Saint Bernard weighs 188lbs. and is probably the goofiest dog around. Please check out his photo at my homepage.
I have been enjoying all the canine related postings and have to say that Bronte is Beautiful!

Welcome to LT =) Noah is possitively adorable !

Thanks Jessica.
He is a real dope, but is great to snuggle with on these cold February nights. We also have a female Saint... Abby and a coon hound Belle. I'm not sure how we ended up with the hound, but I'm no longer allowed to visit the animal shelter.

#33 LOL...and welcome to LT, hello to Noah, Abby and Belle from Toto whom you can view on my homepage as well...

Oh Dave - Noah is beautiful - and the picture on your profile page is fabulous! Brontë sends her greetings - she may only be a pup, but she adores playing rough (or should that be -- ruff???) with the big dogs!

Dave, that picture is fantastic, I just started laughing! Sgt. Pepper says hi and would love to play! However, she's used to dogs that are her size or smaller (25lbs) so her usual fighting method of trying to sit on her opponent might not work so well with Noah! (not that it ever really works well)

lj, Toto is very handsome, my crowd sends a hello back to him and to both Bronte and Sgt. Pepper. Noah actually prefers to play with smaller dogs he took basic obedience with a Chihuahua and has loved little guys since. When he meets another big dog he has to do his macho routine and act like a dope.
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Noah is SO cute! My Outlaw, a cockapoo, would love to play with him! When Outlaw is at daycare, he was bumped out of the little dog group. He now plays with the labs and such. Sometimes, he is a little "ruff!"