Puppyhood

Tails wagging from Texas! Let's talk about the puppy.

It's been a long time since we've had a puppy around. Katara is 2.5 years old and other than occasional pup-sitting, we were out of practice as puppy parents! Tomorrow marks the one-month anniversary of Luka's homecoming so let's talk about how it's going so far.

We've had forgotten a lot about puppyhood. It's hard work! Puppies need a lot of care, and things don't always go as planned. Katara was a very easy puppy and never showed interest in inedible objects, but Luka will run off with any contraband he can grab. Shoes, pens, expensive technology...it's enough to give you gray hair! And while you're chasing him, watch your step because we've noticed a few puddles on the carpet. Good thing he's so cute and easy to forgive.

Who could stay mad at that?

 Here are a few basic tips I've remembered about living with a puppy:

1. Take them to potty constantly! No really. If he's sniffing around, if he just ate or drank, if he woke up, or really if he's breathing - he probably has a full bladder! Never second guess yourself on this one. And when the inevitable accident happens, enzymatic cleaners like Nature's Miracle are your best friend.

2. Puppy proof. And when you think it's puppy proofed, get down on all fours and recheck. Simple things like getting shoes off the floor or applying bitter apple to electrical cords are easy to forget and puppy can cost you a lot in vet bills and/or damaged stuff!

3. Supervise. Even if you think you've made puppy Alcatraz and there's nothing unsafe within reach, don't trust puppy alone. They will always find a way to get into something, whether it's damaging your property or even swallowing something dangerous and hurting themselves. We put Luka in his crate anytime we can't keep an eye on him.

4. Socialize! Get that puppy out in the world. Make a checklist, think outside the box and then do your best to get your puppy around all of those new experiences! Here's a quick list of some of the potentially scary things Luka's already getting used to: Men in hats, infants, toddlers, bicycles, skateboards, trucks, geese, water fountains, paddle boats, cats, statues of animals, car rides, grooming, nail clipping, tooth brushing, restraint for examinations and of course all shapes and sizes of dogs.

5. Don't panic. We raced Luka off to the vet yesterday after two runny poops. Luckily our vet is wonderful and ran a parvo test and a fecal at our request but did not take advantage of our worried puppy-parent selves. However, it's easy to convince yourself a small problem is an "emergency", and when they're so young and fragile you're willing to throw a lot of money at the vet to make sure they're okay. Remember that it's normal to be worried, but you need to be honest about how severe the problem is and make sure you're not blowing a small thing out of proportion. We were seriously guilty of this when Katara was little, but with our second we're being cautious but calm.

And definitely don't Google the problem. You'll convince yourself anything is an emergency if you spend enough time on Google! 

*A word of caution about #4: Make sure you research parvovirus and other diseases if your puppy is not yet fully vaccinated. It's up to you and your veterinarian to decide whether a situation is safe for your pup or just too risky.*

Juvenile mountain goat and its surrogate mom.

Unfortunately living in a second floor apartment means we have to set Luka down in a public area to let him potty, and parvovirus is extremely widespread here. I realize that we can't keep our puppy in a bubble but we can make compromises that minimize risk and maximize socialization. Our focus has been on keeping Luka healthy, boosting his immune system and getting him used to the world. We do carry him when in pet stores and our vet's office, however he does walk with Katara and go to our apartment's private dog park. It's up to you to make the right decisions for your own puppy, but this is what works for us.

We have been working on kennel training since his arrival and he sleeps quietly at night in his kennel with only one potty break around 3 AM. We are looking forward to the point he can hold it all night because being a midnight potty training zombie is less fun than it sounds! He will stay in the kennel quietly for about two hours now, and I think we can push for 3 hours. Even though I am home most of the day with the dogs, we're working hard to establish good crate behavior and independence. Katara has severe separation anxiety and has harmed herself during panic attacks in the past, but Luka's calmness and his crate being next to hers is also helping her stay calm and learn to tolerate longer periods "alone".

The yogurt facial is an important daily ritual.

Basic obedience is another big part of our day. We would be a lot further, but Luka has been very picky about transitioning to solid food and we only started seriously training this week. Previously he was not food motivated enough to do any real work beyond a few moments at a time. So far Luka has learned hand cues for sit, down, over (roll over) and "leave it", is learning to target, learning his release word "okay!" and knows to give eye contact for his name. Next we will work on recalls, working in new locations and with distractions. His leash training is also coming along well!

Of course there have been a lot of naughty moments too! Luka has very sharp little teeth and has had to learn that biting our flesh and latching onto our clothing is not appreciated. Stealing food from our plates is also forbidden and you can't jump headfirst into our dinners, but if you sit quietly you might get some people food. He's gotten plenty of scolding from Katara regarding his puppy etiquette and he's been treated as a chew toy and/or accidental bowling pin by other dog friends. Of course no one is seriously injured! He's taken it all in stride and there have been a few clumsy moments where we swear his bones are made of rubber. We're certain he's going to come out of all this a doggie gentleman.

Sometimes Luka seems less like a fluffy baby and more like a deranged snapping turtle.

And if you're wondering what Katara looked like as a puppy, we'll show you. We think she was pretty cute.

8 week old Katara.