This is our last week with our current pups from Raven, Amber and Oakley. It will be a busy one as they continue to grow, play, learn, make messes and just be puppies!

They are having fun playing, snatching naps and being silly. They are doing wonderful at using the litter boxes. With twelve puppies playing together I have placed litter boxes around their play area so there are a lot of options. Occasionally someone will back to the edge of the box and poop ends up over the edge! But for having that many puppies in one area they are keeping things pretty clean.

They are eating their meals are in crates. When they were smaller we fed each litter together in a crate. Now we have them paired by twos for meals. And after I round up a couple more crates we’ll have enough for each puppy to eat by themselves. Crate training is going as expected. Some go in on their own, start eating and settle down. Others go in, eat a bit and then complain because they.want.out.NOW. And it’s not always the same puppy that’s unhappy. They take turns.

I usually set my timer for twenty minutes to give them time to eat and then let them out “if” they are quiet. If they’re still fussing, crying or having a fit we wait until they quiet down. If we let them out when they are crying then they learn “oh, if I scream loud enough, that human will open my door”. The same goes with those taking puppies home this weekend, if you don’t like a behavior, (fussing in the crate or puppy pen) ignore it. If you like a behavior (puppy sits quietly to be let out or is entertaining himself quietly in the puppy pen) then reward it by letting it out or giving it some attention.

Please be aware this is a process. Your puppy doesn’t come to your trained, but we sure try to get them started in the right direction for you. You will need to continue the training when you get home. The best thing is getting puppy on a schedule and being consistent with the training.

And be aware that the first week will be noisy! That’s almost a guarantee. Your puppy will be leaving the only home he’s ever known, his mom, aunties, littermates etc, traveling a long distance (at least most pups are) and then learning a whole new house, yard and whatever routine you set up for him. It’s stressful. But they are smart and with consistency can learn quickly.

And for those getting puppies this weekend, don’t worry, we will go over all of this and more in detail on Sunday and answer any questions you may have.

In the meantime, enjoy some cute puppy pictures! <3

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