This month, the most important thing we have been working on is Ponsu’s toilet training. Since I take him outside regularly, he caught on quickly that he must pee outdoors, with only a few accidents in the house. The problem now is the big job that seems to arrive whenever, so we are working on getting that one accomplished outdoors. Funny story, at the last puppy class of the month, I was in the bathroom, and he started to poop a couple of nuggets. I told him NO, NO, NO, STOP, which he did. Flushed the poop, ran out the door with puppy in tow, and he finished his job outside in the flower bed. Success! If you can catch them in the act, all the better!
It’s been over a month now, and I’m glad to say that Ponsu hasn’t broken my skin with his sharp, shark-like teeth! He’s learning to be gentle with his mouth, or I’m just getting used to handling young puppies.
We have an X-pen at home that we sometimes keep Ponsu in, or we just use it to block off the rest of the house. One day, when my grandson was over, he set up HIS toys IN the X-pen to have some quiet time away from Ponsu. Smart kid! And by the end of the month, my grandson was becoming more comfortable being around Ponsu and was playing with his dog, Jeff and Ponsu outside on the deck.
The next important task for Ponsu to learn is loose-leash walking. We took a walk along the lakeshore one sunny Sunday. SO many people, kids, distractions and DUCKS! It’s like walking a butterfly! And of course, everyone wants to say hi to the baby puppy. Not totally successful, but a good start.
Next task is learning to walk on leash on the wooded trails by ourselves, or with friends, family and other dogs (that are safe to be with). We went on a few of these walks, keeping them short, fully on leash the entire walk, and he did very well. And then, little by little, I gave Ponsu a bit of freedom off-leash, if the setting allowed for it. He has very good recall, and I find that the puppy stays close to the other dog, who is a great mentor for the young puppy. An excellent way to teach a young pup not to stray off.
Ponsu had a busy month. We kept grocery visits short. Sometimes he rode in the shopping cart in a box, like at COSTCO, where we shopped a bit longer. We also went to the chiropractor in Kelowna, out for dinner on Wing Wednesdays and short stops at the local brewery on Fridays. All places where he settled nicely on his mat.
We had four sessions of reading with the Grade 3 & 4’s at the local elementary school. The kids are always excited to see a new bouncy puppy, and I sometimes need to ask them to stay clear so he will learn that he is not always the center of attention. Once in our space, he settles nicely on his mat while the kids read one-on-one to him.
We attended 3 PADS classes with the youngest puppies of our group. We practised leash and collar pressure movements, standing on CATO boards, restrained recalls, sit with duration, a tug toy game, walking around 6 cones in a circle in heel and side position and then weaving around 4 cones and figure 8’s around 2 cones. He’s doing very well in class for such a young puppy and learning all about dog distraction.
And lastly, Ponsu had another car trip back to Vancouver, where he rode the ferry to and from Victoria and stayed in a hotel overnight. Only 3 months old and all a success, with NO toileting accidents. Back in Vancouver, Ponsu had a visit with his mom, Birdie, once more, who was overjoyed to see us.
Ponsu has settled in nicely at home, but still has to make friends with our cat, Max, whom he likes to corner and then get batted on the nose repeatedly by!
Submitted by: Chris Buitinga
