OLIVE THE PERFECT PUPPY
OLIVE
This is Olive, a very sweet little Cavvapoo puppy of just over 8 weeks old. She has been with her family, who picked her up for the weekend after contacting me several days before they went to get her.
They were kindly referred to me by the team at Perky Pets in Lincoln for help preparing their home for a new puppy and giving her the best start possible in her new life with them. They had already started well, because they had taken the time to find a good breeder who was both experienced and thorough in the way that he raises his puppies.
GOOD BREEDING
They met mum and dad in the family home, which is something that all new puppy owners are encouraged to do. It was lovely to hear that he brought Olive into the room and put her on the floor, asking the family to let her come to them in her own time. This first meeting between the new family and the puppy is important because it can set how the puppy feels about them. Olive's breeder knows dogs well, and knows that puppies need to take their time to come towards new people, rather than feeling 'crowded'. She was happy to investigate them all, because he had already socialised his puppies so well.
PUPPY BOOKLETS
She's a real joy, and her family have found that the booklets I sent them before they picked her up gave them the support they needed through the first few nights. The first booklet, New Puppy New World gives advice on how to prepare your home for your new puppy, what to take with you to pick her up and how to cope with the journey home. Then there is detailed guidance on what to do for the first 48 hours to build solid foundations that help you enjoy your puppy's first days with you.
SOCIALISING A NEW PUPPY
Olive is now on my Thinking-puppy Programme and will soon join our classes. Her owners have been following advice in my Social Skills booklet which shows you how to introduce your puppy to new experiences, people and dogs. Carefully managed introductions result in a calm, confident puppy and Olive has already been out and about in the safety of her mum's arms so that she feels happy to be around the sounds and sights of the city.
Her owners have done a really lovely job with her. They are consistent and calm with her, and I was very pleased to observe them introduce her to her first new dog in the family. Her mum has picked-up Clicker-training very quickly and has shown some real skill in teaching her new things.
She was a little bit barky at her reflection when she first came into the home, but her mum followed Thinking-dog methods carefully and she is now curious rather than threatened by anything new.
CALM, CONTENT and POLITE
She is already confident and is happy wearing her harness and lead. She barely has any accidents in the house now, is sleeping through the night, and visitors have commented on how calm she is. She's very polite with new people. Even though she adores cuddles, she sits patiently and waits to be invited on a lap.
She's turning into the perfect puppy because her owners have prepared themselves so well and have followed the Thinking-Puppy programme to help her settle into her new home. They've provided her with a lovely home and she adores them - every time I see her she is waggy and wriggly. Just the way a contented puppy should be. They're doing great things with her!
ORDERING BOOKLETS
If you already have a puppy, or (better still!) are preparing your home for a new puppy and would like the New Puppy New World bpoklet, and the Thinking-Puppy Social Skills booklet (both pdf files), then please email me at f.ember2@gmail.com and I will send them to you by email.
