Blimey! The little fella has been here for a whole week and still I have to keep pinching myself to believe that he's still here. I think I might love him just a little bit xx
We had quite a nice, quiet day today, although Bran and Flora were left at home alone for the first time while we popped out to the library. Bran was left in his crate with a stuffed Kong and a rawhide chew stick and his Nylabone. I have no doubt that he barked for the usual 5 minutes or so initially, but all was very quiet when we arrived home 45 minutes later. Bless. My next door neighbours are on holiday for a week so we're taking advantage of not being able to disturb them and are going to make sure that the dogs are left alone for some time every day, just to get Bran used to it.
The house training is going well-ish. Bran is now completely clean at night and usually sleeps right through. If he needs to wee during the night, he is doing a quick bark to let me know and I hurry down to let him out with very little noise or fuss, then pop him straight back into his crate after he's visited the garden. There are still a few puddles during the day, but mainly on rainy days because I appear to have acquired the only labrador in history who melts in the rain!!!
He can now sit like a pro and will always sit and wait quietly in his crate when his food is on it's way. Also, they get a treat every time they've been into the garden so they now automatically come in and sit quietly next to the treat jar. I think Bran has been trying to work out how to get his treat faster - Flora always gets her's first - and has started offering behaviours that I haven't even taught him yet!! Flora always does a "sit" then "paw" for her treat. Thus far, I've just been asking Bran to "sit" but now that he is offering it for me anyway, he has also started to offer a paw!!!!! I've put it on command and he will now sort of offer his paw each time he sits anyway.
We had quite a nice, quiet day today, although Bran and Flora were left at home alone for the first time while we popped out to the library. Bran was left in his crate with a stuffed Kong and a rawhide chew stick and his Nylabone. I have no doubt that he barked for the usual 5 minutes or so initially, but all was very quiet when we arrived home 45 minutes later. Bless. My next door neighbours are on holiday for a week so we're taking advantage of not being able to disturb them and are going to make sure that the dogs are left alone for some time every day, just to get Bran used to it.
The house training is going well-ish. Bran is now completely clean at night and usually sleeps right through. If he needs to wee during the night, he is doing a quick bark to let me know and I hurry down to let him out with very little noise or fuss, then pop him straight back into his crate after he's visited the garden. There are still a few puddles during the day, but mainly on rainy days because I appear to have acquired the only labrador in history who melts in the rain!!!
He can now sit like a pro and will always sit and wait quietly in his crate when his food is on it's way. Also, they get a treat every time they've been into the garden so they now automatically come in and sit quietly next to the treat jar. I think Bran has been trying to work out how to get his treat faster - Flora always gets her's first - and has started offering behaviours that I haven't even taught him yet!! Flora always does a "sit" then "paw" for her treat. Thus far, I've just been asking Bran to "sit" but now that he is offering it for me anyway, he has also started to offer a paw!!!!! I've put it on command and he will now sort of offer his paw each time he sits anyway.
Bran also got his first bath today as he was a little bit stinky (no, really this time!). It took about half a ton of treats to gently coax him up the stairs and into the bathroom before we'd even started! I'll let Bran tell you about this particular episode....
"Ooh this is a strange place. It's all big and white and makes my voice sound funny. But Mummy keeps shovelling treats down me so it can't be bad" :o)
"It's bad! It's REALLY bad!! There was a noisy thing with rain in it! And just look what it did to me!!! And yet, there are still treats....."
"I'm leaving! I'm not staying here for the noisy rain thing to get me again. Treats or no treats!" >:o(
"The weirdest thing just happened! My mum was rubbing her hands all over me - good times :o) but then my fur started going white and smells funny - bad times :o( What is going on????"
"Phew! At last! I'm out of the big white thing and I seem to be all nice and warm and dry now. Mummy's been giving me LOTS of cuddles and calling me a brave boy"
"Don't I look very handsome now?"
"But it's all been a bit tiring. Best go have a little snooze now"
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