11 Weeks Old - Thinks She's a Big Dog Now

Jack is running with the big dogs now...She has her favorite sister to jump and chew on.  It's so funny to watch how patient Tess (15 months old) is.  Missy (6) just growls and Jack knows she is the leader of the dog pack (in my absence) and not to mess around with her.  Pack hiarchy is so interesting to watch.  I give her small bits of time with the other dogs, but I am trying to not let her bond to them until she bonds to me completely.

She is a chewer...I've caught her chewing on the corner of the kitchen cabinets and the baby gate while she is in the kitchen.  I make sure there are lots of toys, but I guess wood tastes better.  We sprayed some hot sauce on the spindles of the baby gate and that was fun to watch...

Her appetite is getting to what a normal puppy should be.  She now understands the morning routine of wake up at 7am, go out side and do all her business, then its breakfast time.  She is actually getting excited to get her bowl.  She knows what 'get in your kennel' means to get her food.  I have an area off the kitchen that I have an X-pen with her crate and tons of toys.  She stays in there after she eats while I have my coffee, then its outside to investigate the yard.  I have had to put her on a long line because she gets stubborn sometimes and won't come to me.  Chasing a puppy on an acre of backyard isn't my idea of a fun time (thank doG she doesn't have access to the other nine acres).  I usually have to get one of the other dogs to go get her.

Two weeks of puppy rearing - so far, so good.  At the end of the day, I am beat.  But that mean's I am doing my job...

Week One - So Much to Learn

One week in the life of a puppy is so important.  You don't have many of these learning weeks so you have to take advantage of them to the max.  

Some of the things that she learned this week are:

 - her name and comes when called

 - the command 'Leave it' (well she looks at me anyway)

 - where to do her business (again, most times she gets it right)

 - who the fun police is when playing with the big dogs

 - what a cat is and when to jump back from the kitten paw swipe

 - what a horse is, but still not sure of something so big

 - saw sheep and was very interested

Mainly this week was about routine, and learning how we do things at home.  She travels so good in her crate, which is also where she sleeps.  

This next week we will be starting to put words and commands with what we are doing.  Things like 'Good down', 'Good walk back', and 'Good here'.  Ok now lets get this party started!

End of Week One - Two Road Trips

Jack had two whole days of road trips and riding in the car in a crate.  Friday we had to go pick up Tess from the trainer and we were concerned how she would treat the puppy.  Tess is 15 months old and has been the baby of the pack.  And she was in heat, so we were looking at a really bitchy bitch.  Amazingly, everyone got along.  Tess was all about sniffing Jack, and Jack was all about wanting whatever toy Tess had.

She travels really well in the crate.  Saturday we spent the entire day at a farm trail under our canopy.  It was hot and Tess wasn't running until the very last dog of the day.  So we were able to visit with other competitors and their dogs.  Jack didn't want to go potty anywhere, even after multiple walks that added up to a 5k.  Most of the day she ended up peeing on people who came up with their puppy voices to pet her.  She did eventually get all her business done when we got home in her comfort zone places.

She is eating more, and more, and more.  And running like a mad dog around the other dogs.  You can see their thoughts, WTH is this puppy doing? The fun police (aka Missy) hasn't stepped in to stop and play.  She is however wanting more touching from me.

Had a person come up to me and ask me if I was set on the name Jack...curious I said why.  She reminded me when I needed her to get 'off' I would be yelling 'Jack OFF'.  Yea, NO I won't be yelling that at my dog.  Usually a 'Hey', or a 'Get out of that' works on my dogs.  I learned from a trainer that your dog knows its name, so just say the command.

Heading back to the farm trial today, but not going as early.  Poor Jack doesn't need to spend so much time in her crate.

Day Four - Eating, The Dog Door and a Bath

As of this morning Jack still wasn't eating much, by noon I moved to pumpkin and boiled chicken.  She loved it and had the same for dinner.  I am putting kibble in her x-pen area for her to nibble on if she gets hungry.

She's getting more brave with walking in the backyard.  We are still working with the tractor and pulling some stubborn sage brush, and the noise doesn't even bother her.  The heat does...I can barely get her out to do her business and she running up the stairs on the deck and through the dog door.  I've felt pretty safe with her going back in the house because she cannot go any further than the kitchen.  I go and check on her and she snuggled on a dog bed or stretched out on the cool tiles.  That was until she discover the dog door works both ways.

I found her watching us from the deck.  She didn't spend much time out and back inside she ran.  This is one very small puppy.

Tonight she had a bath and it wasn't as tragic as I thought it would be.  She cried and held onto me, but she got through it.  Then it was the mad dog dash through the house.  She reminded me of a cute youtube video about a wet dog having fits.  It is subtitled by the owner and it is hilarious! Here is the link.  I laugh every time I watch it.

http://youtu.be/bPfZ78m3xZo

She is now a soft, fuzz ball that smells good.  She had been rolling in the dirt and it was just time to get clean.  She has people to meet tomorrow.  She also decided the cat is not as big and bad as she thought.  She was running all around and barking trying to get the cat to move.  This cat is not new to border collies, and I think my middle dog actually learned her balance moving the cat around the house.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.  Tess is coming home from the trainer for a couple days before the trial she is in.  She will not be happy that she is no longer the baby of the pack.

Day Three - Mad Dog Run, Run, Run (reporting on Day Four coming later today)

Jack found her 'mad dog run' routine.  She tucked her tail, ran like something was about to get her and she made me laugh!  Today we spent a lot of time outside clearing weeds and removing goat heads.  Jack learned that it was hot out and the sand burned her little feet.  She also learned to go 'in' the dog door and find a cool place in the kitchen to sleep while we worked outside.

I had to go in and bring her out to go do her business.  She is getting it, slowly, but still she's getting it.  I gave her a raw bone to chew on today and I paid for it with some diarrhea.  She is still not that interested in her kibble.  I am using warm water and some cooked chicken.  She will get with the program soon.

She slept through the night again and loves how comfortable her crate is.  I can hear her sigh and just fall into a deep sleep.  She got a little rambunctios while I was playing with her on the floor.  Bite my hard pretty hard, and I had to let her know that wasn't appropriate.  She's used to her siblings and chewing on them.  It's amazing how fast she learned her name.  I call her and she immediately looks up and comes running.

Pictures are a little out of focus, but damn its hard to catch her not moving!

Day Two - Playing, Eating, Sleeping

Jack slept through the entire night!  I woke up before her at 6:30AM and it was so nice.  Today we worked in the backyard and she is getting more confident with getting a little distance from me, but not to far.  She is a picky eater.  She doesn't dig her kibble, so I softened it with warm water and had to had feed her each kibble.  I fed her at lunch with a little of the chicken/veggie/fruit mixture and kibble and she loved it.  Dinner was warmed chicken broth with kibble and chicken.

She is very playful and likes tug and retrieve.  But, she is still very immature and potty training is going to take me awhile.  She knows when she has to go and I keep my eyes on her all the time.  I have to make sure she stops playing and drinks water once in awhile because she hasn't been doing it on her own.

She displayed a little territorial today when we were sitting under a tree in the shade and my other two dogs came up with their ball for me to through.  She growled at them and barked.  I let her know it wasn't appropriate (but is was very cute)!

Things she loved to do: howl if I am ignoring her and she is in her crate, cuddle, and piddle on the cement patio.

Day One - The long ride on an airplane

Today I picked up my new puppy Jacque Blu - or just Jack to me.  I stressed and worried the entire morning and she arrived promptly at 1PM.  She was so small, smaller than I expected.  She was born on July 8th and today she is nine weeks old.

I have forgotten all of my tips and tricks for border collie puppy rearing.  I grabbed my handy book Building Blocks for Performance, by Bonnie Anderson.  I used this book with my last pup (she is 3 1/2 years old now) and it really helped.

I hadn't planned on getting this puppy, or any puppy until next spring.  But while I was watching posts of the border collie groups I saw this one come up for sale.  When I saw her I knew she needed to come live with us.  It was her one blue eye that stole my heart.  So, now she is home, finally asleep.  It time to wake her up and take her outside.  I'm hoping that she figures out what 'outside' means.  Right now she just wants to sit on my feet.

First lesson today, just cuddle and re-direct when she starts chewing on something she isn't supposed to.  I did play a little fetch down the hallway and she retrieved it!  Very smart little girl.  She likes to tug, which is good for rewards.  Food isn't her thing yet.  Her breeder said he had been supplementing the pups on puppy milk and wetting down their kibble.  So I will play around with the food and see what she likes.  I decided to feed Wellness puppy for the first six months, then we will move over to a more adult food.  I've got friends in the business (working border collies) that don't like to give puppy food for to long because they grown to big to fast.  I'm with them on this.



Second lesson today was tug, fetch and retrieve the toy.  She did outstanding.
Jack fetching the toy