Adventures of a new puppy and training

[shorthorsemom]

Hi Folks, remember me? I am starting a new topic as I find myself with a new puppy in my house. no it is not zeus. lol. I couldn't help myself, I got a puppy for mothers day.

May I start by saying, no I am not crazy. I already have 6 dogs. Problem is, all 6 of my doggies are very old. Two are having major heart issues and seeing a cardiologist and are 14 years old. My dear sweet collie has what we think is a brain tumor and we are having bad and good days. My other three dogs are younger, but by doggie years are still in the senior citizen category.

My collie is the sweetest dog on earth and has assisted me in rehabiliting rescue dogs and teaching zeus manners and helping house break everything that comes into the house. She LOVEs everything and I want her legacy to live on. My dogs are used to dogs coming and going and a puppy ironically does not add stress. In fact, this puppy actually has given my collie a reason to be busy and it is awesome to see her gently playing with the pup and fluffing her face with her tail and prancing and she has a new lease on life. Watching the reaction of all my dogs to this puppy tells me that this is a good thing and I think new puppy might also ease the pain of losing so many. We are on borrowed time and I expect the next 6 months to a year to be very hard to take.

Hard to describe the bonding you do when you do obedience work with a dog. These are my heart dogs and my family and it is hard to type here the gambit of emotions I have been having trying to decide "when it is time".. You all know what I am talking about I am sure...

So, Saturday before mothers day I brought home a puppy. I wasnt looking for a puppy. Our neighbors have some sons that help us here on weekends clean box stalls. I knew they had puppies and had often admired their mother dog. I have told them for 4 years that if they ever had a pup similar in temperament and personality of the mom that they needed to show me. I love their mommy dog, a lovely boston terrier that gets into my car and kisses me all over every time I drop off their boys. Well, Saturday the one boy says to me..."I have a pup like the mother, do you want to hold her?" I say "of course" and the rest is history. Sent my husband a cell phone photo of her, said I was bringing home a puppy and promised if puppy turned out to be a bad idea I would take her back.

I now have an 11 1/2 week old boston terrier female puppy we have named Molly. Knew it was ment to be... My dogs ALL love her, even the geriatric heart dogs that thought zeus was a pain, think this puppy is totally cool... so stay tuned to adventures of Molly.

She is very smart, and in less than 12 hours my collie and I convinced her that going potty outside is the thing to do.

The adventure begins.... stay tuned.

I am so weak... lol. haven't had a puppy in forever, have done older rescue dogs for so many years, I would love to try a puppy one time. Zeus got me thinking puppy thoughts... I lost my job and was forced to retire early and I got to thinking that this is the first puppy experience I have ever had without working full time. Working full time is also why I always rescued dogs and my only puppies were many years ago and I had a friend that did puppy day care for me. I thought to myself, I only have one dog in my home healthy enough to go on a walk and those walks are so seriously limited because he is also old. Never had a boston before. I pick the dog and not the breed... will post later more about molly and who she is and thought it would be cool to share my training step by step on my new puppy with those of you that have been following my other threads...

 

[chandab]

Now you know the rules... Pictures, pictures, pictures; where are they?

I have a good friend that loves Bostons, she always has at least one Boston for an inside dog plus they always have an outside farm dog (current farm dog is an English Shepherd).

 

[bevann]

I am SOOO happy for you.I think a puppy is the best gift you can ever get.(2nd is a Mini) I Love puppies.No longer breeding GSD or Corgis here, but I have a friend that has a Cardigan litter about every 3 years so I go and get my puppy fix.I love ready your stories and will be anxiously awaiting a new chapter in the life of Molly.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I will see if I can get somebody to post some photos. I can't seem to do it. lol

Anyway... Molly has been with us about 10 days... I fitted her to a tiny martingale collar and a buckle collar and had a tag made with her name and our phone number on it. I dug out my old tracking line I used on my min pins. Made forever ago from parachute cord and a snap tied and stitched for added security. My tracking line is 50 feet long. Plenty of distance to allow puppy to play and run but safely. Molly can drag the cord, it hardly weighs anything and she can learn to follow and stay with me and how to come when called from a distance. The first day I took her outside frequently and every time with one of my other dogs. She watched them pee and poop and tried it herself. She got a ton of praise. She decided the fluffy towel I put in the crate was cool to pee on and so I replaced it with papertowels and she now holds it and goes outside rather than in the crate.

I switched dog foods from what the breeder was giving her to something a bit more on the healthy side. She took the transition in stride. She went to my vet on Monday for exam and after a few minute of "what were you thinking???" Are you crazy? My vet got caught up in the personality of Molly and at the end of our visit she said "I can see why you were charmed". cool.

We got shots, worm test was negative and we got our first heartworm medication dosage and some frontline. My vet allows me to buy the heartworm meds one dose at a time so we can adjust for her weight and growth along the way.

We walk on the long line daily. She loves to sniff and run. When she is at the end of the 50 foot lead and not paying attention, I drop to my knees and hold my arms in welcome position and call her in. She barrels to me and jumps all over me in happiness. Cool, first lessons becides potty and where should always be "come when called" for safety sake.

We have gone to the feed store together to meet and greet and to the John deere dealer and also to the autoparts store. She rides real nice in my little crate in the car. No car sickness. cool.

I also give her walking time on a 6 foot lead too, best to get her used to many things in the beginning because training is so much easier than retraining.

What have I learned in 10 days? Molly is smart. She is willing to learn. She loves everybody. She has joy. My dogs think she is cool and are teaching her much while at the same time not allowing her to over run them in the house. My collie will even lay down so Molly can climb over her. Really cute. Molly is learning to sit, learning to be calm while I leash and put on her collar. I trimmed her toenails while one of my kids scratched her belly. She was so good for the toenails that I used a dremmel tool on low to buff the sharp points a bit after trimming and she took it right in stride.

Her ears are still floppy on the tips and often curl backwards and look so darn cute. I need to find her some more chewing toys, she is starting to teethe. Soon comes the "wally gator stage" of puppy raising.

Know how we named her Molly? I had her on a long line... I kept saying names and she ignored them all. After 30 or so name tries I said "molly" and she whipped her head around and looked right at me and came running over and jumped on me. Molly it was. She picked her name. She answered to it every day after that. cool.

Everybody in our family love her. In the morning I take her to my sons room and put her on his bed and we call it the "puppy alarm" and to hear him giggle and say what a cool way to wake up is too cute.

take care and good night. I am so glad Molly came into our lives. My old dogs are so social and rather than be jealous, they are so perky and happy with this new member of the family.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I can absolutely understand how you have gotten charmed by your Boston. Mine is 4 years old this year (my how time flies) and I don't know how we got along with out her in our lives. I was always a big dogs only person and considered the cocker x shelti we got when the kids were little to be a small dog at about 18" tall and 35 - 40lbs. lol Abby is a mere 10" and (she is solid tho not fat ) 20lbs , but she lights up our lives. She was supposed to be my dog and was in fact a birthday gift to me but she adores my husband, will abandon my lap in an instant when he sits down and is so happy when he comes in from work. She brings out the softee in him too lol, but I get my share of care from her too. In fact I'm just recovering from a nasty flu that had me down for 2 full days and still weak as a lamb now on day 4 and the whole time I was sick she would lay next to me. If 'her guy' sat down she would go to him, cuddle for a moment and then come back to lay beside me. She always seems to know who is stressed or not feeling well for any reason and is right there to offer her comfort as well as she can. She house trained, like yours, in no time at all, had just 3 accidents in the house and that was that (all three my fault btw). They are smart, trainable (altho in her case only as trainable as she chooses to be... she refuses to roll over, considers it beneath her dignity) and so cheerful in nature that its hard not to love them. At least one person on meeting Abby fell so in love she decided to get her own (much like you with the mother of your Molly - love how she got her name- how perfect). She comes with me to whenever it is not too hot (or bitter cold) to be left in the vehicle where I must, and has fans all over town. The tellers at the bank greet her like she is a preferred customer and will leave their spots to come and say hello to her. She is always polite, sits quietly in the line up and never disturbs anyone, but let there be a small child or a handicapped individual in the bank and she will beg to visit with them.

I could go on and on but what I really want to say is CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Bostons are amazing dogs and truly big dogs in a small package. I look forward to hearing all about your experiences with her....and WE WANT PICTURES !! (lol, please excuse the shouting but just in case you don't hear too well when people ask quietly )

 

[Mona]

Can't wait to see her beautiful little smooshy face! I sooooo miss my Molly.

 

[shorthorsemom]

My new baby is doing great. Gabrielle our collie is charmed and it is so cute to see her fawning all over the puppy, laying down so the pup can climb on her and powderpuffing Mollys face with her plume tail.

The kids are working with Molly to show her that she can be calm for petting. This morning when I took the "puppy alarm" to my sons room I was amazed that the wiggling happy puppy got very relaxed and enjoyed petting and even stretched out and was very content to just lay there and not mug my son. He did the exact thing he should have, gently held collar, talked calm, used calm body language and he didn't start petting her until she was calm. then he scratched her shoulders and tummy and she was putty in his hands. Lots of praise.

We go on daily long walks and most days weather permitting I try to do two, Molly is great at sniffing out all kinds of gross things to try to eat and I have to watch her like a hawk. She is also a rock grabber like Zeus so I don't take my eye off of her.

She is doing great on the potty training and she is getting "loose time" supervised and dragging a leash. I like to have pups drag a lead or rope to start in the house. Must supervise 100% but so much easier to step on a leash than to catch a pup that has taken something and run with it. Imagine the surprise of the puppy playing "keep away" with my sock and my foot quietly steps on the lead zipping by and I take the sock out of her mouth and praise her for giving.

Molly is so sweet. I never had a Boston before, but used to recommend them to senior citizens and folks looking for a calm and easy to train breed. Now I know why.

One thing I have learned this week is that I did a good job socializing all my doggies and hope to do the same for Molly so she can continue the legacy. How do I know that they are so social? Because there is no jealousy and my dogs are so accepting of this micro intruder. This is the one lesson I try to drive home to all my students. Socialize. Most important training item. Its bigger than sit and down and heel. Your dogs need to learn about other breeds, other dogs young and old, and people young old and of different races. Teach your dog not to be a doggie snob. Teach them to love everybody. For protection your dog will know the difference.. why? Because you will send them subliminal messages with your body language or your dog will read that intruder and know the difference.

When my dogs meet somebody they just don't like or a dog they are uncomfortable with, you can bet your bottom dollar there is a reason, so you do need to listen to the dog when they try to over ride your opinion of a situation as well.

Communication is the key.

Molly had her second nail trim and again used the dremmel and she took it in stride. She in a very short time has built up a level of trust in me. It warms my heart watching her trust me and I will work hard never to break that trust. Dogs won't follow a weak leader. Doesn't mean you have to be harsh, just be a leader. When Molly sat quietly after coming out of the crate this morning for me to put on her collar and leash, I did the happy dance in my brain.

Also, don't wait til you get to the vet or have to treat an ear infection, or eye infection, to train your dogs how to be handled for treatment options. I do extensive handling of feet, ears, pretend to look in eyes and look in mouth and teach dogs to think restraint is cool by holding and giving a treat. I recommend my students do "I am the vet training"... Also, lets not do fake throws of a ball and then laughing while your dog searches for a ball that is still in your hand... be honest, your dog reads you better than you think. I teach my children to be fair to the dog, things that are very amusing to kids can make the dog distrust, it is our job to intercede for the puppy and teach our kids to play fair and assist in keeping puppy sane.

Ps, Molly is already a cat poop sniffing dog for tracking.. I watch the signs, head goes down in sniffing pattern and she pulls a bit. In a matter of time I watch her zero in on the cat poop in the grass. I give her a "fooey" or "leave it" command and move on. Hopefully that light bulb will go off with training, but everybody knows how yummy dogs think cat poo is. yuck.

Trying to find somebody to post some photos for me... stay tuned and have a great day.

ps, keep those "I had a great Boston terrier and why my dog was so great" stories coming... Really enjoying them as I learn about this brand new breed of dog adventure for my family.

 

[shorthorsemom]

By the way,... on photos, my camera has a "delay" and I have tons of photos of molly just leaving the picture or molly the blur or Molly eye or ear close up and one of a gator mouth coming right at the camera lens. haha. I forgot how hard it is to take a photo of a wiggling puppy. I have one close up photo of her face but she looks a bit like the "grumpy bird" looking at the camera and it didn't capture her happy smiling face at all. Still trying to get that Kodak moment photo. Her black and white on her neck looks like an argyle sock and her nose is just filling in the pink with black and she has socks on the front and white toes on the back and she has a bit of brindle in her black.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Hi folks... Todays puppy lesson is .. "being observant". since Molly came into my life she has been housebroken. She does all of her business outside except for one or two crate accidents at night, both my fault for not getting her out late enough at night. since she came I have been watching her closely and even mentioned on my vet appointment on day three that I thought it odd that when she peed outside, she would go about 3 or 4 times like she was almost marking or not. Note to self... mentioned to vet, observe closely. Another week went by and my next vet appointment is in two weeks for vaccinations. I am still wondering about the peeing and thinking I am being a worry wart... after all, she is peeing outside, housebroken, happy and healthy and eating good, but my inner communication is still telling me "watch that pup".

I even caught some pee last night and looked at it, no blood, looked normal, but my radar is still up. So this morning, I watch her go and see her strain just a tad and squeeze out another drop and she peed 3 times before I took her in. hmmmm. fed her, and waited a couple of hours and decided to take a sample to the vet to be sure I wasn't observing a bladder infection forming in my pup.

I had bought a very small nylabone frizbee for Molly, perfect for taking a pee sample on a female dog. So at lunchtime I take her out and collect a sample and pour it into a ziplock for safe keeping and then I really look at it. hmmmmmm, not clear. Sediment forming in the corner of the ziplock. Get right in car and take sample to vet and wait for results. 10 minutes later... Molly has a bladder infection and struvite crystals. wow. SOOOOOOO glad I went with my instinct. Imagine trying to keep a puppy housebroken with an infection forming..

Probably due to the low quality puppy food she was getting after weaning given by breeder. That stuff that it semi moist dry is rather yucky, and the combo of the food and the stress of weaning and new home and new food etc... can cause bladder infections.

So my lesson for the day... go with your gut instinct... watch your puppy and don't always assume that a pee accident on a puppy is just that.. an accident. If your pup is peeing frequently and often and you see any straining or spazms. Use a frizbee to catch a pee sample, put it in a zip lock and keep cool and get to your vet quickly for analysis.

Molly is on antibiotics now. She is such a sweet girl and a good communicator.

PS, found out today she is afraid of my goats. Goat didn't help by head butting the fence when Molly went to sniff. Gonna do some goat training from a distance so she will walk past them without being scared.

love my new baby. take care and thanks for reading.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Good catch on the bladder infection. I had forgotten that one of the things that really worried me when Abby was a puppy was her drinking. She drank and drank and drank. Seemed she was always back at her water dish for another drink. I too worried (diabetes?), and finally asked her vet. I had chosen a vet specifically for the fact that she is an owner and lover of Bostons and she knew right away what I was talking about. Several of her dogs had been extra thirsty as pups too and after running a whole battery of tests that came back normal she watched them grow out of it, as has Abby. We ran the tests anyway on her just in case but she was fine. I have surmised since that the way their mouth is built makes it hard to get enough water to actually stay hydrated and since she was a happy active pup she would want to play so drank often rather than long.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Today Molly has been with us now for two weeks. We went to a memorial day parade and an ice cream social today where Molly met all kinds of folks of all ages. She was awesome at her socialization and I can really see her confidence building in what I say is ok for her and rather than shake and quiver she wiggles and licks and is so happy greeting others. We also went in the car for all our errands today and walked around the feed store and picked out a puppy gummy nylabone and a small crock dish so I can keep water in her crate to keep her extra hydrated during her treatment for her bladder infection. I took her to the barn today and she got to see us turn out the cows and she wasn't afraid, but I did hold her for this one rather than let her down on the lead. She is a bundle of joy and I can't remember what it was like before she came. how funny is that. She fits right in. So often a puppy can disrupt the lives of your existing dogs, but all my dogs have been raised to be accepting of other dogs and breeds and they are relaxed and calm and they treat Molly just like a member of the gang.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Update...Molly is doing terrific. Just a bit over 13 weeks old now. I am still treating her bladder infection and dealing with frequent need to pee, but for the most part she is totally housebroken and she has only had a couple of pee accidents in her crate due to the crystals in her pee causing her to have to go and she still strains a bit. I have changed her food and have now added some cranberry powder and probiotics to her diet. I am training her to ride in the car using a safety harness and seatbelt. kids want to pet her in the car and it is hard with using the crate so I thought I would try the harness and train her to wear it. She took to it right away this morning and she just lays down and enjoys the ride! Smart puppy. I have also taught her to sit and be quiet so I can put collar and lead on easily when she comes out of the crate, trying to put the collar on a biting chomping puppy was making me crazy. she picked it up right away and she now sits or I place her in a sit and I can see the wheels turning and I can tell she understands what I want.

I use the dremmel tool on her pointy little toenails every couple of days and she still accepts it as norm and does not fight. Training for nail trims is so important to do early and can be very difficult to train later on. What you must do is NEVER nick them, just take off the points during the training phase and praise and give treats and have a second person hold and give belly rubs. It can become a huge expense later in life if you must take to vet for nail trims and pay an office call for a task you can learn yourself and train your puppy to accept as being a task part of life.

Molly has a great nose for finding cat poop in the grass and I have to watch her like a hawk and "whats up with grabbing rocks?" Both Molly and her puppy friend Zeus find rocks quite fun to grab and try to eat. sheesh. Lost count of how often I have nabbed her and removed a small rock from her mouth. Again, the importance of keeping puppy on a lead during training phase... Soap box here, but if they grab and run, they can swallow something dangerous before you can catch them.

I am teaching Molly how to accept her mouth being handled. I put my fingers in her mouth and open it and look in and put a small treat in her mouth when I do so ...this way Molly accepts my hands in her mouth as something good and when I do have to remove something from her mouth, I don't get teeth, she just goes with it. I also examine eyes and ears and play "I am the vet, I can look at you" games. Make everything a happy and fun thing when they are young. I give her a treat following her antibiotic liquid as a reward for taking her medicine.

I can't remember what it was like before Molly came... that is a good thing. She will sleep on me for hours on the sofa at night and the other dogs are kind but firm in their corrections when Molly trys to bounce off their heads. A funny... what is it about a puppy that just did a poop in the yard and they come inside and have to do the racing rabbit celebrating their empty butt. Makes me laugh hysterically. She looks like a race car at the track zooming. take care and thanks for reading.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

LOL, yep, Abby still does the racing around thing after coming in from her morning constitutional. I've always heard the song playing in my head "I feel Good, ..."

 

[shorthorsemom]

Hi All, Update on Molly... She went to the vet last week for another round of shots, i opted to skip the rabies for now and just get her last distemper shot good for 1 year now and not double up. She is doing better on her UTI but still straining a bit, but she went from wbc s that were too many to count, to just a few in each microscope field and her crystals are reducing too. In spite of this UTI, she is doing great on her housebreaking and only an occasional pee in her crate. She really does understand what I am asking and I take her out frequently so she doesnt have to hold it while she is recovering from infecton.

I wonder how she would have done with an inexperienced handler that may not have recognized the early signs of a UTI and tried to housebreak her and considering some folks still scold puppies for going in the house, it might have been really tough for Molly in some homes. Often folks don't know they have a problem unless they see blood because puppies pee so frequently anyway. I always tell my students, puppies are very smart, always give them the benefit of the doubt when housebreaking and rule out all factors first such as worms or a UTI. Mollys symptoms were subtle, but I recognized the signs because I am listening to my new puppy and her communications.

Molly is an excellent communicator and we have had a special bond since her breeder put her into my arms that day. Some dogs are just like that.

I am teaching her to retrieve. She LOVES to retrieve and very quickly caught on to the commands.."do you want me to throw it?". When I say that, she drops the ball now and sits in "ready" posture for me to throw it again. I toss the ball and she comes back and holds it and plays with it... then I say "do you want me to throw it?" and she either drops it or hands it to me and waits for me to throw again. amazing puppy. Great way to wear her out too when we can't do farm walks. To signal end of game, I trade the ball for a treat and put it away.

I took her out on the 50 foot tracking line yesterday. Made from parachute cord and a nice light weight snap, it is virtually weightless and she can drag it and she can zoom all around, but I can safely reel her in or call her in when I need to. The advantage of the tracking line is that the dog cannot say.. no, or not now... you can always reinforce and reward all commands but at the same time give the puppy the "off leash" experience. She will soon be into "flight instinct" period when she will turn her head and take off and test her wings. So important to have the puppy in direct control when they enter flight instinct. All pups do it, they follow you so good for the first few months, and then one day, they look you in the eye.. and take off.
Remember little kids in the grocery store or in the mall running away from the parent and laughing? I can't see that and not think of Puppy flight instinct period.

The hilarious moment yesterday was when I was tossing the ball for Molly down the trail between two hay fields and she decided to try her hand at jumping. The hay fields were cut and rolled up in wind rows waiting for my husband to bale. Looked like the brush jumps for a steeplechase event for horses to Molly. While holding her tennis ball (way too big for her mouth but she managed)... and she took off across the field and was joyfully leaping over the hay rows in a single bound. she went out about 4 rows before she ran out of cord and then she ran back doing the same thing and I was laughing so loud. I was wishing I had a movie camera just then, it was youtube material for sure.

Molly has such a sense of humor and she is giving spark to my oldster dogs in the house. They lay around and watch her antics like they are watching a movie. I have taught her it isn't cool to mug the old dogs and she is learning boundry and respect.

I got her some of those elk antler bones from the feed store for some serious chewing as I suspect my little gator pup is starting to teethe. She also enjoys her fluffy sheepskin toys for some good chewing and a couple of rope bones and one soft frizbee. I alternate toys and have special ones that just ride in the car for when we go away.. Keeps her happy in the car for riding to have a toy she doesn't see all the time.

I got her a small harness and a leash handle for riding on the seat of the car rather than in the crate. She does try to chew the console, but I keep her occupied with alternating toys I keep in reach. I like to teach both crate and harness riding in the car.

I fell asleep on the sofa last night with Molly tucked up in my arms and she stayed and snuggled. Puppies are such good snugglers and I can't remember what it was like without molly here.

I had a great vet visit for my chinese crested Lokey this week when he saw the cardiologist. He was scaring me with fainting episodes and he was starting to wheeze and get a full belly as in spite of being on major heart meds, he was starting to fail. The cardiologist did have one more medicine that we could add to his schedule and I am happy to say I see a HUGE difference in his attitude and the wheezing has stopped and I can tell he feels great. Amazing how some little tweeking of meds can make a huge difference and I am glad I didn't give up hope for improvement. So nice of him to tell me he wasn't ready to leave yet. hooray. Special boy. He earned his CD and his Rally novice title at the age of 11.

take care, and thanks for reading my rambling.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I was thinking when I started this posting that it might give folks with new puppies inspiration or ideas for training. If it helps one person, it would be great.

have a great day.

PS, I bought the book "what all good dogs should know" on amazon last week. I ordered the 2nd edition and they sent me the first. When I wrote an email about the error, they wrote me that they would send me the 2nd edition right away and then they incredibly told me to either keep or donate the first edition book rather than return it. WOW, I thought that was so cool. Going to send the book to our neighbor with the lab puppy zeus that I have been chatting about on the other thread. Think that would be a good place for the book to go. Random acts of kindness, that person selling the book passed one to me, and I would like to pass it along to someone else. happy day to you all.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I'm enjoying reading of your Molly's adventures, and yours, in growing. So many reminders about my own little girl's puppyhood. The snuggling doesn't go away BTW, Abby is still a champion snuggler and just knows if someone really needs her company. Mostly she snuggles with my husband who is her all time favourite person but if someone else is sick or upset she will go to them and just be with them. She is very in tune to the people in her world.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Hey, I was able to post photos.. One of Molly after her first bath and another one... never could post photos before somebody told me how on that photobucket string by Marty. thanks.

 

[mickeymoto]

Oh my she is absolutely adorable. Love her cute little nose

 

[shorthorsemom]

Hi, thanks, her little pink nose gets blacker every day. Eventually will fill in all black. Molly is doing well and I am giving her more loose time with my older dogs and she is learning really well how to give the old dogs their space and respect while at the same time enticing them to play with her. It is very cute to watch her get old dogs to chase her around the kitchen table in a good doggie game. You can always tell when you do the introductions slow enough because we don't get angry or jealous dogs. too many folks just drop puppy into household and have a "they will work it out" attitude. I monitor and supervise for quite some time and keep pup on a leash. old dogs really trust me to keep pup in line and if Molly starts to get too wild, my trained dogs look me in the eye and communicate rather than lash out. Just like training dogs to wait for their treat... I call name and give treat... On occasion a dropped treat will get snagged by the dog it wasn't intended for. I am observant and can see that a dog got robbed, so I call robbed dogs name. They trust me to even up the treat score and this prevents dog fights. this is how I can have so many dogs in my house and have peaceful existance. Be observant, know the "score" and teach dogs that if they lose a treat to one of the other dogs, it isnt the end of the world. Molly is already learning her place in the pack. fun to watch.

So far so good. Molly is still on antibiotics for UTI. frustrating, but I can finally see that antibiotic number 2 is working and she is not symptomatic anymore. She does let me know she wants to go out now too. I can't wait till her puppy teeth come out.