The first of our puppies from our two litters is going to a wonderful home out of state.  He is getting ready to fly to PA on Wednesday!  To help ensure that he is comfortable and not too stressed out, we are introducing him to his traveling crate for short periods of time that we are slowly increasing so it will be a safe and comfortable place for him.  We will also start feeding him tonight in the crate so he will eat and drink while he is traveling and arrive in the best possible shape for his wonderful new family!

Braveheart’s Prayer, one of Wrap’s boys, went home today.  They are considering obedience and/or agility competitions for him and may him enter him in some confirmation shows.  That was all cool to me, but I got even more excited when I found out that he will also go to therapy training.  They visit nursing homes with their church regularly and want him to be able to go with them to encourage the people they visit with.  I am so excited to know that another of our babies will be doing their part to make the world a better place!

I never thought the day would come when having 9 dogs seemed like a small number!  But it is amazing how empty the yard and house seem now that everyone is going to their new homes.  We only have 4 males left looking for homes.  Gentle is the only one left from Honey’s litter.  He is a sable and white with a nice beautiful even collar.  There are three tri-colored males left from Wrap’s litter that are just getting old enough to go home.  They all have such sweet personalities and will make wonderful pets!

They are so enjoying the warm weather and being able to play outside.  It is so fun watching them interact with out three adults and play together!

After three gloriously beautiful days that the puppies got to spend all day out in the yard romping and playing, it turned cold and rainy during the night last night.  This morning, they were not happy at the thought of staying in the big crate they share at night.  So, we had to come up with plan B.  We have ended up with them in the master bath where there is run to play, but not enough room for us to have to “hunt” messes.

This works as another step in their house breaking as well.  By expanding their area in the house and putting down puppy pads, we are working on getting them used to the idea of just having the one area that they use as their bathroom.  There have been some accidents today, but also quite a bit on the puppy pads.  This is a process you just can’t get frustrated at and have to keep working on with them.  Positive reinforcement and keeping the accidents cleaned up with a cleaner that contains natural enzymes (I prefer Nature’s Miracle and get it at Tractor Supply.) is a must.  This type of cleaner breaks down the smells and removes them.  Any other cleaner will just mask the smell to humans, but leave it there for pets to find.  It will also possibly “set in” the smell so that it can not be removed with the enzymes later on!

Also, remember that it is best not to be formal with their training or expect no accidents until they are older than 12 weeks and their little bodies are completely ready for house breaking.  Before then, you are just preparing them for making things easier and helping them get the hang of things!  This means using puppy gates or similar barriers to form a small area of your house that is easily cleaned is the best way to start out and then go from there!  When the weather is nice, you can play with them in the yard and take them out frequently to help them get used to a “clean” area!