Big weekend!

The pups are having a fabulous weekend with houseguests, visitors and playtime in the living room/kitchen area. It's a ruff life!

Vizsla illustrated standard by the Vizsla Club of America

Excellent resource for everything Vizsla!

Link: https://www.vcaweb.org/download/VCA_Illustrated_Standard.pdf

Snuggle party!

Latest article on Diet and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy

FDA Investigation into Potential Link between Certain Diets and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy?fbclid=IwAR1N0YvAyoFZ9MwiHsK26JYVa-Kglp1eAUhBcDBGsFuD_TYtiqkuUa3l2gg#diet

Puppy Nipping -- this comes up with *every* puppy

Calmness is a learned behavior 😇

This video is a tutorial on how to teach your puppy or dog to be calm.

Some dogs need help to learn how to relax. Calmness does not come naturally to some breeds .By reinforcing your dog for being calm, your dog will start to choose calmer behaviors in the future and actually enjoy being calm.

Tips for teaching a Default Settle:

• Don't drop treats if the dog looks up at your hand as you move to give the dog the treat, instead try again later.
• Don't cue the dog "down". It works better if the dog figures it out on his own and CHOOSES to lay down.
• Use high value treats like real meat or cheese for such a wonderful behavior.

Is your dog "stubborn"?

"Why a Vizsla?"

Portrait of 14 year old "Csilla" who is great-grandma to the Hearts Afire Litter

"Why a Vizsla?" Check out some of the breed info resources on the VCA website.

https://www.vcaweb.org/breed/why_a_vizsla.shtml

Snake Avoidance Training - yes or no? Well, it depends . . .

Sharing an excellent link regarding snake avoidance training, written by Janet Galante at Sit! Stay! Play! in Tucson, AZ.

http://sitstayplaytucson.com/snakes-and-dogs-and-taxes/?fbclid=IwAR1QrxhHxoJyMiLAuUvvAQfNoxLXPO188nRkuqHRFTn5FJDZMGLSqyu4TKA

In SoCal I do not do this with my dogs and we specifically avoid areas known to have rattlesnakes. That being said I know they can be found most anywhere on the Southern West Coast.

Please do your due diligence and feel free ask me if you have any questions/need more info on how to proceed.

The snuggle is real!

What are growth plates?

This is an X-ray of a 2 week old puppy. 

Look at how far the bones have to grow before they become a proper bony joint! This is why you should never let puppies jump, walk up/down stairs, over exercise or over train. Doing to much impact activity at a young age will cause serious issues later in life, or even at a young age as hip dysplasia and other orthopedic conditions are rising in puppies!

Remember the puppy rule for every month increase activity by 5 minuets! For example an 8 week old puppy only needs 10 minuets physical activity a day - a 6 month old only needs 30 minuets a day of physical activity!!

*physical activity includes - going for a walk, training, playing fetch, running, playing with other dogs etc. 

Enjoy your new puppy but remember you wouldn't make a 6 month old baby run a mile a day so don't make your puppy either!

How to stop puppy biting?

Guess what? Puppies BITE! Please know you signed up for this when you decide to get a puppy. Great video on the subject and I highly recommend the YouTube Channel - Dog Training by Kikopup.  Check out their videos on nail trims! 

Puppy Party Palace is open!

The A Team graduated to their "Puppy Party Palace". . . 

it has toys / play area . . .

. . . and a toilet!

Axel

Alfred

Puppy snuggle pile!

Ainsley

Snack before bedtime (organic goat's milk + probiotics)

How to Build a Stubborn Dog - The Game!

Today I thought we'd do something different. Today, we're going to play a game. It's easy - here's how it works:

• Assign yourself 1 point for each entry you've accomplished.
• Subtract one point for each entry you disagree with
• Add one (1) bonus point for each bonus entry that applies to you.

Maintain a running total until you reach the end of the list. Your goal is to get as close to zero as possible. Let's Play!

1 - Acquire a puppy 

• Add one bonus point if said puppy is a breed that has far more energy than you really wanted, but you love the way they look. After all, a dog is a dog, right?!?
• Add one bonus point if you have no intention of altering your lifestyle to accommodate the extra energy. You pay the bills, the dog needs to adapt to you!
• Subtract a point if you did your research and came home with a breed of dog who matches your lifestyle and fits well with your family.

2 - Throw them in a crate alone in a dark room and allow them to scream it out. He'll figure it out. After all, the first few nights are always rough....

Add one bonus point for each night this occurs. Maybe you're lucky enough to have a dog who is already stubborn when you bring them home!

Subtract a point if you recognize that this is a tough transition for one so young and making them comfortable first is a necessary step to eventually making them independent.

3 - Offer extreme amounts of freedom in the home. Let the pup wander around and figure out the place - supervision is overrated and you have things to do. This is their home now too and it seems mean to confine them. Since your nights have been filled with puppy screams coming from the basement, you feel bad locking him up again.

• Add one bonus point if you then stomp around upset that the pup has destroyed yet ANOTHER one of your __________ (fill in the blank.... shoes, remote control, phone... etc.)
• Add one bonus point if your pup is having accidents in the house (and you've already tried EVERYTHING!)
• Subtract a point if you realize that quality time with direct supervision is much more valuable than quantity time doing whatever the pup would like.

4 - Enroll in obedience classes because that's the responsible thing to do, but don't do any homework. The hour of training in class each week is enough, after all you're pretty busy!

• Add one bonus point if you get upset with the puppy for embarrassing you in class with their lack of skills
• Add one more bonus point if you find another like-minded student to commiserate with over your equally stubborn dogs
• Add one more bonus point if you realize you are going to have to practice more before your next class, but still don't 'find the time'
• Subtract one point if you know that you have to put in the effort if you expect your dog to learn

5 - Take your puppy for walks and let them drag you to every distraction they are interested in. After all, they need to be well-socialized

• Add one bonus point for each distraction your puppy successfully reaches and interacts with
• Add one more bonus point if it's another dog your pup has pulled you to
• Subtract one point if you realize that socialization is about exposure, not interaction
• Subtract one point if you realize that letting the puppy drag you will work against your efforts to teach manners on leash

6 - Let them off leash before you've taken the time to teach them to come when they are called. How bad could it be?

• Add one bonus point for every person you need to apologize to for your 'stubborn dog' interfering with their outing
• Add one more bonus point for each time you have to chase your dog
• Add one more bonus point if you are clearly angry with them when you catch them
• Add one more bonus point if you reprimand them when you catch them
• Subtract one point if you know that letting them off leash before they're ready will likely work against your efforts to teach a recall.

7 - Pin them down for things like trimming toenails and administering medicine. Surely, they'll figure out how to hold still by the time they're full grown.

• Add one bonus point for each struggle that results in a kwik being cut
• Subtract one point if you realize that to be fair, you should spend some time teaching your dog to handle things like grooming and nail care. Even if you plan to use a professional, your dog still needs to be comfortable with handling and grooming.

8 - Accept that they are stubborn. That's who they are. Some dogs just are. All of those people with their well-behaved dogs, they got lucky with a good dog! NOBODY could train THIS dog, so you may as well just give up and accept what is. Quite frankly, his inability to train himself and the fact that he continues to embarrass you at obedience class is proof positive that the dog is untrainable. Stubborn as they come!

Bonus for the Game: If you realize by this point that being stubborn is a human construct that does NOT apply to dogs; if you know that you did enough research to have a good idea of the obstacles you'll face with your particular breed; if you realize that dogs are not innately stubborn, but you can make them seem so with poor or lazy training; and finally, if you know that raising a puppy takes hard work, dedication and time and you're ready to roll up your sleeves and make that puppy the best 4-legged family member they can be.... Return your score to zero. Congratulations..... you win!   As always, Happy Training!

Source: https://mccanndogs.com/blog-page/344-how-to-build-a-stubborn-dog-step-by-step-instruction?fbclid=IwAR2wTVxFqGdv_vYfLDUpPFADapsBQKX4d_WZ8z-pHnQ1kt_09zr5CZ_kI0w

Mugshots 📸 4 weeks old

Mugshots 📸 4 weeks old

• Left/Boys - Alfred & Axel

• Right/Girls - Aya, Ainsley & Addie 

Bitey face

Ainsley and Alfred

 Ainsley and Alfred

Ainsley and Alfred

The pups explore everything with their mouths! This does not change after they go home around 8-9 weeks old. 

The Ultimate Puppy has a fantastic link on Nipping and Biting Strategy, this is a must read for new puppy owners.  https://www.ultimatepuppy.com/2016/01/nipping-and-biting-strategy/

We got a potty box 🚽🧻

Post playtime group nap

The A Team is now 3.5 weeks old, they are getting more mobile and growing and growing. Now is the time that I introduce the "potty box". The potty box is pressed wood pellets covered with a washable pee pad. The puppies naturally want to avoid soiling their bedding area. Hopefully, you've watched the Puppy Culture films for more on this method of potty box training. Providing the puppies with a designated potty area starts them off with the foundation for housebreaking which makes transitioning to their new home a breeze. 

Hello potty box!

Alfred (Black Boy) climbs over it ;) 

Addie (Pink Girl) decides to taste it first ;) 

The pups are taking to their potty box (at first they wanted to chew it) and the wood pellets will transition to fake grass which is a bit easier to maintain (keep clean). 

By the weekend, they will have their first meal of goats milk, Honest Kitchen mush and gruel (ground up kibble) they will also be introduced to minced raw meat for those who raw feed.

Puppy Culture - Enrichment & Socialization "Something New Every Day"

The puppies will continually exposed "Something New Every Day". Some great ideas below, let me know if you think of anything else!

Our 2013 Litter (Cordie in Pink) drinking from a hose

- Music Mat
- Sit N Spin
- Baby slide
- Crackle toys
- Squeaky toys
- Plush toys
- Walk on grass
- Walk on tin foil
- Play in kiddie pool
- Bubbles
- Cold toys (teething)
- Paper towel rolls
- Empty box
- Mirror
- Yoga block
- Walk on gravel
- Introduce bumper bed mat
- Grooming tools in box
- Stand on grooming table and eat treats
- Be brushed with pupy brush
- Show stack and eat baby food / yogurt to hold still
- Walk on carpet
- Walk on tile
- Introduce puppy mush
- Have friends come to visit
- Have trusted adult dog of friends visit
- Meet cat (if applicable. I have one.)
- Listen to classical music
- Listen to Puppy sounds CD
- Introduce small tunnel
- Puppy playmat with dangling toys
- Play with a ball that rolls (beach ball or something light)
- Introduce dremel (just hearing seeing, touching toes with dremel off)
- Introduce actually dremeling toenails (8 weeks)
- Clip nails
- Ball pit
- Car rides
- Walk up and down steps
- Loud noise - i.e. lawn mower
- Moving objects - car, bicycle
- Meet other animals (goats, rats, horses, etc.)
- Watch kids jump on a trampoline
- Play in a dry bathtub
- See or go in a Tent
- Plastic milk bottles

- Large bubble wrap (before they are big enough to eat it)
- Change of environment - move to new pen or visit new areas of the house
- Vaccum cleaner
- Lawn mower
- Broom
- Washing machine
- Various food puzzle toys
- Empty plastic bottles and cans in a ball pit
- Skateboard or toy that moves if they get on it
- Wobble disc
- Sound toys
- Electric toothbrush to simulate being clippered/groomed
- Banging pots/pans
- TV on various channels
- Different kinds of music
- Turning on ceiling fan/window fan
- Plastic bags, the kind that blow in the wind

- Children of all ages
- A fan on the floor outside of the pen blowing in

Best mom ever!

We've got eyeballs 👀 and we're mobile!

The A Team will be three weeks old tomorrow (June 3rd). Their eyes are are open (some eyes opened sooner than others) which is completely normal. They are also more mobile and starting to vocalize, this will only increase over the next week(s).

We're cruising! 

Aya and Addie

New toys - Alfred (right)

Bitey face - puppies explore the world with their mouths - Aya and Ainsley

 Puppy pow wow

Aya

Ainsley