The Trials and Tribulations of Owning and Training a Puppy! Part 11

This week has been really full on with work which has meant fitting tiny bits of training in wherever I can. Much of that is done in the early morning around 5.30am as I’m an early riser (not really sure how Brin feels about that!) and it’s easier to find some peace and quiet for training at that time.

We have started walking separately to Sonic and Logi for that first walk, giving me 20-30 minutes to walk, play and train with Brin on his own and it’s really making a difference.

When Brin first came to us at 5 months he was alarm barking at everything he saw on walks, this included dogs and people. He still can bark if he’s not sure but walking him on his own has helped me to work on this behaviour and has also taught him to be braver on his own.

It it’s important to me that all of my dogs are happy to go out or stay home alone without needing the company of the other dogs. I like to know they aren’t going to be stressed if they are separated from their brothers or from their humans so I work on this regularly even with the older dogs.

I believe it’s important to future proof our dogs. I know that Sonic won’t be here forever (although if I could make that happen I would!) and so the other two need to be able to function as a team and individually without his influence. And having lost my big lurcher when he was only 8 it shows we never know what could happen so I do my best to help my dogs cope as an only dog. This has the added benefit of ensuring they see me as the person who provides most of the play and entertainment rather than being more bonded to each other. And I love the time I spend with each of them alone, I have time to enjoy their very different personalities. That said it’s very hard to achieve and not something I manage every day.

This week has also been a week of chewing for Brin with his substance of choice being cloth. He has modified his bedtime snuggle blanket and it now has a hole he can put his head through. The other day he emerged wearing it as a flowing robe - very fetching! Not quite as funny is the fact he has eaten his way through 2 coats so far and seriously modified a third. I even got a needle and thread out to sew that up, although it still looks like Brin has been playing with Freddy Kruger!