First: From Jane (Puppy Culture) about being "open" or "closed" for attention. Can really help with how and why you train. Beware the extinction burst!! The second is about separation anxiety, and why it is important to use your crate and/or xpen even when you are home.
First of all, let me get it out that what I am going to say is very GENERAL advice - I would need to actually see any particular puppy to give actual advice about a specific situation. In general, though, there will be times when it is not a particular puppy's turn for attention or interaction, and that puppy will try manding and then escalate to whining, barking, and potentially stress out a lot. What does one do in that situation? One of the core lessons I want my puppies to learn is "down time" - that is to say, there should be a discriminative stimulus for when their opportunity for attention/reinforcement is closed. I want them to learn that I will let them know when it's their turn, and their turn will come when I decide. Being 12' away and sitting with my back to the pen should be a pretty good indication that it is not the other puppies' turn, and they should learn to chillax. You may have to move further away from the pen, at first, to achieve this, but it's important that the puppies learn to remain calm when one of the others is selected for attention. Huge life skill that will be very useful in the future.
And, for those of you who are not dog trainers, 'ware the extinction burst! When you are sitting that 12' away from the pen with your back to it, you will hear whimpering, whining, and then eventually earsplitting howling and yelping. Your head will be about to burst and you will want to turn around and check and make sure that one of the puppies legs is not being sawed off (because that is what it will sound like), but do not do this. If you have not previously reinforced this yowling behavior by giving the puppy attention at that time, that peaking of noise is an indication that the puppy is about to give up. Unfortunately, if you turn around at that time, you will reinforce in the extinction burst and now you have a super durable behavior. Not what you want.
You seriously might consider having a second person actually watching the puppies to reassure you that nothing is wrong and no one is getting hurt, because it will sound that way.
A real life story regarding this - I bought a Bull Terrier puppy 18 years ago from a breeder. This puppy was awesome and I loved her and she was totally ball-obsessed. I would put her in an empty room with two tennis balls for an hour each day, and she would carry one in her mouth and bat the other one with her feet. Great exercise in the winter months, and kept her out of the older dog's hair. At the end of the session (usually about an hour, but pretty randomly more or less time), I would take the balls from her and put them in a basket on top of the refrigerator and they were now officially out of play. Yes, she whined and pawed and fussed at first, but she quickly accepted that signal that her playtime was over and she would immediately forget about the ball once it was put in the basket on top of the refrigerator. This dog had a littermate who wound up having an OCD obsession with balls and could never have them taken away from her without losing her mind. The owner of that puppy said they could not take the ball away because, "she just keeps whining and loses her mind and pants" etc. etc. So that dog wound up having a major OCD problem with balls. Far be it for me to diagnose that situation as I never met the other puppy or the other owners, but it potentially does illustrate the importance of setting boundaries and discriminative stimuli for when certain activities, interactions, or reinforcements are or are not available. Not every dog will wind up having major OCD issues if you fail in this regard, but they very likely will be unpleasant and pushy to live with in some ways. Particularly if you plan any kind of performance career (which is 98% comprised of waiting your turn in some form or another) you really, really, want them to learn to chill out until you indicate it's their turn! — with Therese Weiner and Louise Hviid Gylden.
Unfortunately, nonstop stroking, ceaseless baby talk & praise, always having to be near, in your lap, on the couch, and in your bed, all day, every day, creates one of the more destructive and difficult-to-undo behavioral issues than all of the rest… unhealthy dependency and Separation Anxiety.
Here’s the thing… when we do this excessively with a maturing puppy, day in and day out, we actually train him to expect this level and intensity of attention, which then programs him to depend on and rely on it always being there.
So what do you think happens when it’s not? What happens when a major life change occurs? Or you have a baby that requires the attention you’ve been copiously offering the dog?
Well… What happens when the drug addict no longer has his fix?
Painful withdrawals.
And for your dog… anxiety, fear, uncertainty, and stress. All of which have to be expressed in order to self-soothe. This is where we begin see the dependency deepen, where the quick errand to the store turns into a destructive bloodbath upon return.
The seemingly harmless relational imbalance on one end spurs the extreme fallout on the other, and the dog simply falls apart—Self mutilation, excessive licking, breaking teeth on crates, shredding of crate pans, destroying the house, non-stop barking, and a dog that is entirely incapable of coping when alone.
Separation anxiety isn’t something that manifests without human help.
In order to teach a puppy/dog healthy existence and independence, you have to separate yourself out of the equation on occasion.
Life is all about balance. Excess in anything creates an equally excessive alternative.
Super easy fix… Teach your dog a healthier expectation based in a BALANCE of affectionate interaction and time away from you. USE THE CRATE even when you are home! Or, teach your dog a dependable Place Command, and balance your affectionate moments with just as such time away from your skin;)
The puppies have a wading pool on the patio now, so they are able to play safely in water whenever they want. They have also been spending time in the kennel spaces, about 1000 square feet, which gives them time in dirt and grass and trees.
The puppies have been getting acclimated to so many things. Our grandson Logan, who is wonderful with puppies and dogs, spent a lot of time with them this weekend. Leaf blower. String trimmer. Noisy trash cans. Low-flying crop dusting airplanes and helicopters. Rain (finally!). Crazy adult PWDs chasing squirrels.
Chimichurri (Lime)
Soufflé (Pink)
Gnocchi (Blue)
Crispy Duck (Yellow)
Crabcake (Brown)
Panna Cotta (Teal)
Curry (Gold)
Filet (Red)
Gordon (Purple)
Tart (Hot Pink)
Trifle (White)
The puppies are LEAPING and running around a lot now. It is hard to describe how animated and athletic they are without seeing it. They love jumping up on things, leaping off, stalking and tackling each other and shaking and carrying their toys. Oh, and ankle biting has begun in earnest!
The puppies have also discovered the ball pit (kiddie pool) out on the patio. The ball pit is in an enclosed kennel on the patio so that the balls don't end up all over the place!
In order to understand what the puppies are doing each day, here is Wednesday's schedule:
So we are busy. But puppies this age are also a lot of fun! It is amazing watching each puppy become an individual with their own personalities. Enrichment/teaching/Puppy Culture is also work, but the speed at which puppies learn at this age is a constant source of wonder. They spend as much time as possible outside their sleeping pen, and they recognize that there are other fun places for them to be (kitchen or outside!), and they lobby hard for outside time.
Here are some things that happened the past couple of days:
Outside play has begun! The patio space is very large compared to their playpen, so it takes them a little while to get used to the wide open spaces, as well as the outside noises and sights. Frankie encourages them to explore by playing — this is her first real chance to interact with the puppies socially.
Breaking News! The puppies are lapping milk! Video soon.
Chimichurri (Lime)
Soufflé (Pink)
Gnocchi (Blue)
Crispy Duck (Yellow)
Crabcake (Brown)
Panna Cotta (Teal)
Curry (Gold)
Filet (Red)
Gordon (Purple)
Tart (Hot Pink)
Trifle (White)
Tart, Crabcake, Filet, Panna Cotta, Soufflé, Curry, Trifle, Chimichurri, Crispy Duck, Gnocchi, Gordon.
Frankie x Teddy puppies have arrived! 6 boys and 5 girls. The puppies are mostly black, with a few curlies mixed in with mostly wavies.
Here is Frankie's x-ray. The doctor saw 11 puppies. Can you see them all?