Hello Friends, Christina here!
Sorry for the delay since my last post, it has been a very interesting 2 weeks... well at least it has been for me. There have been lots of adjustments going on for both of us, and a few temper tantrums (for Nicholas, not me!).
We started Puppy Kindergarten 3 weeks ago, and let me tell you, I couldn't wait to get him there! After the first week of having the perfect little puppy, things changed quick. Nicholas's personality came out seemingly overnight. He went from being quiet and cautious with new things, to rambunctious and fiesty. He would chase the cats, chew my clothes, chew my hands (pretty much anything that wasn't a toy). He was good in the crate and didn't cry or whine, unless he had to "get busy". But as soon as we would play in the kitchen, there would be little piddles all over the floor. Let me tell you, I had the cleanest floor from all the disinfecting I was doing!
Not only that, but Nicholas has endless energy. He's like the energizer bunny: he keeps going and going and going... I thought that playing with him and going for walks in my townhouse complex would do the trick, but apparently not. One afternoon, I timed him. He played with his toys for 2 1/2 hours before finally slowing down. Unfortunately that was the day of the monthly OCGDA meeting. Not only did he wake up when we got to the meeting, but he decided to throw a tantrum. He didn't want the toys I gave him, he wanted the chair legs. When I positioned him away from the chair legs he'd chew his leash. When I took the leash away and offered him a toy, he'd ignore the toy and start chewing on my hand. The only thing that would get his attention and keep him calm was a compressed rawhide bone. Thanks to my group leader Tammy for giving him one and saving my hands!
And the puppy kindergarten that we started? It was the same thing. There was no focus on anything except for chewing on me. I looked at the other puppies in the class. "Jeanie" calmly sitting or lying down and "Miles" chewing his toy or sleeping. Then there was Nicholas who apparently had springs in his feet. Bouncing up and chewing on me and the leash. Needless to say I was a little frustrated...
Never having a puppy before, I had no idea that what he was doing was NORMAL. Apparently all puppies go through stages like this. Nicholas just hit his stage early...like the week after he came home. Thank goodness for the support of my OCGDA group. Between email and the ever present Facebook, I was able to ask questions not only to my group, but friends in other GDA groups, friends and family who have had puppies before and some of Nicholas's siblings. That alone was responsible for saving my sanity, knowing that all his siblings were just as active and confident as he is.
Between all the tips and support and workign with him everyday, Nicholas is getting MUCH better. We are getting much better. He still chases after the cats and at one point actually pounced on Chiana. Poor girl didn't know what hit her until it was too late. She's fine. She was able to squirm away and get out of reach. Lucky for us both, Nicholas only wants to play with them. I keep hoping they will get tired of him and swat him once to show him whose boss, but they don't. They only hiss and slap him with no claws, so he keeps coming back after them.
One good thing about Nicholas (there are more than 1, don't worry!) is that he is really smart. He grasps onto the concepts of what I'm trying to teach him very quickly. He has mastered the Human words: "sit", "wait", "leave it", "no", "go get it" and "come" and we are working on "give", "down", "stay", and "stand".
He's smarter than me. I still don't know what he's saying...
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Co-Raising
Hello Friends, Christina here!
Alas, after 10 days of bonding with Nicholas, real life set in and I had to go back to work. Due to the nature of my job and the hours that I work, I can't have Nicholas all to myself to raise. The ideal situation would be to have Nicholas come to work with me but there are several problems with that.
First: I work nights. My shift is Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6pm to 6am. Not a problem, any dog would be able to adjust his schedule or just sleep at my desk like they are supposed to.
Second: My job is highly unpredictable. It could be a slow night with not a lot going on, or it could be extremely busy with hardly any time to take a break or eat dinner. Or even worse, it could go from slow to extremely busy in the space of a phone call. Not really conducive to having an active puppy around.
Third: Due to where I work, I would need approval from my supervisor, her boss, her boss's boss all the way up the chain of command.
Fourth: Well, you get the idea...
So you may be wondering, with my crazy schedule and unpredictable work environment, how am I supposed to raise a puppy? Well, it wouldn't be fair to Nicholas to leave him home on the days that I work. With the commute to and from work that would be almost 14 hours by himself. I can't leave him out alone and unattended, so that means he would have to remain in the crate. Not only is Nicholas really young and can't hold his bladder that long, but he would be alone the entire time without the benefits of the essential socialization. So, what is the solution? Co-raising!
Lucky for me, there is a great support system in the Orange County Puppy Raising group. I have met so many people willing to help me out with my work schedule and puppy sitting. So when I mentioned to my group leader Tammy that I wasn't so sure I'd be able to bring a dog to work, she mentioned that there was a family near my house that was raising their 3rd puppy and would possibly be interested in co-raising a puppy after he went In For Training (IFT). I didn't get my hopes too high since I had already waited 18 months to get my puppy. I just thought I would be one of those people who would always puppy sit and not raise one of my own. Little did I know, not only were they willing to co-raise with me, they thought it would be a fantastic arrangement.
Raising a puppy is a BIG commitment. Not only are there certain rules that we puppy raisers have to follow to raise the dogs, but there are outings, obedience classes, trips to the school for evaluations and boarding to go along with the daily hustle and bustle of daily life. For an active family with children, that is a lot of extra stress. So what better way to stay involved with the program and raise another dog and not have to worry about driving all over the place. It was a match made in Heaven.
So now when I have to go to work, I drop Nicholas off at his other house and he stays there the weekend while I'm working and I pick him up Sunday after lunch. It is an ideal situation, not only does it work for the both of us, but Nicholas is getting the socialization he needs. His second home has a nice yard he can play in and another dog to play with and teach him how to behave. There are children in the house so he can become accustomed to them and learn how to behave around them.
Sure I miss my little guy on the days he's not with me, but it works for us. I get to go to work without having to worry about what he's missing out on or getting into. It also gives me a much needed break. I am not ashamed to say that being a solo person raising a puppy is HARD WORK. The days when Nicholas is not with me are days where I can relax and not worry. I know he is in GREAT HANDS!
Alas, after 10 days of bonding with Nicholas, real life set in and I had to go back to work. Due to the nature of my job and the hours that I work, I can't have Nicholas all to myself to raise. The ideal situation would be to have Nicholas come to work with me but there are several problems with that.
First: I work nights. My shift is Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6pm to 6am. Not a problem, any dog would be able to adjust his schedule or just sleep at my desk like they are supposed to.
Second: My job is highly unpredictable. It could be a slow night with not a lot going on, or it could be extremely busy with hardly any time to take a break or eat dinner. Or even worse, it could go from slow to extremely busy in the space of a phone call. Not really conducive to having an active puppy around.
Third: Due to where I work, I would need approval from my supervisor, her boss, her boss's boss all the way up the chain of command.
Fourth: Well, you get the idea...
So you may be wondering, with my crazy schedule and unpredictable work environment, how am I supposed to raise a puppy? Well, it wouldn't be fair to Nicholas to leave him home on the days that I work. With the commute to and from work that would be almost 14 hours by himself. I can't leave him out alone and unattended, so that means he would have to remain in the crate. Not only is Nicholas really young and can't hold his bladder that long, but he would be alone the entire time without the benefits of the essential socialization. So, what is the solution? Co-raising!
Lucky for me, there is a great support system in the Orange County Puppy Raising group. I have met so many people willing to help me out with my work schedule and puppy sitting. So when I mentioned to my group leader Tammy that I wasn't so sure I'd be able to bring a dog to work, she mentioned that there was a family near my house that was raising their 3rd puppy and would possibly be interested in co-raising a puppy after he went In For Training (IFT). I didn't get my hopes too high since I had already waited 18 months to get my puppy. I just thought I would be one of those people who would always puppy sit and not raise one of my own. Little did I know, not only were they willing to co-raise with me, they thought it would be a fantastic arrangement.
Raising a puppy is a BIG commitment. Not only are there certain rules that we puppy raisers have to follow to raise the dogs, but there are outings, obedience classes, trips to the school for evaluations and boarding to go along with the daily hustle and bustle of daily life. For an active family with children, that is a lot of extra stress. So what better way to stay involved with the program and raise another dog and not have to worry about driving all over the place. It was a match made in Heaven.
So now when I have to go to work, I drop Nicholas off at his other house and he stays there the weekend while I'm working and I pick him up Sunday after lunch. It is an ideal situation, not only does it work for the both of us, but Nicholas is getting the socialization he needs. His second home has a nice yard he can play in and another dog to play with and teach him how to behave. There are children in the house so he can become accustomed to them and learn how to behave around them.
Sure I miss my little guy on the days he's not with me, but it works for us. I get to go to work without having to worry about what he's missing out on or getting into. It also gives me a much needed break. I am not ashamed to say that being a solo person raising a puppy is HARD WORK. The days when Nicholas is not with me are days where I can relax and not worry. I know he is in GREAT HANDS!
My sincere thanks go to the Lockman Family in Riverside, CA for helping me raise Nicholas. They have raised 3 puppies for GDA. Their first 2 dogs, Wendy and Persia are now working as guides and their 3rd dog, Rusty, has passed training and is currently waiting for a partner.
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