Fetching Her Home
We had met her before, three weeks earlier. She was a bold little pup with her mum and dad to back her up, but when we came to collect her, she was very timid and quite nervous. We scooped her up and loaded her in the car, in the crate that had been painstakingly prepared for her. Sadly, she didn’t make it the few miles home without bringing up her breakfast.
Introducing her to the others
Now it was our turn to be nervous! Both Jack and Archie had welcomed a few pups in their time, so we weren’t too bothered about them. Toby’s only pup experience was with Tilly; he was a bit snappy with her until he got to know her. Tilly had no pup experience, and her eyes stood out on stalks on her first sighting!
We were cautious with all the introductions and are still vigilant now. We don’t ever leave them completely alone together.
She loves them and is determined to join in with their games, but we are aware of the huge difference in sizes and so take the utmost care to ensure she’s properly supervised, as once the small puppy teeth start snapping, things can get a bit wild. At that point, she goes into her crate for some time out.
Naming Names
We had initially decided to call her Lily. However, after a confusing few days of Tilly and Lily, we saw the error of our ways and renamed her Rosie!
Vet visit
On the second day, at around six in the evening, we noticed that her eyes were swollen almost shut. We guessed that she had suffered an allergic reaction but to what? Was it our grass, her food, or had she been stung? After bathing her eyes, we decided we should speak to a vet to be on the safe side. Within the hour, we were at the surgery. By that time, the swelling had gone and she was practically back to normal. While we were there, the vet checked her thoroughly and recommended we gave her half an antihistamine tablet.
The following day her ears were puffy and red, so she had another half tablet and was fine. Since that time, we have had no more allergic reactions, thank goodness.
Toys
All toys had to be thoroughly examined and any squeakers surgically removed – all toys seem to have squeakers these days – so as not to upset Toby. We found the soft treat dispensing toys were the most popular and useful, especially the Lotus Ball. We also ensured we always had some sort of toy near to hand so that when she started biting with those sharp puppy teeth, we had something to divert her attention and protect our limbs!
She enjoys slurping lots of water, so we introduced her to the Chilly Penguin.
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Fun and Games
In the evenings, after a busy day, the dogs all like to chill out while we watch TV. Rosie, of course, hasn’t quite got the hang of that yet and thinks it’s a great time to wind everybody up.
We have found the Sniffing Carpet for smaller pets is perfect for her. By the time she has finished foraging for the treats, she is ready to lay down and relax.
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Each night we fill treat dispensing toys and put them in her crate. She literally skips towards the crate at bedtime and has been known to sit outside impatiently howling to get in!
Clicker training
We waited a week before we started clicker training. As we had changed Rosie’s diet, we wanted to give her a chance to get accustomed to the new food before we started feeding her lots of treats. Tuning her into the clicker was easy since she is very food oriented. We spent one day on that and the following day started training properly.
The first thing we taught her was eye contact. Called her name, which she barely knew at that point, and when she looked at us, clicked and treated.
The sit followed, and then down. All of which were straightforward and learned in minutes.
She has now learned settle on an old car mat, and it literally took three attempts for her to get the hang of it.
She is so enthusiastic when it comes to clicker training and initiates the training herself.
We used a variety of treats, all especially recommended for puppies. The only problem was the size of them.
For clicker training, you need small, tasty treats that can be quickly eaten so you can treat and move on.
All of the puppy treats had to be chopped into tiny pieces for her initial training. Now she is having slightly larger pieces.
Rosie loved them all and was happy to work for any of them!
From left to right Lotus Ball, KONG Ballistic, Puppy KONG, Chilly Penguin, Sniffing Carpet for Smaller Pets