Learning appropriate behaviors


We had our little Granddog visit this weekend again.  I cannot believe how big she is getting.  Up until now Luke has skirted the whole "interacting" issue by just staying out of the way.  I did see some interest from him, just a speck though.  The fact remained that he had to get use to her so we took some extra time on Sunday morning for a one on one.  The problem with their interactions to this point had been that she had been interacting with Elsa when she spotted Luke.  Her and Elsa get very wound up by the WWWF type wrestling.  So she had a difficult time toning it down for Luke.  But she did very well Sunday morning while Elsa was out for a run with her Dad. 

I know that many people will immediately think "oh no, the puppy is going to get bit," when seeing this image.  A great deal of people will not allow this sort of behavior from an adult which results in the creation of a monster puppy.  Puppies are not suppose to receive 100% happy feedback all of the time. They are not suppose to do bad things and suffer no consequences.  It is an adults job to discipline and teach a puppy that comes into their home.  This of course has limits and the human must always be there to step in.  Some puppies don't listen well when told, so we need to support the adult dog with assistance.  



Penny is very drawn to Luke; being that he is the top dog in the house and elusive at that.  He has made himself very scary to Penelope by simply ignoring her.  His lack of interest is a sign of great maturity.  She often focuses in on Luke and will not give up her attempts to get to him.  I believe that the whole concept of "giving up" is not in the Bull Terrier dictionary.  In the above photo she got herself stuck; off the ground while she tried to climb up but she was not giving up.



If you look closely here, you can see that Penny is squinting her eyes and pulling her lips back.  Both are submissive signals along with the lowered body posture and flattened ears.  She is telling Luke that she is a lowly puppy and to please not hurt her.  This one on one gave them time to interact without the craziness.  

She is slowly learning about control.  It is not easy to control yourself when you are a puppy.  I sat with her on my lap on Saturday night.  We sat beside Luke who was sleeping.  She had a few temper tantrums about not being allowed to pounce on him but then she just lay there and watched him.  I would pet him and she wanted to smell my hand with Luke's scent on it.  She watched him intently and quietly after her few short outbursts.  


Luke was relieved to see Elsa return home from her run.  She slips into the "I'll play with her" mode immediately.  If Penelope tries to see and annoy Luke; Elsa does everything in her power to pull her away.  


Contemplating her next move.



This past weekend held a great deal of learning in it for the dogs and the humans.  Penny is continually learning to use her mouth softly.  Elsa is doing a wonderful job in this department.  With such a powerful jaw, this is a must for Penny to learn. 

When puppies become tired they get naughty, just like human children.  Penny is no exception; if she is getting tired her biting is much harder, the playing less fun for Elsa and she gets into everything.  It is best to have short and productive play sessions broken up with naps.  Puppies need a great deal of sleep, without they can get very bad.  


There were a few moments when Penny forgot her soft mouth and Elsa let her know it.  


No one can miss the sheer joy that they have from playing with each other.   But all of this play is a learning process.  Penny could not have a better couple of teachers.  Elsa is teaching her about the fun, sharing, feedback and patience.  Luke is teaching her respect and control.  




She is a cutie.


Even in the midst of a full on play session they are both aware of their surroundings.  Both hear a noise in the distant and stop for a split second to listen.  


Learning that playing is more fun than acquisition and guarding.




I mean really........how cute is this?



Elsa takes a break from the little "pig/shark," for some R&R (racing and retrieving).  




Getting so big.  What a difference a few weeks makes, compare the photos from this recent blog. 


One of Penelope's favorite people is Brad.   When he arrives on the seen she drops whatever she is doing to give him a huge greeting.  She just adores him and the feelings are mutual.  She is such a climber, here she tries to get to his face by scaling up the front of him.  



3 comments:

  1. Your pictures are wonderful and enjoy the commentary/info as well. Thank you!

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  2. Thank you sherri for the heart warming photos.

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