Kindergarten

Jan 18, five weeks old

April 20, three months and a
hundred pounds of food later

Our puppies are almost 5 months old.  It's been a while since I've used the tiger as a comparison for growth.  Why the hell not start off with a tiger picture.  By the way, that tiger has not had the easiest life.

Luke is keeping a watchful eye on Anny while she plays
or someone has some food. It's hard to tell.

Here we are, about to "graduate" from Puppy Kindergarten.  Who would think we would need to go to Puppy Kindergarten?  Our old dog Link was one of the best dogs in the history of dogs.  We only had him on a leash as a formality.  He never got out of sight, always came back when we called, gentle and patient. The kids has stepped on Link, twisted his ears and played tail Tarzan without anything more than a warning growl.  Of course, Link was a mature adult when Jon met him and nearly elderly when Anny came along. Link definitely spent some time acting like a bonehead. When he was young, I took him to an obedience class, which helped quite a bit. I also think a major factor was daily contact with this guy. Link had his quirks, but he fit in well with the family. Jon and Anny just accepted the fact that Link would listen to them because he always did, in reality, there was a great deal of work and patience that went into shaping Link into our wonderpet. We decided to enroll in a class so the whole family would learn consistency and more importantly, the kids could get confidence and bond with their new dogs.  After a little research, we found this place. I like the way he stresses using positive things to motivate the dog, praise and treats instead of a threat of punishment. The class has been everything I expected and more.  We finish up next week and it's been a great experience for us. I like the structure of these classes.  We show up about twenty minutes early and wait outside with the other members of the class.  The dogs and humans have a chance to interact and since all our dogs are roughly the same age, the owners get to share experiences and milestones with one another.  The puppies are coming along like little prodigies, Jon and Anny work with them quite a bit and it shows. We have a pair of energetic impulsive but well behaved puppies.  Kindergarten has given us the foundation and confidence to continue the training and teach the mutts everything we need them to know.  In spite of that, I am considering enrolling  in the next class offered by Humane Train. This time, I want to just take one of the dogs, maybe alternate every other week.  The biggest "problem" we have with Luke and Leia at this time probably has more to do with not having a momma and always being together.  They have become socially awkward, nervous in new settings and dependent on one another.  We hope to address that in the next couple months. Stay tuned.

Sitting at the park like a princess, notice the dog in the
 upper right hand corner. He is not impressed.