Fast Forward
Quite a bit of time has passed since my last posting. The male puppies have gone to their new homes and the company I work for during the day was acquired by a large corporation. However, everyone seems to be adjusting fine to both situations.
I kept the red female puppy and named her Neverland’s Bonnie Lass, call name “Wendy“. Look for her own page on the web site in the near future. She is now 12 weeks old and weighs 30 lbs. Wendy has a very different personality then Tink. She is very quiet, except at feeding time, and calm. She usually doesn’t jump up on me or another family member, but will sit in front and wait for your attention, incredible! She is trying to find her place in the pack and often challenges Tink for the favorite mat or takes over Tinks crate or chew treat. Wendy is almost house trained with only an occasional accident in the house and it is usually my fault that I don’t notice her signal to go outside. She sleeps most of the night with one trip outside at 1am and than wakes up around 4:30am for potty and breakfest.
Training is progressing steadily, with all the basic sit, down and stay commands well understood and executed. Feeding time is going well with both dogs sitting in front of their bowls waiting for the food until I give them the release command “Eat”. I’m not sure if Wendy understands or if she just waits for Tink to start eating. Retrieving is going great, Wendy will sit in front of me while I throw the soft bumper, releases on her name, and retrieves the bumper all the why back to me. She often pickups up the rope end to bring it back, but that’s fine for now. Positive reinforcement using verbal praise and treats is working well.
 
..P