Back to the Vet

When you have to shout the date of your next appointment at the woman behind the counter as your suddenly 58-pound dog yanks you, flailing, out the front door of the vet's office... he may no longer be a puppy.

Shadow returned to the vet today after a nearly two-month hiatus. His first call of action was to attempt climbing a woman in the waiting area. Then he moved on to the secretary, all the while skating along the tile floor like a berserk spider wearing roller skates.

My favorite part of the checkup, however, was when Shadow embarked upon his first (to my knowledge) feline encounter. It was a quartet of newborn kittens, to be exact, and both species were captivated by each other.

One particularly gutsy black kitten engaged in a sort of staring contest with the six-month-old silver Lab until (I hate to admit it) Shadow let out a whine. (I apologize for the picture quality, but I was armed only with my iPhone, and dogs move super fast.)

Finally past the waiting area, Shadow was so strong and rambunctious that the attendant had to call in backup to get him on the scale. And when I say scale, I mean a steel trough with no sides that rises a good three feet off the ground with the flick of a switch.

But what else can I expect from a new-to-this-world puppy in the body of a 58-pound adolescent dog? He sleeps through the night, he doesn't launch into a barking frenzy the moment I walk in or out of the door, he can be left outside his crate while I'm not paying him any attention, he's about 90 percent housebroken, and he can actually walk tolerably on a lead.

The jumping on people is the biggest issue left, but just like all the others, it will one day be history. And one day I'll miss his rambunctious, I-want-to-play-with-

everything-and-sniff-everything-and-jump-on-everything crazy phase.

Puppy Steps

On one hand, it's hard to believe Shadow -- or "Mr. Shadow" as some of his fans like to call him ;) -- is 15 weeks old today.

But then again, the extent to which he's changed -- in his understanding of us, his level of obedience, and even his sheer size -- makes it hard to believe we've only had him for seven weeks!

Just days ago, for example, I had to carry him down the stairs to get to the front door. They were too steep. If I tried to coax him down on his own, poor Mr. Shadow would just sit at the top, whine, paw at the edge, and look absolutely beside himself. It's the way I'd look if I ever attempted skydiving.

But today, with the help of treats and a blocking of his escape route, he's gone down those steps three times already! So what if he does it like a person with a limp and a fear of heights? It's a big achievement. (Come on, do you really think I'd be so cheesy as to put "It's a big step" there?)

Socially, while he hasn't mastered staying on four feet to greet people, he's already found himself a neighborhood girlfriend and (in my blatantly biased opinion) is one of the best puppies in his kindergarten class. (Watch the video to see how that all began.)

And finally, an update on two of the biggest problems we had in the beginning:

Sleeping: While I don't relish getting up at 6:30 every morning (goodbye Saturday sleep-ins), I've come to really appreciate the extra 3-4 hours of daylight. Plus, the middle-of-the-night barkfests have completely disappeared. The guidebooks nailed it when they advised having patience and letting him cry until he realizes it won't get him his way.

Biting: It's as good as a memory. He may have the occasional relapse, but it's fleeting and soft. The lesson to take away here is to never ignore biting, no matter how harmless or even cute it seems. Whether it's a yelp, a forfeit of attention, or a spray of water, do something when he nips and have patience.

Just like his weight, it's hard to notice progress when you're watching it every day, but some day you'll look back and go "Hey! Remember how he used to bite all the time?..." (or weigh 12 pounds?)

More videos:

Shadow Does His Chores

Drowsy Shadow

Round and Round 

Hit and Run (don't worry - he's fine, just clumsy)

Singin' in Shadow's Room 

Silver Lab Puppy Meets Kong

Shadow the Silver Lab Comes Home

Silence is Golden

I didn't want to jinx it yesterday, but for the second consecutive morning I arose to sunlight and silence. Both mornings came with feelings of shock, gratitude, disbelief, and a sudden pang of "Oh my God, I hope he's still alive!"

(That doesn't mean I didn't hear a few shorter bouts of barking a couple times during the night or early morning, but they didn't last forever. Can't blame a guy for trying, right?)

Whether it's Shadow's age, our training, or simply a sore throat from his Sunday night bark fest... it seems we have steered past one of the toughest stretches of the puppy journey and are nearing temporarily calmer waters.

Letting him practice being alone several times a day for short periods of time has definitely accelerated Shadow's development. If repetition is key to training a dog, it makes sense that 10 small quick exercises per day help prepare for the seven-hour overnight drill. Would you run a marathon without first practicing shorter distances every day?

Back to School

“So what kind of dog did you get?” the librarian asked today as I checked out 10 canine training books. It had been a month since my last visit, but pre Shadow I was at the local library several times a week picking up manuals on how to prepare for a puppy. I thought I had all the theories down… but evidently Shadow didn’t read the same books.

This second round of studying was spurred by the worst of several horrendous nights and mornings, the frustration from which hurting my interactions with my husband. Something had to be done.

It all started when – realizing we couldn’t get up at 3 a.m. for the rest of our lives to take Shadow to the “bathroom” – we didn’t answer his cries last night.

The experts say answering a puppy’s cries will only reinforce the behavior (with some leeway for the first week when he can’t hold it). I knew that before Shadow arrived. But the experts don’t specify that dogs can literally cry/whine/bark for hours in a row, until their throats are hoarse. Then it’s a hoarse cry/whine/bark for another hour.

At 5 a.m. this morning, under the sheets with my iPhone as Shadow yipped and yipped away, I searched Google for some magic bit of wisdom that I’d missed. Unfortunately, all I found were things I already knew and inane rants from people with no business responding to online forums. (What gives with that, really?)

But how do you train that out of a puppy, aside from going four weeks with nightly sleep deprivation and crossing your fingers when the light goes out.

They say some of the greatest ideas come under duress. Well, today I brainstormed and implemented a technique that can be done on the weekend if all owners work elsewhere, or throughout the entire day if someone is home.

Rather than going out of my way to make him feel like a part of my routine, today I sunk into my work and paid only enough attention to take care of his needs. I spent the next eight hours moving Shadow between his playpen and his crate, exiting either room the moment he began barking, and remaining out of sight (telepathically praising the creators of Google Docs) until he stopped and I could return.

I can’t quantify it in terms of volume or pitch, but there have been no more three- (or even one-) hour screeching sessions, and my stress level has plummeted like investor confidence in Greece.  A few more days of this and I expect to have a quiet, confident puppy in no time.

As a novice dog owner who frantically and frustratingly read every article I could find on the subject, I strongly advise giving this a try if you’ve got Fido-induced raccoon eyes. Or if you ever plan on getting a puppy, jot it down. Trust me, you’ll need it!

Check back later for highlights on all sorts of other puppy problems, and what techniques worked (or failed) for Shadow and his new puppy parents!

The Calm After the Storm

Oh my God, I feel like I've just run a marathon... or emerged from a week stranded in the woods.

After an hour of grocery shopping and other errands, I came home to find that Shadow wet his bed. Not his fault. But then he went puppy crazy for the next 90 minutes, biting, scratching, running and flipping all over the place on the leash, and acting in such a way that I couldn't allow him near our neighbors' kids because he was too hyper.

Figuring I'd exhaust some of his pent up energy, I took him outside for a game of fetch and chase-your-owner-all-around-the-yard. I was having a blast. He was having a blast. Then he stumbled upon some more interesting feces left by the neighbor's dog (who should not even be in our yard, let alone defecating there), and decided it might make a tasty treat.

Within two minutes he was whisked inside his play pen and a call frantic phone call was placed to his vet. "Just watch him," she said, adding that it's gross but all dogs do it. Phew, okay.

After a first-time tooth brushing (all he wanted to do was eat the brush),  it was time to clean his bed. During this time he had another accident in the pen and cried for the better part of the next half hour.

When I looked like the novice mother of triplet toddlers (hair frizzy in all directions, body sagging, raccoon eyes), it was finally time for dinner. When finished, he conked out under the coffee table, enabling me to pop a beer and regain my sanity (or at least take the edge off a bit).

Now the former devil is chewing quietly on his bully stick and leaning his adorable little face into my feet. And I once again become a sucker...

(Sorry for the glorified Twitter post... but if you want to know what it's like to raise a brand new puppy, this is as real as it gets!)

Video: Singin' in Shadow's Room

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say someone snuck into the house in the middle of the night last week and replaced our sweet-tempered Shadow with a crazy dog for a few days… but then early this week brought our easygoing guy back.

By Friday, Shadow’s separation anxiety, constant accidents, nipping, outright refusal to be guided by a leash, and inability to sleep more than an hour at a time had taken a toll on me and Chris. On Saturday, as I reported earlier this week, we began full-on crate training, meaning he would spend a majority of time in his “room.”

Since then, we’ve had TWO completely accident-free days, he still loves the crate, and I’ve been able to leave him for 45 minutes at a time without worry that he’ll cry his cute little head off. For me, it has made all the difference, allowing me to get things done without fear of a soiled floor and enabling him to rest or play safely and happily on his own.

Accidents still happen (one actually occurred as I was taking a break from typing this), but compared to last week (4-5 a day), but they are FAR less frequent.

For anyone interested in crate training – which is named everywhere but rarely explained in detail – this is what we do:

Shadow now sleeps in his crate in the living room (no longer in the bedroom). Last night, in an unprecedented achievement, he actually slept from 11:30-5:30 a.m. straight.

When he wakes up, he goes outside. About 10-15 minutes after he eats or drinks, he goes outside. After waking up from a nap, he goes outside. If he won’t go outside or he falls asleep but I know he just drank a half-bottle of water, I can either watch him like a chained up hawk like I did last week or I can carry him to the crate. (Guess which one I choose.) When he wakes up or decides he wants out, he goes outside. Crisis averted. It makes for a happy puppy and a happy owner.

When he’s out he’s either eating, playing under my or Chris’ supervision, resting after having emptied himself, or training. He’s been doing the latter (sit/stay, anti-nipping, leash etiquette, fetch) 3-4 times a day for 10-15 minutes, and has shown marked improvement in all categories.

A final note on crate training: By not always closing the door, Shadow has come to see the crate as his bed, often going in or staying there voluntarily. Almost daily, he simply plops down, chews his bully stick and hums to himself (see video on YouTube or below) while I write on the other side of the room, or even in another room. He is never placed in the crate as a punishment.

I can barely believe he’ll be 10 weeks old tomorrow, but if I were a teacher I’d say he passed nine weeks with flying colors.

Did you miss something fun?

Photos: Shadow Gets Pretty

Video: Silver Lab Puppy Meets Kong

Video: Shadow the Silver Lab Comes Home

Progress Report: Day Five

Shadow naps on a sea of puppy training pads.

It’s 2:30 p.m. Wednesday (Day Five) and Shadow is conked out in his crate, snuggling with Leon the Lion and an old T-shirt bearing my scent. He’s been an angel all day, but I would have said that at this time yesterday too – before he had two accidents in a row, launched into a 25-minute fit while I was cleaning the first in another room, and became a berserk little devil each time Chris or I took him outside.

But it was a blip in an otherwise sweet and as-obedient-as-a-baby-can-be few days, and his sudden lack of eye contact told us he knew he had misbehaved.

Raising a dog from puppyhood is definitely shaping out to be a challenge, but the benefits (he just woke himself up by his own hiccups, looked at me with his sleepy blue eyes, and resettled himself with a tired sigh – so cute) far outweigh the frustrations.

Click here for a video of Shadow pouncing around his new home.

On the housebreaking front, the number of accidents has been decreasing each day. The main reason for that isn’t that we’ve trained him well (although today he’s been staring at me when he needs to go… maybe the beginnings of a signal?) but that Chris and I are getting better at recognizing when to take him out. According to the experts, puppies are too young to physically “hold it,” so it’s really up to us to be recognize the signs. From my observations, if his attention isn’t occupied by sleeping, playing, eating, or chewing… he needs to go out.

He just can't get enough of that coffee table!

As far as training goes, he already knows to “sit” on command! We accomplished this with tiny training treats (or sometimes bits of kibble so he doesn’t eat too much) and 5 to 10 minutes of repetition every day. Sometimes he doesn’t want to listen – he’s still very easily distracted – but generally he’ll plop down when we ask. Our next challenge is “down,” which is not coming as easily.

We’re also working on biting and nipping. He’s a puppy, so I wouldn’t expect any less, but it sometimes takes away the fun of playing with him. We started by responding with “No!” and yanking our hands away, but yesterday decided to start making a yelp or “ouch!” sound and shutting down for a few moments when he bit. At best, he’ll realize he hurt us and will stop. At worst, he’ll see that his plaything stops playing with him when he bites.

The biggest issue for Shadow, however, seems to be separation anxiety. This is extra frustrating considering I ACTUALLY AM WITH or near him 24/7 but occasionally want to shower, brush my teeth or get myself something to eat. (Selfish me.)

Until today, the second I left his sight and he couldn’t follow, Shadow went berserk. First there was the whimper, then the whine, then he’d try to test the pen by throwing his body against it. Soon he’d start to cry and bark. And after a few minutes, I would have a heartbreakingly hysterical puppy on my hands, sobbing the way human beings melt down and choke on their tears.

I knew from Cesar Millan’s book, “How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond,” that returning during his whimpers would only convince him that crying is the way to make his people come back to him. So I waited behind the adjacent wall for what seemed like an eternity (the longest lasted 25 minutes, the shortest 8), struggling to ignore the pain and mentally willing him to calm down so I could go back to him.

For Shadow to break his separation anxiety, he must get comfortable with the crate.

It’s without a doubt the hardest part of this so far. I’d rather clean up 100 accidents than listen to the little guy cry himself numb. But as my father-in-law told Chris the other night: It hurts your ears and your heart, but you have to do it. (And yes, I know it is practice for a human child… eventually.)

So today I cancelled any appointments I had scheduled over the next week. I am devoting every minute (I would say “waking” minute, but there’s no other kind these days) to helping Shadow break his fear of being alone when I have to tend to other projects in the house or run out for an hour.

Today, my technique has been moving him to the crate every time he falls asleep on me and relocating his meal spot from the kitchen to the side of the crate. He’s also gone into the crate on his own several times to sit or play – so far so good!

Each day, I’ll increase the time he stays inside with the door open, as well as with the door closed while I’m in the room. Hopefully by next week he’ll be able to sleep there rather than the much smaller carrier on our bedroom floor.

Check back for updates on this progress. Anyone going through a similar predicament may find it useful – I certainly would have.

I was warned that getting an eight-week-old puppy would be like raising a baby – that he wouldn’t sleep through the night, he’d need constant attention, he’d cry when left alone, he’d make messes, and at times I’d be completely dumbfounded as to what he wanted. And so far, all that has proven true.

But as any mother would agree, it’s all worth it. When he nuzzles his face into my leg, cocks his head to the side in confusion, follows me around like a shadow, or pounces around excitedly (the canine equivalent of a baby laugh in my opinion), it doesn’t matter how little sleep I get or how many accidents I have to clean.