Parenting and Dog Training

Long before Cazadora came home, I encouraged my wife to read some of my dog books.  She was amazed at the many similarities between teaching puppies and teaching children.  I had told her that raising the pup would be, in many ways, like raising one of our children and that becoming a good dog trainer would help somebody become a better parent.

This first week illustrated some of the above principle.

This was the first week of summer vacation. Everybody wanted to play and nobody wanted to do chores.   Everybody wanted to stay up all night and sleep all day.  But….one little problem:  Dad is too mean and ornery for that!  You can stay up late, but you still have to get up in the morning.   Furthermore, chores need done year round even during summer vacation.

In The House

Well, Caza is a puppy and what do puppies do?  They eat, they play, they sleep, they explore, they pee, they poop, and they chew.    What do they chew?  Sandals, shoes, socks, towels, baby toys, books, papers….well basically they chew anything and everything that they can get to.

So Caza and kids had the wonderful opportunity of learning together this week.  Caza began to learn what she is and is not allowed to chew on.   Kids learned that if chores are done and things are put away, that there is very little left out for Caza to chew on and that their shoes and toys  don’t get damaged.  It was important for the kids to learn this now.   Baby Logan will be big enough to navigate the floors and put everything in his mouth any time now.

Exposure

This was a big week for Caza.  I believe that puppies need lots of exposure.  Little if any formal training should be done at this age but pup needs lots of introductions to the wonderful world around.  There are so many new smells to explore, other dogs to meet, people, cars, town, fields, lakes, streams, birds, animals, etc.

This week Caza got to meet many people at home, at grandpa’s house, and at work.   She met several dogs in the neighborhood and a few cats.  She discovered chickens, pigeons, horses, cows, and various bugs and lizards.  She got to do some tracking and eat some hot dog rewards at the end.  She was able to smell some birds hiding in the brush.  They pulled up feelings of excitement from deep within her and she wasn’t quite sure how to handle that.

She still remembered how to wait quietly while in a crate.  She learned what a leash is and that she must follow it.  She really knows her name and how to come running when called.  She will go ‘potty’ on command and still sometimes when not commanded.  She is learning that loud noises are wonderful and signal that food or some other treat is around.
Cats
She learned that if she runs up to Smokey  (our cat, about twice the size of Caza) and tries to tackle her, that Smokey gets mean and nasty.   What does any self respecting drahthaar puppy do when repeatedly slapped by a cat?  Get scared?  Get cat wise and leave it alone?  No, no, no….

She learns to put on the sneak and stalk slowly in…

Even though a pretty lady, she does not want anybody to forget that she is a hunting dog.

Fishing
Friday we took Caza along with us on her first fishing trip.  Only a few of us went:  Caza, Brennen, Shakira, dad (me), and grandpa.  We all had fun.  Here are some photos from the trip.

(click on a photo to see full size)

Well, today (Sunday, when I started writing this)  Cazadora turned 9 weeks old.   It was a fun week. More adventures are sure to follow.  Pup, kids, mom and dad all have many lessons to learn together.