Tate's Adopted!

Little Miss Tate is now a Seattleite in the Greenwood neighborhood. Hopefully she will stop by Makeda and Mingus sometime to say hi - it's New Rattitude's official Rat Terrier (and lesser dogs :) friendly cafe'.

She now lives with two moms who love her and their other two dogs - a Rat Terrier and a Shiba Inu - greatly. Tate will look forward to lots of walks, play times and probably even some classes and goofing off time at the K9 Fun Zone!

While we will miss this little love who is such a friendly kiddo, we are happy to be back to our laid back pack of middle aged and elderly dogs which is much more our speed.

We will be taking a couple weeks off of fostering to attend our son's college graduation and then will come home to a new foster girl who is a big one - over 30 pounds, although she needs to shed a few of those pounds. Stay tuned for her introduction.

Fun at Puppy Class

Tate may be young but she is one smart little cookie and she really seems to love to learn. To me though, more important than the "sits", "go to mat" and loose leash walking is the opportunity to be in a new place, experience strangers and new dogs and lots of different things.

The drive to class was making her sleepy but she didn't want to lie down and miss anything

In yesterday's lesson we worked on "settle" which is the behavior of being able to say a cue - I chose "mat" and the puppy goes to a specific mat and lies down. Tate was great at sitting on the mat but this class she finally figured out the lying down part. Yay Tate! Unfortunately I was too busy with my treat pouch and clicker to snap a photo of the "down".

Another thing we worked on was a lesson in "shaping". Shaping simply means breaking down a behavior into tiny increments and reinforcing the dog at each incremental step until you've achieved the full behavior you are working on.  Beyond just being a great way to teach a more complex behavior it is a very fun game for the dog and human and strongly develops the process of learning for the dog since they are getting reinforced at a high frequency. The more you train the quicker they learn, since the process of learning is in itself a skill. And the trainer is getting reinforced by the dog's learning so everyone wins!

Tate loves shaping and is super quick. We started with her getting reinforced for just looking towards the balance disc. Then the criteria moved up to her having to touch the the disc. Next she had to put 1 paw and then 2 paws on the disc to earn her treat. This is an underinflated disc so with 2 paws its a bit wobbly and is a new experience for her.  I had planned on that being the end behavior but she quickly was putting 4 paws on so we kept working and ended up with her easily doing a sit on top of the disc. Go Tate!

Tate showing her end behavior of sitting on the balance disc

We also did an exercise where one puppy in the class got to walk over a bunch of weird new things while the other puppies worked on looking back at their people when distractors are around. At first Tate wasn't too sure about the sandpaper topped walking frame or the hula hoops but after a few seconds of inspection she figured out they were no biggie and they also had treats scattered on them so were worth a closer look.

Scratchy walkway

Hula hoops that rattle a bit when bumped

This photo is from another class but we did try a bit of puppy play time at the end but there's not a great match up of personalities in the class and we don't want to teach pups that other dogs are unpleasant. It's important to be very careful to match dogs together who have similar play styles. An intense player with a fairly timid dog is going to make the timid dog even more worried about other dogs.

Tate and Lucas sniff poor Gracie who is not having fun. Pups were all quickly distracted by their people after I took this shot to give Gracie a break.

I sure hope that Tate will get to continue training after she's adopted since she has such a fun time doing it.

Tate The Tug Champion

We have this poor sad octopus toy that has lost most of its legs but weirdly the dogs find the legs more fun than when the toy was in one piece. 

The other day Tate played tug with Salinas although I think it was more Tate stealing Sal's toy. Sal was good natured about the whole thing though. 

Tate ended up with the leg, mostly because Sal was tired of the game.

A Visitor

This weekend I visited the PAWS shelter in Lynnwood to assess a senior Rat Terrier they had there. She needed dental work and with New Rattitude would be able to get it done right away so we wanted to help out. Her name is Selena and she will be fostered in Yakima but for this week she is a guest at our house until she has her dental work done - which happens tomorrow.

Selena at the shelter

Her favorite little bed at our house

She's a sweet little thing. Super tiny (just 7 pounds) and she loves people. She definitely does NOT love puppies though and I can't blame her. Her mouth is really hurting her and the last thing she needs is a puppy in her face, jumping on her and barking at her to get her to play. So we are doing our best to keep her comfy and in a Tate-free space until she travels to her regular foster home on Saturday.

Lazy Play

Salinas and Tate both love to wrestle and Chima and Frodo, the fun police, have resigned themselves to allowing it for the most part. They find a soft spot away from the wild ones and watch to make sure it doesn't get out of hand.

The other day Sal and Tate wrestled so much that they wore themselves out - they tore up and down the stairs, wrestling on two levels of the house - under couches and tables and chairs. It was like a little spotted tornado moving around the house.

Even after they were ready to rest and came and joined me while I read email on the couch, they couldn't help themselves. The wrestling match continued in the form of a lazy game of bitey face.

Here Comes The Sun

Here in the Pacific Northwest we are having a beautiful week of warm sunny weather and the dogs are all happy to restart their favorite past times of 1) compulsively hunting rodents during night time potty breaks and 2) sunning themselves on the deck.

Since we live near a large, forested state park and have Great Horned Owls and Barn Owls that occasionally visit our neighborhood little Tate has to be on a leash in the back yard after dusk so she doesn't get to join in on the crazy hunting sprees. She did slow herself down enough to sit down and enjoy the sunshine, both inside and outside.

Sal noting an intrusion by Tate

She decided she would allow Tate to chew on a stick near her

Sal quickly let Tate know that sunning was serious business and she would not tolerate wild puppies on the deck. Tate quickly figured out she had the option of lying down near Sal or else clearing out of there and for a few seconds she chose to chew on a stick near Sal.

Inside sunning has similar rules - no wild puppies near the sunspots but calm puppies will be tolerated. Chima let Tate stay in the sunspot since she wasn't moving around. 

Tate's Big Adventure

It is about a 2.5 hour drive to the Canadian border from our home so that made for a long day of getting Obi to his new home. Because Tate is a young puppy I didn't feel comfortable leaving her at home in a crate for 7-8 hours. She's too young (and mischievous) to be left loose and the last thing I want her to do is to start to potty in her crate when so far she is doing so well with her crate training.

Ready to head off down the path

So lucky little Tate got to come along on our drive north. She is an amazing traveller and doesn't make a peep when on the road. She rode in a small crate that was buckled into the car and had a bully stick and toys to keep her entertained.

"What the heck is that?"

The whale sculpture called for a closer inspection

After we handed poor car sick Obi over to his new dad we drove over to the Blaine Marine Harbour Park to walk along the paths. Tate enjoyed her chance to stretch her legs and she bounced along, looking for goose poop to snack on and anything new and interesting.

Searching for goose poop by the Semiahmoo Bay

It was a great trip for her and she seemed to really enjoy her outing.

Play!

Sal decided she was ready to play today and Tate was more than ready!

Of course it can be a little scary for a 6 pound puppy to have an 18 pound dog chasing them so she was smart and engaged play from under the couch where Sal won't go. While she was a bit nervous during the play, she kept engaging  Sal so I let it continue. Once Sal seemed to be getting too intense I stepped in and had everyone take a break.

Chima tried playing too but was a bit unsure of this little snapping, barking creature. She chose to step away this time because she was feeling uncomfortable.

There is a fine line between play behavior and stalking/hunting type behavior and my two big girls are very prey driven. So I am very careful when they play with puppies to make sure everyone is having fun and that Chima and Sal aren't too worked up. I want things to stay safe and fun for everyone.

Experience

One of the most important job for puppy parents - a job that gives their puppy the best chance at a future that is happy - is to log in as many different experiences (in a positive, reinforcing way) as they can. There is a very short window when puppies are old enough to be away from their mom and littermates but still young enough that their brain isn't telling them that new/different things are scary.

Just taking a puppy around and "socializing" isn't going to work. In fact if it's not feeling like a positive experience you could actually be teaching the pup that being out and about meeting strange people is scary and uncomfortable.

I don't even really like the word "socialize" any more since so many people misunderstand it. Just getting exposure to people and other dogs isn't enough. Your goal is to squeeze in as many unique experiences as possible, all the while keeping things happy and positive. That means puppies getting to walk on different surfaces - grass, gravel, bark, tarps scratchy rugs.... It means experiencing lots of different sounds - vacuums, garbage trucks, ambulance sirens, doors closing loudly, dogs barking loudly behind fences, drive thrus where voices come out of a box.. And always when they are experiencing these new things it's important that their body language is relaxed and they are enjoying themselves. That means high value treats need to be flowing fast and steady and these new experiences need to be doled out in short but frequent doses. If they aren't relaxed you need to back up and break things down more.

Tate and I recently had our first "experience" outing to help her experience what life in the burbs is like for a dog. I put her in a small crate, belted it into the passenger seat and gave her a bully stick. Yum! She thought that was pretty great. Then off we went.

First stop was a Starbucks drive thru. She watched the screen a bit while it was "talking" and then I started popping little bits of treat into her crate. Yay! It was raining treats. Then up to the window where there was a stranger talking to me and reaching out the window towards our car. More treats and happy talk to her.

Then we were off to our second stop - the pet food store to pick up some puppy kibble. I shop at a small independent pet food store and the employees are great about helping out when I bring in dogs who are working on certain things. Since Tate hasn't had her 2nd puppy vaccination booster yet I couldn't put her on the ground. So instead we practiced just having people come up and say hi and pet her and give her treats. She did great! We bought her puppy kibble and then headed back to the car for home. Two different stops on our first outing was a lot of work.

When we got home she had a potty break and some tearing around time and then it was in the crate to rest up. All those new experiences worked her brain and she was ready to rest.

Chima Hates Puppies

I suppose "hate" is a bit strong. Let's just say Chima has a pretty rigid code of conduct for how dogs act and she doesn't cut puppies much slack for not knowing any better.

Chima checks out Tates crate to see if there is anything worth taking.

Obi and Frodo use body language as dramatically as they are able to try to get the point across to Tate that she is in their personal space. All of the looking away and turning their back is lost on her though and I have to watch to make sure the boys aren't getting overwhelmed and pushed around.

Frodo tells me that he is not happy about Tate stealing his new plush toy

Chima however has no problem giving a puppy the smackdown. There will be no jumping on her or biting at her face unless she initiates it. Puppies soon learn that her curling her lip means they have about 5 seconds to move out of her space before she gives them a face full of teeth and loud barking. It's actually a good amount of time if you think about it. She has given the warning and then gives time for the puppy to change their behavior to something more acceptable. If they don't choose to, she tells them more - um - firmly. While she sounds scary though, she doesn't bite or hurt the little ones. Instead she is just letting them know in the only way that seems to make them listen.

Dogs can be the best teachers. I'm not going to let Chima knock Tate around and I am not going to let her get bossy, but if Tate is behaving in a way that is irritating to most other dogs then it is in her best interest to learn through natural consequences what the result can be when you behave that way. Chima and Sal are more than happy to teach her those lessons. Some puppies aren't as confident and a quick curled lip is enough for them to get the message. Others like Tate will push boundaries so an adult dog who sets and maintains firm boundaries is great for them.

Chima, crated because during a short time out in the rec room she managed to break off one of her toenails. Poor girl. Not a typical time out for her. Usually she curls up on the couch and calms herself down. 

Sometimes Chima gets snarky when Tate isn't doing anything wrong and then she gets a time out away from the puppy to calm down and change her focus. Just a couple minutes which gives me time to change up the environment a bit so both Chima and Tate have a better chance at behaving the way I'd like them to behave. After all, it's my job to manage the environment so Chima and Tate are both getting what they need without the need of snarling and fights.

Tate Time

Little Tate has touched down like a 5 pound tornado whirling and leaping and leaving toys and irritated adult dogs in her wake.

Trying the leash for the first time and doing great

She's actually a very good little puppy for her age. She doesn't potty in her crate and because we are very vigilant on trips outside for potty time every 45 minutes there haven't been any accidents inside.

Obi is probably least thrilled with her, partly because he's too gentle to do much snarking at her and she likes to steal his toys. Frodo has the same issue. Chima and Sal have no such compunctions and Tate quickly learned that she needs to try to give them space.

Since it isn't fair to the adult dogs to have her mauling them all the time it's my job to run interference and keep her occupied and since she seems to have the attention span of a gnat it's a lot of work.

Attempting to get the adults off the couch to play with her

Pausing to come up with another strategy

Her crate has been set up to be as interesting as possible with squeaky toys and crinkly toys hanging from above and plenty of chew toys for a teething girl. It's important for her development to be out and about though so I'm careful not to overuse the crate. Short stints are enough to give the grown ups time to relax and also to give me time to get some things done without being on constant watch to make sure she doesn't have to potty and isn't bugging the other dogs.

Is she a handful? Absolutely. Young puppies are a full time job that comes with the weighty responsibility of setting them up with experiences that will allow them to grow into resilient, happy adults. She's been here less than 24 hours and we are already exhausted. But she is a nice little gal who I look forward to spending the next several weeks with.

Gerbil Ball?

I've always thought a large soft gerbil ball would be fun to try out with confident puppies. Well, Tate's temporary foster mom in CA found out that yes, they are fun for puppies.

She purchased a soft, pop up playpen for little Tate for her ride up to Washington. Since she hasn't had all her shots, she is called a "no paws on the ground" transportee or NPOTG. When drivers switch the dogs get a break to walk around on leash and potty but for puppies they have to stay off the ground. This way the transporters can open up this playpen, put in a potty pad and zip her in.

Well, is seems that they will also need to hold the playpen in place because Tate discovered that it is easy and fun to get around the house in her playpen. She turned it into a gerbil ball of sorts. I love seeing a confident active pup like this. Sure, she will keep me busy but at the same time, she is ripe for new experiences and I can't wait to give those to her.

Sucker

We typically foster just one dog at a time and currently our very well mannered, handsome house-trained foster boy is Obi. Apparently he's just too easy a foster dog for me though because my friend Lynn just talked me into taking in a puppy.

It's been awhile since we last had a young puppy and after awhile my common sense of avoiding fostering young puppies wears off. Puppies are a LOT of work. They need socialization outings, house training, extra vet visits for vaccinations... So apparently a puppy provides me with 6 to 12 months of puppy cuteness immunity and then my anti-puppy antibodies fade away.

The photo that did me in. Do you see those tummy spots?!

Lynn messaged me and sent this photo and said "this pup was just dumped at Big Potato Market. Do you want her? If we take her it will keep her out of the shelter." I was unable to resist her spotted belly and said yes I would take her.

While it doesn't seem like a puppy needs rescue because they are so adoptable, one of the reasons we take a puppy like this is to keep her from being exposed to the diseases that are often present in the shelter. THey do their best but when you have hundreds of stray animals together in one place it can be a dangerous place for animals with immature or suppressed immune systems.

Since she was found at the Big Potato Market we decided to go with a potato themed name. She will be named Tate.

Tate will be arriving next weekend and we will see how this pack of 7 to 14 year old dogs handle a 10-12 week old pup. I'm sure I'll be anti-puppy again in no time but in the mean time while I am not having to clean up the messes and keep her entertained I will bask in puppy love.