Pupdate – Week 10

10 weeks, 1 Day

Weight: 9.2 kilograms (~20lbs)

Today was Epic’s second day of Puppy Adventure Camp where she got to play with Cooper (Labrador Retriever) Darra (West Highland White Terrier) and the new puppy, Hudson (welsh Terrier).

Cooper and Darra were up for a wrestle but Hudson, who is about 4 days younger than Epic, was a bit more reserved.

Today’s off site adventure was a trip out to my friend and business rartner Renee’s. Her home is in the bush about 20 minutes away from Brandon and has two large fenced yards just full of things for puppies to see, do and explore!

Renee also has an older dog, Bella, who is great with puppies.

Epic also finally got to met Renee’s husband Tom for the first time. She thought he (and his treats) were very nice.

After puppy camp, we went to our very first vet appointment with Dr. Tracey Radcliffe at Brandon Animal Clinic. we got there early and Epic had a chance to meet all of the staff, and explore the clinic. Our vet appointment went well, epic is happy and healthy (no surprise there). She got her second vaccine and will be getting her third in about a month’s time.

10 weeks, 2 Days

Today, I packed Bear and Epic into the car and we headed to St. Norbert for a herding trial! While we waited for Bear’s turn to go into the ring, Epic hung out with whoever would give her attention.

Epic also spent some time watching sheep MOVE!

Trials really are the best places for puppies. They are full of people who work with an train their dogs and who know about how important it is for a puppy (especially one destined for working venues) to have a positive experience in the trial environment.

10 Weeks, 3 Days

Epic was very quiet at work today, no shrieking in her crate and only a little bit of whining before she settled down. Every time I went into the kitchen at work I gave her a cookie – hopefully making the connection for her between being quiet and getting cookies.

10 Weeks, 4 Days

Today,Since I had some time after work, I decided to take Epic out and see what kind of nose she had. Her Sire, Gable is a Champion tracker – maybe he passed on some of his sniffing genes to her.

I did two 3’x3’ scent pads for her, sprinkled them liberally with some food and went back across the road to retrieve her from the house.

She definitely has a nose, she scoured both scent pads….crawling on her stomach. I’ve never seen it but seeing as she was working independently, I let her go. I think I’ll try her again on the weekend in the morning when she may be less tired and less likely to crawl-track.

10 Weeks, 5 Days

One of the things I added to our training earlier this week is the FitPAWS donut. it’s a PVC exercise ball in the shape of…you guessed it, a donut! For now I have been luring her up onto the donut and she can get her front feet up on her own an keep it stable. More difficult are the back feet but she can usually get it once or twice a session before she tires.

I went to get a coffee after today’s mini session and when I returned, I found Epic making up her own FitPAWS exercise routines!