
Week of
June 29, 2020
14 weeks old
Daisy continues foundation training of skills; sit, down, wait and heel through fun activities broken down into small steps.
I've introduced "Daisy, look at me" as a skill that will be required in most situations. The idea is to have her check-in with me, and using a treat, she responds quite well. Eye contact is always a positive thing with a puppy.
Last week, I introduced "heel" through a simple fun activity that instantly rewards Daisy for her desired behavior. She is picking this skill up without hesitation or realizing she is actually learning. It's just fun. This will be vital as she walks with her client so not to fall behind or advance ahead creating a off-balance situation.
I've recently been asked if training multiple skills compared to one skill at at time is detrimental to the overall development of the puppy. It depends.
At this age specific major skills are not being taught, only the foundational behaviors needed for the skills later on.
Once Daisy is old enough and has hundreds of foundational experiences, I'll start teaching specific skills related to her client and focus on one for several days in a row.
Daisy is growing! It's been only three weeks but Daisy has outgrown her puppy kennel. I set up a large kennel in the same bedroom location. This also means in the car the small kennel is gone and Daisy will use a harness and seat-belt clip.

Week of
June 29, 2020
This week we continued our positive statements with the word "Yes", followed by Daisy's name.
Daisy has the doorbell skill down about 95%. This week Daisy is not testing me as much by ringing the doorbell just to see if she gets a treat. Consistency and patience can be challenging. Ignore the undesired behavior and reward appropriate. What I have changed is my expectation that Daisy only needs to go outside to do her business, when in fact, she is telling me she wants to go hang out with me in the sunshine.
Here is a training secret; dog training is just as much about training the human as training the animal.
Last week Daisy sat on the skateboard and took it for a 6" ride. This week I rode the skateboard down the sidewalk where she followed me without barking or biting. In Morro Bay this is a vital skill as everyplace we go she will encounter skateboarders. This distraction will serve her well with a number of wheeled distractions she will experience. The idea is expose her to as many of these environmental challenges as possible so nothing is a surprise when she is out working.
For the first time, Daisy saw the ocean up close. Because she is still in the midst of her shot series, Daisy sat on my lap but was very interested in the water, sand and people.
Overall, Daisy is right on if not ahead of schedule in her development.

Read
Daisy's Thoughts
Daisy's Digs
A Puppies' Point of View
By Daisy D.
Sometimes I think I live in a "Fun House" where things change in a strange way.
First I realized that the big pillow in the tall human's space was getting smaller! I used to be able to stretch out and have plenty of room all around. This week I stretched out and I said, "Wait, the pillow is getting smaller" because I was closer to the side. This was my first clue this is a "Fun House" that's a bit scary.
But then...
What happened one night really concerned me! Normally after dinner, water and "Run, run" down the side of the house, I go out to do my business. After that the big tall man human or the pretty human put me to bed. But this night the man human put me in bed and "BARK, I'm smaller!" I went to sleep wondering how small I'll get during the dark. Am I shrinking? Fun House? Not so fun sometimes!
There were some good things that happened this week! You know each time I'm thirsty I go and sit in the kitchen by the sink because that's the drinking place. One day the man human gave me a drink when we were in his man space! I didn't see a sink there! But there was water! Sometimes this is a good fun house!
Daisy