This countdown is getting crazy! Okay, actually I'm the one who's crazy. Today I got Kaline's flight information. He should be arriving at SFO at about 10:35 on Saturday morning. I'm not entirely sure just yet where I actually pick him up, but I seem to remember seeing someone pick up a puppy in an office by the baggage claim. I wonder how long it will take to reach a live human being at the airport who can give me the one answer I need ...
I went back to observe puppy class again this past Sunday, this time with Danny in tow. I'm hoping that if I can get Kaline into the class, Danny will be able to come to help with the recall and stuff. Kaline may end up falling into a sort of limbo between classes—might be too young for any but the last meeting of the current five-week session, and may be nearly too old for the next one. It's not the end of the world, as Freddie also has puppy classes going on. I just have my heart set on Amy's!
The puppies are ever so cute, as always. This time around, there's a yellow Lab (my fave, of course); a Golden Retriever; a poodle/Golden retriever mix; a gorgeous blue Great Dane with the most hilarious ears; a Wheaten terrier; and a delightful little Bernese Mountain Dog. Hopefully Kaline can get his second-round shots at 11 weeks and make it to the final meeting. We'll see what the vet says, just one week from today!
Did I mention that the local vets are Doberman people? There is a married couple now in charge at Peninsula Pet Hospital (originally, Angel's and Juno's vet was Dr. Cortesi, but he's mostly retired now) and they have a gorgeous young black and tan male named Anchor. Juno likes Dr. Ulla a lot, which is a big deal cause she is not generally a vet fan. The techs are all stoked to meet the puppy, of course.
Showing posts with label the Puppy Lady. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the Puppy Lady. Show all posts
18 June 2012
07 May 2012
Puppy class!
Sunday morning, I got to attend two puppy classes! I definitely want to take Kaline to these classes when I get him—I just hope there are enough other people with pups so that there is class.
The classes are run by Amy de Benedictis, the Puppy Lady, and they're awesome! The first one is called Play and Learn, where the puppies get to play with each other while the owners learn from Amy. Unlike a lot of “puppy socialization” classes, the puppies do not get to play non-stop and do whatever they want. Periodically, the owners have to go get their puppies, either through calling to them or actually walking up to them and putting a treat on their nose. They have to leave the play session, after which they are rewarded for doing so, along with doing a few more simple obedience commands. It's super for them: they learn that they do have to listen, even when they're playing, but that after coming back to their owners, they'll get to go play again too. They also work on familiarity with things like skateboards, obstacles like tunnels, and ramps.
The puppies are learning sit, down, a pretty excellent recall (SO cute to watch!) along with a handy “wait” command. Not nearly as formal as stay, it just means don't go forward. I use it a ton, especially when I'm out with four or five dogs and one of them randomly decides to poop in the middle of a sidewalk. So much easier to clean up quickly if your other four dogs aren't trying to yank you in all different directions!
The pups, unsurprisingly, are cute enough to make me completely incoherent. One is a beautiful dark brindle American Bulldog/pit bull/Lab mix—definitely my favorite! Then there's a real smart but somewhat nervous little shepherd mix, plus two incredibly floppy standard poodle littermates. During playtime, the pups always paired off, poodles together, mixes together. It was pretty funny.
The next class, for slightly older puppies, is Let's Go On Leash, where the pups learn things like heel and stay, in addition to their other commands. That class had two Labs (I love Labs!), a pug/beagle mix and a tiny shaggy brown-and-white mix.
I can't wait to get my little Kaline into these classes—I think they will be invaluable precursors to getting into the intense Saturday group class run by Freddie. The exposure not only to other dogs, but to random things like the tunnel, will be fantastic for him.
And speaking of Kaline, the litter is doing very well—they're two weeks old today, and their eyes are open!
The classes are run by Amy de Benedictis, the Puppy Lady, and they're awesome! The first one is called Play and Learn, where the puppies get to play with each other while the owners learn from Amy. Unlike a lot of “puppy socialization” classes, the puppies do not get to play non-stop and do whatever they want. Periodically, the owners have to go get their puppies, either through calling to them or actually walking up to them and putting a treat on their nose. They have to leave the play session, after which they are rewarded for doing so, along with doing a few more simple obedience commands. It's super for them: they learn that they do have to listen, even when they're playing, but that after coming back to their owners, they'll get to go play again too. They also work on familiarity with things like skateboards, obstacles like tunnels, and ramps.
The puppies are learning sit, down, a pretty excellent recall (SO cute to watch!) along with a handy “wait” command. Not nearly as formal as stay, it just means don't go forward. I use it a ton, especially when I'm out with four or five dogs and one of them randomly decides to poop in the middle of a sidewalk. So much easier to clean up quickly if your other four dogs aren't trying to yank you in all different directions!
The pups, unsurprisingly, are cute enough to make me completely incoherent. One is a beautiful dark brindle American Bulldog/pit bull/Lab mix—definitely my favorite! Then there's a real smart but somewhat nervous little shepherd mix, plus two incredibly floppy standard poodle littermates. During playtime, the pups always paired off, poodles together, mixes together. It was pretty funny.
The next class, for slightly older puppies, is Let's Go On Leash, where the pups learn things like heel and stay, in addition to their other commands. That class had two Labs (I love Labs!), a pug/beagle mix and a tiny shaggy brown-and-white mix.
I can't wait to get my little Kaline into these classes—I think they will be invaluable precursors to getting into the intense Saturday group class run by Freddie. The exposure not only to other dogs, but to random things like the tunnel, will be fantastic for him.
And speaking of Kaline, the litter is doing very well—they're two weeks old today, and their eyes are open!
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