# Freddy's Puppy Journal



## fjm

After going round and round on name ideas I have come back to where I started, so little yet-to-be-named papillon puppy is Freddy. He came home at noon today and I am astonished! I have yet to get really good photos but I think these show how relaxed all the animals are together:

















He was plonked into my lap immediately after being microchipped, and feeling a tad disgruntled as a result. I had taken chicken and had Poppy one side of me, Sophy the other, puppy on my lap, and fed them scraps of chicken in turn. It took him about a minute to catch onto the game, after which he joined in enthusiastically. He cried for a few minutes in the car as we left but I remembered hearing BBC Radio 4 (talk and current affairs) playing in the background when I visited on Wednesday so tuned the car radio to that and he went straight to sleep. When we got home he sniffed and explored, bumped noses with Tilly-cat, played with my niece, fell asleep, woke up and did a puddle before I caught the signs, and was pretty nigh on instantly at home. He has explored inside and out, wants to play with the Aunts but accepts when they say no, is fascinated by Tilly's tail but after one soft pawed swipe has accepted that it is best left alone, and all in all is an amazingly easy puppy - so far!

He just needs to learn that Sophy hates sharing her bed...


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## Liz

Hello, dear Freddy! If having a boy in the house means more scrummy chicken, the girls will be eager Aunties.


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## PeggyTheParti

Welcome, Freddy! We love you already.


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## fjm

And he seems to really like all the cute puppy toys the other two ignored, but that I couldn't bring myself to give away, like the dinosaur Cuz. I popped a couple of chewable toys into the dishwasher this morning to clean them up, and he is now happily chewing the dinosaur on my lap. I can see the iKEA mouse is once again going to be favourite, though - he fell asleep earlier with one of its paws in his mouth.

Yes, chicken makes most things better, I have found - even puppy intruders! Especially one happy to entertain himself with toys.


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## 94Magna_Tom

Welcome Freddy! Play nice!


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## curlflooffan

Oh my goodness so precious! Its a shame we can't jump on the eurostar for a playdate!


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## Mufar42

Congratulations! Puppytime is such fun!


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## twyla

Welcome home Freddy


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## cowpony

How sweet. I'm glad he's settling in so well.


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## Basil_the_Spoo

Yay!!


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## Skylar

So sweet, welcome Freddy.


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## PeggyTheParti

Excited to hear how the first night goes.


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## Mfmst

Welcome Freddy! The resident bitches will show him the boundaries, and males are “in love” with their family from the jump. Excited and happy that you have him!


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## Dogs4Life

He is just too cute


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## Asta's Mom

Welcome Freddy - what a sweetheart.


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## Rose n Poos

Oh so welcome, Freddy!! 
(if you could get them all to stand nose to tail, how long do you think they'd be?) Such dear little ones💝


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## fjm

First night went well. I started as I mean to go on and took him to bed with me, where he snuggled under the covers with Poppy. When he got wiggly i took him to the bathroom puppy mat - one false alarm, one pee on the mat, one poo not quite on the mat. Once he was comfortable we slept well - he ended up beside my pillow when he got too hot under the duvet. I have rolled up quilts and pillows piled up all round the bed just in case, but I wake up as soon as he begins to move around after so many years of sharing my bed with dogs.

He had the typical puppy mad half hour just as we were winding down for bed last night, which upset Sophy who was already feeling rather tired and stressed. He was not teasing her, but just watching him was too much for her. After a burst of active play when he was getting just a bit grabby and bitey I popped him in his pen for a few minutes to calm down, which he did very quickly. But Sophy has now decided on a policy of social distancing - she will let him share my lap if he is sleeping, but if he looks like getting at all rambunctious he must stay at least 1 metre from her. And he is listening to her, and keeping away. Tilly-cat's tail is still absolutely fascinating, weaving and waving just in front of his nose, but after a very firm "Tcha!" from Tilly when he made a grab for it he is beginning to think twice about that, too. Poppy is just sleeping through it all!

I suspect things may become more fraught as he finds his feet, but as he is already so confident and so quick to absorb the rules I think it will be manageable. Wanting to chew the edge of my MacBook while on my lap was solved by giving him a small, hard plastic brush instead - I might regret that when he considers all brushes chew toys, but it the only suitably sized hard plastic object I had in reach! He is learning to come to his name + pup-pup, the hand gesture for "Let me pick you up" and is even beginning to ask to be lifted. He already has the basics of bite inhibition, although can get nippy when tired, and unlike Sophy and Poppy is quickly learning to enjoy playing with toys by himself. Sophy had a younger and more flexible me to play with, Poppy me plus Sophy, and while Sophy will occasionally enjoy a game with a soft toy Poppy has never had any interest in any of them.

So less than 24 hours, still all learning about each other, but going better than expected so far!


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## Mufar42

It sounds like it is all going well, sometimes we get lucky with pups. And Jett is still being good but the puppiness does shine thru here and there.


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## fjm

The pen is a godsend - he settles there quickly and easily, chews on a toy in bed for a bit, then goes to sleep on the puppy pad. We've had a wander round outside (dashing between very heavy showers), he has met bouncy little Amber the Yorkshire terrier and the two little girls who have just moved in, who were very quiet and gentle with carefully coached by their father, and learned how to climb in over the threshold so he doesn't need to be lifted. About 20 minutes altogether and that was enough for him to need another nap. Sophy thinks the pen is brilliant - she can relax without having to watch to make sure he doesn't creep up on her. I have ordered a lightweight pop up one for when we travel.


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## fjm

He has also discovered that the gravel and grass outside are good to pee on (hurrah!), that if you push your luck with cats you get your ears boxed, that waiting his turn politely means he too gets treats, and the astonishing power of Sitting to get humans to do what you want. It has been a very busy first day, and he is once more fast asleep.

Jett sounds lovely - I am glad he is confident enough of you to be just a bit silly and brattish sometimes!


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## Tulsi

What a lovely start to his time with you.


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## Mfmst

I will be following Freddy obsessively. I know it’s early days, but he seems to be a quick study. None of the senior aunties seem shy about handing out the lessons.


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## cowpony

fjm said:


> the astonishing power of Sitting to get humans to do what you want


It was amazing to watch Galen figure that out. He was so very imperious as he plopped into a sit and expectantly waited for his treat.


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## PeggyTheParti

Good job, Freddy & family!

Those are the most marvelous days, when 20 minutes of activity result in a deep slumber.


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## fjm

Yes, I think that has been the big difference between Freddy and previous pups. After reading all the puppy threads on PF I now recognise when OTT behaviour is a sign of an exhausted, over-excited puppy, rather than one in need of yet more play and stimulation. A few minutes of vigorous interactive play, a few brief sessions of brain games (taking turns for treats figures largely, as it encourages the Aunts to see him as one of the pack), 10 minutes solo play with toys and he is ready to take himself back to his bed in the pen for a sleep. 

I hope this stage lasts until Sophy is more relaxed with him. There was a very sweet moment yesterday when Sophy, unexpectedly meeting for the first time the Labrador that has just moved in across the courtyard, let out a couple of sharp warning barks. Freddy dashed for home but took a wrong turning and ended up in my neighbours' porch, a few feet away from mine. He came when I called, and Sophy was quick to check he was OK, and kindly touch noses. He is learning from her already - following her out to pee and, even more importantly, following her back in.

Today we work on recall and picking up. First disagreement last night when Sophy wanted to go out and for me to go with her because it was dark, and I did not want the pup out running loose in the dark. Trying to rush things led to an extended game of keep away, and a puppy literally flying out of the partly open door. At that point I did what I should have done in the first place, became fun and silly, and persuaded him into the house and then the pen with a toy, but I think Sophy missed out on the poo she needed and is a bit constipated as a result. Pumpkin and chicken should take care of that.

Poppy is asleep beside me on my chair, Sophy is asleep in her bed at my feet, Tilly asleep on the sofa, Freddy asleep on the puppy pad in his pen, which he seems to prefer to the bed for actual sleeping. Sophy graciously deigned to let him have the bed next to her after he startled himself knocking something over earlier, but he took himself off to the pen when he wanted to sleep. What a good puppy!


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## Streetcar

Fjm, hugest welcome to your stellar wee Afterglow Papillon Freddy 😍😍🥰🥰🥰!!! I am starstruck over him due to his breeder, and agog at your graceful management of the process. I could never be so sophisticatedly low-key after meeting those two!

I'm over the moon for you and honestly for all of us. Paps were the way I was headed after several years of research, when I came face to face with knowing a daily or even frequent 3 to 5 mile walk was outside my abilities, and that the Toy Poodle was so deep inside me since childhood I needed to go that direction. Oliver is a complete blessing, every single day. I do still love the Papillons of course, just am home with the Poodle. Thank you for filling a wish by proxy 😍😊.

Freddy is utterly lovely and precious, and such a smart little boy. I know he will have the best life ever with you. Thank you for sharing him here 💖!


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## fjm

Freddy had another burst of silliness last night, pushed Poppy too far and got an air snap, which he deserved. He sat back, went very quiet, then crept onto my lap where I was sitting on the floor with them wanting to be cuddled better. Another lesson learned. He then slept curled up with Poppy by my pillow from 9.30pm to 6.15am, so all is well between them. By 6.15 we were both a bit desperate though, and he used the bathroom pad immediately I got him there - good puppy!

I was a little concerned that he didn't seem to be pooing much. I needn't have been - he had found the darkish corner with darkish wood floor that is just out of my line of sight. There is now a pad there, and I need to up my game on recognising the signals and getting him out or onto a pad. 

I slipped a little cat harness onto him when he was asleep on my lap yesterday - he finds it a bit tickly and chewed on the bits he could reach, but is quickly getting used to it. It means I can put a very light lead on to trail when we are out in daylight or to hang onto in the dark - he is very keen on exploring and it is too easy to lose sight of a tiny pup. We are making some progress with picking up, he sits very beautifully for treat sharing games, and very often appears when called. Sophy is a little stressed but coming round reasonably quickly, and Poppy seems oblivious as long as the treats keep coming and the puppy is not too pushy.

This is the first time I have raised a puppy with adult dogs and the difference is fascinating. Sophy is 7 months older than Poppy, and Poppy always followed her lead, but they were still puppies playing together and having fun when Poppy first came home. Sophy is much more serious about things now. If we are outside and she gives a warning bark Freddy runs for the safety of home as fast as his little legs will carry him - that bark has a meaning and he knows exactly what to do. He follows her watching everything she does outside, sampling the same grass, sniffing the same smells, greeting the same dogs and people. I knew she would be a help educating a pup, but it is happening even sooner and faster than I had hoped. Even taught things, like sitting and taking turns for treats, seem to be easier with two adults modelling the behaviour.

This is becoming a puppy journal - hope you don't mind! It is always useful to be able to check back on things.


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## Rose n Poos

Please do keep this up. These little moments come and go so quickly. Save them, as many as you can.


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## fjm

Day Four, and there are moments when I wonder if Freddy is a Real Puppy at all, he is so good, and then he turns into a wild little gremlin and I know he is! I am learning to know him, and he is learning to know us. He needs to chew for several minutes before falling asleep, and in bed that means he chews the nearest object, usually me. Trying to prevent him turns him from sleepy darling to overtired monster, so I have to remember to take suitable chewies to bed with us, ideally things that are not too uncomfortable when they roll down under the bed clothes. I may try attaching a teething ring or similar to the top of the bed so it doesn't get lost.

He is extremely good about using a pad as long as it smells right - when they begin to get a bit pongy to my nostrils I dab the new one on the old one to transfer just enough smell to remind him. He is eating his raw lamb voraciously, but is a bit ho-hum about the kibble - he was free fed at the breeder's but that is not going to work with Poppy and Sophy on stand-by to empty the bowl. I think the answer may be to turn some of the kibble into big chewy biscuits that will both fill his tummy and satisfy his need for self-soothing chewing.

He is discovering that the tiny Kong Air ball is just right for chasing and throwing and carrying around by nipping the side, and that if he brings it to me and puts it in my hand I can make it bounce very satisfactorily. I found a Kong tug toy in the bottom of the toy box that is nearly as much fun as trying to pull my socks off (I do _not_ appreciate the sudden nip of those puppy teeth on my toes!). Mad time is just before bed, with zoomies, nipping, jumping and all the usual puppy shenanigans. I indulge about 5 minutes if it is not too extreme, then it is into the pen to calm down before going upstairs to bed. Interestingly Sophy was thinking about joining in last night - I don't think it will be many weeks before she begins to play as long as it is on her own terms.

We are making some progress with the pick up hand signal, but after playing keep-away for nearly 20 minutes in the rain yesterday he is on a leash if I am heading for the car. He is happy to come back into the house as there is always a scrummy treat each for that, but the car is boring, even with treats.

Today is introductory visit to the vets, and a visit from a nice youngster - one of the local children I have watched grow up since I first taught her to sit down to greet puppy Sophy and Poppy when she was just a tot herself, over 12 years ago. With a couple of carry walks that should be more than enough excitement for one day.


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## PeggyTheParti

fjm said:


> This is becoming a puppy journal - hope you don't mind! It is always useful to be able to check back on things.


I LOVE IT.


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## fjm

LOL

Now back from the vet, where the doors are once more open. They have set up a separate waiting room for cats which reduces the number of people waiting in one space and is better for the cats, too, but it feels weird to be going in again. I have swung round into the rear carpark so often in the last 18+ months I did it automatically and only just saw the closed gate in time to stop! Very nice to be with Freddy for his first examination, which he passed with flying colours - everything perfect, and a good weight (2.05kilos/4.5lbs). We discussed vaccines - he has had two sets, but a little closer together than is usually recommended. Vet was not too concerned, emphasising that socialisation is now the most important thing, but said perhaps we should consider a third parvo jab in a month or so just to be sure. There have been parvo cases in some of the local towns, and it would be wise to avoid visiting those for the time being, but the risk is very, very small where I usually walk.

After that we went to the river at Kirkby Lonsdale for Freddy's First Real Walk. He did very well - there were people and dogs of all different shapes and sizes enjoying the sunshine after days of rain, and quite a lot of them stopped to say hello. As ever when walking (or rather noodling and standing around) with a new puppy, especially a tiny one, it took forever to go no distance at all - about 45 minutes to do half a mile, after which I carried a very sleepy puppy back to the car. Once home he woke up just long enough to eat something and is now fast asleep in his bed. I think this afternoon I may leave him in the car while I walk the dogs - he has had more than enough for one day.


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## fjm

Day Five
And we actually managed to sort of sleep until 7am, much to Sophy's relief. She is usually the first to waken, and did not like yesterday's 5.30am start. Freddy is being a star about using the pad in the bathroom - one trip when he wouldn't settle at bedtime, a second when I woke in the early hours, and a third around 5am when he got a little restless, then back to sleep after a few minutes chewing each time. 

He did a poo on the puppy pad in his pen last night, and this morning I suddenly realised I couldn't see him, craned to look, and he was carefully centred on the pad at the far end of the room doing one there. OK, he wandered off a bit towards the end, but such an amazingly good puppy to work it out by himself! He is now 11 weeks, and seems to have just enough time from first feeling the urge to get himself to the right place, as long as it is only a few yards. We don't even need the full on chicken and sausage poo party - he just got it the second time I suggested the pad was the best place! I am sure more reinforcement will be needed as he gets older and more absorbed in play, but for now I am just hugely grateful. 

Half an hour of breakfast, trips outside, play and cuddles and he was beginning to tease Sophy so is now settled in his pen, fast asleep after a good chew on the IKEA mouse. It seems all our favourite puppy toys have been discontinued - IKEA rats and mice, dino cuz, and the rest. I actually saw the mice I originally bought 3 for £1 listed on eBay at £12 each! I did always rather worry about how little the people stitching them were paid for making such complicated toys that sold for such very low prices - I hope the simpler toys and higher prices mean IKEA have improved the ethics of their supply chains rather than just their profit margins...


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## PeggyTheParti

fjm said:


> I hope the simpler toys and higher prices mean IKEA have improved the ethics of their supply chains rather than just their profit margins...


I hope so, too. The IKEA rat was a Gracie favourite and I still have a couple hidden around the house. Freddy has excellent taste!

I am quite enjoying following along on your adventures with him.


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## fjm

Poor Freddy was horribly sick in the car, and is still feeling a little sorry for himself. I had a physio appointment and took all the dogs with me so that they could have a safe snooze in the car, foolishly giving them an early lunch first. I drove the 8 miles there and back extremely carefully but it is a winding road and was too much for Freddy. All the crate blankets are now in the washing machine and Freddy is snuggling on my lap. Lesson learned - do not feed puppies just before getting in the car.

Poor little sausage is definitely not his usual bouncy self...

ETA: A lovely game of follow Sophy round the garden combined with chasing the wind blown leaves cheered him up enormously, and a foray into the Lost Land Beneath the Sofa has unearthed Black Rat, Fat Rat (as opposed to Sophy's favourite Flat Rat, who lost his stuffing long ago), two more mice and a tiny rope hippo I had forgotten about, as well as several long lost treats that Poppy devoured. The squirrels are all back in their log and the bees in their hive. I don't think we are exactly short of toys!


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## fjm

Day Six
This morning Freddy had his first proper, "off leash" walk by the river. I joined two leads together until I can make a light enough long line and let him drag them behind him most of the time. He sniffed and ran and followed the Aunts and ran off to play with a Springer spaniel and ran back again when called and got left behind and practiced recalls for treats and sniffed and dug holes and by the time we got home was barely able to stay awake long enough to eat his lunch before falling fast asleep in his pen. An hour later he is still fast asleep, his nose very sweetly pressed into an IKEA mouse.

Last night we had a blip when Sophy spotted the new family who have just moved in across the courtyard - the three year old was having a melt down at the end of a long and tiring day, and Sophy, who is also rather on edge, started full on intruder alert barking. Freddy got extremely worried, and despite having already met them very nicely a few days ago stayed well back, puppy barking vociferously. Fortunately both the children and their mother are dog savvy and we just sat outside giving him time to get over it - once he was OK with coming within a few feet and the children had had a nice time petting Sophy and Poppy and Tilly, I decided to stop while we were ahead and everyone went home for tea. I will suggest a puppy meeting session outside tomorrow if it is warm enough, I think - I can put a rug down for the children to sit on and let Freddy come to them.


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## fjm

Another lovely walk this afternoon in warm, sunny weather - two days ago I dug out the thermal layers it was so cold and today I was stripping them off again and searching for a t-shirt.

Freddy slept for hours after his morning walk, with just a brief wakening to go out and to play, then straight back to sleep. When we got back from the afternoon walk we met one of the little girls he was so afraid of yesterday and she squatted down and he thought she was lovely, and let her pet him for ages - with me reminding him it was tea time and her father reminding her that they were on their way to a swimming lesson! Freddy ate his tea, ate some more tea, and is now once more sprawled in his bed in his pen fast asleep. 

Poppy and Sophy are coming round to the idea that a well behaved puppy might be quite a good thing to have around, as it means even more games for treats. I am still trying to keep up with 4 different diets, 3 or 4 different lots of food to defrost in time for the next meal, 3 or 4 lots of medicines for Poppy at various points during the day, and fitting essentials like walks for Poppy and Sophy round Freddy's need to sleep. But given my fears for how stressed the older animals might get it is all going remarkably well so far.


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## Asta's Mom

I love this thread and following Freddy. You keep a great journal.


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## twyla

fjm your days sound l Iike mine, many diets many meds, keeping everyone happy and engaged, it's a dance, you will settle into it as a routine. I am happy for you,


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## fjm

You are right Twyla - it just takes a little time for the routines to shake together. Little things make a lot of difference, like feeding Freddy first so that he is happily chewing in his pen and not trying to steal from Sophy and Poppy, getting the defrosting of his food onto the same daily schedule as the others instead of one meal at a time, and not waking Sophy up until she says she is ready, etc. Their routine is very important, as you know - the first few days were made more difficult by constant rain, but the weather has improved and we are getting reasonably long walks, which always help. I am sitting with my first coffee of the day, all three dogs fast asleep, MacBook open browsing the headlines and slowly catching up with the day as usual. My routine matters too!


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## fjm

1 week

A whole week already! Slightly soft poo this morning, which I am putting down to Freddy discovering the joys of dry cow pancakes down by the river yesterday - I will be carrying him past that bit for a while until he understands Leave it! A lovely, damp, rather muddy walk meant a happy, damp, rather muddy puppy, who ate his lunchtime biscuits and is now fast asleep while I catch up with other stuff - notably puppy proofing the few feet of bannister rail on the landing. This morning he bounced around so hard he banged his head on the skirting board in my bedroom, and he cried so pitifully that Poppy and Sophy both came running to see what was the matter. A cuddle and a rub soon made the bump better, but there was room for him to fall between the rails if he bounced out there, and it needed sorting. Tape and several layers of cardboard and it's done.

This afternoon I plan a different walk, and games of collar (or rather harness) touch. He is getting to be good about sitting to have a leash put on, as that means we are going outside, but less good about being picked up to be carried up and down stairs. Keep away is such a fun game, until you bump your nose...


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## fjm

The thing I am finding most astonishing about Freddy - even more than his self taught puppy pad habit, sleeping through the night apart from when I wake up and take him to the bathroom pad, politeness to the older dogs and cat, and all the rest of it, is the way he settles in seconds when put to bed in his pen. Previous attempts at confining puppies without long and careful preparation resulted in a scrabbling, crying, thoroughly upset baby who never wanted to see a crate or pen again. Freddy chews a toy, or plays with it in his paws for a few minutes, and is then fast asleep. When he wakes up he sits politely by the gate to be let out, after visiting the puppy pad. You know the mythical Perfect Puppy in the Puppy Reality thread? I think he may exist after all!

It was wet this afternoon so after a game with the little girl next door and another brief foray out later we have been playing harness grab for chicken and a wonderfully silly game of everybody Follow My Leader, which the older dogs enjoyed as much as Freddy, following me all around the downstairs of the house, in and out of furniture, stopping for treats along the way. I knew a puppy would help us to get silly and giggly again - Sophy was positively playful this evening.


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## For Want of Poodle

My warning about having the Perfect Puppy© is that they sometimes turn into devilish adolescents... Looking at a certain (finally adult!) standard poodle currently lounging at my feet...


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## 94Magna_Tom

fjm said:


> I knew a puppy would help us to get silly and giggly again - Sophy was positively playful this evening.


With only 12-18 dogs and this "silly and giggly" feeling can be perpetual!


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## Starla

What a joy he sounds like. Diego was the Perfect Puppy. They’re rare, but I believe in them. He was always a pretty easy guy.


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## fjm

Yes, I am planning for his adolescence already. FWoP - he is a bold pup, and I can just imagine him getting to be downright swashbuckling as a young adult! I think 12 dogs and the responsibility would be too overwhelming to ever find time to giggle Tom - 3 take all my time.


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## Mfmst

He was bred to be swashbuckling, if Sophy’s stories are an indication of the breed. She landed in water on one of your jaunts and learned to swim. You also shared that Sophy was a consummate guide when you were once were lost. Bless him. Learn the rules of the house from the Aunties and scrummy treats from fjm. You’re a good boy in the making.😍


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## fjm

Day 9

Last night Freddy announced he wanted to sleep with the Big Dogs, so after the usual few minutes digging, nibbling and chewing he moved down the bed and settled between them - and Sophy for once did not object. I checked he was safely in the middle of the bed and left him there, till he woke up for a pee in the early hours and then a couple more in the course of the night. He was happy to snuggle after bathroom trips as the room was getting chilly. I am so glad I decided to focus on pad training at night, remembering the rigmarole of dressing gown, shoes, stairs, torch, lead, all without putting the puppy down lest she pee, and then it taking forever to get back to sleep as we were both wide awake by the time we got back to bed. No need for a dressing gown or shoes in the house, the bathroom is just a few steps away, and we are back in bed in minutes and fast asleep again soon after. We have settled on the IKEA chicken toy for bedtime - lots of interesting flappy bits and feet to chew, soft enough for a pillow, big enough that I can find it by feel in the dark and bright coloured enough it doesn't get lost if I ever succeed in making the bed.

We are progressing with the Pick Up cue and coming when called. He has very quickly learned that we stop for a treat at each gate or stile and sits very expectantly, staring up at me. He is not eating anything like as much as the packet or the calorie guides suggest, but he is growing like a weed, very bright and bouncy, and getting as much as he wants. Sophy has been rather hormonal the last few days - she is coming up 9 weeks post fertile date, and feeling a bit yuck from a pseudopregnancy. Checking back the symptoms are very typical for her - clingy, sleepy, not very hungry, didn't want to get out of bed this morning - so I am not too concerned, but she needs to be well clear of it before I book her in for spaying. I opened a tin of RC Sensitivity Control for her this morning, which she enjoyed, and am taking care not to let Freddy tease her. Poppy is rather enjoying having him around - all those extra games for treats!

Today I am planning to take Freddy on a trip to the big city - or rather to our little local market town, which is a more manageable size to walk through on a socialisation trip. I know several of the shop owners there, and there is a good off leash walk to give them all a run. I have not been there for over a year - I stopped visiting shops in the first lockdown and never really started again - so it will be an adventure for all of us.


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## Rose n Poos

Sounds like a lovely day


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## fjm

It has certainly been a busy one! We got out rather closer to our usual time and wandered along beside the river, meeting people and dogs. That tired Freddy enough for him to sleep while I made a series of phone calls sorting out all the various appointments and stuff that have rather piled up over the last week. Then we went to the vet to pick up Poppy's medicines and for a sociable visit with the reception staff and a weigh in - he is a hefty 2.1 kilos/4.6lbs. 

I got an easy parking spot in town (no fiddly parallel parking for me!), and carried him round the town and into one or two shops before letting him walk on a long leash around the church yard. The footpath I had planned on using was closed following a land slip, so I ended up with all three dogs on leash - Sophy and Poppy managed to fit themselves around Freddy's stop start zig zag progress a lot better than I did! We met nice dogs and nice people, including an elderly lady in a wheelchair, and he did very well. When we got home I popped him in his pen with a bowl of biscuits which he ignored, and one of the new toys which arrived this morning - a Kong puppy bone with rope. He managed 15 seconds play before falling asleep, and I think it is going to prove a favourite. It's pink, as I refuse to get into the whole blue for boys thing!


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## fjm

Day 10
Last night Freddy settled rather more easily and slept from 9.30pm to 5am, did a pee on the pad in the bathroom, then slept again till 6.45am. That meant over 7 hours solid sleep for me, plus a good hour of snoozing.

We had a bit of an all round stress test this morning. I took the dogs down by the river and just as we got far enough from the gate for Freddy to go down saw a dog and owner we know coming towards us, The dog, Rambo, is a JR mix well known for his poor canine manners, but he and Freddy met without problem the other day so his owner didn't put his leash on. Today he immediately bore down on Freddy to the point poor Fred got worried and decided to run - which would not have mattered had Freddy not whiled away the boring minutes in the car chewing most of the way through his harness, leaving me with an empty 10' lead and a puppy hightailing it towards the gate into the car park! Rambo was quickly called back and leashed, Freddy remembered I mean safety and treats and came running back, and a quick cuddle and a biscuit made everything right again. But that is one reason I carry him the first 100 yards or more - if something does happen there is time and space to do something.

After that I spent much of the afternoon concocting a rather more robust harness. And of course what could go wrong did go wrong, right down to the recently serviced sewing machine throwing a completely new and insuperable mechanical fault. I dug out my ancient Husqvarna Viking, which must be around 50 years old and is still going strong (fingers crossed), and finally got something which should see us through the next couple of weeks, by which time I may have worked out a more adjustable version.

Oooff - tiring day!


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## cowpony

Love those sturdy old sewing machines with metal innards! I wish I'd grabbed my mother's sewing machine from the 1950's. Mine isn't quite as old as yours; it's a Bernina from the 1980's.


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## PeggyTheParti

I’m so glad Rambo’s owner was able to call him back from poor terrified Freddy! I was horrified, imagining the chase that was about to ensue. Phew. Freddy’s sure adding some excitement to your days, I bet.


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## fjm

Freddy was more mildly worried than terrified, but Rambo has no canine etiquette skills, as Sophy has told him several times a week for the past 10 years - and he still pushes his luck with her! But his owner is used to having to leash him to stop him pestering other dogs, so there won't be a problem.

Freddy fought tooth and nail against the new harness until I gave him a lovely big homemade biscuit to gnaw. Then he stopped noticing what I was doing and it looks a lot comfier than the old one with no dangly bits to encourage chewing - I hope!


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## Rose n Poos

In spite of the heartsinking moments for you, this was a good outcome.


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## reraven123

fjm said:


> I dug out my ancient Husqvarna Viking, which must be around 50 years old and is still going strong


I have one of those! Mine is older than yours, my Mom used to make some of my clothes on it. Also still going strong!


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## fjm

Day 12

Frddy is coming on in leaps and bounds - literally, at times. He has learned to sit when I ask to pick him up, and waits politely to have his lead put on. He comes when he is called most of the time (scrummies happen for good dogs!), has very good bite inhibition for such a baby, and snoozes happily in his pen for hours. Poppy and Sophy are finding him quite acceptable - he doesn't tease them and tells them that they are _wonderful_, and that is very appealing! He does bite and chew at times, of course, and plays keep away, and steals socks, and gets beyond himself, but he really is an amazingly good puppy!


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## PeggyTheParti

You all deserved to win this puppy lottery!


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## reraven123

Adolescence to come.......I'm sure you'll sail right through it!


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## fjm

Day 13
Lovely sunny day here, and we had a good walk by the river this morning. Freddy is still a bit monsterish at bedtime, but it is now for 5 minutes rather than 15, and more licking than nibbling, so improving. He is very soft mouthed for a puppy - those extra weeks with mum and siblings really help. He is sleeping well with one or two bathroom trips, but they are usually before 10pm or after 5am, so not too onerous. After our walk this morning he went to bed in his pen with an early lunch and settled for nearly two hours while I got on with household stuff. Then he had a foray outside, a quick game of tug, a chew on his puppy kong and is now snuggled down beside me in my chair while I take a breather. 

He has learned:
Sit for treats - no cue yet, just the promise of a treat
Come back into the house
followed by
Take turns for treats
"Freddy come!" as long as I am more exciting than anything else
Coming and sitting to be picked up, or trotting off to sit on a dog bed if we are in the hall where the floor is a bit cold
Follow me! if I bounce and sing silly songs and produce treats every few yards
and is rapidly teaching himself to retrieve, a game neither Sophy nor Poppy ever liked but he does. 

I think our lazy, laid back life helps - there is no FOMO because I am either sitting where he can see me or in and out of the room, and the other dogs are usually lazing within sight too. When he wakes up I let him out of the pen - it is closed as much to stop the others eating his food as to keep him safely contained. He is never left to cry and doesn't cry to get out, just waits patiently for the minute or two it takes me to notice he is awake. He seems to be getting the right balance of sleep, exercise, play and brain growing to keep him very happy - I am not doing any formal training, but concentrating on happy socialising and good manners. But most of all I think he is easy because he had a really good, happy, secure start in life with his breeder - his dam is a champion at being a good mother as well as in the conformation ring.


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## fjm

Day 14

Has it really been nearly two whole weeks?

Last night Freddy settled very quickly - just a few minutes of silliness then he took himself off to the Big Dogs' end of the bed and went straight to sleep. I woke a couple of times needing the bathroom and took him with me, where he sleepily used the pad, came to me for a quick wipe and dry, and was then carried back to bed where he went straight back to sleep. He has gone from playing keep away when it is time to be carried downstairs to flinging himself into my hands - I have to be quick to catch him! Time to start reinforcing the sit to be lifted, methinks. He very politely prefers the pad at the far end of the sitting room, taking himself off there to pee as well as poo. Apart from a word of praise if I see him there I have done nothing to deserve this, so can't offer any advice on how to achieve it.

Yesterday we did a sort-of-leash walk, along a shared use path where there were people, dogs, bicycles and even someone roller skiing (a nuisance as the chap needs the full width of the path and dislikes having to slow down). I had Freddy on a 10' leash, and it took a very long time to do a mile, even carrying him much of the way. On our morning walk across the fields he mostly trails the leash so that he can really run and I can keep moving even if it is at a very leisurely pace, but keeping hold of the leash means an awful lot of stopping and starting for sniffing and pouncing on leaves and changing hands and letting a loop out or shortening it again and disentangling him from dogs and people, and all in all reminded me why I gat my dogs safe to walk off leash as soon as possible! But he did very well, and was ready to sleep for hours when we got home.

Freddy has discovered that Gus, who lives across the courtyard, is really nice and may be someone to play with. He now checks for him every time we are outside, giving peremptory little barks outside his gate. Gus's owners work long hours during the week and were away last weekend, but we will organise some playdates soon. Puppy class in two weeks - I plan on working on recall and short bursts of loose leash walking before then. I just need to find a suitable target stick that I can use to give him a dab of something delicious while still moving - sitting for treats is a Good Thing, but interrupts the flow when walking, so I need a very different method to distinguish the activities. And to save quite so much bending down!


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## PeggyTheParti

fjm said:


> Has it really been nearly two whole weeks?


I can’t believe it! How time flies when you’ve got a baby butterfly to tend to.


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## Mufar42

Well it sounds like Freddy has settled in nicely and isn't it a welcome change to have a puppy that is easy. Everyone deserves a nice good puppy at least once in their lifetime.


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## twyla

Time flies by so quickly, it's good to have new life in the house. Seems like you have chosen a good little companion for you and the girls.


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## Streetcar

Freddy is just the perfect puppy for you and his big sisters. I'm so happy you got him. Happy for you all, and US, too 😍!


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## BennieJets

fjm said:


> It has certainly been a busy one! We got out rather closer to our usual time and wandered along beside the river, meeting people and dogs. That tired Freddy enough for him to sleep while I made a series of phone calls sorting out all the various appointments and stuff that have rather piled up over the last week. Then we went to the vet to pick up Poppy's medicines and for a sociable visit with the reception staff and a weigh in - he is a hefty 2.1 kilos/4.6lbs.
> 
> I got an easy parking spot in town (no fiddly parallel parking for me!), and carried him round the town and into one or two shops before letting him walk on a long leash around the church yard. The footpath I had planned on using was closed following a land slip, so I ended up with all three dogs on leash - Sophy and Poppy managed to fit themselves around Freddy's stop start zig zag progress a lot better than I did! We met nice dogs and nice people, including an elderly lady in a wheelchair, and he did very well. When we got home I popped him in his pen with a bowl of biscuits which he ignored, and one of the new toys which arrived this morning - a Kong puppy bone with rope. He managed 15 seconds play before falling asleep, and I think it is going to prove a favourite. It's pink, as I refuse to get into the whole blue for boys thing!


"It's pink, as I refuse to get into the whole blue for boys thing!" 
☝ This! 👏👏👏🙌 Love it!


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## Mfmst

Mr. Leonard Pink would agree! No gender owns a color. Keep the Freddy adventures coming with more pictures


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## fjm

I'm afraid I am hopeless when it comes to pictures! But there may be some taken by family later on.

Yesterday afternoon we drove down to stay with my sister for a family reunion - a joint birthday party, and the first time we have all been together since before the start of the pandemic. Freddy had an early lunch and a very tiring sort-of-leash walk before we left and slept solidly all the way - nearly two hours. Just as well, as there was not much sleep once he found himself in a room with seven people! For once he did not want to settle in the little pop-up pen I brought with me - far too much going on - so he more or less got passed from hand to hand and game to game until I insisted he had a rest. He did very well, and by bedtime was so tired he fell asleep the moment I lifted him up onto the bed with the Big Dogs. 

I woke in the night to go to the bathroom to a very sweet sight - we are all packed into a single bed so there is less room than the dogs are used to, and when I checked on them they were lying in a row at the end of the bed, Poppy spooned into Sophy, Freddy spooned into Poppy, with her paw thrown over him. One time I really wished I had a camera to hand!

We crept around this morning - there are two people on shake downs in the sitting room, and unfortunately someone left the door open, so they got canine visitors despite my care. I managed to retrieve my laptop, clean up the one and only poo Freddy has done other than on a pad since his first day (the pads got moved when the beds went down, so his confusion is very understandable, and he did manage to mostly miss carpet), feed the dogs, make a coffee, remove the dogs once more from th room of the sleepers, and get everyone back upstairs without too much disruption. They are now all fast asleep again, but are going to need a lazy day to make up for all the excitement yesterday.

My niece, who met him on the first day he came home, reckons his legs have grown two inches since then and I think she may be right. He has certainly done one of those puppy transformations from roly poly dumpling to slim and leggy, and is having a not very hungry phase at the moment.


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## twyla

I always find it magical when the big dogs open their world to the pup.


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## fjm

Huge excitement - I shifted into a bigger bedroom when half the family went home and went for a snooze, and Freddy discovered another puppy in the floor length mirror! In fact a whole world of dogs and puppies and people in the mirror. Cue much bouncing, barking and invitations to play, but mirror puppies never do come all the way out, just close enough to touch noses through the glass. 

He has also worked out how to pick up both hippotapotapus and his ball at once - if he drops hippo's head and picks up his rope body instead he can just manage to get enough of the ball into his mouth to carry both, and is very, very proud of himself. He is now trying it with other toys too.


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## fjm

Freddy has also learned how to run down the three steps from my sister's back door, much to my consternation. I opened the door to let the girls out for the tenth time, and instead of pausing for me to put his lead on and lift him down as he has up till now he shot down the steps with them! As the gate is a wrought iron one that he could probably slip through I will be putting his lead on before opening the door in future, no matter how desperate Poppy is to go out.


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## Skylar

fjm said:


> Poppy spooned into Sophy, Freddy spooned into Poppy, with her paw thrown over him. One time I really wished I had a camera to hand!


 Adorable.


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## Streetcar

I'm in love.


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## Fenris-wolf

Congratulations! Baby Freddy is adorable.


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## fjm

Sleepy Freddy in his travel bed and pen, which is a bit on the small side for bed, bowls, pad and puppy!


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## fjm

Freddy fetching a ball - it is a Kong Extra Small one, the size of a table tennis ball.


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## Liz

Grazie mille for 1000 grams of Freddy cuteness!


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## Streetcar

Oh my *goodness*, Fjm 🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍!!!!!


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## PeggyTheParti

Yeah, I just came back this thread, just to see another glimpse of Freddy.


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## fjm

Freddy is rapidly moving from toddler stage to small boy. He is 13 weeks old today, and the changes are very noticeable. His legs seem to have grown several inches, so steps that were a challenge are now taken in his stride; he settles very quickly at night but needs more stimulation during the day; and he is ravenously hungry again this morning after a few days of consolidating puppy fat. I think we are ready to introduce some slightly more formal training games to teach him that learning is fun = I decided that what I needed to teach him to walk with me as the first stage of teaching loose leash walking is a telescopic spoon, and much to my surprise discovered that they actually exist, so one is on order. It folds down to 8", so will fit in a pocket, and extends to 24", which is just long enough to deliver a dab of chicken paste at more or less puppy nose level - should be a fun game. 

I stupidly left my jacket behind at my sister's house, complete with wallet, credit cards, house keys and Freddy's long lead. I keep a spare house key hidden in the car, so that was not a problem, but took him out on a standard 4' leash last night - he hated it and fought it nearly all the way. The extra length gives him enough freedom to bounce and explore a bit, and for me to persuade him rather than him to feel forced. This morning I clipped two 4' leashes together, which was better. Even 6' is not really long enough, although it works well for the adults. I'll nip down to my sister's and collect my stuff today - I don't really want to risk the wallet getting stuck in the post, even if it means a 200 mile round trip...


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## Rose n Poos

Ok, I need to use the Happy, the Sad, the Wow, and the Like emoji's for this entry!


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## fjm

I carefully organised everything in case I needed to stay overnight and set off for my sister's house, only to get a flashing warning on the dashboard. Called in at the Ford garage a few miles down the road to be told it was an engine warning, could be major could be minor, and they couldn't even run the diagnostics for a week and a half... It certainly did not seem like a good idea to do 200+ miles on the motorway, so I took the dogs for a quick walk and came home again. My friendly local garagiste said if the light was amber, and went off once the engine warmed up, which it did, and the car was running OK, it should be safe to drive, so I've booked it in with him on the 1st November and will be staying close to home till then. My sister will post me the essentials from my jacket, guaranteed delivery and insured to the hilt.

It all means spending today at home instead of travelling, so I got the vacuum out, put Freddy in his pen, and started as far away from him as possible. He was interested but not too worried even when I got within a few feet of his bed, so I no longer have that excuse for avoiding housework! I've made him another 10' lead, bunged a load of washing on, given the dogs their lunch, and am replanning the next couple of days around no credit cards and minimal car usage. I find that I get more easily discombobulated as I get older - sudden changes of plan feel worrying, even when they are not terribly important.


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## 94Magna_Tom

If you are referring to the "check engine" light (amber), the worse that can happen it you get poor gas mileage. If after a series (different series for different makes/models) of driving conditions (at least 3 start/stop trips in the USA), the "fault" doesn't recur, then the light will turn off. It's not an emergency and I would keep driving it. Auto parts stores (NAPA, AutoZone, O'Reilly's, etc.) will usually plug in a diagnostics testing device and read the "fault" codes for free and may be able to suggest what the issue is. Everything that can trigger a check engine light fault is related to emissions control.
And yes. Don't go to the Ford dealer. They will be exceptionally expensive.


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## fjm

Thanks Tom - that is reassuring. My mph has been poor recently, so that could be another symptom. If I did a higher mileage it would be worth getting a newer car, but at less than 6,000 miles a year the payback would take a while - or would have done, before the price of petrol soared!

Freddy has had a lovely walk and a very nice time digging in the garden. He then had a much needed feet and legs bath in the sink, and is now drying off in his bed.


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## 94Magna_Tom

fjm said:


> Thanks Tom - that is reassuring. My mph has been poor recently, so that could be another symptom. If I did a higher mileage it would be worth getting a newer car, but at less than 6,000 miles a year the payback would take a while - or would have done, before the price of petrol soared!
> 
> Freddy has had a lovely walk and a very nice time digging in the garden. He then had a much needed feet and legs bath in the sink, and is now drying off in his bed.


Usually the fix is relatively inexpensive. $20-$100 parts, plus ½-3 hrs labor depending on what it is. On rare occasions, you could need an pretty expensive catalytic converter. This should give you an idea of what could be wrong. What To Do If Your Check Engine Light Comes On


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## fjm

It stayed off for the rest of the day - the engine has been feeling what an acquaintance described as "roupey", a bit off when first getting going from a cold start. The car is booked in for a full service, on the understanding that any expensive repairs get cleared with me first!

Freddy meanwhile is catching up on his sleep. I baked a big batch of treats this afternoon which is always a special occasion - first there is hanging around in the kitchen to catch the ones that fly through the air as I pop them out of the moulds, then the fun of playing "Ready, Steady, _Freddy_, Wheeeee!" as I throw a few in the air. He is now fast asleep on the dog bed next to Sophy, while Poppy snuggles on the chair next to me. I am hoping that he and Sophy will be playing together before long, although we have her spay op to navigate along the way...


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## twyla

Sounds like Freddy is comfortable, Sophy will come round. Pia was incredibly put out when Lenny came home, as was Bea when Pia came home


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## fjm

I think she will, Twyla - she is so much more comfortable with him after only a couple of weeks, accepting him as part of the family and enjoying having him tagging along behind her on walks, that I am really hopeful she might soon be playing happy games of chase and zoomies with him. Poppy thinks that anything that means more games for treats is a good thing, and as long as he doesn't chew her ears is happy to ignore him.


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## twyla

It is funny to watch, the polite ignoring and the indignant really you have play with that thing, I am no longer playing with you phase. 
Flower's reaction was the best, nope I can't see you as I walk through a room as you try to chew on my face puppy.


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## Mfmst

Freddy is “all ears”, such a cute picture with the tiny ball. How I wish you had your phone camera for the tiny “three dog night”. The mental picture I have of Poppy with her paw slung over Freddy is priceless.


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## Rose n Poos

94Magna_Tom said:


> If you are referring to the "check engine" light (amber), the worse that can happen it you get poor gas mileage. If after a series (different series for different makes/models) of driving conditions (at least 3 start/stop trips in the USA), the "fault" doesn't recur, then the light will turn off. It's not an emergency and I would keep driving it. Auto parts stores (NAPA, AutoZone, O'Reilly's, etc.) will usually plug in a diagnostics testing device and read the "fault" codes for free and may be able to suggest what the issue is. Everything that can trigger a check engine light fault is related to emissions control.
> And yes. Don't go to the Ford dealer. They will be exceptionally expensive.


This isn't a recommendation to do as I did, but to verify Tom's assurance. I drove my 2004 allroad for it's last 4 or more years with the amber Check Engine light on. My yearly mileage is also quite low. This was not due to negligence but rather because my husband is one of "those guys". He's been in every aspect of the car business almost all of his working life and has always restored and rebuilt his own "toys", from a Ferrari Dino to "Classic" Minis. If he tells me it's ok, then it must be ok.
When you take it for service, ask them to note the fault codes on the ticket just for information.



fjm said:


> I think she will, Twyla - she is so much more comfortable with him after only a couple of weeks, accepting him as part of the family and enjoying having him tagging along behind her on walks, that I am really hopeful she might soon be playing happy games of chase and zoomies with him. Poppy thinks that anything that means more games for treats is a good thing, and as long as he doesn't chew her ears is happy to ignore him.


When I brought puppy Sassafras home, Missy was not a fan. It took some time, but the day I saw them taking turns chasing each other, I realized that I'd accidentally made the best decision for all our family, two legs and four .


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## fjm

Freddy asked to come onto my lap to snuggle with a chew toy. What he has actually been doing tucked into the chair beside me is shredding a paper handkerchief into damp fragments. He may be good, but he is still a puppy!


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## Rose n Poos

Neo still sneaks them from my pockets and tries to act nonchalant as he walks away, with what looks like a big white moustache plastered on his face


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## fjm

Freddy has had a Busy Day. He woke up around 5am needing pee and poo, then managed to snooze till a rather more respectable time to get up. We had a quick walk by the river then I settled him in his pens and left all three dogs at home while I went to the optician (who is referring me to get both cataracts done, hurrah!). Home in time to give them all lunch, then off to pick up worming tablets and to get cuddles and treats at the vets. Then a longish walk by Devil's Bridge (where I got cross with a couple flagrantly parking in the gateway that has two large red "24 hour access needed" signs, double yellow lines, and is the essential space for both turning and passing - they yelled at me, but I noticed they also moved the car!). We took a very long time to go not very far, meeting lots of dogs and people, and Freddy was falling asleep when I carried him the last stretch to the car. He has had a few biscuits and is now fast asleep in his pen.

He weighed in at 2.3 kilos at the vets' - that is around 10% increase in 10 days.

And the engine warning light has stayed off, so another hurrah!


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## fjm

Freddy was downright naughty this evening, bouncing and barking at Sophy in an effort to make her play. She grumbled at him, then when he came back with more antics told him off very, very firmly. By then he was in zoomy gremlin mode, so found himself in his pen with biscuits, chew toys and a comfy bed. Two minutes later he was asleep. Sophy gave a sigh of relief and settled down on her own bed. 

My mother always had a rule that 8pm was her cut off point when it came to patience with children - we might succeed in staying up a little later, but only by flying under the radar. First squeal or squabble and it was off to bed. I know just how she felt...


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## PeggyTheParti

I’ve a similar cut-off time for puppy antics! Sophy sounds like a marvellous helper, probably because you know just when to step in.


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## fjm

I do have to take care he doesn't tease - the girls are used to a peaceful life and it is not fair to test their patience. And, like mine, their patience begins to wear a little thin in the evenings!


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## cowpony

Almost every time I've had the check engine light go on it's because I didn't seat the cap to the fuel tank properly. Once I reseated the cap the light would go off in a day or so. I had a bad sensor only one time.

My brother in law got his astigmatism corrected during his cataract surgery. He is thrilled with the results. He said it's almost like having the vision of a teenager again.


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## fjm

I do hope my eyes are good enough to drive without correction. I have been wearing glasses since I was 10, contact lenses since I was 19 - it would be amazing to manage without them!

Freddy had a lovely run by the river after lunch - we were running late this morning and I didn't want to wake him from his nap. After another sleep I took him to the disused railway line that has been turned into a shared use linear park - full of dog walkers, bicycles, mobility scooters, etc. In the first quarter mile we met at least a dozen dogs and people, practiced waiting for bicycles half a dozen times, he had a cuddle with a nice man on a mobility scooter, played with a boy and two puppies, and did very well practicing loose leash walking. By half a mile it had all got too much and he was exhausted - "Don't _want_ the nasty leash; Don't WANT to be carried; Go away I _HATE _you". I tucked him under my arm, folded the leash so he couldn't reach it, and gave him my key fob to chew. Lesson learned - turn around sooner! A meal and a sleep and all will be well, but it is almost reassuring to know that he is a Real Puppy.


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## Mfmst

He’s real alright I’m also a believer in a firm, fair and consistent schedule. Buck’s last call is 9:30PM, since we’re up at 5:00 AM. Freddy seems to be doing really well with his socialization and learning the limits of the females in the household. There will be days when he will test the limits, hopefully only a few. P.S. I think we all have cataract surgery in our future at some point.


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## fjm

We had a lovely relaxed walk by the river this morning with Freddy running zoomies and letting off steam, then I nipped over to the doctors' surgery to get a flu jab - another thing sorted. This afternoon, trying to think of somewhere quieter than the busy path we visited yesterday, I took the dogs to the other side of the river. A friend had warned me that there were cows in the field and they had made a mess of the path, and she was right! Freddy trailed his lead through sloppy cow pats, tried to eat sloppy cow pats, sat in a sloppy cow pat, and finally waded right through the biggest one there. Meanwhile Sophy heard shooting up on the hillside and sat down, refusing to go any further. So home we came - just as well Freddy is still small enough to fit easily in the sink, and that he likes playing with water. I washed first Freddy then his leash - Freddy is in beddy, with a bowl of biscuits and his favourite mouse, and the leash is over the radiator. Again. A biothane leash looks increasingly useful!


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## fjm

One other thing happened on our walk yesterday, which underlined the value of a harness for puppies. Our path took us over a cattle grid, or rather through the pedestrian gate next to the cattle grid. Freddy didn't mind the gate going, but coming back convinced himself it was going to swing closed in his face, and shot off across the grid instead without pausing to notice it was not a solid path. Fortunately I already had him on a shortish leash just in case, and I immediately looped it even shorter, so as he fell through at the third bar the harness supported him and I was able to lift him clear. Another lesson learned for both of us!


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## Liz

Glad he's unscathed; your heart must have skipped a beat!


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## fjm

Several, Liz, but he was quite safe. Even had he fallen right though I could have reached him, but he might have hurt himself struggling. Both the others recognised cattle grids as something to avoid the very first time they saw them, so I was not really prepared for Freddy's flying leap.


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## 94Magna_Tom

Yikes! Glad he's OK. We don't have THAT threat in my area.


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## cowpony

Glad he's ok. Incidents like you describe are the reason I prefer to start puppies in a harness. I want to protect their necks while they figure out the whole walking on a leash concept. They don't mean to be naughty; they just don't understand.


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## Liz

Even with Poppy and Sophy showing him the ropes, little Freddy still has so much to learn about the world. How easy it is to let your guard down when you are accustomed to two street-smart adults!


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## fjm

This morning Freddy very nearly managed to clamber up onto my lap all by himself, using my foot and the footstool as stairs, then slithered all the way back down again. It won't be long, though. He should be ready to try stairs in another week or two, with the aim of managing them comfortably before Sophy's spay early in December, when she will need to be the one being carried for a while.

Time to get the day on the go and take them all for a walk before the rain starts again. Nothing like what those of you in the NW US are facing, but it has been pretty unremittingly damp and dank here of late.


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## fjm

Freddy is 14 weeks old today - hard to believe that 4 weeks ago I did not even know he existed.

This morning after a pee in the early hours he was rather wakeful, so after a second unsuccessful bathroom visit the next couple of times he got wriggly I lifted him off the bed and sent him off by himself while I stayed warm in bed. After the 7am trip he came prancing back, immensely proud of himself, and insisting I come and admire the huge poo he'd done on the bathroom pad. I will make doubly sure there are no dangers in the bedroom and bathroom and start letting him find his own way more often at night.

He is showing the first signs of clasping and humping while playing, behaviour that I am gently discouraging. He has not yet attempted it with Sophy and Poppy, whose response will probably not be gentle at all! The weather is horrible here again this morning so we are having a lazy start to the day. I gave Freddy a new toy, one of the batch I bought when he first arrived that I have been saving - a Kong Knots elephant. It is the smallest one, and still almost too big for him to carry, but he is very pleased with it. Sophy and Poppy have never been particularly interested in toys unless they hide food, so it is very refreshing to have a puppy that loves them and plays tug and fetch and small games all by himself - I have to keep reminding myself that we have a large box full of toys, and most certainly don't need to buy more, no matter how cute! Christmas is coming, though...


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## fjm

Freddy had a lovely walk this afternoon - we went to the cycle track again but this time we met a dog walking acquaintance with her young rescue chihuahua mix just as we got out of the car. We first met them two years or so ago, when little Chica was very nervous but really enjoyed walking with cheerful, confident Sophy. She is now a secure, happy little dog and she and Freddy had a lovely time running zoomies up and down the path while the older dogs did their own thing. Freddy was very good about coming when called - he was trailing his long leash just in case - and the two of them had so much fun that we have agreed to meet for playdates in the future. The dull weather meant the path was much quieter, so Freddy was excited but not overly so - he is now fast asleep in his bed.


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## fjm

Slightly to my shock I have a cataract assessment appointment for mid-November, and they insist that I leave my contact lenses out for a full 14 days before the appointment. As my specs are decidedly out of date, even before my eyes change shape without the lenses, it seemed a good idea to get a cheap pair with my most recent prescription so I nipped into town in the pouring rain to organise it. Far too wet for a walk, but I took Freddy with me into the opticians, tucked into my jacket. He was so good - not a peep or a wriggle, just watched everything as we walked from the carpark, stared at everything in the opticians (where a nice young chap found the perfect frames in their ultra-cheap collection, and suggested I save my half price offer voucher in case I wanted something better after the op, as I would only be saving £12.50/$16 on these!), and then watched all the unutterably gloomy and miserable people we saw going back to the car. Two women managed a smile at the sight of Freddy's face peeking out from my jacket; everyone else stomped past with faces like a wet weekend. I had forgotten just how thoroughly depressing Lancaster can be in the rain.

This afternoon we are going to play Rainy Day Games and Follow the Leader, but for now the dogs are all having an after lunch snooze while the rain pours down outside.


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## fjm

Freddy has discovered waste paper baskets. Snow has come early to my floors...


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## cowpony

fjm said:


> Freddy has discovered waste paper baskets. Snow has come early to my floors...


Lol. Auntie dog has mentored him well.


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## Mfmst

Waste baskets are still off the floor, years and years later.


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## fjm

*Four weeks* 

Sophy has now decided that if Freddy plays tug she will too - but only with me and never with him. I don't think it will be long, though - she is very tolerant of him out on walks, ignoring the jumps at her face and ears and teaching him about interesting smells and places. Seeing him sniffing carefully beside her, then trotting beside her to the next lesson is quite charming - when Poppy joined us the dogs were so close in age that Sophy played rather than mentored, so this is my first real experience of puppy and older adult together. 

Poppy mostly ignores him as long as he doesn't push her too far. He is learning that tolerance levels fall all round in the evening - behaviour that the dogs would ignore at midday gets a snarl when they are settled down for the evening. In fact I have copied Sophy and use a low throat rumble to mean cease and desist with a sharp bark if it is ignored, which is proving unexpectedly effective. I gather my accent is terrible, but the message is understood.

We are still working on communication and manners rather than "obedience" and verbal cues. He is very good about being picked up - doesn't always want to, especially when it means time for a nap, but most of the time waits nicely and has started to position himself to make scooping up easier. Unless he is tired he waits to have his leash put on before we go out, and again to have it unclipped, and he has grasped that mealtimes mean his will be in his pen in a minute or two, so don't bother trying to steal from the adults. He sits very nicely for treats, and waits his turn (even getting better when the treat is toothpaste, which he loves). The leash is not his favourite thing, but the Follow me! game is working, and we do brief spells of loose leash walking in between letting him sniff and noodle at his own pace (and if I get odd looks for striding along singing "Freddy puppy follow me, I am the leader!" to the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down, too bad!). Recall is improving - flying towards me while I leap around like a maniac with my arms spread is a fun game - but I am careful not to call when he is too focussed on something else.

First puppy class is on Sunday, weather permitting. The instructor says it is a gentle introduction and he should manage the full hour, but I intend to take the small crate for him with rugs and hot water bottles for both of us, plus coffee for me and soft treats for Freddy. On past experience an hour will be far too much, and he will need a nap, so might as well be prepared.


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## PeggyTheParti

Is Freddy your first male puppy? Wondering how you’re enjoying having a little boy in the house.


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## fjm

First male puppy ever - even childhood dogs were all females. So far there is not much difference, but I will undoubtedly be asking for lots of advice come adolescence!


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## fjm

Feddy has spent a happy hour shredding the piece of card that came with his latest toy, while the toy itself lies ignored in his bed... He is quietly settled on a blanket next to Sophy's bed, playing his own small game with cardboard and not disturbing her, so is officially Being Good. It is nothing 5 minutes with the vacuum won't sort out later, but I shall have to start having one bin on the floor for safe stuff that he can chew if he likes and another well off the ground for non-safe and potentially messy items.

Yesterday afternoon he was angelic on our leashed walk, after being tired and cross in the morning. The weather has been pretty foul and it has been hard to schedule walks around naps when we have to dash out in the brief periods when it is not pelting with rain. But yesterday afternoon he woke up just as the clouds cleared, and we managed a fairly relaxed 3/4 mile along the cycle path, meeting just a few dogs and people, learning that not everyone wants to play or be bounced upon, and discovering how to keep the leash comfortably loose instead of fighting and biting it, which is what happens when he is tired. I was particularly impressed with his frequent glances up at me, checking in even while trotting beside me. Lots of praise and regular treats, of course!


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## fjm

Today's rainy day game is Wait/Come. It is amazing how easy it is with the other dogs to model the behaviour. They stayed sitting so Freddy did too. They came running, so Freddy ran too. Only a few repetitions, because his attention was wandering, but the seed is planted. Now back to exceptionally good piece of card, alternating with squirrels-in-a-log and bees-in-a-hive. With luck the rain will stop soon - Sophy is much in need of a walk.


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## fjm

Today was Freddy's first puppy class - held inside, thank heavens, because the weather has been horrible.

He did very well. All the other pups are much bigger than him - labs, pointer, whippet, spaniels and a cockerpoo - and mostly quite a bit older, but we were well spaced out and there was no mixing. He settled very nicely by my feet on a comfy bed with a Kong, and was not too worried by the noisy big puppy shenanigans going on around the room. He sat beautifully when asked, learned hand touching in a few repetitions, and then faded out before we really got onto the next game - it was Look at Me, which won't take long to teach at home. He snuggled down on my lap and very nearly fell asleep, too tired to even watch what was going on for the last quarter of an hour. And he managed to hold on to do an enormous pee until we got outside, which was excellent. I had taken a pad, and knew he needed to go, but he still waited.

He managed quite a large lunch despite having oodles of treats, and then went straight to sleep, completely cream crackered. I'm just hoping he wakes up in time for a walk before it starts raining again!


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## 94Magna_Tom

fjm said:


> Today was Freddy's first puppy class - held inside, thank heavens, because the weather has been horrible.
> 
> He did very well. All the other pups are much bigger than him - labs, pointer, whippet, spaniels and a cockerpoo - and mostly quite a bit older, but we were well spaced out and there was no mixing. He settled very nicely by my feet on a comfy bed with a Kong, and was not too worried by the noisy big puppy shenanigans going on around the room. He sat beautifully when asked, learned hand touching in a few repetitions, and then faded out before we really got onto the next game - it was Look at Me, which won't take long to teach at home. He snuggled down on my lap and very nearly fell asleep, too tired to even watch what was going on for the last quarter of an hour. And he managed to hold on to do an enormous pee until we got outside, which was excellent. I had taken a pad, and knew he needed to go, but he still waited.
> 
> He managed quite a large lunch despite having oodles of treats, and then went straight to sleep, completely cream crackered. I'm just hoping he wakes up in time for a walk before it starts raining again!


Sounds like a good day!


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## BennieJets

fjm said:


> Today was Freddy's first puppy class - held inside, thank heavens, because the weather has been horrible.
> 
> He did very well. All the other pups are much bigger than him - labs, pointer, whippet, spaniels and a cockerpoo - and mostly quite a bit older, but we were well spaced out and there was no mixing. He settled very nicely by my feet on a comfy bed with a Kong, and was not too worried by the noisy big puppy shenanigans going on around the room. He sat beautifully when asked, learned hand touching in a few repetitions, and then faded out before we really got onto the next game - it was Look at Me, which won't take long to teach at home. He snuggled down on my lap and very nearly fell asleep, too tired to even watch what was going on for the last quarter of an hour. And he managed to hold on to do an enormous pee until we got outside, which was excellent. I had taken a pad, and knew he needed to go, but he still waited.
> 
> He managed quite a large lunch despite having oodles of treats, and then went straight to sleep, completely cream crackered. I'm just hoping he wakes up in time for a walk before it starts raining again!


Bennie begins puppy classes in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure what to expect, but I do know that the trainers forbid any use of aversive training or tools which feels aligned with me. And the place has doggy daycare and grooming available, so I'm eager to check it all out in case I need such services in the future. 

Freddy sounds like he felt quite cozy to settle in that environment! I imagine Bennie will be the pogo-ing, excited, eager poodle-y pup that she is when we go. She needs to meet everyone (at least this is what she demonstrates when I take her out to socialize).


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## fjm

Freddy is usually keen to meet and greet, too, but I think the fact that we were indoors and the other dogs were big and rather noisy encouraged him to keep a lower profile. But he wasn't anxious, and was happy to listen and learn for the first part of the class, so it was a positive experience for him. And the soft chicken pancake worked well - I made a batch last night and froze the rest for future sessions.


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## fjm

No car today, as it was being serviced and the warning light investigated (it was briefly and intermittently not firing on all cylinders, which fortunately happened when Dan collected it this morning so he knew what to look for - with luck it has been fixed with a new ignition coil). No car meant no real walks, and no real walks, especially after limited exercise yesterday due to puppy class and torrential rain, meant Sophy climbing the walls, Poppy getting grumpy, and Freddy being a whirling dervish! We've played lots of training games and been in and out and up and down, but it is not the same as getting out for a really good run and lots of sniffing. Freddy is now in his pen playing with Dino Cuz, which makes me suspect his teeth may be troubling him a little, Sophy has calmed down from her bout of stress-induced crazies and is relaxing on her bed, Poppy is asleep, and I'm staring at the scattered contents of the up ended waste paper basket and wondering whether to pour a large G&T or go to bed.

Even very good puppies are hard work!


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## fjm

15 weeks old
Freddy had a busy day yesterday. The rain stopped at last, and in the morning we went for a run by the river. Another shorter walk in the afternoon, and then we went to meet an old friend in the local market town, which she was visiting on a coach trip. We managed to find a cafe that was open and that welcomed dogs inside in the warm - my friend is in her 80s and finds walking difficult, so somewhere to sit was important. Freddy did very well on my lap, Sophy settled quietly under the table, and Poppy was OK but wanted FOOD. When the cafe announced that they were closing at 3pm(?!!) we managed to find a bench close to where the coach would stop and chatted to all the people who paused to admire the dogs, so Fred had a happy time socialising. One way and another he was awake for around three hours, though, and very sleepy by the time we got home.

Last night I forced myself to stay awake until 10pm winter time in an attempt to reset my body clock now the clocks have changed. Freddy didn't really want to go to bed after a snoozy evening, but after both Sophy and I told him to stop playing and _settle down!_ he slept till 6.30am with only one quick pee break in the early hours, so we are getting there. Not quite quick enough to get him downstairs and outside for the first poo of the day, but that is what the pad is for, and he will learn eventually.

He has taught himself a charming bounce, spin and sit in his bed when offered treats there - a quick bribe to keep the pen a happy place that has also reinforced this very sweet trick.

Today is cold but gloriously sunny so we will have a morning walk by the river, an afternoon walk along the Lune ahead of Poppy's vet appointment (she has a couple of lumps I want to get checked), and a social visit to the vet for cuddles and weighing. And practice Touch and Look at Me, our puppy class homework - neither of them top of my list of essential behaviours, but we will show willing and meanwhile keep working on Wait, Four Feet and Lift cues, as well as the all important Settle Down. And I really must vacuum - it has been put off repeatedly as time to do it has coincided with Freddy being fast asleep, and I didn't want to wake him!


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## cowpony

fjm said:


> When the cafe announced that they were closing at 3pm(?!!)


You are reminding me of the shock I felt as an American on my first two trips to the UK decades ago. It was impossible to find a place to get food in the afternoon.. At that time the food options seemed to fall into the category of tea shop/bakery or pub/ restaurant. The former would shut down after the lunch hour, and the latter wouldn't start serving until 6 PM or so. I remember sitting at a bus stop in a village somewhere near Newcastle eating liverwurst smeared on rusks. A butcher shop and a news stand were the only two shops that were open and that sold something I could combine uncooked. Thing were much different on my most recent visit.


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## fjm

Yes, I remember escorting a pair of elderly Americans round Oxford in the 1970s, and their total refusal to believe that it was simply not possible to get a steak at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Yesterday one cafe had closed due to being unable to get staff, a second because of flooding, and a third for no stated reason. As it is a popular place with tourists and largely relies on their custom I do wonder what the long term effects will be.


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## fjm

Freddy weighed in at 2.8 kilos/6.16 lbs at the vets' yesterday - he is going to be quite large for a papillon which for me is a Good Thing. I think he will be slightly larger than Sophy - still small enough to lift and carry, but big enough to be reasonably robust. 

He now has Touch on cue sorted, and Look at Me is getting there - behaviour nearly established, cue not yet added. As he makes eye contact every time I say his name or make an interesting sound, and umpteen times in between I am not convinced of the utility of a specific cue. I am putting more effort into the Follow Me game, which will turn into a With Me cue, and Wait, both of which I use constantly. In fact Lift, Come, Wait, With Me, Settle, Leave It, politeness around other dogs, and turn taking just about cover all our day to day needs. As long as he is not tired he stands politely to have his leash put on, as it means going outside. 

The various grooming processes - teeth cleaning, nail cutting, brushing, bathing make up another set of things to learn. Freddy gets a lick of toothpaste on my lap every morning, and a second lick in turn with the dogs and Tilly as a reward for being good. I have started the toe taps for chicken with the nail clippers in preparation for real trimming, and brushing is a snuggle time activity. He loves water, so foot washing in the sink is not a problem.

There will be fun games and tricks to learn of course, just to keep his brain happy and learning and working, but at the moment it is pretty fully occupied with fascinating leaves and grass blades and pieces of cardboard!


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## cowpony

Someone explained both Touch and Look at Me can be useful as backups. Touch might work in an emergency if the Come command isn't working or has been poisoned. Look at Me can also help if you need to get their attention and have worn out their name.


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## fjm

Puppy class again today - I can't see to drive so a friend is taking me, which is extremely kind of her given it means an early start and a chilly morning outside.

Freddy is growing up fast, in every sense. He is inches taller than a month ago, is learning to learn, and is just beginning to think about testing the boundaries, especially with Sophy. The play/scolding I described on another thread continues, but the two elements are now more obvious - she is beginning to make the line between what she permits and what is Too Much clearer, and I intervene as soon as Freddy crosses that line. Poppy is having none of it - any bad behaviour around her and he gets a thorough snark and a reminder to mind his Ps and Qs.

Last night he was very wriggly at bedtime - bouncing at first, then digging at the bedclothes, then prowling around the bed. I was extremely slow on the uptake as he had done a pee just before, but eventually I realised what he was trying to tell me, and after another trip to the bathroom he fell asleep instantly. Good puppy, stupid human!

The pen continues to be a huge help. A call of "Freddy beddy!" has him dashing for his bed in there, ready for the treats he knows are coming. If he has not had much playtime I give him a puzzle toy as well, but mostly he just snuggles down to sleep. The physical barrier between him and the older dogs enables all three to relax and keeps stress to a minimum, but he is so close to us that he doesn't feel excluded or lonely.


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## fjm

I've been home an hour, wrapped in a blanket and with the heating turned up, and have nearly defrosted. It was _cold_ with a blistering wind, almost impossible to hear the instructor, and Freddy was completely distracted by the wind, interesting smells, blown leaves and being too tired by the first half of the class to even think about listening to me, let alone coping with loose leash walking! He managed to stay awake just long enough to eat lunch when we got home and then collapsed into bed. One poor woman, with a wild child cockerpoo pup, ended in tears - I wish there was more emphasis on the exercises needing to be practiced with gradually increasing distractions, so inexperienced owners did not feel they were failing when their pups can't do them in the hyper-excitement of a field full of puppies and flying leaves. It was a bit like asking a 5-year old to learn multiplication tables while surrounded by candyfloss and swings and roundabouts at the fair!


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## cowpony

fjm said:


> I've been home an hour, wrapped in a blanket and with the heating turned up, and have nearly defrosted. It was _cold_ with a blistering wind, almost impossible to hear the instructor, and Freddy was completely distracted by the wind, interesting smells, blown leaves and being too tired by the first half of the class to even think about listening to me, let alone coping with loose leash walking! He managed to stay awake just long enough to eat lunch when we got home and then collapsed into bed. One poor woman, with a wild child cockerpoo pup, ended in tears - I wish there was more emphasis on the exercises needing to be practiced with gradually increasing distractions, so inexperienced owners did not feel they were failing when their pups can't do them in the hyper-excitement of a field full of puppies and flying leaves. It was a bit like asking a 5-year old to learn multiplication tables while surrounded by candyfloss and swings and roundabouts at the fair!


Ritter's puppy class was similar, except it happened in a big echoing room that was previously a shed for farm equipment. I have some hearing loss, so I had a lot of trouble hearing the instructor over the sounds of barking puppies. The puppies themselves found the acoustics somewhat frightening initially. The instructor never sent out homework. If I couldn't hear the lesson summary I just had to invent some exercises to practice for the following week.


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## fjm

Freddy went from 10pm to 6am without a pee break last night - hurrah! I lifted him down from the bed while I got up and dug out my dressing gown, and he dashed straight off to the pad in the bathroom for a much needed pee. We have spent the day at home, as I cannot see well enough to drive without my contact lenses, practicing useful skills, meandering around the gardens, and forbidding his latest game of hanging on Sophy's ears. By the time Sophy tells him off he is already well attached and tugging, so I need to intervene early and firmly to block him and divert him onto something he can chew on harmlessly. 

He will be 16 weeks tomorrow, and is a sturdy little chap for his size - I think of him as quite big until I see him with other dogs and realise how tiny he still is - he popped next door to play with Gus and Elton in their garden this morning, and was extremely careful and polite, while desperately trying to get them to play puppy games. They are going to be a great help as he hits adolescence - well socialised, kind male dogs capable of teaching him how to behave without being nasty about it.


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## Rose n Poos

You have well and truly won the Puppy Lottery! All else will sort itself out in time .


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## fjm

Another day, a different night. Freddy didn't want to go to bed last night, bounced around the bathroom for 10 minutes, then found the empty bathroom water bowl and announced that he was thirsty.  A long, long drink later he was finally ready to sleep, but I knew we would not make it till morning. He was very good, waking me very gently with a little snuffle in my ear first from a dream about horses and tropical beaches and white leather tack, and then from another about neighbours and being on a very uncomfortable plane to Spain that was taxiing along potholed lanes - interesting to get an insight into what I dream about these days! The third time both Sophy and Poppy reckoned that as it was nearly 7am it was morning, and I gave in one sleeping any longer.

We are playing the preliminary stage of the Drop game bu simply repurposing everyone's favourite game of Hunt the Treat - I say Drop!, toss a few treats, and the dogs dash around finding them. Every now and then Freddy runs to his bed, so I add in a few Freddy Beddy! treats for him. This morning he managed a pee outside (hurrah) but I gave up before he was ready to poo - it seems to take at least 15 minutes and it was raining... He had a brief conniption at my neighbour's small outdoor fountain, whether because he realised it was vaguely humanoid or because he objected to it on grounds of taste I do not know. I touched it and made interested noises and he eventually got close enough to sniff it and then ignore it. The only other thing he has reacted to was a jar of fairy lights that started flashing on my windowsill - I put it on the floor, where it got sniffed by all the dogs and is now being ignored.

Day 4 without lenses - hate it!


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## Rose n Poos

that you have your little lovies,  that you are so restricted for a while longer.


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## fjm

I have to admit that "lovies" was not quite the word I used to describe them all last night. Tilly was curled up comfortably in the safe landing heap of quilts at the end of the bed, Sophy and Poppy got themselves nicely settled onto the fleece throw on the bed, and Freddy wanted to play. I thought I had him settled with an empty lens solution bottle to chew, but I was just dropping off when Sophy got fed up with him and hopped off the bed to join Tilly. Settled him again, and was woken from a light snooze by more grumbling from Sophy and a loud squeak from Freddy - he had slid off the bed, pushed his luck just a bit too far, and Sophy had formed a defensive alliance with the cat to thoroughly squash him. That's when I took him off to the bathroom...


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## fjm

Joyous time this evening - Freddy has checked for Gus every time we've been out today but he was never there, no matter how long Freddy waited by his gate asking him to come out to play. Then we went out in the dark and rain at 8pm and Oh joy! there was Gus! Freddy was on his long lead but slipped through the bars of the gate and I didn't have the heart to stop him - he'd been waiting all day, after all. He ran zoomiies round their tiny garden, practically turning somersaults with excitement, while Poppy and Sophy hung around asking when were we going to have supper, and couldn't I make him hurry up. Eventually I carried him off home and remembered I had ordered some more of the tiny Kong tennis balls along with the food that arrived this afternoon. More excitement, more zoomies up and down the hall after them, and ending by dropping one in the water bowl. He is now flat out in bed - here's hoping he sleeps well tonight!


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## Mfmst

When you tell your nighttime stories, I realize it’s so many more balls in the air with three toy sizes and a cat, as opposed to one big bed hog. I love your command of “Freddy Beddy”. Hope it always works.


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## fjm

Yes, there can be a lot of coming and going at night, and quite a bit of grumbling (usually Sophy telling Tilly not to jump on her). Freddy is good about going to bed as long as I am fair about it - this morning he went out, had breakfast and a very brief game of tug, and then went to his bed looking for treats. I gave him the few biscuits left over from his breakfast and a special treat one, and he is now curled up asleep. I'm hoping for a playdate with Gus later - his humans are going away tomorrow so he won't be around for the next week or two, just when I need him most!

(I was woken this time from a dream about showing a colleague from 20 years ago how to clean out the cat tray - I seem to have a very dull dreamlife!)


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## PeggyTheParti

I’m all caught up on The Adventures of Freddy and am quite intrigued by the horse dream. White leather tack!


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## fjm

Yes - it seemed a tad impractical to me even at the time.


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## Liz

White tack sounds luxurious but like something out of military regalia, insisting on white tack that passes the white glove test.


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## fjm

Freddy can now delve around in the toy box and is unearthing all sorts of treasures, although I am fairly sure that the potentially lethal reel of thread he found was not from there! Fortunately I swapped it for a biscuit before any harm was done. Unlike Sophy and Poppy he loves Fetch, and is beginning to get the idea of letting go so that I can throw again. Today we did a bit of work on loose leash walking, some good long sniff sessions around the gardens, Drop practice, lots of chasing and tugging games and lots of No-Chewing-On-Sophy's-Ears redirection. In trying to reach Sophy's ears he is teaching himself to climb the stairs - she used to be out of his reach on the bottom step, now she retreats to the first quarter landing.

This evening he got upset and barked because the big dogs got home-made chews and he got some boring bits of kibble, as he had already had a chew earlier. I had to agree that it did seem a bit unfair so when he asked more politely he got one too. He doesn't really want to go to sleep after half an hour of a very exciting game with balls and Flat Rat, but it is time to start winding down for the night. Sophy is practically in the pen with him she is watching so closely for him to drop a bit...


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## fjm

We finally got a decent run in the mizzle between bouts of heavy rain, and Sophy ran zoomies with Freddy! Lovely to see, and definitely a good burst of play before he went too far and she got fed up with him. It helped that she has a lot of pent up energy after nearly a week without proper walks due to my not being able to see to drive, but it bodes well for the future. Fred is now paddling in his water bowl - his excuse is that there is a treat in there, but as I have just cleaned and refilled the bowl if there is I know who put it there!

He has also discovered the Lost Land Beneath the Sofa, as well as the toy box. I heard the clattering sound of a small hard object, then he came trotting out with something in his mouth. A large glass bead - heaven knows how it got there. Fortunately he knows the Swapsies game...


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## fjm

Nearly 17 weeks, and Freddy made a brief attempt to hump Poppy this morning. She was having her five minutes of early morning silly time and play wrestling before I get out of bed, and it got just a bit too exciting for Freddy who is more used to seeing her snoozing or gently ambling around. She was Not Amused!

He is growing up fast and I need to start ratcheting up the educational work. He has been so easy that the temptation has been to go with the flow, but now is the time to get a solid recall in even distracting circumstances and to work more on Wait, ahead of the trials of adolescence. Perhaps this is why easy puppies so often prove impossible as adolescents... Another day of chilly sunshine today, so we will do lots of short sessions outside, alternating sniffing and running with a few lessons.


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## fjm

Freddy has had a lovely day - we have had several semi-training sessions outside, and during one the two little girls who have recently moved here came out to play. They took Freddy off to into the big wild garden and he had a wonderful time playing chase amongst the trees and being bossed about by small people - just the right amount of excitement, then in for a calm down session of sitting for treats and a nap. 

When he woke up I got down on the floor and retrieved as many balls as I could reach from under the sofa and found the wobble board under there as well. I got it to work with Sophy when she first hurt her back, and kept it with the vague idea of someday using it myself. It has a ball bearing in a maze, and Freddy was absolutely fascinated. He was not quite sure enough of it to set it moving himself, but watched for 10 minutes while I made it spin around it's little corridors. Computer games for dogs! Sophy and Poppy checked to see if it was edible and then lost interest; Tilly watched for rather longer, but prefers things she can bat.

Fred is getting better at picking up two toys at once, and his new ambition is to manage three...


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## fjm

Big day today - Freddy's first toothbrush! I have been giving him a lick of toothpaste on my lap when I brush the dogs' teeth in the morning - only moderate success as he loves it and gets very excited and wiggly, and does not want my finger in his mouth. The brush is the next step, and he seems OK with letting me put it in his mouth, even if he does then want to chew. We will get there - the aim is to be able to brush his adult teeth when they come through.

Yesterday I saw him lift his leg for the first time, but as it was to hover over a tussock of cold, wet grass I am not sure that it counts! A friend is taking us for a much needed walk at lunchtime - still waiting for new glasses.


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## fjm

Is this adolescence, I wonder? Or just over excitement! After a very exhilerating game of zoomies round Sophy Freddy is being a little toad. He has shredded the pee pad in his pen, paddled in the water bowl and spilled the water, made Poppy so cross she pursued him across the room with threatening jaws, been outside but didn't want to pee or poo, chewed Sophy's ears remorselessly, won't settle in bed, and is generally piling all the usual puppy shenanigans of weeks into three short hours!

In the end I let him out, played Fetch along the hall until he was a bit less bouncy, spent five minutes teaching him Down, cleaned up the mess in the pen, and popped him back in with a few treats. He is not entirely convinced, and I am pretty sure that what he really needs is a poo, but at least the older dogs can relax.

(On further investigation one reason the bed was uncomfy was the wodge of soggy wet paper towel I used to mop up the spilled water that he had managed to remove and tucked into bed with his toys...)


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## Rose n Poos

Not funny but I had to laugh . In time to come you'll treasure this day


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## Mfmst

17 weeks is still puppy shenanigans! Completely agree you can’t rest on those “easy keeper” laurels and must continue the training. Your vision may not be clear enough for pictures yet, but I personally can’t wait to see some of ready Freddy


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## fjm

I carried him up to bed and the moment his feet hit the floor he dashed to the bathroom for an enormous poo, so that was at least part of the problem. Then he went up and down and round and round and in and out of the bed until I was debating whether it was worth digging out the pop up travel pen and putting him to bed in that - at which point he collapsed and slept till 6.30am! And this morning he is once more sweetness and light - pee in the garden, breakfast, quick game, asked for a cuddle, and then happily curled up in bed in his pen.

The zoomies last night were fun, though. At one point he took a short cut and ran right underneath Sophy - he had to duck a bit but barely broke pace! I have a largish rug on wooden floors and he was running a very tight 4 foot circle so as not to veer onto the slippery floor, at quite incredible speed.

33 hours to contact lenses - still no replacement specs...


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## Rose n Poos

to Freddy and all

 for the glasses

🥳 for the lenses


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## Liz

It seems you may be right about the glasses arriving Friday, fjm. It seems like you've adjusted well.


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## fjm

Gibbering internally rather than externally, Liz - what can't be cured must be endured!


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## fjm

Freddy can be such a good puppy! Today we managed two walks (hurrah!), but I also spent hours organising lifts for a sudden hospital appointment on Monday (yet more eye stuff), and wore my lenses a bit too long in dusty wind and made my eye sore, on top of being up early to get my Covid booster, so with one thing and another by late this afternoon I was frazzled and exhausted and needed my bed. Freddy would really have liked to play, but settled down for a snooze instead very agreeably. 

We met a 5 month old whippet pup with two small boys while out walking in a big open field with lots of space for running - Freddy was in heaven!

[Still no specs...]


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## Porkchop

Good boy Freddy, giving your mama a chance to rest after a frazzling day!


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## fjm

Freddy is becoming a snuggle puppy. During the day he usually sleeps in his pen, as it gives me time to get on with things and lets the older dogs sleep in peace, but he very much enjoys the chance to cuddle with me and fall asleep on my lap. Best of all he loves to be brushed - long, firm strokes with a bristle brush just like the comforting soothing of his mother's tongue.

We ducked out of puppy class today - I still feel a bit ropey and really didn't feel like standing around in a bitter North wind. I booked Freddy in before I discovered what a very confident, sociable pup he is, and little has changed over the years in terms of the advice given. Plus the instructor's methods are rather geared to larger dogs and only dogs - while they are all dogs it takes different techniques to get a treat to a tiny toy puppy at exactly the right moment! And the sequence of teaching things can vary too - Pick Up, for example, is just about the first thing I focussed on, along with sharing and taking turns, neither of which would be as important for a large breed pup who is the only animal in the household. Loose leash walking, on the other hand, comes further down my list - very important, but not as essential as to it teach while a big puppy is small enough to control.


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## fjm

We have visitors staying - a rarity in these Covid days - and Freddy was very confused at first, with non stop barking and wiggles of pure delight at having more people to play with. He wanted to bark when he heard someone get up to go to the bathroom in the night, but was persuaded to settle down for a snuggle instead, and he is gradually getting used to the idea that there are other humans moving around his house. I am very glad my friends were able to visit, both because it has been so long since I have seen them, and because the timing is perfect for Freddy. He is now old enough to absorb the idea that he does not need to alert to invited visitors, just ahead of hitting the 5 month point when, in my experience, pups start alerting to everything!


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## fjm

Freddy weighed in at 3.2 kilos/7lbs at 18 weks yesterday at the vets, where he had a lovely time playing with the reception staff and getting treats. By my calculations that puts him on track to be around 4.5kilos/10lbs adult weight, just a little larger than Sophy. It's a good size - small enough to lift easily but big enough not to be frighteningly fragile. Sophy is still hovering around 4 kilos/8.8 lbs, which is a little high for her but at least she hasn't gained weight through the last weeks of minimal exercise. It was her pre-op check and she turned out to still be lactating slightly, so the spay is booked for two weeks time.

This morning we are practising settling down out of the pen without hassling Sophy - Freddy is feeling very grown up and responsible, being allowed to snooze next to her on one of the Big Dogs' beds. It won't last long, but I am praising him to the hilt while it does. He is much less hyper now we are back to two interesting outings a day, and yesterday's cherry on the top was Gus coming home from his holiday - he was waiting by the gate to say hello when we went out for the last pee walk. Freddy squeezed through the railings and had a happy five minute game, which settled him for the rest of the evening!


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## PeggyTheParti

fjm said:


> We have visitors staying - a rarity in these Covid days - and Freddy was very confused at first, with non stop barking and wiggles of pure delight at having more people to play with. He wanted to bark when he heard someone get up to go to the bathroom in the night, but was persuaded to settle down for a snuggle instead, and he is gradually getting used to the idea that there are other humans moving around his house. I am very glad my friends were able to visit, both because it has been so long since I have seen them, and because the timing is perfect for Freddy. He is now old enough to absorb the idea that he does not need to alert to invited visitors, just ahead of hitting the 5 month point when, in my experience, pups start alerting to everything!


Perfect timing! And what a treat to have houseguests.


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## fjm

It's been wonderful - a real breath of normality. Plus they had a bagful of lateral flow tests just when I needed one urgently!


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## fjm

Freddy is rapidly becoming an adolescent. He is leggy, thinking about humping, showing signs of lifting his leg to mark, and is also showing signs of selective deafness. At the same time he is snuggly, sociable, mostly polite and often pure puppy. I am putting a lot of effort into recall training, ahead of adolescence hitting in earnest, and outdoor toilet training, ahead of visiting my sisters at Christmas. Pads work extremely well at home, where he knows exactly where they are, but were less successful while visiting at the weekend. Not everyone appreciates a pee and poo spot in every room! I've charted poo times over a few days and am aiming to get at least the daylight one outside within the week. He is a clever little chap - it shouldn't take him long.


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## fjm

Hurrah! Took Freddy out first thing, he came back in and, as usual, made a bee line for the pad. I took both pup and pad back outside where things were far too distracting for him to concentrate on pooing, but a few minutes walking up and down he did the job on a convenient bit of grass, with me singing his praises throughout. The first one of the day is the most predictable, so the easiest to transfer. Now to catch the sudden look of intentness and circling for the later ones...


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## Mfmst

The great outdoors is your bathroom, Freddy! Go for it!


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## fjm

This is a bit of a cheat, as we only managed 3 out of 5 classes and one of the criteria was being able to look at his teeth which Freddy 
categorically refuses at the moment, but here is Fred with his First Ever Certificate.









But considering we missed nearly half the course and were not expecting a test I think he did jolly well.


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## Skylar

Congratulations - he earned extra points on his winning personality and being handsome.


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## Rose n Poos

Hurrah!!


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## twyla

Well done Freddy


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## Liz

I bet you're beaming with joy. Congratulations!


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## 94Magna_Tom

Woo Hoo!!! Go Freddy go! Congratulations on your 1st certification!


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## Streetcar

Good job, Poppet 😍!


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## fjm

After nearly two weeks of disrupted exercise due the the older girls' various health issues we are back to two walks a day and the difference is really noticeable. With two walks, even short ones, everyone is relaxed and snoozy in the evenings and easy going through the day. Freddy is far less hyper - he is sleeping on my lap or on the floor without hassling Sophy to play. He has suddenly begun to get the hang of loose leash walking, walking round me when I stop to get back into a better position. Recall is very much a work in progress but today I watched and waited while he thought about following a fun dog we met, and at last looked back to me and then came running when called for lots of praise and treats. Little by little we are getting there - once I would have worried if he did not know everything at 3 months, now I am far more relaxed about him learning gradually.


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