Kazi and Capri are starting to settle in well. They were pretty nervous about their new surroundings and it took them a while before they were comfortable crossing doorway thresholds and moving around the people and dogs in the household. But by day 2, you could tell that they were feeling a lot more comfortable. Funny thing is, Kazi is the less brave pup at home but here he is much more confident. That might be because of the early socialization that was done with him. Capri may, in general, be more brave than Kazi but Kazi has had more exposures to things in the outside world which gives him a greater comfort level with new things that come into his life.
Because the two littermates spend all their time together, it's important that they spend some time apart so they are not completely dependent on each other. This is helpful when training them too. I'm starting out slowly at first and separating them for short times where they can still see each other. I'll then work up to longer times and then to where they can't see each other. I'd like to work towards being able to take each one individually out of the house for a short time for a little outing. This is a goal I'm hoping we will reach but, because they are a little nervous about new surroundings, it might be too much to ask for by the end of this week.
We're starting out with some basics. I've changed their feedings to three times a day so I can predict their toileting schedule better. Capri is a little nervous about the food bowl so I can use this opportunity to train her with her kibble. She likes this and does very well learning her name, sit, and attention while I'm hand feeding her meal. After the meal, I put their leashes on and take them out to a specific spot where I want them to toilet. I tell them "Go potty" and praise them when they do. For Kazi, because he is having more trouble with this at home then Capri, I will sometimes give him a treat right after he's gone to the bathroom (especially if he has gone quickly). If one of them does not toilet, I'm going to confine them for 10 minutes and try again. The confinement is not a punishment, it's just a way to make sure they don't toilet in the house. It can be a small area behind a baby gate, in a crate, or in a room where I can monitor them and interrupt them if they start to toilet. If they do start to toilet in the house, I say "ah ah ah" and maybe clap my hands, scoop them up and take them outside. If they toilet outside, I give them lots of praise. If for some reason I was not to catch them in the act, all I can do at that point is clean it up quickly with an enzymatic cleaner to remove the odor so they are not encouraged to go to that area again.
When they do toilet outside on leash, I can use play afterwards as a reward. If I were to let them outside to play and and assume they would toilet when they were out there, I miss an opportunity to tell them they are going to the bathroom in an appropriate location and risk that they might not go and would likely go to the bathroom in the house.
Also, by being outside with them when they play, I can interrupt behavior like digging. If I catch them digging (and, so far, Kazi has been the main digger) I say "ah ah ah" and clap my hands and redirect him to another activity. When he is doing a more appropriate activity, I praise him. Digging is a self-rewarding behavior so it's important that I'm there to interrupt it right away and to make sure that he gets better reinforcement for appropriate activities.
They are working hard on their sitting for greetings. This is particularly hard for little dogs because so many people pet them when they jump up on them. Any kind of touch when they jump up on people is like giving them a cookie for jumping. Every time they jump on me I turn away from them. It addition, I'm teaching them to automatically sit if they want attention from me.
All this training wears a girl out. Capri is grateful for some down time in between all the training. I want to make sure, especially for her, that she's got a lot of time where I am not asking her to stretch out of her comfort zone.
And, of course, Icee is getting her quota of belly rubs and her quite time in her cozy bed.
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