Blog Archives
Liberty Belle
Day Three with Libbie
~ our thoughts and the process–Day Three
Breeder Comment
You might remember that Libbie traveled home on the airplane (as her Mom’s carry on luggage). We have had two reports since we met her at the airport. Click Here to read the first, and here to catch the second. The news is a bit old, but it is never too late to share this kind of report, right?
I’m still amazed at her intellect and being able to remember!
Yesterday, was very busy, productive and successful :)! She introduced her herself to the crate in the kitchen, her home while we are away from home. I had the door open hoping she would want to go in and explore, and she did, all on her own with no encouragement! She went in, sniffed around and laid down. After a couple of minutes, she got up, went and got her pig ear, went back into the crate and chewed on it until she fell asleep! Precious!!I quietly closed the door–she did look at me for a moment then went back to sleep. I disappeared for a while, when I came back she was awake, and I let her out. 1st try success! The door remained open, and she would go in several times throughout the day, taking various toys with her. Finally, she went in and went to sleep, no toy or collar, just her. I took the opportunity to actually leave the house to pick up a few things at the store. I was a little nervous leaving her, not really sure what to expect, and it was the quickest trip I’ve been able to make to the store. I was gone for a little over half an hour. When I got home, she was still sleeping! I quietly unlocked the door, and before I could open it, she woke up. I praised her and took her out. Success!! I was relieved! She continued going in and out with various toys and lying down. I would have to say she loves the crate and feels safe :).
She also learned “come” & “sit.” Scott was super impressed and didn’t believe it was possible till he saw it first hand. We also started with leash walking and will continue that until it’s down pat – our next full focus activity. That seems to be the most challenging, but I’m sure she will get it soon.
Last night, we did our regular routine and went to bed usual time. Omg, Shela, when we went into the bedroom, she went into her crate by herself with no encouragement but was praised, I closed the door, she let out a few barely audible whimpers and went to sleep. She did not make a sound all night!! I got up at my regular time, took her out and praised her. Then on with the usual routine. I am in disbelief with how well she did!
She is learning and getting comfortable with things so fast! We have also been learning “no,” and she pretty much has that down, except for with the puppy play biting. During playtime, She’s like a little piranha, mouth open and looking for something to chomp down on.
I’ve figured out so far to put a toy or pig ear in her mouth when she goes for something. We don’t allow her to chew on, aka my hands, shoes, etc. Well, “no” is not working with this, so I think I’m going to try to find another word that will work.Ahhhh, she’s so funny and just a cutie! What fun we’ve had the last couple days and a lifetime more to go! We are so blessed!!!
Liberty Belle
Breeder Comment
Last week we shared about Libbie’s (Liberty Belle) trip home on the airplane, as well as her extraordinary initial adjustment. It was nothing short of phenomenal, but a lot had to do with how she began her journey. She learned to settle in the carryon bag–yes, I did work with her before she left OwyheeStar. Regardless, there is something to be said about the pup that settles–they can learn nearly anything. The carryon bag is like an extreme crate-training session–only you must succeed to be able to fly with them in the bag. Here are some photos of Libbie on her day of travel.
Finally, a calm follow through makes a lot of difference. So, there were two huge factors contributing to the excellent start. 1. There is the settling in the carryon bag. 2. There is the human factor where they stayed calm and followed through. Honestly, it is not all that easy, but it is effective. All the human emotion and excitement can be the unraveling the transition. (OMG)
Day One with Libbie
We got up this morning and started the daily routine. I took off work to help her transition to her work days with Scott, and get familiar with how it’s all going to work. As I’m typing this, she is sleeping and figuring it out.She has really done phenomenally so far with everything, I, we are truly amazed at her learning things and remembering them. It’s almost scary as to how smart she is, are we going to be able to keep up with her staying interested and busy learning more 🙂 ?!What an incredible gift you have given us! We are more grateful than you can possibly know! As I mentioned earlier, our family is complete again, and we owe it all to you. Thank you!!!!
Thank you for all of the suggestions! I’m definitely going to check out the AKC Good Citizen Title program, sounds fun and will help me keep Libbie learning and interested and obedient :)! Also, I’m going to start the standing process as well, what a great idea, makes total sense!
Breeder Comment
Liberty Belle
Is Home!
~ Boise to Las Vegas Flight
Libby at OwyheeStar
Breeder Comment
Julia Speaks of Boise, etc.
Libbie did perfect the whole day! Oh my goodness, I can’t believe how well she did!! I took her potty right after you guys left then we hung out in an empty area for a while to play, bond and work off some energy. I put her in the carrier, and that’s where she stayed until we got home. She didn’t put up a fuss, she was relaxed and slept most of the day and flight home, even thru rough turbulence.
Las Vegas Arrival
Scott picked us up at the airport, and she was continued napping for the 15-minute ride home. Once we got home, we went straight to the backyard to potty, ringing the potty bells as we went out the door. She instantly went potty as soon as she got off the patio, both pee and poop. She was praised and given treats, and then we went in for some food, water and family bonding time. Scott is in love with her too! There was no doubt that, our family is complete again :)!
Busy Day; Fun Evening!
We had lots of playtime and several potty breaks, each time she rang the bell to go out! I can’t believe it! At first, we thought it was coincidental because it could be a great play toy, but she went potty every time, except once, when I think she just wanted to go outside to play. Did you by chance train her with the potty bells? If not, we have one super intelligent puppy :)! I seriously cannot believe how fast she took to that!!
Our First Night
We did our usual bedtime routine and put her in the crate in our bedroom. She pitched a little fit for about 5 minutes and then went to sleep. She woke up around 2:30 and again around 3, whined a couple of minutes then she went back to sleep. I had made my decision before bed that if she woke up after 3:30 I would take her our potty. She woke up at 4, I went to the bathroom and then took her out of the crate, rang the potty bells and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she went potty. We went back to bed, she whined for less than a minute and went back to sleep. It couldn’t have been a better 1st night!!!
Breeder Comment (part two)
Julia, you and Scott, did everything right. Libbie is a lucky girl. No, she was not trained to the potty bells nor even to the door. It would not matter if she were because it was all new territory. We have countless stories (from past experiences) where we had pups housebroken and crate-trained only to hear that their new family was disappointed. Well, there is a trick to doing things, and while it involves follow through, it also takes a bit of knack. It requires the humans to go about business unfazed and matter-of-fact. The moment we humans hesitate the pup reads our hesitation and follows suit.
Libbie is a super smart girl–like her Mama. Ringing the bells upon arrival set the stage. For those that wonder–, you don’t want to ring them like a wild person and make it a scary thing. You want to entice them to want to use them. It is a fun thing. Shortly, it might be abandoned because the pup learns to ring them all too well. (ha!) Who can say? It facilitates the housebreaking process –that is the goal.
Libbie can hold potty for a while. As you saw on your trip home, she didn’t potty the travel bag. When she woke up, she needed to relieve herself. All too many folks are too quick to take their pup out in the middle of the night. Soon, the puppy wants to go every hour or two all night long. For some folks, this pattern continues for months. The concrete-thinking Weimaraner who gets the idea that they go out at night can make life tough for the exhausted puppy family. Habits form readily–good ones and unfortunately, bad ones too!
Getting off to a good start and avoiding the unwanted behaviors is the best approach. We talk a lot about getting the basics done. It cannot be overstated. We hope all of Libbie’s littermates are excelling.
Ohren
Growing Like A Weed
Our Two Share a Bed and Blanket Situation
Ohren is beautiful and a little troublemaker.
Does This Look Like Trouble?
I do my fair share and even Prewash the Dishes.
We love her so much and are so thankful to you for providing us with this little monster.
She’s growing like a weed! I hope others like seeing our new addition. I love seeing everyone’s furbabies!!!!
Breeder Comment
We are delighted to learn how things are going. It means a lot to us to have this update. Thank you! We know our readers will also enjoy it. One can only bring home so many Weimaraner puppies in a lifetime. Living vicariously through other’s experience is fun.
The Duo
Maverick and Goose
~Las Vegas
We have the almost 14-year-old Maverick (grey), he will turn 14 in April, and the 3-year-old goose (blue). I figured you may get a kick out of seeing 2 of your little guys all grown up!
Breeder Comment
Gracie is Five Months Old
Life is Good!
Early morning walk on an amazing misty rainy day. We made our usual way out along the canyon trail. Gracie is 5 months old and enjoying the delights of the trail (as I am!). She is such a beautiful girl. A couple of years ago, we had a fire burn down this canyon and everything was blackened and several homes were lost. Now it is a lush green again. You can just see the trail around on the other side of the canyon, about a 2 mile walk round and back. Best to you, Nancy and Tony
Gracie and I are learning tricks together…
Hi Cliff and Shela
Nat gets Gracie kisses…..
It’s Natalie (from Reno, NV) I just wanted to show you how smart Gracie is getting :).
Training is Fun……..
She loves training time. We train in short intervals because her attention span is still a little short lol. As of this week I am training her more on fetch, drop it and more on leave it also.
Did you say pose…..am I cute Mama?
Shed Antler Hunting….
Our next step will be to shed antler training. I have never formally trained a dog on that but I think it would be fun or her when we go on hikes. We might be able to get a good collection antlers too!
Whoa Did She Say Rattlesnakes?
There is a Rattlesnake Aversion Clinic in our Future
When she gets older of coarse and because we do have rattle snakes out here I was reading about a class available to keep her safe from snakes.
I’m a water dog Mama
We have just begun…
So we still have a long journey in front of us. But both of us are having so much fun together.
Breeder’s Note: There are many reasons to keep training sessions short, and fun. The bottom-line is this is the most effective approach. If you stay consist, and enjoy the process together. You will success. If you feel it is taking too long, or it is a competition, your attitude will have a negative affect on the outcome. Nat and Gracie are doing it perfect!
