Still working on it..

Puppy training is still consuming every waking minute of the day. However, we have begun to see some patterns emerge thanks to logging potty breaks and feedings.

We haven't had accidents in the evening since we've known what to expect. OUR dog goes pee w/in 20 minutes of a huge evening drink. The more she drinks, the more often she needs to pee. Pretty simple, but took us awhile to catch on since she had been going an hour or more during the mornings and afternoons. But, I think we have it under control for the most part now.

She is up to about 3 cups of food per day, but some days she doesn't eat quickly. So, the solution is to put her on a time restraint. She has 20 minutes to finish her food, or she misses the meal. It won't take her long to get with that program because, eventually, she will be so hungry she will scarf her food right down. Today may be that day. She didn't eat well this morning, and she is not interested in eating lunch. So, in about 6 minutes from now, up goes the food. And, I expect she will eat a huge dinner. In a couple weeks, I need to get her to 2X per day anyway, so it isn't as if I am starving her. She is still eating between 2 2/3 and 3 cups per day....plus treats while training. This is well within the guidelines our vet suggests and the guidelines on the bag of food we are using.

Still a bundle of energy, Allie plays hard, and rests harder. The training is going well. She sits nearly 100% of the time w/ or w/o treats. It may be time to introduce distractions now. She is pretty good at "lie down." We, however, still need to use hand signals, as she won't lie down on a verbal cue alone....but we're getting there. I have also introduced "stand" to her so we can break up the monotony with a game of mixing the three commands together randomly. She gets bored easily.....both a puppy and a boxer thing. And, if the darned weather would only improve, we can get better on our walks. She is doing well on the leash, but it is hard to find 2 times (5-10 minutes each only at this stage) every day to walk her around the neighborhood. We didn't get out at all yesterday, and we didn't play in the yard like we have either. If I can get the time to do so, we will get a dog that sleeps through the night. If not, she cries a little when we put her to bed because she just isn't that tired.....and, of course, we are leaving her for the night. She really is glued to us, and this is the only time we spend away from her while we are home. I don't blame her, but as with all else, she will get used to this because there can be no exception. She is NOT sleeping in bed with us.

BTW, I have noticed her beginning (and I use the term loosely) to sit by the door when she needs to go out. It may be more of a coincidence, but I jump on the chance to help her make the connection. (Kind of the "magnet game" trainers use to catch dogs doing something good in everyday life and reward them for it profusely to get them to catch on quicker.)

More later....and maybe a pic.