Episode 5: 12 wks (3 months): OG

Bonnie

Staffordshire Terrior

Color: white with brown spots

Expected size: about 70-80 lbs

Current weight: 20 lbs

Clyde

Staffordshire Terrior

Color: Lilac

Expected size: about 80 lbs

Current Weight 23 lbs

Bonnie and Clyde have grown so much this week! They have had a blast testing lots of new waters and grown so much but I would be cheating my readers if I didn’t stop and tell about the huge event that involved the puppies indirectly; the growth of Moxie.

Weekly Adventure: The OG

Moxie spent a month pining upstairs, refusing to grace us with her presence. Her normal greeting (zipping through the house to say hi to everyone) disappeared as soon as Bonnie and Clyde arrived. We knew that she didn’t like change, but she made sure she reminded us by taking it to a whole new level. Every few days we would notice her venturing down the stairs a little more. First, she would only come halfway down the stairs, smell the puppies and retreat to her throne. Then she eventually would come down to a room that the puppies were not in. Next, she started coming to the entrance of the kitchen (room adjacent to where the puppies were). She would stare at all of us in the other room for a few minutes, then retreat to her throne. She finally would come all the way to the home-made barricade and watch but never come in. If she could talk, I bet she was saying, “How dare they, I never asked for this. What do these peasants think they are doing? This is my house! I already had to adjust my lifestyle to fit Penny, I’m not doing it again.” The truly sad part was that we encouraged Moxie constantly, but she would not concede and join the family, so Bonnie and Clyde really didn’t get the chance to know her.

But one day, Moxie decided that she would tolerate the puppies for a few seconds. She sniffed them, they chased her; she retreated. The next time, she sniffed them again, they chased her, she growled then retreated. Then we watched her come into the living room and growl with her tail wagging. She wanted to seem "put out" but her tail told the true story. She was coaxing them to play. She wanted to be chased. She ran a few laps around the couch then she crouched into pounce position. The main event was on. She wrestled and played for a few minutes before retreating.

Moxie plays with Bonnie a lot. The two of them have similar play styles. They are both feisty, determined to win, and VERY vocal. They growl at each other, the noise growing with their intensity. They roll on the floor taking turns biting each other’s legs, ears, or any body part they can reach. She plays with Clyde as well but mostly when he joins in with Bonnie.

Now, Moxie regularly gives the pups several minutes of play before stopping to get a breath. She still retreats upstairs sometimes but not near as much as before. It only took her a month to give in, Miss Priss actually enjoys the puppies and plays freely.

I can't end this adventure without reminding you about the overprotective Penny. I often describe her like she was a theme park guest. Moxie and the puppies are rollercoaster riders, but Penny wants her pups to stay in Kiddie Land; so she hovers. She sits on the sidelines waiting to intervene if it gets out of hand. She then quietly walks between the puppies and the threat. To give her credit, she senses danger and reads other dog cues much better than us humans, so she is probably doing a bang up job even if we think she goes overboard.

Both dogs and both pups are getting along great. They wrestle and chase and have a great time. They are still learning each other but progress has definitely been made.

Moment to Remember:

Me: Bonnie, Bonnie, where are you? Moxie, where is Bonnie?

Moxie walks me to Bonnie and looks at me as if to say, "there ya go."

She knows their names!!!

PUPPY PAD UPDATE: 95% accuracy

Outdoors: 10% accuracy

Great strides have been made using the pads. Bonnie has known the routine for a while now. She is very smart and learned how to get treats weeks ago. Sunday, she went to the pad and used it then started to walk away. I was in the floor and it is a hard process for me to get up; so I praised her from afar. She saw she was not getting a treat so she went back to the pads and sat staring at me until I gave her a treat. So quick!!!

We are now transitioning them to use the outdoors. Bonnie picked it up pretty fast but Clyde, not so much. The morning routine starts with them going outside right away. It was early and cold. They both peed right away, Bonnie pooped but Clyde was holding out. He walked around as long as he could stand it and then started pulling as hard as he could for the house. I thought, “is he that cold?” We came inside and he went straight over to the pads and pooped. He wasn’t too cold at all. He just didn’t get the idea of freedom to use the ENTIRE outdoors as his personal toilet. GRR…

Shake it baby!

Last week while training, they would bite your hands thinking there was a treat inside it. This week they finally allowed me to "Shake" their paws without biting me. I haven't gotten them to offer me their paws yet, but it will come. I have found that if I give the "Watch" command first, they are more likely to NOT bite.

Cutest Moment

Bonnie and Clyde are love bugs. They pile on top of one another while they sleep. They spoon and share the same crate. If you take one out without the other, the left behing dog will whine until the partner in crime returns. And sometimes, the one that you try and take doesn’t want to go by themselves.

Firsts

1. Stroll around neighborhood

Training Commands

1. Watch (focus on owners eyes while moving treat hand)

2. Sit (they do very well)

3. Shake

4. Walking on leash