Update on Oscar

I received a lovely note from Oscar's mom...but it was a little long to share the whole note!  So I will send some of the key information.

Oscar is a very social puppy who loves being with people dogs and everyone.  Lucky for Oscar, he lives in an apartment complex with tons of people and dogs, so he has many opportunities to interact with many people and pets.

"People tell me how cute he is, and how he looks so much like a stuffed animal!"

Oscars mom started Potty training Oscar for the outdoors as soon as she brought him home. 

"I actually decided against litter training just because I live in a smaller space and was worried about the smell.  So since the first day I home I started crate training and outdoor potty training."

At first he just wanted to eat stick and chase after leaves.  But after about 2 weeks he got the hang of it and then he would go every time we went outside.  When he goes potty he looks at me to make sure I am watching, and then sits and waits for a treat. 

Oscar goes to a puppy class and has 'come' and 'sit' commands down.  He is not as good at 'stay'.

I don't know any young puppys that are good at stay.  They will gain that skill with maturity.

He is a vocal dog, and his mom is working on his barking.  Eventually it got so bad that she reverted to a Spray Bottle of Water.  That seemed to help quite a bit.

 He also had a problem with biting..".no matter what I do I cannot get him to stop nibbling on my fingers!"  (This did get better over time.)

This is a common stage that teething puppies go through.  A puppy just has to grow out of this stage.  Do not think that you have to discipline a puppy for this behavior.  It is natural to him.  The important thing is that you let him know when he is biting too hard.  Be sure to yell out in pain when he bites hard.  That is how they learn from their litter mates.  Also certainly try to avoid putting your fingers near his mouth.  

Just remember that he will eventually have more self control in this area.   Every dog I know has matured out of this stage.  Even babies go through a stage where they will chew on everything. 

This is actually an important learning stage for a puppy.   He needs to learn the 'soft bite'.  But he won't learn this if you don't give them the 'ow' message...If they are overly rambunctious a 'quiet time' in the crate, helps them settle down as well.   Be patient!   He will get much better, when all his permanent teeth come in!

As of October 2012, Oscar is 5 mths and weighs about 15 lbs.  He is much bigger than his sister Maya.

He loves sleeping with his Snuggle Puppy!   I highly recommend this toy for next years litter.

Oscar's mom brought her Snuggle Puppy to me during her first visit to the litter.  We put the toy in the crate with all the litter.  All the pups enjoyed sleeping on it...It was great for Oscar to have this familiar cuddle toy to take home with him.   It was something familiar that also smelled of his litter mates.  This is a great toy for new puppies!  

 ...." but Oscar is definitely my snuggle puppy too!  He sleeps with me at night and never has an accident in my bed. 

Oscar is a wonderful and loving dog, and I can't thank you enough for bringing him into my life!"

It is such a joy to me to see the happiness that my puppies bring into the lives of their owners.  This is why I love breeding puppies.  It is as much about happy people as it is about awesome puppies!