Day 5

Brady stayed in his crate, quietly, from 10 p.m. until 5:45 a.m. We are slowly extending his time in there at night which allows us all to get an ample night's sleep. Though I am keeping notes on the schedule- we are not being completely regimented.  I'm tuning into his natural body rhythms to get a sense of how soon he eliminates after his meals, how often he plays and naps. I'm also aware that this will shift in time as he grows and changes in the coming weeks and months. 

Brady's training is going well, as he's learning to adapt to our home and lifestyle while we are meeting his needs for love, nurturing, security and clear guidelines of what's expected. 

What is key to this early success, and Cesar Millan writes about this in his book
"How To Raise The Perfect Dog," is to choose the "medium energy dog"(p.22) and research or have a sense of the breed so you know what to expect. 

 

I was raised with golden-retrievers, two of whom had litters of pups, I learned about their attributes from my father who taught me that their calm demeanor and gentle nature made them wonderful companions for children. At the same time, they can be vigilant watch dogs. One of my dad's favorite stories was about how our golden retriever, Leisl, was with my sister while she waited for the school bus to arrive on our street one morning. Suddenly, a Doberman Pinscher came bounding from across the street and was headed straight for my sister. Leisl intercepted the larger dog, tackled him and had her mouth on his throat ready to lunge when my dad ran out of the house. He gave the command for Leisl to release, and the offending dog went running off. My father assured me that though a Golden Retreivers  seemed like a push-overs due to a gentle nature, they were perfectly capable of becoming protective when the need arose.

Now, Brady is a Goldendoodle, which is a combination of Golden Retriever and Poodle.  Ideally, this mixed breed offers the best of both worlds: the gentle nature of a Golden and the intelligence of a Poodle. Most importantly, they are bred to be non-shedding so, this is a way that dog allergy sufferers can enjoy the attributes of a Golden without sneezing or using inhalers. That said,  Brady does shed as he has the fur of a Golden. For our family, this was okay since we don't suffer from dog allergies.

What is medium energy? In any given litter, the pups take on different roles- some are more dominant, others submissive. Then, there are those in-between, or of medium energy. They're frisky, but can easily be calmed or learn to calm themselves. For me, it was important to be matched with a dog who came with a submissive nature.  I'd had a previous experience with a Brittany Spaniel, an alpha male who was high energy and constantly tried to gain the upper hand. For an experienced trainer, hunter or very active person, he would've been a good match. For me, it was an uphill battle. 

Even a pup with medium energy needs structure and consistent training. Each day, I reinforce the "sit" command with a treat. I also practice the command that sends him running to me whether I'm in the house or the kitchen: "Brady, come!" When he arrives, he's rewarded with a piece of biscuit or chicken. This will be one of the most important commands for him to know as he grows into an adolescent (8 months-3 years) and begins to challenge or wander.

As of day 5, so far, so good- I'm not saying he's the perfect dog and I know we have a long way to go, but he seems to be a pretty good listener and considering how much I talk, that's a lucky thing..