Taking a Break

Piper is taking some time off for a few days -- she is visiting parents Boomer & Molly at the breeder's home out in the country. One of the reasons for this is that we have been working unsuccessfully to get her puppy biting under control, and Jenny, the breeder, suggested that we bring her out to her place so she could have a chance to receive some instruction from her parents.

Sure enough, Piper went straight to her mom, who began schooling her as to how puppies should control their teeth (which, as you probably know, are like tiny sharp knives). It was magical to see how they interacted, as Molly grabbed her gently with her mouth whenever Piper got too bitey with her. Boomer, by the way, relaxed in the shade, apparently not too interested in puppy affairs.

A wonderful benefit from this visit is that Piper gets to spend time with Jenny's children, Makenna (5) and Mark (3), who love puppies and who are very good at handling them. Piper in turn loves children, always responds excitedly whenever she sees them. She played very well with these two, only once starting to nip, for which she received a quick and enthusiastic reprimand from Mark. Jenny's third child, Ben, is a year and half and still in his own little world, but he and Piper also got along quite well -- probably an even contest as to which one can get in more trouble.

When we retrieve our Retriever later in the week we will get some feedback from Jenny about what we can do differently with her here at home, as this is more a handler issue than a puppy issue. We're really pleased that we have a breeder who extends her range of care beyond the "take home" date, and we've already learned of some things that we can change just in the hour that we were there.

In the photo above, you can see where Piper likes to spend her time while Mary cooks. She won't be there tonight, which will feel somewhat strange. But right now that is secondary to our hunch that a nap before dinner and a long-overdue soak in the hot tub is just what she would want us to do!