The Scoop

Storm helps Doug with project

Three of the pups have departed with their owners already, but two of them will be rejoining the gang briefly for their eye exams
on Monday.

"Jethro" headed to Canada.  We thought it was a good idea to get him across the border as soon as possible due to winter weather and the Covid situation.  His new name is "Storm" and his registered name is "Lookout's Port in a Storm".  Storm's owner owned handsome boy named "Port" for many years who was a half brother to their new pup.  We've gotten glowing reviews on what a nice pup Storm is and Alex and Doug's older female PWD is being an excellent playmate for the new little guy.

Ridley at the office for the day

Probie headed home with my friend and co-worker and has already joined us for a day as office dog.  He was SO well behaved.  Amelia has done an amazing job getting him off to a great start.  Probie is now "Ridley" and his registered name is "Lookout's Enigma".  Amelia has kept the pup apart from her older mixed breed boy for a bit to give them time to get used to each other gradually.  Sammy's been pretty tolerant of the little guy's intrusion into his life and even seemed happy to see him arrive home after his day at the office yesterday.

Kate headed to her new home in Yamhill, OR and is now "Frida", formally "Lookout's Leap of Faith".  Frida's new owners are finding her sweet and smart but also LOUD!  PWDs tend to have pretty strong opinions on things and Frida's opinion is that she should not have to sleep in a crate.  Frida enjoys sleeping on the couch with Joan and feels that is where she belongs.  I'll share some pointers on working through that since all of the pups will express this opinion.

Frida sleeps peacefully - on her terms!

Four of the remaining pups got to have an excellent adventure this week.  I have a friend who is a High School teacher.  Sarah has two kids under the age of four.  Two of the pups (Kasie and Breena) went to her house for a sleepover on Tuesday night and went to school with Sarah for the day on Wednesday.  She dropped those two pups off last night and took two more pups (Abby and Jenny) for an overnight last night and the day at school today.  We're getting reports from Sarah that all four pups have been super confident and happy, have been using the litter box I sent with Sarah and their tails haeve not stopped wagging.  Good puppies!  A huge thanks to my friend Sarah for this extra socialization for these pups.

Jan has been taking turns crating several of the remaining six pups when he goes out to run errands during the day.  Viewing the nanny cam footage reveals that the pups sometimes kick up a fuss for a while (sometimes QUITE a while), but fall asleep at some point.  He does not return until they are all quiet, so none are rewarded for being let out while they are screaming.

Some reports and comments from the first week:

• 

  Jenny helps with the dishes
  

  It took Ridley about  5-6 days to sleep through the night (9:30 PM to around 6:00 AM) in his crate.  Amelia puts a chew (pig's ear) in with him when he goes to bed.  His crate is right next to her bed where she could let him know she was there when he woke up the first few nights crying.  Upon waking during the night, he was only allowed out on leash to see if he needed to potty and then right back into the crate.  Covering the crate helped calm him.
• The pups may not eat with much gusto for the first day or two.  They have been eating out of metal bowls, but also like to play with them.  One pup has changed over to a ceramic bowl and is eating out of it instead of playing with it.  You can also try to give them all of some of their daily ration out of stuffed Toppl or Kong toys throughout the day. Ridley expressed a clear preference for the Toppl over the Kong.  They do like their raw meat meals better than their kibble meals and we have added a few spoonfuls of canned food in with their kibble which might entice them to eat those first few days.
  
  
• Those sharp little teeth hurt while the pups are teething and learning bite inhibition.  Some of the spray on products like Bitter Yuck or Bitter Apple can help.  Spray it on your skin or clothes to discourage the pups from chomping.  Be aware that if you get the spray in your mouth, it tastes really bad.
  
• If you are interested in pet insurance for your pup, Lemonade has been recommended and it covers these things:
  
  

  "Accident coverage is effective 2 days after your policy's start date. So if your pup hurts his paw on or after this date, his accident coverage will be active.
  
  Illness coverage is effective 2 weeks after your policy's start date. If your pup shows symptoms of an illness after that date, his illness coverage will be active.
  
  Cruciate ligament coverage activates 6 months after your policy's start date. If your pup shows symptoms or is diagnosed with this condition after that date, he should be covered."
  
  
  
  They have a "puppy package" for an additional $44 a month but since the pups already have their microchip and first round of shots, you might be better off just getting the basic coverage.
  
  
  My friend that recommended the company says: "It's a pretty good company to work with and they cover 80% of the bill in most cases. You will just need to upload the shot record to get started."