The ‘routine day’
Walks and training summary for Willow.
Willow might need help to settle – things to try include:
- Offer a chew toy/bone
- Tell her to sit on the chair in the study or the sofa downstairs. Stroke her to relax and/or run your hand lighly down the sides of her spine, stopping when she blinks or yawns. You’ll probably need to stay in the same room with her.
- Go on a sniff walk around the block/in the green and/or do some training to tire her out menally.
Feel free to vary to suit your schedules – this is just what they thing is normal.
When willow gets bored and restless she may start picking up things to chew. Feel free to use the child gates and keep stuff away from her. Hand her an appropriate chew toy.
She might hassle cat to play – make sure cat can escape. They generally get along and will sleep next to each other, but Willow is still a huge annoying puppy to cat most of the time!
Food
Willow and Humans Eating Food
When I’m cooking in the kitchen she is getting better at sitting on the sofa. Give her some treats for doing this (i.e. for not bothering you in the kitchen). She’ll eventually go to sleep. If she’s being annoying and counter serfing, tell her where to sit (the sofa or a blanket) and reward her for sitting there.
If you’re eating something particularly yummy you might need to have a supply of treats next to you and keep telling her to go on the mat and lie down during the meal. We are more interested in training her good behaviour than in limiting her food/treats still.
We often eat our breakfast/lunches standing in the kitchen and she’s less likely to bother you there.
*note on picnics in park on walks – but she WILL try her luck. She’ll leave if people don’t want to share and push her away. However, if someone gives her food she might be VERY reluctant to leave and need to be strongly convinced on the lead. On hot summer evenings – walks where ther are picnics are best avoided. Sometimes just walking the streets is better. Mornings have less picincs.
Food Supplies in the Kitchen
Feel free to help yourself to tea, spices, oil, and any staples you find in the drawers. Please. Absolutely fine.
The bin is in the bottom right drawer near the sink. If a bit of the black bag is out Willow may pull the door open and go through the rubbish. Just clean up and try to avoid her doing it again.
