The Doctor is In!

Good afternoon puppy owners, I hope you're enjoying this warm Boston Saturday!
I'm thrilled to announce the arrival of Doctor!
Doctor is a 9-week old Miniature Goldendoodle.
He came by continental cargo shipping from Kansas City, Missouri, and his crate was very messy when he showed up! Poor thing had a lot of pent-up frustration and energy from being stuck in that crate for five hours.

His first morning in Boston- pooped!

Yawning in Frustration coming out of stinky crate

SO I'm training Doctor to walk on my left side and with a loose-leash, as he would need to in Service Animal training. Every 5-10 seconds I tell him "good boy!" if he is walking like he should be, then give him a treat immediately after!

Some dogs naturally fetch, and I got very lucky that Doctor is one of those dogs! A puppy who naturally retrieves is one of the indicators of being willing to work with/for humans. This is a great sign for his future service work!

I threw this one in here because it's adorable.

 

We have been doing some gentle socialization- Doctor went to check out the grass at the Boston Common. He did a great job! After about a block's worth of walking he starts whining because his little legs are so wimpy.

Potty Training:  

And finally, I must lament the difficulty of living on the fourth floor, with no elevator, and potty training. Only one accident so far in 24 hours... let's hope I can keep up the trips up and down the stairs! I bring him to the same spot every time outside, and I take him out every two hours, or right after he wakes up from sleeping, or 20 minutes after eating, drinking, or rough play. Yes, that's about 8 trips up and down the stairs per day. At least my legs will be in great shape!

As soon as he starts to potty,  I say "Go potty!" the instant he finishes, I say "Good Dog!" immediately after that I give him three tiny treats in a row.