New Pup!

[Tolak]

We have a new family member here at the Tolak residence, a 9-week-old Australian terrier named Gustavus;

We picked him up last weekend, long drive from Chicago up to the breeder in Necedah Wisconsin. Gus is doing really well in all aspects, and seems to be picking up on things from my other Aussie Terrier Kazimeras;

Kaz is a really well behaved & well adjusted dog, the two of them get along great;

Kaz is a good big brother as well, keeping an eye on the little guy;

He is also teaching him how to do good dog things, like how to properly chew a stick;

This is one of my favorite pics, just hanging out & watching the world go by;

It’s been a busy week, am I glad it’s a 3-day weekend. I’ve been sleeping on the kitchen floor on a thick folded up quilt so I can hear Gus squeak when he has to go out in the middle of the night. The bad part is broken sleep, the good part, besides the pup doing really well with housebreaking, is that my often-sore back feels fabulous. I think Gus must be part rooster; he is up at 4-5am, ready for another day.

He is really doing well with crate & clicker training; he seems to be a real copycat, learning from Kaz. If the big guy does it, he has to try as well; stairs are a bit frustrating at this point. He is doing excellent with housebreaking; this is day 3 with no accidents. So far he knows his name & comes when called, sits on command, knows spin & kisses. Down is a little tough ATM, he is so low to the ground that he is almost down when he is standing, needs to grow a bit more leg!

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

Aaaw, what a gorgeous little thing. He is like a tiny bundle of cuddles. What a sweetie.

Good luck with him, Kaz looks like he really loves him already. You can see they're going to be best mates.

Great pics. I'd like to nominate any pic of him for POTM.

 

[JenCliBee]

very cute m8 looks like he has a great home


jen

 

[Bloo]

Congratulations! What are you going to nickname him (Gus)? Or is that going to be his full proper name you call him by?
He's adorable and they look great together. Goodness, sleeping on the kitchen floor? How long do you think that's still going to have to last?

Look forward to seeing lots more photos Those last pics are so cute - and shows just how well they're getting along already.

 

[guppy_man]

Ill nominate the pic with them 'watching the world go by'

 

[kj23502]

Both of your dogs are cuties But puppies are espcially cute!!

Having a dog is just like having a child, eh?

 

[wendywc]

I second the nom on the last pic! They look so great together. Congrats!

 

[tangokitty]

They really look like they love each other! Glad the older dog isn't jeolous of the new one!

 

[shelaghfishface]

oh my goodness,that puppy is adorable,kaz is beautiful too. i respect you getting on the floor to get the pup trained so early,its where an awful lot of owners go wrong-shows real dedication on your part (bet the puppy loves the company) and you should be comended it on it. i take the children to my local park very often, and the nuisence dogs are exactly that, well i say dogs its actually the owners that need a kick up the pants!!

well done,and congratulations on the new arrival
shelagh xxx

 

[Tolak]

His nickname is Gus, just like Kazimeras is Kaz. They often go by Kazimer & Gustav as well. Maybe it’s a sort of regional thing, but a kid who is commonly called Liz let’s say, gets called Elizabeth Ellen by the parents when they want to get her attention. Fred would be Fredrick Alonzo when he gets in trouble.

The floor deal goes on for about a week, I phase it out by using the same quilt & such, setting it up on the floor as if I were about to go to sleep, but go sleep in the bedroom. Many people will just ignore the new pup, letting it figure out that it is a safe place to sleep on it’s own. I think it is my job to show & teach the pup, that includes teaching him what is a safe & happy spot to sleep. He has been going into the crate to sleep on his own for days now, I close the door after a while so he doesn’t wake up, walk out, & make a mistake if I’m out of the room. Many other people will bring the crate into their bedroom at night; I think this can cause some confusion due to the inconsistency. Dogs do not generalize well, and pups especially need consistency.

Getting down on the floor with a pup, or any dog for that matter, is one of the best ways I’ve found to make them sociable with a soft mouth. I put on the hard shell hearing protectors to keep my ears from being flanked, and lay flat on my back to teach that teeth on faces is a no go. I would rather get my mustache yanked by a young pup who is learning the way things work than see a friend’s or neighbor’s kid get teeth in the face by an older dog who really means no harm, but does not understand that teeth on the face or anyplace else is totally wrong to humans. The more ordinary something is to them the less they treat it as something out of the ordinary. They also seem to connect better when teaching the usual sit, down, etc, the face being closer is larger, easier to focus on with less distraction.


Thanks for the nomination everyone, those are some of the same pics that I sent to the breeder, we keep in contact about the dogs, and life in general, she & her husband are really good people. I need to adjust the shutter speed or something on my camera to get some pics of them wrestling, every one comes out as a blur of fur. These are the angel pics, I’ll figure out how to get some pics of them rolling around pulling on each other’s fur.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

I nominate these two pictures for, Picture of the month!!

Oh my god, I normally Dislike small dogs, but your two dogs are beautiful. Very nice camera work !!

 

[bordercollie05]

Tolak,

Congrats on your new pup! They're both gorgeous dogs. Glad to hear you're clicker training, isn't it amazing how quickly they catch on with it? Keep us updated on Gus's progress .

Laura