7 Weeks 5 Days Old
Wednesday, December 28, 2016 at 6:27PM 
Just like human siblings sometimes they can be irritating to their siblings. Oh, you have that toy? I want that toy. They are in that learning stage of trying things out and learning boundaries. If one is being a pain they usually just stop playing with them but if they don't 'get' it, I give them an extra hand and say no. Both essentially is the same language - the play stops. By about 8 weeks they get it without any extra help. This is a normal phase and I noticed they are testing.
No one growls. It's simply I am going to pursue you till you play with me or give me that toy. Sounds like kids, doesn't it? They are learning respect. Oh, you don't want to play now. You want to sleep - ok.
It's a great stage as you learn so much about them. They learn patience and coping skills. This is a great crew and no one has become upset when things don't go their way. We have only had okay I want that toy so I will pursue you experiences but even that never escalates.
Interesting enough I can put treats in with them (1 per pup) and no one tries to steal or has any food aggression. They share quite well. It is one of the ways I test them. If they can't share as they like the treats so much and can't see past that, I remove them and I try again over and over again but this crew has done well with this test. Those that do not at first actually benefit from the conditioning and arrive at the same point. So don't judge. I am only sharing with you what we do so they have the learning experience in a positive way.
Reader Comments (2)
Darlah you always have interesting tips and your training has given us the best socialized pups ever. You can see what wonderful dispositions they have.
Thanks for doing all that you do... educating and helping us understand all these nuances.... They are so much fun to watch and the extra knowledge makes it even more interesting.