Hi there – I’m back today with an update on how our puppies are doing. It’s hard to believe that they are three months old already.
When we brought them home, Tex was just 4.5 pounds, and Cali was 4 pounds. We could hold both of them in one arm, and they both fit into one tiny little bed. They were the tiniest little things. And, for those first couple of weeks – we were just kind of surviving. 🙂
How’s the house breaking going?
I was taking them out to the bathroom every hour, and we were waking up a couple of times a night. Now that they are three months old, looking back, we’ve come a long way.
We. are. officially. potty trained. All the praise hands. I wasn’t sure we would ever make it. And, with two of them, it was hard to tell which one was having the accident. I put a bell by my back door on the advice of a friend, and I kind of had them nudge it with their paw every time I would take them out. And, sure enough, I was working in my office one day, and I heard the little bell go off. I looked over, and Tex was sitting by the door asking to go out.
I still take them out as soon as they finish every meal- and as soon as they wake up from naps, but other than that, they go sit by the door. I’m super thrilled!
Crate Training
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a huge fan of crate training. I want their crates to be a source of comfort for them. And, until we can completely trust them alone in the house, it’s best for them – and for us. We have them sleep in the crate at night – for now, they are sharing one crate.
And, when we leave the house – we put them in their crate. I also leave the crate doors open during the day so they are free to go in and out. We never ever use the crate as punishment. They have started wandering in during the day and sleeping on the bed that we’ve left in there.
They don’t love being left in the crate when we leave the house, so we always try to make it a positive experience by giving them a treat. We also don’t let them out when they whine or bark – we try to wait until they are calm to let them out.
Puppy personalites
Their little personalities have really started to come out lately. Tex is a complete mama’s boy. He loves following me around the house – and just generally keeping up with me during the day. He’s never too far, and I love that about him.
Cali is a bit more independent, but she is just the sweetest girl. She is also incredibly smart and has mastered some commands like sit, shake, stay and come.
Both of them love to cuddle, and I hope that never changes. One of the best things about owning a golden retriever is how snuggly they are.
They got their last round of puppy shots earlier this week, so we can start taking them on walks. We have been working on some basic leash manners around the house, and I’m excited to let them explore our neighborhood some more.
We are still incredibly glad that we have both of them, and they are the perfect little members of the family.
