Today was a busy day for the pups. I took them to my new vet for their first set of shots and worming, as well as a good overall health checkup. Then this evening, I was able to take them over to a friend’s house to socialize with their 2 young granddaughters, 22 months and I think 3 years old.
The new vet impressed me quite a lot in the way that he handled the pups and made sure that their first experience at the vet’s office was not a negative one. He allowed me to hold each one individually as he checked their eyes, ears, throat, nodes, heart, lungs, their plumbing and checked for any hernias or anything abnormal. Before he did this, he gave each one a little bit of canned food on his finger so they weren’t threatened by him. When he gave them their shots, he put a little blob on the table to distract them from the shot. Instead of shoving the pill down their throats like most vets do, he put it in some canned food and fed it to them that way. They all passed with flying colors. He thinks they all look fine and doesn’t expect any problems.
They will all be going back in 3 weeks for their next round of shots and to be checked again. I want to have anything checked that can be checked before they move on to their new homes. I think they will be sound and healthy, but I want to be sure so that their new owners can rest assured that I’ve done the best I can and don’t anticipate any health issues in the future.
Later on this evening I took them over to a friend’s house so they could play with their two very young grand daughters. The oldest I think is about 3 years old, and the second daughter is 22 months old. There was also a 2 month old baby, who the puppies got to hear cry for a brief time or two. The pups did really well. I was pleasantly surprised, as they have not yet been exposed to anyone younger than the teenage grandson of our renter. Jericho actually seemed to be the bravest of them, quickly running around the kitchen and out into the other areas of the house. The others followed suit, although Joy stayed in the crate for awhile, as she wasn’t comfortable coming out and joining the melee. After a bit, she also came out and was soon running around with the rest of them. All of them were picked up and handled by the little girls, and didn’t have any problem with it. The older girl picked Joy up and had her on her back and was cradling her. Joy seemed to be enjoying it and didn’t wiggle or squirm to get down. All in all, I was very proud of my pups. Their grandparents also were impressed with them.
They are now also starting to be potty trained. My husband and I are working on putting them out when they wake up in the morning and from naps when they are in the house. This will be an ongoing thing until they go to their new homes. They are also accustomed to a crate, as that is their sleeping area in their puppy pen, both inside and outside. They are getting used to it, and hopefully they will think ‘crate’ and ‘sleep’ and will settle down when in their crate. It worked tonight so hopefully this will be a good sign for in the future.
Rat Race Rat Terriers 