Update on post-surgery status

The puppies were neutered and spayed on Tuesday and went through the surgery quite well. We had strict post-op instructions to keep them quiet, with only 5 minutes outdoor bathroom times, no walks and no playtimes together for ten days. They have had their pain medication daily, which we’ve given them for the past five days, even though they don’t seem to have pain.

They seem to have their usual energy level, and it is quite difficult to keep them from playing with each other when they are together. We've been pretty good at keeping them in separate places. When they are in the same room, we have them lie down with or without a chew toy, and this seems to help them focus on something else rather than on each other. We are actually using their crates to keep them confined and less active, and to prevent them from wanting to jump up like they do when they are in their playpens.

It’s actually Emma that still jumps up on us although we are trying to break her of this. It is a long process, and perhaps we need to try something else. The method we’ve been using is to ignore her, walk out of the room, or stand with our arms crossed not looking at her until she sits. Then we praise her for settling down. The problem is, she still goes through the stage of jumping up, we go through the ignoring routine and then we get the behaviour we want. We’re not sure how long this will take to just get to the desired behaviour without the rest of the routine! Hopefully not too much longer.

Anyway, they seem to be healing quite well from their surgery and we have a post-op check-up on Tuesday to make sure all is well. They will receive another booster (DHVP) as well at that
time.

Puppy Kindergarten graduation

Leash-walking with the group

Emma meets Karen, the trainer (Look! no jumping!)

Emma gets her certificate!

A bit of after-class play

With all this excitement going on, it seems like their graduation from Puppy Kindergarten went unnoticed. The last class was Monday evening (the day before their surgery). They both passed with flying colors! Both Will and Emma performed the entire list of requirements and are now ‘AKC Star Puppies’. The key thing is that they get socialized with other puppies and people and learn some basic good manners. They still need to continue practicing their good manners, and general good behavior, and Emma especially needs to learn how to greet people without jumping up on them. She is a little acrobat and loves to show what she can do! But this is not good when it comes to meeting people or even with us. I’ve had more than one bloody lip caused by her leaping up at my face! It seems that one cut just heals and I get another one. Not a pretty sight.