Trixie

Shamas mom

Shamas mom

Location
Canada
Trixie is for my youngest. She's to become our next family dog. She's part shephard part retriever. Part genius lol.

The phrase "too smart for my own good" applies to this puppy!

At 12 weeks, and a week in the house, she's coming to call, sitting at cue 40%(I've not added verbal yet except for "wait" learning "off" and "down"

She's fairly respectful of Shamas and so he likes her. Though after putting up with Angel and her lack of boundaries he gets wary when she gets zooming.
I have a yard fenced inside the yard to let her zoom.

She likes car rides, and I need ideas for enrichment because she's going to get up to no end of trouble if I don't occupy her mind!

Crate training is iffy.....she goes in ok but throws a tantrum about closing the door. After the tantrum she settles to sleep til morning. We did increase the size of the crate to a 30inch...thought since she'd grown up in a run she'd feel better in the bigger space. She's about the same length as her baby crate we used the first couple days.

Vet appointment is tomorrow for second shots. She came with first and dewormed.

She's off a farm, so we're struggling a little with her need to wake up with the birds.....but I've got her pushed back to 530 now. If I can get to 6...630 I'll be happy

We brought her home a couple days before angel kept so she'd be received into the whole house pack. I want angel to recognize her when we do pack walks at the park 20220630_214823.jpg20220630_195517.jpg20220628_200208.jpg20220630_214858.jpg
 
Shamas mom

Shamas mom

Location
Canada
Jacqui-S said:
What a cutie (even if you are a bit mad 😂😉 )
Click to expand...
Lol I was told the same at work

But I wanted a puppy from angels litter and put it off because my eldest wanted to train a big dog as a door alarm/" big scary dog to protect me when I go walking downtown "

I agreed to help her train it but was only willing to have one puppy in the house at a time. So I put ours off.

We know we only have a couple years left with shamas and want him to feel confident walking. He is confident walking with a pack mate. Less reactive. He looks to his friends for cues on how to respond to uncomfortable situations. So if the other dogs are not anxious he doesn't get anxious either.

The last year with Angel he's made more progress than any training was able to provide....between the medication and the friend....he didn't even react to a dog trying to pick a fight with him the other day!

The most important thing I can see with this puppy is that she's SMART...and as such will need near constant training. I'd hate to see what she'll think up if left to get bored!! And while shamas will probably bark his head off to alert us of wrongdoing....there's no being sure he won't join in if it involves stealing dog treats lol
 
Shamas mom

Shamas mom

Location
Canada
2nd round vaccination today. Trixie is 20.9lbs. Still very skinny. Vet said switch her from the food the breeder gave us to royal canine or hills puppy formula. And give her fish oil because she's got dry skin.

Right now she's a whiny puppy because the injection site is sore.

She got it in her right shoulder, up her nose, drops on her back for fleas, etc and a deworm pill.

We decided to use Hamilton road for the vaccination so that when we take her to sana adelaide there's no negative association. I remember angel flatly refused to go with them after her second round of shots....she'd make the connection that those people hurt her and I want Trixie to like the regular vet
 
Shamas mom

Shamas mom

Location
Canada
She's bounced back from the needles. Stool sample showed multiple parasites. Which I expected given that I watched them chew a chicken tail. Guardia is the only one that concerns me. Not sure if the nexguard I got from shamas and angels vet covers that or if they need something else too.

Trixie was given panacur on top of the topical drops and dewormer she got in her appointment 16573293587042194221520499066466.jpg
Explains her body condition. She eats anything she can, but at least unlike angel she's focused on food. She eats enough that even with the parasites she's gaining weight. We will have to reassess her intake once she's not got passenger's draining her nutrients as right now we feed food as rewards for preferred behaviors with no limit on that food. Our goal was to not see her hips, or ribs. Looking for muscles there instead
 
Shamas mom

Shamas mom

Location
Canada
I have 4 days off work, starting today.

That's 4 days to crate train Trixie better.

I've moved her crate from AB's room to the living room due to the fact that her nightly tantrums became more than the poor thing could stand. In guilt-sodden tears, I was finally asked to remove the puppy from the room. Trixie was destined to be AB's puppy, and also a family dog...she was going to stay in AB's room like Angel stayed in AM's(except on work nights) to solidify the bond. It was all planned. So when the puppy decided to nip Matt's tail one night when he got too close to her, and Matt decided he didn't like her...it threw a huge monkeywrench in the plan. Now every time she come within a few feet of him, he growls...and when he growls, she drops to a bow and barks. It's a mess. and Matt can't come to cuddle in the night if the puppy is in the room because he feels threatened. So until she learns not to chomp his tail, and to respect his space....she can't be in HIS room unless directly supervised.

He's got the loft bed and two cat towers to place him in a higher place than her so he's not vulnerable. we feed him on the tower. And a gate on the door. She's learning Leave-it, which I also use if she gets in Shamas face. Seems the face licking is starting now...but not as bad as angel. She still has better boundaries than angel, who was seperated 4 weeks younger and didn't learn the social skills Trixie has

I've attached the pen to the crate in the living room, and let it overlap into the door frame enough to let her see the length of the house so she doesn't panic when we leave the room. This is phase one. I put her in there often, with something good. I put her in the pen and crate last night too, and slept with my door open so if she got lonely she could peek round the frame and see me in bed close by. She fussed much less on this arrangement than she does if put IN a bedroom. I suspect it's the feeling of being shut-in that trips her off. The pen set up I have is pretty open feeling. It's a wire crate at the end of the couch, with the pen going like a rabbit run...about 6feet out from the crate door. Because she quickly learned to scale it, I lashed gates to the top to close it up and keep her safe overnight. So she's got an enclosure about 4'h x 2'w x 8'L......about 1/3 the width of the dog run they kept the pups in at the farm and as long, and nearly as high.

Shamas thinks the pen is great lol. I keep having to shoo him out and close the gate.

To be honest, I'm not too bothered by the pen in the room, and don't mind the set up for her night time safety. But she's going for a spay in 2 months and I'd prefer she didn't panic in the cage and have to be medicated. I believe it's important to crate train, even if you dont actually confine your dog regularly. It's better than NOT training them and being given instructions to cage them for an important reason, but they can't handle it!

Same with Muzzle training. I'll do that too at about 4-5months when she grows into size 3
 
Shamas mom

Shamas mom

Location
Canada
We were thinking of heading down to the local festival...but are not sure what to do about Trixie. It's going to be crowded. The biggest crowd she's seen is the Metro staff rushing out of the store to see my new puppy lol. That was as many as 7?

She did pretty good but is still too young to walk down there, in a crowd...I'm gonna say no. Perhaps, if it's not too busy, we'll rig up a carrier and hold her in it around the edges. We ourselves don't like crowds, so we're planning to go just as it's opening and be out in an hour. Usually, we head for the open middle and outer areas and only send one person to venture in if we need food or see something we want to look at.

My eldest moved in across from the park where these things are held, and we need to take her some stuff...so we can stop at her place to just look, listen and reward. Next weekend's event will likely be calmer, and more suited to a puppy. So theres a good chance that today will be looking, then leaving.


Trixie loves her outings. Yesterday we took her to the Metro to be fawned over, then in the evening to the parking lot where we socialised Shamas. It's got a pet store, restaurants, Tim Hortons, groomer, and Giant Tiger(like a tiny walmart) She made googly eyes back at a group on the patio, and bounced around the parking lot until she got tired. Then we drove home. We're pretty well driving to walk right now, as she is baby and needs to build muscles before testing her on the Timmies run. That's a 45min round trip--too much at this age. She's good for about 20m right now. She also does that high energy Shephard pace....so I expect as she gets stronger, I'll have that hiking partner I have always wanted lol. She's as fleet as a cat!

She's got a harness, but can take no guidance from it...so I clip the lead to her collar. She's learning to stop when I do....but forging ahead will clearly be an issue if we don't teach her a better way. So I'm working in the house to show her that treats while walking come from the hip. Right now if she sees food, her bum is glued to the floor! lol

Shamas is still doing well with her. They curl up together about once a day....well that is to say he sprawls and she lays on his legs lol. But he LETS her, which is big for the dog who likes his personal space so much he gets out of our bed in a huff if the second person gets in lol! The LOOK he gave me yesterday though when she tried to be his pillow....poor thing. He was not sure what to do, and told on her, looking upset and licking his lips. She was too close for him to lay his head down. All was good once she moved to his other end and used his haunches as her pillow.

He's got good reason to eat his meals now-I feed them seperate, but as soon as gates open she checks his bowl(thank him checking her bowl for that learned habit) If he warns her off, she just does what angel did...."that's ok, I can wait. I'll just hang over here and avoid eye contact. No pressure. " Then when he moves off, she moves in. And so do I with a firm "leave it" Bowls get picked up as soon as they're empty to avoid guarding. I also sent Shamas raised bowls with Angel when she moved out--as they were always a poiint of contention. His raised bowls were like his treasure hoard--he used to keep his favorite things in the food bowl, and also leave some for a snack. Now he's chosen to keep them in the Kong crate, which is far easier to teach a puppy to stay out of. Plus he can open doors lol. So if I push it to, he'd be able to still get in

Given how much he seems to like the pen, I'm actually considering getting a second one for him, and pitching the Kong crate- it's more for a 60lb dog, and he's cramped in there.
 
Shamas mom

Shamas mom

Location
Canada
We did end up going downtown. We rigged a side-bag as a carrier, and put a towel in the bottom to create a base for her to sit on. German Shephard purse pup lol!

Shamas wore his muzzle, in case he started to feel overwhelmed....but was totally chill. He actually seemed to be feeling social today and I had to remind him it was not a meet and greet. We got asked by one staff member if he was "Dangerous" and I assured them that he only wears it because he has anxiety and the pressure that it lays across his nose makes him feel more secure.

we carried Trixie for most of the trip, put her down on the grass to meet and greet and rest in open spaces. She was very excited to see Angel..but AB is concerned about Angel's special brand of play, which can come off as rather obnoxios. She wants Trixie bigger before they make much contact. Trixie got in some sneak kisses though lol
 
Shamas mom

Shamas mom

Location
Canada
Took the dogs to see Grandma today. She misses Shamas, who couldn't travel much when he was at his worst. And wanted to see the puppy. Was shocked at her size, but I pointed out that Trixie is a full month ahead of Angel, compared to when we got her. She remembers the tiny, boxy puppy she met last year this time. So was surprised to see a puppy that looks like a smaller version of a Shephard. She's nearly 1/3 of Shamas size already.

The puppy's temperament is lovely. She's soft, loving, and patient. She wants attention but doesn't push for it. When you go to train her, she's got that intense face you see in trick dogs. She's showing an intolerance of being left alone though...so much so that we're prepping our bedroom to let her come lay in there at nights. She just isn't happy at night....cries on and off for hours. When you come to her, she jumps up into your arms and kisses your chin. That's cute now...but I can't imagine anyone but AB being able to pick up a King Shephard mix fully grown! It makes me think of those internet memes of the puppy in the masters' arms...and the full-grown dog also in the masters' arms.

she's currently chilling out in the pen...she's more than happy to go in during the day. The problem comes at bedtime when we all walk away and leave her alone. It breaks your heart to hear her cry. Last night I caved and brought her to bed for a cuddle. But I don't want her growing up thinking she owns the bed. Angel was a bed-sleeper and took up 3/4 or more of it..leaving hubby and I with a sliver each while she sprawled. SO I'm looking for a happy medium. I'm thinking dog bed in the bottom of the closet. I'm absolutely open to suggestions



I got to see better pictures of the parents on the breeder's desktop website today. I was initially against getting a Shephard. The retriever mix swayed me, followed by the parent's eyes. I'd zoomed in to see both parents on my phone during my second consideration. Maverick, the sire, is a King Shephard and has lovely calm eyes. Those eyes are part of why I even considered looking at this litter. He's good with kids and has a gentle temperament. Daisy, the mother is Shephard/retriever. She's actually the only non-purebred they keep. She's the family pet. The children's pet to be more specific. Sweet and sassy, kind and gentle. She was out front when I went to see them and came to meet us. While I didn't approach her, her gentle eyes struck me, along with her soft demeanor. She was quick to greet us, and her body language was very friendly. Trixie ran over to jump on her when we were getting ready to leave, and I liked her body language.
 
Stacia

Stacia

Location
Malvern Worcestershire
@Shamas mom I walk with a year old German Shepherd (of course he was younger when we started) he is huge but the most gentle and obedient, intelligent dog and loves water, jumps into the water whenever he can! It sounds as if Trixie will be gentle like Otto. I must admit I have always been wary of GSDs but the three my friend has are gentle. You will have great pleasure with Trixie and the retriever part will be great.
 
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