Comments

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  Jacque Reynolds October 4, 2010 at 11:11am

  Lynda, you are welcome and appreciated here! While the term "puppy raisers" generally refers to service and guide dogs, I think we would all agree that your experiences in raising a therapy dog are valuable to us too. In fact, I would encourage anyone raising a puppy for therapy work to join this group and share experiences as well.
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  Lynda Kamrath October 3, 2010 at 4:21pm

  Whoops! I think I joined the wrong group. Harpo is not being raised to be a service dog. I will not give him up when he is raised. I was confused about service and therapy dogs. He will be a therapy dog and I am planning to take classes with him to get him trained to go into schools, retirement centers, and libraries to meet the residents there. Maybe hospitals or rest homes if he does well in the other facilities. So, I guess I should be in the therapy dog group, not the service puppy raisers.
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  Jacque Reynolds October 3, 2010 at 11:18am

  Hi Camilla!
  Well, I have never been accused of growing up...LOL...but I was raised in Orem. I spent several years in SLC, working for the U of U Med Center. I lived in Lehi for quite a while too. Now I am in northern California.
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  Camilla and Darwin October 3, 2010 at 10:13am

  Jacque, I grew up in Tooele county (Lake Point), but have since moved. I lived in Sandy for a year, and now live in South Salt Lake. Where were you from?
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  Jacque Reynolds October 2, 2010 at 5:28pm

  Wise decision, Lynda...sounds like you and Harpo still had a great day.
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  Lynda Kamrath October 2, 2010 at 2:11pm

  We didn't end up going to Poodle Day because Charlie was concerned about so many new dogs. We'll go over to Carmel Beach tomorrow when it should be less crowded. We took both dogs to a park near here and walked on a dirt path, but Harpo still got four stickers in his pads. We came home and gave him a bath and he was fine with that. He looks so cute. We also tried a Frosty Paws (just a tablespoon) and he loved that. I was afraid that he would get a "brain freeze" so I cut it up into small bites. Everything is new to him and he loves new experiences.
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  Jacque Reynolds October 2, 2010 at 11:41am

  Great post, Lynda, sounds like Harpo is going to be fabulous at his work!
  To answer your questions, puppies should eat 3 times per day. People sometimes disagree on the age of switching from puppy food to adult food but our general rule is that pups get puppy food until they are about 7 to 12 months old and that they are fed 3 times a day until they are at least 5 months old. (We free feed so I am not an expert on the feeding amounts.)
  You might want to look into teaching Harpo the "leave it" and "drop it" commands but stopping him from doing something is necessary. We don't use the word "no", instead we say "uh uh" and this usually gets their attention and then the second that they stop and look at us, we praise them or give them treats to reinforce that they did a good thing by stopping the behavior.
  Be prepared at the Poodle Day...many Poodle owners hate Doodles...don't take it personally... :o)
  Best wishes!
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  Lynda Kamrath October 2, 2010 at 9:49am

  Harpo did great at the beach last night. He was a little frightened of the sound of the water and did not get near it. However, he met several new people and dogs and tried walking on a leash. Today we take him to Carmel Beach for Poodle Day and he should meet all kinds of dogs. He has completed all his puppy shots so it is supposedly safe for him to be around so many other dogs. This morning we also introduced him to some things that Groucho does on a daily/weekly basis. He gets the newspaper and play a search game "Go Getum" with pancakes on Saturday mornings. So a question. At 14 weeks should my puppy be eating two or three times a day? My husband says twice a day is enough. Also, what about discipline? Do you "stifle their creativity" by telling them "No". Harpo is literally into everything and I keep him in a playpen when he is in the house.
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  Jacque Reynolds October 1, 2010 at 10:39pm

  Camilla, thank you, I am happy to give you some pointers. Feel free to post your questions and I will address them.
  Hey...I am originally from Utah...what part of SLC are you living in?
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  Camilla and Darwin October 1, 2010 at 10:20pm

  I have been interested in doing this ever since I was a kid. I will greatly enjoy reading the advice and stories shared here.