Nugget and Olive

Nugget and Olive are 8 week old Labrador/Golden retriever mixes. Their owners contacted me wanting to get them the best start possible for a long and healthy relationship with them and their four children. I explained to this family that adopting sibling puppies can be a tricky task for the first few months. For the next two months each puppy will need several hours a day of one on one bonding time with just people. This encourages each of them to form strong and separate relationships with humans. Becoming overly attached to each other and only looking to each other for direction can create a very difficult set of dynamics in a household. Luckily since these people own their own business, Olive and Nugget can take turns going to work with one of them! This will make a big difference with housebreaking and teaching the puppies to look to humans for guidance. Olive and Nugget will start being socialized separately in various low stress environments. They will also begin taking short car rides and meeting people and other animals. They are presently learning about crate training and to come when they are called. Olive and Nugget need very different approaches to training. Olive is aloof and cautious at times and Nugget is assertive and energetic most of the time! These puppies are very lucky to have proactive owners who realized that raising two puppies at the same time can be a very different type of challenge. I look forward to watching each of them develop to their fullest potential in the upcoming weeks!!!