CHELSEA FLINT

@Adrienne FarricelliThank you so much!! We had a surprise when we found out our pup had his surgery yesterday, and we could take him home last night. It was a bit rough because all of our supplies hadn't quiet made it, but it worked and he is a delight. He's struggling with the cone and finding items, so I've been practicing a sit game with a larger toy instead of small treats. He also did well in his crate and only got up once in the night, and he only whined for less than a minute and then settled down. Regarding the resource guarding, what the shelter told us is that he growled when they put in a fake hand with a high-value food (wet kibble) but was fine with the hand and dry kibble and the hand and toys. They told us some things we could do, and they believe the problem may stem from really young kids not respecting his food. I have an appointment scheduled for a 1:1 behavior training evaluation at the end of next week. And I'm keeping my kids away when he is feeding or eating a treat, and I'm having my youngest stay away for now so the puppy doesn't get riled up until he heals a little more.

Hi, I'm new around here, but have read several of the training resources for new puppies. We are getting a 4-month old poodle mix puppy from the humane society later this week. It will be neutered the day before we can take it home. What are the best ways to ensure a happy transition to our home when it may be scared, in a little pain, and not able to exercise a lot the first week? I also want to start on training, but don't know if we need to wait until it's more comfortable. We are planning on crate training it, and working on house training as needed. The shelter has also told us it had some food resource guarding habits, so I want to work on those as well ASAP. What would you recommend for the first few days? Should we have the crate in our bedroom the first few nights, even if we intend to move it to the kitchen or living room for night sleeping fairly soon? In the daytime I plan on having him in the kitchen in a small pen with a crate while I'm working at the table so I can keep an eye on him and take him potty pretty often. And how would you recommend our kids (10, 13, 15) start bonding with the puppy without making him too anxious or excited as he's healing? Any tips for how to help it feel less anxious and knowing what to prioritize for training the first week would be appreciated. Thanks.