Week Five: Little Adventures, Big Confidence

Week five with the Luminary litter has been such a beautiful one.

This week has been all about small, positive exposures. At this age, I want them to experience little pieces of the world in ways that feel safe, happy, and fun. There is no need to rush them through experiences or make anything bigger than it needs to be. We introduce something, pair it with something wonderful, and let their confidence build naturally.

We’ve started building positive associations with crates using very high value reinforcement. The doors stay open, the puppies are free to go in and out, and some of their very favorite things happen inside. Right now, the goal is simply for them to think of a crate as a comfortable and happy place.

They’ve spent lots of time outside in the Hawaiʻi sunshine and breeze, as well as time exploring different spaces inside the house. This week they were also introduced to the baby pool with just the tiniest amount of water. It was simply enough for them to feel the water beneath their paws and have a gentle, positive experience with something new.

We’ve continued their exposure to the car as well. Going into the car, spending a little time there, hearing it turn on and off, getting lots of reinforcement, and then coming back inside. Each little experience helps make the car a familiar and ordinary part of life.

We’re also building positive associations with the backpack that I’ll use next week to begin taking them on some carefully chosen adventures. For now, the backpack itself is something fun. They can investigate it, climb into it, eat treats in it, and learn that being carried in it means good things happen.

These puppies are incredibly bright and enthusiastic learners. They’ve learned that sitting politely is how they get to come out of their pen, and most of them already understand the cue sit. We’ve also begun clicker training. Everything is kept fun and rewarding. These are such positive little dogs, and positive reinforcement comes very naturally to them.

Each puppy has continued having short experiences on the stacking table as well. They’re learning about being touched, handled, and standing on the table, all while keeping the experience positive and comfortable.

Their social world continues to grow. They’ve had positive experiences with babies, children, other adults, dogs, and our cat. I want them to meet different kinds of people and animals while still giving them the space and time to take everything in.

Late in the week they also received their NeoPar parvovirus vaccination, an important early step in their vaccination series. We’re still very thoughtful about where those little paws go while their immunity continues to develop, which is one of the reasons these carefully chosen exposures are so valuable.

There is something really special about the fifth week. Their individual personalities are blooming, they’re becoming more connected to us, and you can almost watch their confidence growing from one day to the next.

These eight little Luminaries are shining brighter every day, and we are so looking forward to watching how these small, positive experiences help build resilience, confidence, and a lasting bond with their future families.