[Simon O]

Phew...the first 24 hours have been an exciting time for M and M and Cheryl and I.
They said goodbye to their brothers and sisters at Lillian's farm yesterday morning. Of course the box I had brought was not big enough as they seem to have doubled in size in the week since we saw them, not too keen on the car journey and they whinged and I stroked them and tried to keep them in the box. One was sick on the blanket in the box, not sure who but both of them were quite happy to lie on the vomit.
Half hour to their new home, a bit apprehensive in this strange kitchen, but eating and drinking ok.
It has not taken them long to settle down, whining a lot at first but better later. They were interested in their litter tray, I put earth in it - an idea gleaned from Barbara Sykes - but I started to wonder at the wisdom of this as they proceeded to use this as a bed, practice digging so the earth flew onto the floor, and then tipped over their water bowl to make a lovely mudpie......first bath, one at a time in a washing up bowl, not too happy again, but seemed to like being dried off and brushed till they were all fluffy again.
They seem to be bright as buttons, not taking long to work out that if they knocked over the jam jars from the shelf and bit off the cellophane, they could get a lick of tasty jam.....wooden boards in front of the jam jars now!
They have each had 2 little walks and training sessions, and that is where you can see the different personalities come out. Meg is a big bruiser bustling about following her nose, better at running and seeming less reliant on me but coming back at times. Molly is a little less able physically, seems more of a thinker, will sit a moment and look at things and then explore, but comes back readily. They both seem to respond to their names already, with a look towards my face and a little cock of the head (well maybe). They do not understand sitting and lieing and coming back yet, but we are working on it. They seem to understand no - at least they did stop chewing my slipper when I said it - I have to say I said it like I meant it, they are my good new slippers. They like elephants ears and have managed to tear 5 off between them, - not real elephants, the plants.
With a heavier based water bowl, and a little encouragement to sleep in the bed rather than the litter tray, they have started to pee and poo in the correct place, so far so good with only a couple of pees on the kitchen floor.
Molly disappeared, but was found behind the bed in the space under the radiator, happily sleeping in the warmth.
They slept a lot yesterday but seemed to settle down and sleep well overnight, welcoming me with wagging tails this morning, and wiring into their food with gusto.
Looks like life will be interesting.
I will update with their progress, and hopefully in time they can meet some of you!
Simon

[Rosemary]

Lucky you, I love puppies. Pics of progress please 

[JD]

Thanks for posting that Simon very interesting. I collect my new puppy on 11th April. Looking forward to bringing her home and introducing her to my chickens and next doors cat  which practically lives in my garden.
JD

[doganjo]

Well done, Simon.  Do you have a cage for them in the kitchen?  I find it helps keep them in one place when it's needed. Looking froward to seeing photos as well as progress reports.  JD how about starting one for your pup too?  A sort of training diary online?

[Sandy]

Bless, like ALL pups, as they grow and get stronger they become very distructive, they all love electric wires, reading glasses, socks, underwear, shoes, brushes, mops, walls and cupboards, and the bestest toy in the house is the rubbish bin!!!!!!!! Look forward to photos, our pups are going to thier new homes as well, 2 gone today and 2 on SUnday, so sweet but so time consuming as they have now found a way into our garden rather than the yard!!!

[Simon O]

Rats! I have forgotten the camera connector again though I have the camera here with some photos inside it; will be posted in due course.
JD what sort of dog are you getting. My workplace is very close to you.
Molly did her first drainpipe run yesterday - she found a big 12" pipe I have in the garden and ran right through it. She must be a natural for agility training....but maybe not, as there is a 9" pipe beside the 12" and she scrambled over the 9" one into the groove between the two then flailed around on the slippery plastic and had to be rescued. Damn, I did not have my camera at that moment.
They are running faster and harder and are more adventurous even within 1 day.
I got little collars but not little enough as they slipped right over their heads. Most of their neck size is fluff. I have tied a temporary overhand knot in the collars and now they fit. They have a little session with the collar and lead then run free.
I really must get the holes in the garden wall and doors patched THIS WEEKEND or I will regret it.
More and more lambs in the fields and getting along the track in the morning can be difficult as the sheep just stand in front of the car defending their lambs unlike usual when they run away.
Simon

[JD]

Hi Simon, she is one of Milly Molly's border collie pups. Hi Annie, will try but will need help from the computer literate members of the family with pics. Am away on holiday this week picking her up on the way home week on Monday.
JD
 

[Simon O]

I'm going to try again to add photos probably too big last time; from age 7 weeks on the way home to nearly 8 weeks in the last couple of days.
Simon

[Rosemary]

Ah, love the one of the two in a box 

[Sandy]

Lovely bundles of fun!!! xx

[Simon O]

Update: 9+ weeks -
Yes bundles of fun and cuteness, and a magnet for visitors! Growing bigger daily and looking a bit like little dogs instead of puppies at times, Meg still with the bigger tum. They have had their first visit to the vet, and had their injection and chip - they did not even notice the injection but the chip one made them flinch. Not too long till their next jag and a week after that I can start to introduce them to the outside world. I am really looking forward to that, I wonder what they will make of sheep!! They like to stalk each other - I think Molly has more of the collie eye - and I have seen them trying to round up a bumble bee.
They are generally gentle and do not bite and chew TOO much, though managed to pull the curtain across the back door down on top of themselves last night. They looked so funny with their heads peeking out but like all these things by the time you have got the camera they have gone on to something else.
They have a separate walk on and off lead and little training session three times a day and otherwise play times in the kitchen and in the garden, and they go into a temporary pen inside the garden that I have constructed out of wire and posts - they were so small initially that they got thru the wire so I reinforced it with plastic netting - they were clever enough to quickly work out the gap where the wire was splayed enough to get thru and keep going back to that gap. Eventually I will make (or have made for me if I can afford it) a bigger run on the outside of the garden wall. They get cuddling/stroking sessions too - and also brushing to get used to that and to be still for a while. I am sure they are tending to get held in arms too much; ok now they are small but they will be expecting it still when they are big lumps.
Molly has persisted with her love of drainpipe running, but Meg will not venture in - unfortunately I think I put her off by calling down the drainpipe to her one day when she was standing near the other end and I suppose the sound must have amplified and she ran for her life with her tail between her legs!
Initially I was trying to train only with word association ie when they sat naturally I would say 'sit', or if coming to you say 'here'. Now when on their own they will now mostly come when called, unless too engrossed, and will sometimes sit to command - Molly better than Meg. I have not used treats at all for training so far; I am not saying I would never do so, but they seem to be doing ok by praising them for what they do right. I am trying to avoid tuggy and chewy toys and wild games. They know 'no', and will generally desist from what they are doing that they shouldn't be, at least for a second. Their lead walking is improving a bit. I can see that it would be impossible to train the two together as they are just interested in playing or fighting when together. I found it difficult to get them to eat when on their own but am having some success in getting each of them to stick to eating from their own bowl simultaneously ie take back to their own bowl when they try to move over. They have separate closed beds to sleep in.
I have of course read of many people having problems raising twin dogs and am hoping that I am training and keeping them separate enough for them to be friendly well-trained obedient and independent when grown. Some people seem to recommend almost complete separation for up to a year, I can see the reasons for this but I am hoping that what I am doing is enough.
I thought they were ok with their toilet training but Meg wee-ed on the kitchen floor this morning - I think I spent too much time stroking them after coming out of their beds before letting them out the back door.
These are the words I am trying to train them with at the moment:
'Here' - come to me and sit when you get here.
'Sit' - sit
'Down' - lie down
'No' - stop what you are doing
'Off' - to stop jumping up with paws on people's legs, or to get down from some object they are on - it feels natural to say down but I wanted to keep that for lying down.
'Back' - for walking just behind you when on or off lead - perhaps reserving 'heel' for more rigorous training later if that ever happens.
'Toilet' - really just trying to associate the word with going in the right place.
Rachel is trying to train them with 'Belly' - i.e. they roll over and allow their belly to be tickled! They seem to like the tickling bit anway!
Trying to get them to sit before going on/off lead or at door, wait at door for human to go thru etc.
'Stay' is a hard one, we've started to use it a bit, but it feels that it might not be worth doing until sit and come here are better ingrained.
Sorry for longwindedness, once you start you cannot stop, it comes of thinking so much about the puppies - how to treat them right and how to keep one step ahead of their tricks! Any comments or advice welcome. Sorry no more pictures to put up at present, will be easier once we are connected to the internet at home.
JD you must have your pup now too, how is it going?
Thanks for interest so far.
Simon

[doganjo]

That's great, Simon!  Super reading, and an excellent way of helping anyone else with young pups.  You're doing great so far and when you get them to a reasonable standard you can borrow a Brittany and try your skills on that! 

[JD]

Hi Simon, collected my little Milly on Monday and she has settled really well, better than I expected. Its been much the same as your first week, injections, lots of play, lots of sleep and being introduced to the chickens and next doors cat. She stays outside in a kennel and has slept well only crying on the first night. This morning she slept till 6.00 am despite me being up at 5 checking on her. Will post some pics as soon as one of the family calls in with a suitable camera. Love your pics of Molly an Meg and the training seems to be going well.
Like you am looking forward to getting her out after the next injections.

JD   

[JD]

Hi Simon, a few...hopefully,
JD

[Simon O]

JD she looks great. Milly was one of the names we thought of but we know another dog with that name and thought it could get confusing. It is great you can get her used to chickens at her young age - unfortunately we have not got any hens yet.
Simon