In my first post on Zinnia, I wrote the vet’s report card on her health. In this post, I want to give myself a report card on my handling and training of Zinnia.

I think I’ll give myself a B +. It would be premature to grade myself any higher than that, there is just too much work to do, too many chances to screw up. And nobody is perfect, certainly not me.

How is Zinnia doing?

Great, she’s in perfect health, says the vet, and comfortable, grounded and of great temperament. Hats off to Lenore Severni, those are the marks of the wonderful breeder.

I want to write about her conventional training, and also her therapy dog training, which has begun.

Zinnia’s acclimation is well underway.  She eats in her crate and voluntary rushes into her crate at bedtime. She sleeps through the night with no whining or barking, she does bark in the morning when she hears the other dogs moving around.

She never gets out of the crate unless she is silent, never while barking. She’s getting that message in the morning.

Zinnia is eleven weeks old, a crucial time for socialization that will determine if she grows up into a well-adjusted dog suitable for therapy work or one with emotional and behavioral problems (as Bud had and still has to some degree.)

This is the age to make sure she is vaccinated but also that she meets new people, interacts with other dogs and is introduced to cars, different situations, and places.

My goal is for Zinnia to meet 200 different people before she is 14 weeks old. We’re more than halfway there.

By 14 weeks, a dog’s world view is pretty much formed, it’s very hard to change it after that. My goal is for Zinnia to meet a lot of people, and trust a lot of people.

By seven weeks puppies have begun to develop the physical coordination and muscle control necessary for house training. Zinnia has had two accidents in two weeks, she eagerly goes outside and eliminates.

She is eating a lot of snow, and I think that is straining her bladder control. She had one accident at the Mansion, I carry disinfectant and Odor Off with me wherever I go. Both accidents were peeing.

I have no doubt she will be fully housebroken in a week or so, thanks to our crates.

This is an age when puppies sometimes feel fear and anxiety, they need a lot of encouragement and praise and affection. Zinnia gets those things all day, every day.

Obedience training can begin in earnest at age nine, as long as the training is positive, short and simple.

Week twelve is an important one for Zinnia, that’s when dominance and submission instincts start coming to the fore, she will start soon to figure out just where she fits in the social order of the household, dogs, and people. At this stage, fear gives way to curiosity. So far, I haven’t seen much fear in Zinnia.

At three months, serious teething begins, we need to be ready for that with vigilance and lots of chew toys. Teething Lab puppies are intense. She will not chew up our house or furniture or shoes.

Zinnia sits on command about 95 percent of the time, we are working on “stay” and she comes about 90 percent of the time when called. I’ll be working daily to make that 100 percent. At this age, I don’t give any commands I can’t enforce. She is already testing me at times.

We have bonded in a serious and loving way, which makes training a lot easier. She knows her name, makes eye contact with me, follows me when I move around the house or outside. I’ve introduced her to the Mansion several times and to Bishop Maginn High School twice.

She enters both places with tails wagging and much enthusiasm. I need to focus now on getting her to keep putting her teeth on people, I think she still thinks of fingers as teats. I am learning how to correct her with the sound of my voice and that is working.

I am also beginning visualizations with her, she and I increasingly communicate without words, just as Red and I did.

It’s time for me to step up the training, a challenge in 20 inches of snow. I’m also starting to take her out on short walks so she can get comfortable with the leash.

We permit unsupervised play in the yard with Bud, the two love to chase one another around. I’m cutting back sharply on play in the house, especially at night, which is and should be a quiet time for us.

In the Mansion and Bishop Maginn, she is calm and responsive. I am confident about her ability to do therapy work.

So overall, I’m doing well. I want to keep the focus on, Zinnia is a great dog, and if I don’t mess up, she will bring light and sunshine into many lives. She already has.

I’m doing well. I have to be conscious of my low levels of frustration and impatience. Training is as much about the people as it is about the dog. When it goes off the tracks, it’s my fault, not hers.