Puppy training

Mavis at Eight Months

Okay, how is Mavis already eight months old?! She’s growing up so fast! I brought her home at eight weeks old, and she was so tiny. Now she’s almost fully grown!

Cocker Spaniel puppy at eight weeks and eight months

New Things

  • Mavis graduated Adult Level I training classes in January and moved on to Adult Level II! She is doing wonderful in her Adult II classes and continues to impress me with how fast she can learn. She now knows how to do “paw” and we are hoping to teach her other fun tricks along with her basic commands.

Cocker spaniel at Petco Positive Dog Training

  • She has been practicing her training in different places like the library, bank, and stores to really keep her focus on meeting and interacting with people in hopes of working towards becoming a therapy dog.
  • Mavis no longer uses her crate except to sleep in it at night with the door open. We now put her and Lola in our spare bedroom when we leave the house and we haven’t had any chewing or bathroom accidents. We watch and talk to them on the Petzi Cam and it’s adorable!

Dogs on Petzi treat cam

Hard Things

  • She has been trying to counter surf! This is kind of funny because she’s so little, but man can she jump. She has swiped a few things off of our counters, so we really have to watch her.
  • She’s still in that “teenage” phase of puppyhood and can just be really challenging sometimes! I have to remind myself that she’s still learning and growing.
  • I was recently walking two other dogs with Mavis and her leash slipped out of my hand. She ran straight to one of my other clients’ doors, LOL. It gave me a heart attack, but it was also adorable the she remembered where her friend lives! Note to self: work on recall more.
Cocker spaniel and golden retriever sitting on couch

Mavis ran from me to try and see her golden retriever friend!

Other Things

    • She still hasn’t gone into heat yet, but I’m guessing she will before her first birthday.
    • Now that she’s out of her crate at night, she tries to sleep on the bed with us. It’s cute, but she’s not allowed!
    • She’s very social. She likes being with people and dogs. She plays really hard with all of my pet sitting clients and then crashes when we get home.
    • She enjoys playing in the snow and tries to eat it.
    • She loves riding in the car. She gets all excited when she knows we’re going somewhere.

Cocker spaniel puppy in car therapy dog in training

I think that’s everything for Mavis’ eight month update! She’s our wild, sassy, and fun little pup and we love her so much!

Advertisement

Mavis at Six Months

I can’t believe Mavis is halfway through her first year of life! She’s growing so fast and it feels like she’s been a part of our family forever.

New Things

  • Mavis passed her AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test and graduated from Puppy Level II! She starts her adult training classes to work towards earning her Canine Good Citizen title next week!
  • The brown spots of her fur are looking a little lighter as she’s getting older.
  • She can now jump into my truck! She has only done it twice, but I’m proud of her nonetheless 😉
  • She’s currently having her first sleepover at her my parents’ for a few nights (Jimmy and I are having a staycation!).
  • She continues to solve food puzzles like a champ, and it’s so neat to watch her figure them out.
  • She is getting better about being held and touched, and is way less fearful of other dogs. She did great with my siblings and parents’ dogs on Thanksgiving!
Petco Positive Dog Training Puppy II Graduation with cocker spaniel puppy

Mavis after her AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test and graduation from Puppy II classes!

New Likes

  • Chasing a laser. It’s hilarious to watch her run after it because she tries to grab it with her paws, haha.
  • Whimzees dental treats. These take her forever to chew and have been a lifesaver in keeping her busy when she’s being naughty.

Brown and white parti color cocker spaniel puppy six months old

Hard Things

  • Mavis is now in the adolescence stage of puppyhood and can really test our patience! She will act like she doesn’t know certain commands, or will bark at us for attention. The key has been to be very patient and make sure she gets a lot of exercise each day.
  • She and Malcolm get into trouble together!

Happy Things

  • She continues to pet sit with me (we walked six dogs together today!) and is my little working buddy.
  • She adores Lola and always wants to be with her.

Black lab mix and cocker spaniel puppy cuddling

I think that’s everything for Mavis’ six month update! She’s just a little ray of sunshine in our lives and we are absolutely loving her!