He has a sweet and gentle temperament that hides behind his impressive look, but Lieu (short for Lieutenant) already weighs 90 pounds at just under 8 months, making him almost as big as, and much stronger than his human mom. So while he's learning to walk calmly, we're using a Gentle Leader to guide him, giving mom a bit of much-needed gentle leverage.
Remember your COVID puppy hasn't experienced a string of costumed little people ringing the doorbell all evening before. You'll want to either do some practise runs with dog treats thrown away from the doorway at each arrival, until your dog habitually runs to a spot safely away from the door when you answer, or simply put Puppers in a safe, quiet place in the house for the peak trick-or-treating hours.
In multi-dog households, it's not always a given that everyone gets along. Keeping harmony among your dogs might require conscious effort on several fronts, including making all parties feel secure not just in the relationships between them, but in their relationships with the people and their own spaces. If you have trouble keeping the peace, reach out for help.
"Very reactive when people approach her, especially men," is what her owner told me about Ivy. But Ivy is telling me here the problem is people don't seem to approach her the way she'd prefer. She's going to be a lot nicer about it when she gets a chance to discover that people can have better manners, and then I expect hers will improve too.
Don't let this sweet little face fool you - it's full of sharp teeth, and Poppy is in a hurry to love you with them! Puppy mouthing is so expected, I worry more when people report it never happens (though that's rare). But that doesn't mean we need to accept it. The solution might surprise you though; it starts with more sleep! (there's more to it, though, don't worry)
