Potty training!!

We all go through this with young animals, although my 2 daughters method was unique, yes it worked.

At the time Missy was living with my 2 daughters in my old Italian farmhouse, my elderly mother simply could not cope with having a puppy in the house!

So, picture this.

Two brindle boxer puppies, Missy and Arnie, its toilet time and the girls get prepared. this means one ready to fling open the frontdoor which is just a few short feet in front of the stairs and the other who summons the puppies from their play with "Ittttttttttttts PP time"

Puppies position themselves 2 steps up, anticipation all over their little wrinkled faces.

Door is flung open to the cries of "Puppy Power".

Two brindle Missiles fly out through the doorway, onto the gravel courtyard and hurtle across the white road to the grass where they immediatley stop and go to the toilet.

Then its hugs and pats and kisses and joyous expressions from all.

Hysterically funny, but then boxers are. It also shows that positive reinforcement worked.

This i continued with Missy right through her life, and always it was a mad scramble to get to the door before her where she stood , wriggling, ears up as much as they did and a look of hurry up mum on her face.

How many kilometres we walked together around the mountain where we lived i do not know, but it was always interesting, always fun, and I always had a overly large lump of wood bought to me to throw for Missy. Frequently she would disappear from view, her nose to the ground following the scent of some other animal, but a few shouts from me and she would suddenly reappear out of the undergrowth and run up to me with a big smile on her face ,or another piece of wood!