11:58am
The Education Of Little Tippy
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Tippy was clearly the dominant male of the litter. He is very bossy, and when Amy reprimands him for biting too hard with his puppy needle teeth, he just bites back. It's difficult for Amy to make the message clear, because she is clearly holding back and trying not to hurt him, and he has such thick fur that anything short of a very hard bite just makes him yelp a little and lunge back at her.
So, Amy has to grab his leg or take his muzzle in her mouth or grab some skin around his neck and just hold him until he signals submission, but then he's right back at it. No backing off by that little guy, he's definitely a tuffy.
Amy is doing double (maybe even triple?) duty here - all the lessons that educate Tippy about play, and biting, and learning his place in the household hierarchy, are lessons that I would normally have to give him, so I am benefitting. I still have to teach him the same things from my perspective, but Amy's lessons will help him learn more quickly. Plus, the rambunctious play help wear Tippy out so he sleeps more and longer. I am already getting the benefit from that!
And today is a drizzly rainy day, a day that usually causes so much anxiety in Amy that I have to give her a sedative from the vet. She would normally be pacing the floor and shedding a ton of hair, and if the rain becomes loud on the roof she would start freaking out worse and digging everywhere to hide. On days like that she normally won't even go out in the yard to do her thing (I can take her out but she just tries to hide).
Well, with Tippy here to capture her attention most of the time, she is hardly giving the weather a second thought. There was some pacing earlier, but I got Tippy in my lap and Amy came to check on him, and they started playing/wrestling/puppy school and Amy has been pretty much distracted from the weather since then.
Smokey is even getting into the fray, doing his run-by scampers closer and closer like he is daring one of the dogs to reach out and grab him. He is getting so much bolder all the time, after initially being scared of Tippy, that now he is approaching him while Tippy is wrestling with Amy. I expect he'll be playing with Tippy before another week or two goes by (but not the up-close wrestling play that Tippy and Amy share, maybe just a teasing kind of play). Tippy will also undoubtedly learn at some point that cats have sharp teeth and claws.
This has been so interesting and educational already, I've seen elements of puppy education by an older dog in bits and pieces before, but this is up close and full time. What a wonderful experience. There is an added benefit to this - my physical problems make mornings difficult and some days impossible, and I often give in and let the pain control me. However, with the added responsibility of Tippy, I have to get up frequently to take him out, and starting the day out this way usually leads to more activity and engagement. So I am seeing some health benefits already.
What a blessing Tippy has been. And HSOV is responsible for taking care of the litter so well, Tippy's first check-up was perfect. What a grand adventure we have undertaken!
