Tilly's 12 Week Pupdate

It has been six weeks since little Tilly left our National Breeding Centre and moved in with her Puppy Walker, Josephine. We caught up with her to find out how the young pup is getting on.

Josephine told us that Tilly has settled into her new home really well and is a sweet friendly pup whose obedience is excellent for her age. One of the first  skills that Josephine worked on with Tilly was her house training and we are pleased to report that she now rarely has an accident indoors and is starting    to understand the term 'busy, busy' - a toileting command that all guide dogs are taught. She is also very well behaved at night-time and sleeps in her crate until morning without barking or whining, which is great to hear.

In her short time with Josephine, Tilly has been introduced to lots of new and exciting sights and experiences. She has met Josephine's grandchildren who are aged between four and 13, which she seemed to really enjoy. She has   also been for several short journeys in Josephine's car which she had no problems with. At home Tilly lives with two cats who she is sometimes tempted to chase, but Josephine says they soon put her in her place and let her know that she isn't the boss. This sort of behaviour is quite normal for a pup of Tilly's age and we are sure as her training increases, her chase instinct will   decrease.

It will soon be time for Tilly to visit her local vets to have her 12 week vaccination. Once this is complete she will be able to do more exploring on all four paws, rather than being carried in places where other dogs have been. Despite these restrictions, Tilly has been out and about quite a lot with Josephine since moving in. So far, they've visited a shopping complex, a busy town centre and the seaside. We are told that she responded well to all of these situations and doesn't mind when people give her attention.

Tilly has now been introduced to her first collar and lead, both of which she has taken to wearing without any problems.

Josephine has been working  on some  basic  commands  with  Tilly  such as 'sit' and  ' down'  and she seems  to  be picking these  up with  ease. When she is a little older, Tilly will start to attend puppy training classes which will help to reinforce all the skills she is learning at home. When Tilly is relaxing, she likes lots of contact with Josephine and will often sit on her feet when Josephine isn't looking.

Tilly sounds like a lovely pup who has made a great start to her puppy training. We hope you have enjoyed her first pupdate and we look forward to sending you her first report card soon.