Beanie and the other pups have had their first trip into the breeder’s garden, and she’s sent us a new round of pictures.

Not surprisingly it looks like a lot of the garden exploration involved chewing. In fact I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that the breeder’s going to need to replace her garden hose:

In the meantime, we’ve been stocking up on chew toys in the hope that Beanie will chose those over our leather sofa. We’ve got a couple of “Kongs” – hardy rubber toys designed to be loaded with food, and a rubber ball that also acts as a satisfying kibble delivery mechanism. From what I’ve read, it’s a good idea to use such toys for normal feeding, rather than using a typical doggy bowl. Wild dogs apparently spend the majority of their waking hours hunting/scavenging for food. Domestic dogs don’t need to hunt, but handing their food out in a bowl leaves their days very empty, leading to all manner of mischievous behavior (goodbye sofa, plants, shoes, any trailing wires etc.) and excessive dependence on human company.

We’ve also found a couple of puppy training classes nearby. These classes are probably as much about socialization (getting pups to feel comfortable around other dogs, people and children) as they are about training. That makes them pretty much essential, and we’ll definitely be taking Beanie along when we get her.