Winter is Here Litter
Born December 29, 2021
Welcome to the Winter is Here Litter page. I hope to provide you as much information as I can about your beloved puppies from what I’ve observed from birth until now. I hope to continue to be able to be a part of their lives as they grow old so please share any and all information you can with me! I have created a Facebook group so we can all upload pictures comment on each others milestones and ask questions. Here is a link to join:
Puppies Overview
Puppies are currently eating Royal Canin Puppy food for Medium sized dogs three times a day. They have been stimulated since birth to different smells, noises, people, and animals. They have interacted with kids, dogs, sheep, ducks as well as new places, the outdoors and car rides. They have developed an acceptance of handling from touching their ears, paws, tails and even interacting with them while they are eating in order to prevent resource guarding and food aggression. All of the puppies LOVE attention and crave affection. Each one of them yearns to be pet, held, and told they are a good boy or girl. Remember these puppies have developed each of their senses and social interactions while being around 7 other siblings and each of their experiences have helped shape who they are at 8 weeks old. Below you will find my evaluations of each one.
Training Overview
Puppies have been potty trained at first using wee wee pads and now with wood pellets and recycled paper litter. They know to go potty in a separate place than where they sleep and play. I suggest placing a crate with enough room to stand up and turn around with an ex-pen attached leaving only enough room where to put either a Puppy Litter Box or Wee Wee Pad Holder. If you allow them to roam in too big of an area they will find their own place to go to the bathroom. It is now time to housebreak your puppy and teach them to relieve themselves outdoors. If confined in a crate they will hold it, just remember puppies cannot hold it for very long. Feel free to follow these training guides from Good Dog. I always used this playlist for nap time so it might work to put it on when they are having a hard time falling asleep.
Puppy Pet Insurance
All puppies are eligible to receive one free month of pet insurance by Trupanion using code: BR1AB12921 or Code: BR1AB12921 (For Florida Residents)
All you need to do is activate your free offer within 48 hours of picking up your puppy! There are no waiting periods so your puppy gets immediate coverage. (I will provide paperwork in your puppy packet)
Recommended Guides:
Click on Your Puppy Below to View Individual Temperament Evaluations & Training Recommendations
Snow
Temperament Overview
Snow is the first born. He is very affectionate and would prefer to be licking your face and laying in your lap more than anything. He takes time to adjust to new places, noises, and objects and feels more confident with company than alone. To make his complaints known he can howl or whine loudly to seek attention. He is a social dog and dominant with other dogs as well as with people. He is eager to learn what he can do to receive affection. At this time he chooses affection over playing. He enjoys playing and wrestling with his siblings.
Training Overview
Snow needs to be trained ONLY using positive reinforcement. He will not do well with punishment or harsh scolding. He should be allowed to take in new things at his own pace to gain confidence. Since he is a bit fearful but also shows dominant traits, Snow has the potential to have fear based aggression. It is very important for him not to feel cornered and be able to escape or hide from scary or new situations. He learns VERY fast, loves to play tug, and will probably learn half of his tricks just for a pat in the head.
Robb
Temperament Overview
Robb was born second but was usually the first to complete milestones like open his eyes, walk, and vocalize. He was third biggest in the litter until he suddenly grew to be the biggest one surpassing Sansa and Snow. He is patient and paused when encountering new things. He is confident but would rather be by you instead of wondering off by himself. He is very playful and entices his littermates in wrestling matches often. He vocalizes with grunts or low growls while playing and excited. He is utterly affectionate and enjoys to interact with people. He is always eager to please and wants nothing more than for you to be proud of him.
Training Overview
Robb will be easy to train as he is very biddable. He is patient and willing to wait for a reward. He is paused as in he observes and then ventures out when in new situations. He chases, tugs, and even retrieves naturally. He has very good herding instinct and is confident around new people and dogs. He will learn well through observation and will probably want to follow what his dad Psychic is up to. He loves to eat and is both food and toy motivated. He has done well napping in his carrier alone and is not one to vocally complain or whine.
Lyanna
Temperament Overview
Lyanna was the third to be born and come almost instantly after Robb. She is spunky and quick she does everything with haste. She has had to stand up to her bully siblings since they were always stronger than her and she has developed several tactics to do so. One is a sharp bark she uses to scare them away, the other is to lay submissively and then quickly slithers away from their grasps. She is used to snuggling with someone else in the litter every time she naps and often napped in our arms. Lyanna is a warrior. She is brave and confident in new surroundings and yearns to explore more as she independently ventures on her own. She can’t wait what else the world has in store for her!
Training Overview
Lyanna tends to be more independent therefore for training is recommended to be firm and direct. She is food and toy motivated and will likely want to learn how to push her limits with awesome tricks. She also needs to learn patience as she is quick to whine if isolated or kept apart from the fun. In order to be able to withstand being alone crate training is highly encouraged as well as designated periods where she is alone. It is very important not to baby Lyanna and not to succumb to her ways of whining to get attention. Since she has developed this vocal tactic to make up for her smaller frame it is important to allow Lyanna to make her voice heard through quiet commands such as sitting so as to not encourage unwanted vocalization at home.
Brie
Temperament Overview
Brie is an instigator and loves to rile things up with her siblings. I call her a party animal because she loves to be where the crowd is. She is confident, brave and very playful especially with other dogs. She is submissive and once you hold her in your arms she melts and seems to be hypnotized while looking into your eyes. She loves affection and will do pretty much anything to get your attention. She is fast and likes to push the envelope and find interesting ways to entertain herself as well as encourage others to wake up and play or chase her around. She is sweet and a little naughty all at the same time.
Training Overview
Brie tends to be submissive with people but dominant around other dogs. She needs to be where the action so moving objects get her attention. Recall work will be easy with her if chasing is included. She is highly toy motivated and not food motivated. She is also very affectionate and will also do pretty much anything to get a nice pat on the head. She is very eager to please ready and willing to learn anything you’re willing to teach her!
Sansa
Temperament Overview
Sansa was the biggest when she was born and stayed that way until before the puppies started weaning. She has always been able to get what she wants and since very little loved to bully her smaller littermates. When her two older brothers got bigger she got better at running and escaping, but is usually the ones that wins at wresting matches. She is very obedient and submissive with people. She is over the top affectionate and will not stop licking your face if she has it within reach. She is confident and likes to venture out on her own to explore. When the slide was in the playpen she would climb it by herself while all her siblings were try to nip at her and lay down at top proudly. When all the commotion seemed to cease she would slide down and instigate everyone again to follow her up. This describes Sansa’s personality perfectly she is a queen.
Training Overview
Sansa is both food and toy motivated. She has high drive to play and is often found playing on her own a game of tug or trying to destroy a stuffed animal. She entertains herself and also finds a lot of entertainment in poking around with her siblings. She is the only one I found to have a little bit of resource guarding as she tended to get mad if her siblings ate too close to her. My recommendation for Sansa is to teach with a lot of games. Since she goes straight for the face when saying hello I would help her with learning to stay sitting or standing when greeting guests. I’d work a bit on the resource guarding, she has always had lots of competition with 7 siblings so it will help when she has her own bowl of food and plenty of toys to go around.
Khaleesi
Temperament Overview
Khaleesi was always very in love with Arya. She wasn’t happy when Arya would leave the whelping box and would let everyone know she was unhappy by whimpering and whining. This now translates to her complaining when left alone or not allowed to be where others are playing. She is playful yet respectful. During rough play once a sibling complains, she backs off. This is a quality of her I admire since it’s not common among her siblings. Khaleesi is in the middle of courageous and timid. She initially approaches very cautiously and submissively, and once confident lets out her playful side. She is the first to go for a toy that’s moving on the ground and will play tirelessly and is not one to lose focus but loves the interaction. She is assertive and eager to please but not intense or pushy like some others in the litter. She is sweet and so very loving.
Training Overview
For a Khaleesi I suggest avoiding succumbing to her whines and complaints. She’s a mamas girl and strives to be the one who is paid the most attention. Today, when she sees Arya she still tries to get her attention by whimpering. I fear the same can happen with whoever she imprints on in her new family. She was the only one to whine non-stop when placed in her carrier in the car. She did self soothe and fell asleep eventually. To avoid separation anxiety I suggest she be crate trained and learn to sleep alone. Try this playlist to help her fall asleep. She has always had plenty of siblings to keep her company so the transition to being away from them will most likely play a toll on her. Give her lots of love and make sure she gets tired before she needs to sleep alone in her crate.
Khal
Temperament Overview
Khal is Arya‘s mini me they look so much alike it’s scary. He has the confidence that Arya lacks. He is bold and assertive and has a posture allows him to prance around like a prince. He has a an expression that melts your heart and makes you want to cuddle him tightly. When younger he was a sleepiest of the bunch. You would often find him sleeping alone on a corner while everyone else was nursing. He was always very calm in foreign situation such as whenever I was weighing him he just calmly sat there or laid there. He has gotten more spunky as the weeks have passed and is often eager to explore new places with you. He is confident and bold and he his confidence shows as he stands upright in new situations and faces them head on. He is very playful but submissive with people. He has always been the second smallest of the litter but you would never know that since he has always been able to stand up to his siblings. Hold him close to you and he falls in love, set him down and watch him guide the way. He was the one I found to have the most herding instinct and has several behaviors that match.
Training Overview
Khal has a strong herding instinct which allows him to want to nip at your feet and circle around moving objects. Motion is the way to his heart. To train to recall I suggest running always away from him as he will most likely run away from you as a game if you are chasing him. He is toy motivated and loves to play a game of tug. I suggest redirecting any nipping at a tug toy while running. Run and then present a tug toy and have him tug at the toy. This redirection will teach him to play tug and bring you the toy instead of trying to chase your moving feet. Khal is very brave and might get himself into situations that are not safe, so never leave him unattended until he learns what things around the house are for him to chew on or play with and what is off limits. I highly recommend following the Recallers training program with Khal. I think he will do incredible with the games way of training.
Cersei
Temperament Overview
Cersei was the last one born making us wait over half an hour for her appearance. She is incredibly smart and seems to be reading your mind. She complains when she’s doing something right and not gaining recognition in the form of a short but firm mark. She is naughty she loves to get into funny business and has been seen escaping the playpen getting into nooks and crannies as well as venturing off when outdoors without looking back. She is persistent and dominant with both dogs and people. She is also very independent and can be seen wandering off by herself to explore new places and you objects with confidence in herself. She is also confident when approaching new dogs and does so head on. She is very playful and is determined to do what you are asking of her in order to gain recognition. I think it is safe to say she is the brightest of the bunch as she always seems to be a step ahead. She doesn’t like to be a part of the commotion and you can find her sitting and observing at a distance when puppies come to greet someone.
Training Overview
I believe Cersei will be very easy to train although might get bored and find her own ways of entertaining herself if not frequently engaged in training and high intensity activities. She is one of the biggest of the pack and has grown to be that way. She is food motivated and has patience in order to earn her reward. She has a strong herding instinct which can be used also as an advantage through her training. I suggest training her to observe motion so that she doesn’t develop an anxiety that’s formed by not being able to control moving objects or too many people. Cersei would do very well in herding as she showed a lot of natural instinct, so if that is a possibility in her training I am sure she would be happy doing so.