A Day in the Life of a Presa Puppy

Puppies, like children, need, crave and thrive on structure. Tonka and Lola have a routine and they like to stick to it! 🙂 They are our alarm every morning at 6am sharp. Not sure how they do that, but I’m impressed every day. Then we go through the day executing several tasks and end up sleeping like babies. All four of us! 🙂

Here’s a sample schedule for our day:

6am               – WAKE UP! (bark bark!)

7-8am           – Walk, Train, Play in the Park

8-9am           – Breakfast

9am – 3pm   – Nap while the humans work

3pm – 5pm   – Play outside while the humans keep working

5pm – 6pm   – Dinnertime!

6-8pm           – Walk, Train, Play in the Park

8pm- 9pm    – Relax in the yard/patio

9pm               – Lights out!

Lola sits patiently on her Place for the next command.

Tonka takes a break in his Place.

The wooden chair feels so good whiles she’s teething.

Tonka loves to sink his teeth into the soft wood.

Tonka and Lola love to playfight in the park!

Lola tackles Tonka in the grassy park.

Tonka and Lola are on their best behavior at dinnertime.

After a full day of puppy activities, Tonka knocks out in a full stretch!

Lola loves to sleep belly up, cute as bug in a rug!

Now that Basic Obedience Training classes have started, we take our schedule very seriously.  This class is no joke! Situated in the Plaza Las Americas parking lot, it’s 2 action-packed hours of learning various exercises then practicing them. Popeye, the class instructor from the FCI is watchful and demanding, but also very nurturing and helpful. Presa Canarios are notorious for being hard-headed and willful, but Tonka and Lola are doing quite well…most of the time! 🙂

Tonka and Lola are 19 weeks old in these photos.

Tonka’s New Friends

Tonka and Lola took turns going to the park with PresaMama one afternoon. The idea was to bond with a leisurely stroll but….. the energetic kids at the playground had a different idea:

PLAY! PLAY! PLAY!

Three-year-old Neni liked to pet and sit next to her huge, gentle friend.

At only 10 years old, *** asked a lot of good questions about Tonka, including how to take care of him and how he compares to other breeds.

This is Tonka’s fave place to jump! Only twice though – I didn’t want to deal with any injuries!

Eight-year-old *** became and expert dog walker by the time we left the park!

Tonka greets his friend on the way to the park almost every day.

 

I was so impressed with how gentle they were with the little ones. It’s as if they know the difference between adults and kids! We played chase all around the park and through the basketball court… climbed on the jungle gym… Tonka even jumped off a couple of times! He only went down the slide once, though. Not his cup of tea, I imagine.

Two of the kids even learned how to properly walk Tonka on leash. Wow, they learn so fast – both doggie and kiddo!

The Perro de Presa Canario is truly a noble breed.

Tonka is 16 weeks old in these photos.

DIY: Recyclable Treat Toy

Kong toys are great, but can get quite expensive, especially if your doggie is big and burly like Tonka and Lola. If you’re like most people, you probably like to save money and you probably have some empty plastic bottles lying around. Water bottles, soda bottles, milk jugs, oatmeal canisters… Almost any container will do!

Here’s how I make “treat toys” for Tonka and Lola:

Materials: plastic/cardboard container, treats, (optional: peanut butter, hot glue)

1. Thoroughly washclean the container, remove labels (potential choking hazards) and let dry.

2. Place treats inside the container. Peanut butter and/or kibble work well.

3. Close container tightly. If you’re using a container that does not have a screw-on lid, use hot glue to seal it closed and let cool.

4. Shake the treat toy to make a wonderfully exciting noise while calling your dog’s name. Toss treat toy close by and watch him/her have loads of fun trying to get to those treats!

5. When your dog is finished playing with their recyclable toy,  rinse it out and toss it into the recycling bin.

Tada! Free toy, tons-o-fun and still recycling!

***Remember to always supervise your dog during playtime.***

Boat Ride!

Lago Dos Bocas is inland from the city of Arecibo on the island of Puerto Rico. One of my favorite pastimes is exploring. So, when given the chance to take a boat ride on the man-made lake we scooped up the puppies and boarded the free ferry. We even stopped for a relaxing bite to eat at El Fogon de Abuela.

Tonka and Lola wanted to run for their lives when the engine roared to a start!

The noise and movement made Lola want to stay safe – right in Presa Mama’s lap!

Tonka just wouldn’t move from the safety and security of Presa Dad’s arms.

Just one of many breathtaking places on the island.

It’s a man-made lake, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful!

Beautiful and peaceful, here you can see the dam that created the lake.

Tonka and Lola loved sniffing around the grassy area by the dock, but were not too sure about that floaty thingy that makes strange noises with their nails at every step. It moved up and down and sideways, too! Walking quickly from sturdy ground, onto the floating dock, and to the boat the puppies kept their noses low and their eyes wide open.

Once on board, they sniffed around like crazy. What in the world is this thing? It looks like a floor and chairs, but it moves so much…and then the engine started. Varooommmmm! Tonka and Lola made a beeline for Presa Dad. Ahhhhh!

Not wanting them to miss anything, we each held one on our laps so they could see the sights: graceful birds, serene water, fluffy clouds… Oh, but they did not budge from our laps! 🙂

Once on solid ground again, we enjoyed a tasty lunch in the open, fresh air. Luckily for us, the weekend rush hadn’t started yet, so there was plenty of room. Tonka and Lola were so well behaved! We said, “Tonka Lola down and relax. Mama Daddy eat.” I swear they speak Human. Save for the few times the resident chicken came by to cluck at them, Tonka and Lola laid down at our feet until we finished. Now, that’s the value of training and repetition!

Of course, dogs must always be praised for good behavior and walked to explore new places. So we walked and played in the yard (the restaurant is someone’s home!) and chased after birds and frolicked among the giant fallen leaves. Ah, puppyhood! 

Tonka and Lola are 12 weeks old in these photos.

Let’s go to the BEACH!

One of our favorite places is the beach. So naturally, we had to take the puppies as soon as we had the chance!

Such a simple contraption produces so much fun!

Tonka and Lola just can’t let it go!

Different rope, same good fun!

Tonka Truck blends in so well… Keep trying Lolinski!

Lola wants some of Daddy’s “water”! 🙂

They sit so well anywhere we go!

It’s so important to take puppies out on a variety of field trips. This helps socialize them, experience new things and build confidence. The more experiences they have in different settings around different people, vehicles, nature and other animals, the more balanced and tolerant they will be. Field trips also offer great opportunities to reinforce good behaviors and practice training exercises.

Tonka and Lola’s first time to the beach was a blast! We took them toIsla Verde, Puerto Rico where doggies of all kinds are welcome. We walked them on leash up and down the shore. The waves were so loud that the puppies were a bit apprehensive about getting too close to the water. We did get our feet wet, though, when one sneaky wave swooped up behind us! “Ah, you see? It’s not so bad, right?” Yeah right! Tonka wasn’t having it, and walked as far from the water as the leash would allow him. But Lola just kept on frolicking, that happy-go-lucky girl! 

A tired puppy is a happy puppy. So after our walk we let them play with a rope, explore the shrubs and grassy area, say hello to other dogs and interact with all the people who came by to check them out. (They’re rock stars!)

As you can see in the photos above, they were tuckered out! No, Lola did not drink anything from the green bottle – we always have delicious water on hand for them!

Tonka and Lola are 12 weeks old in these photos.