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.

Recovery Time

Tonka’s recovery was not easy… The poor little guy went through a lot of pain, Lola was lonely and nobody got any sleep. His ears drooped a bit during the second week of recovery. The vet said it was normal and placed the bandages on again. This time a bit more securely and they lasted a little longer. The hard-headed guy kept trying to find ways to take them off…

Presa Mama has too much fun on the iPhone waiting for Tonka’s vet appointment to wrap up.

Tonka’s surgery looks nice…at a price…

No matter where we go, Tonka and Lola are happy to hang out!

Moral of the story: provide plenty of toys!!!

At 17 weeks old, they still fit on the bench together… kind of!

Recuperating from surgery, Tonka enjoys the view from the old fortress.

Once Tonka felt well enough we headed out to Old San Juan to wander around Fort El Morro and rest in the shade of Plaza Colon. It’s always so nice to spend time with my Presa Babies! 🙂

Tonka and Lola are 17 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.

Inseparable Siblings

Having a twin must be amazing. Can you imagine being with someone every day of your existence from conception? From birth to potty training? Eating and drinking from the same bowls? Sleeping and using each other as pillows? Playing and playfighting? Learning to walk on leash and how to sit, competing for treats?

Presa Dad’s laces were no match for their fast moves!

They even hang out under their minivan! 🙂

If only they knew how easy it would be to knock it down with thier big puppy paws… 🙂

Just enjoying the sunshine and soft grass.

Tonka and Lola must be having a wonderful time sharing everything together, learning, growing… So as we made Tonka’s appointment for ear cropping surgery in a week, I couldn’t help to think: Wow, they’re really going to miss each other while he recuperates…

Until then, let just keep having fun! After all, don’t we just love the way canines “live in the moment”? 

Tonka and Lola are 14 weeks old in these photos.