Puppy Love

I love animals, that's obvious, but I love dogs best. However, it's been awhile since my patience has been tested by a young dog. God love her. She's spunky and smart... and that's the "problem"... she's spunky and smart. It seems funny to say that Bailey is now the "good" dog because he's been the one who has tested his boundaries over the years. But being 10 now, and having had some time alone with him after Brodie, I've re-established who's the alpha boss. Sadie... she's work in progress.

I stayed home for four days when we got her two weeks ago and the main problems then were the occasional dribble on the carpet and a poop outside the laundry room. Now they've both had some diarrhea so it's not surprising that she had a harder time holding it (Bailey being trained better has squeezed harder to make it outside.) She also jumped up on "everything" as often as she could. When I went back to work, she rearranged things around the house taking them from one room and scattering them around another. She chewed a few items - my favourite Pampered Chef spatula which she stole from the counter caddy, one of Madie's old flip flops, the wooden wedge that holds the kitchen tv swivel tray in place, you get the picture)... no furniture or woodwork yet (knock on wood)... okay the pun was intended.

I am confident the housebreaking thing will happen eventually it always does, and the manners we've been working on. She's still jumping up some but getting better and she will actually sit and let me put a treat in front of her with my hand between them and she will stay until I say okay. Can't take my hand away yet or she'll grab it but she's making progress. I do the same at meal time. Poor Bailey sits there with his food in front of him waiting patiently while I collar Sadie and sit her down over and over until she reacts appropriately. I think he's tired of the waits (but I'm proud of his patience!) There was a time when that would NEVER have happened so I know there is hope for young Sadie.

She's had a bath and is a soft bundle of sweeter sniffies. I walked her into the downstairs shower and used the handheld nozzle to do the job. She tolerated that quite well, and even the hair dryer (but kneeling and squatting down to get her dried nearly killed the backs of my legs for a few days afterwards!) Walking the two of them together is also building my upper body strength. Wish the walking was better however (snow snow go away come again... next year if you must!)

So the verdict is... still lots of work to do with my girl and my guy - not Bailey - David, he's not so patient ;-)

And they called it... "Puppy Love".