How are we doing?
Birdie is my first
puppy. She was 4 months old on July 1. She hasn't had an accident in the house since
the end of May and barks at the door to be let out/in. (I'm still amazed at how
easily she potty trained!) She isn't quite making it through the night and usually
asks go out about 4 am. She does pee a bit with excitement, like when someone
comes over or she meets another dog. She doesn't seem to be aware of it. I just
make sure she is outside when I know this is going to happen and hope she will
grow out of it.
She will sit, shake, lie down and stay for a treat --- and sometimes without
one. She loves her crate and toys and can entertain herself for good long
periods of time. She has been good with every person and dog she has met and
plays well with dogs of all sizes. She gets most of her exercise from
tumbling around with her friends. We haven't done much work on the leash
and I can tell that we need to start working on that next. We do go out for
"smells" that I call walks. There is a nice walking trail along the
river with smells that are obviously quite fascinating. We have also been to
the dog park, but there is weirdly never anyone else there. I don’t know if I
would let her off the leash around strange dogs, anyway. But when we had the
place to ourselves I did turn her loose and she never went more than about 20
feet away from me.
She alternates between a
sweet and loving lap dog and a feisty, busy, blur of fur. She doesn't like it
when I tell her "no" and sometimes grumbles or talks back (barks),
like "Okaaaay, but I don't like this!” She is still a bit mouthy, but
she is gentle and isn't biting anymore. The poor babe can't even hold onto her
ball or pay tug right now, as she just lost all of her canine teeth. We saw the
vet for her final shots a couple of weeks ago and were told that she is doing
great. She even loves going to the vet.
She has never once been
happy to see me. I am all she has, and she follows me like my shadow. I have been
socializing her almost daily since she was 8 weeks old. I have left her with a
friend, at doggy day care, the groomer and home alone in her crate -- and she
doesn’t even wag her tail when she sees me. On the other hand, she goes nuts
over anyone else. I understand that they are new or at least different and
exciting, but I would sure like to see her little butt wiggle when I come home!
Here is Birdie with her
friends, little baby Boone and 7 month old Bella. Is this her “awkward” stage? I remember when her head seemed too big for
her to hold up, now it seems small. And her legs are so long!
Comments
Tons of love and a firm hand, thats what they need!
I found potty training pretty quick and easy with my dog. Quinn also used to "happy pee" and I would have to have her greet visitors right outside my door or take her for a potty immediately before seeing anyone. She did grow out of it by 6 months though.
My dog is also more of a smeller than a walker. Sometimes I wonder if people see me standing outside their apartments and think I'm a weirdo, but Quinn might just be out of sight sniffing one plant for 10 minutes. I usually have to drag her away. We love dog parks though! I hope you can get comfortable using them. I am always more worried about other dogs rather than my own, parks will always have bonehead owners who don't know their dogs. But overall, dog parks are great places.
Also, don't be sad about Birdie seeming to not care about you...Quinn basically ignored me in public or whenever we were around other people, and it always felt a little bad to hear other people say "she loves me best!" But what I think it is is a combination of you being the disciplinarian and you always being around. She's young and you're just not interesting. But you know kids...one day they'll grow up and realize you're the best... Quinn always comes to me for snuggles now when she is distressed, and stays near me and actually listens (!!!) in parks. She is 4 now.
You're doing great! Keep us updated. :-bd