Amber: Day 2

Amber had bit of a tough second night – she really does not like being kenneled at night – but her second day with us was quite busy and very productive. Not only did she have a good long visit with her new family, but before they even arrived, she experienced her first real walk on a leash.

   Considering that she has never experienced this before, Amber did a really good job of dealing with it. Everything was new to her, so she weaved a lot because she just had to investigate everything all at once. But, when it was needed, she was wonderfully responsive to light leash pressure, and she adjusted herself beautifully to the distance limitations presented by the collar and the leash. She did pull a bit a few times, but she didn’t choke herself out to get to whatever was catching her attention.

During the walk, there was the odd piece of garbage near someone’s vehicle and in a neighbor’s yard. Naturally, Amber had to investigate these things, but when I instructed her to “leave it” or “drop it” – she was quick to comply, and she didn’t try to go back for it. She just moved forward to the next thing that caught her attention.

The walk lasted almost 30 minutes in total. To give her new family a chance to share in this important “first”, I did a live video on my Facebook Page of the entire walk.

Later in the afternoon, Amber’s family came to my home to visit with her and start bonding with her. They haven’t been able to do this since they got her. It’s important that they do this before Amber goes home with them, because it will make the transition much easier for all of them.

To that end, we will be meeting as often as possible so that her humans can take turns walking her with her new older “brother”, teach her the rules of the house, work her on her obedience basics, and more.

In other areas, Amber is coming out of her shell more quickly and showing us more of her personality. She doesn’t like being confined [she’s kenneled only at night], and she lets us know quite loudly that she’s not amused. But, she is starting to quiet more quickly and for longer periods. This is only her second day with us; it’s to be expected that some things are going to take a bit longer to either create or resolve than others. Once she understands the kennel represents calmness and relaxation, the vocal protests will stop.

All in all, Amber is doing extremely well adjusting to life with humans, learning and accepting rules and boundaries, and finding her place in our little pack. I have no doubt at all that she will do the same when she’s ready to go home to her forever family.

Have a great day, and remember to stay calm and lead on.