Introducing: Little Miss Daisy

Name: Daisy
Age: 2 yrs
Breed: Yorkshire Terrier

Daisy has arrived for a 4-week board and train program while her owner, Linda, recovers from hip surgery. Upon pickup, I was informed that she doesn’t travel well in the car, that she may get car sick. I am happy to report that Daisy did not get sick.

Daisy was crated for the ride to my home. When we arrived, my husband met us at my car, and he introduced himself to Daisy before removing her. He carried her to our back yard, and when I opened the crate door, I attached a long line to her so she could safely inspect and explore her new surroundings. I hoped she would also do her business, but after close to 15 minutes, she still hadn’t done anything, so I returned her to her crate and we went inside. Once inside, Glimmer was permitted to meet Daisy through the crate. Violet the cat, however, stayed behind the basement gate, watching through the cat door. Both dogs sniffed each other several times; Glimmer was very gentle, and Daisy was very submissive to her.

Before taking Daisy out of her crate, I reattached the long line to her harness and wrapped the excess around my waist to create a hands-free umbilical line. This is to start the bonding process between me and Daisy, to help her adjust to her new surroundings a little bit at a time, and to assist with potty training. With all the instability and stress she’s been coping with for the past month, her potty habits have regressed to the point where she’s had several in-house accidents.

Over the next four weeks, this is what I’ll be doing with Daisy:

— housebreaking/potty training
— confidence building
— basic obedience
— feeding schedule [she’s a picky eater]
— car anxiety
— exposure [a.k.a. socialization]
— leash manners
— door manners
— excessive barking
— crate training for calmness [when she’s crated and she can see people, she barks up a storm and won’t stop until she’s released]

Daisy has a very sweet temperament and so far, a gentle demeanor. I don’t know, yet, how she and Violet will get along, but I don’t anticipate any problems. Daisy is very small; once Violet realizes this, things should go smoothly between the two of them.

To follow Daisy’s training journey, subscribe to this blog, or like and follow me on Facebook. Have a great day, and remember to stay calm and lead on.