Daisy: First Night

Daisy didn’t eat at all yesterday, and she didn’t take much water over the course of the day. She also didn’t potty at all. Instead, she found a comfortable spot on a small blanket pile on my rocker and mostly slept. It was a very big day for her and she needed decompression time to help her cope and process.

Leash training began each time I took her outside to [hopefully] do her business. When she pulled, I stopped moving, told her “no”, and waited for her to figure things out. She did very well; she gave me eye contact, and then she backed up a little. Each time she eased the leash tension, I rewarded her with verbal praise. She did really well with that exercise.

About half an hour before bedtime, I took Daisy outside for a final potty. She did not go. Instead, she kept asking to be carried by getting up on her hind legs and putting her front paws on me. Rather than acknowledge that or coddle her, I just stepped away and ignored her whining. I know she’s stressed and she’s feeling more than a bit overwhelmed, but coddling her isn’t the answer; if anything, it will only reinforce her existing fear and insecurity, as well as her demands to be picked up and carried.

The bedtime ritual was very calm. Daisy went into her crate easily and willingly. I acknowledged that with a soft “yes”. From there, I removed Daisy’s collar and harness, giving her a soft “yes” each time she held still for me. She did bark a couple of times after I closed the crate door, but I placed a covering over the top of her crate, said goodnight to her, turned out the light, and left the room. She did give a couple of softer barks after that, but then she settled down and went to sleep. Daisy slept peacefully through the night.

Getting her up this morning, the release ritual was started. Collar, then harness with the attached long line. Daisy did very well staying calm. I did pick her up and carry her to the door just to make sure she didn’t have an accident. I also carried her because Violet is being her usual cranky self by growling and hissing, and she scared Daisy. NOTE: Violet has done this with every dog that has come through my doors. It’s how she sets boundaries. In truth, she’s all “bark” and no “bite”; call her bluff, and she runs away and hides.

Once I got Daisy outside, I gave her most of the leash and let her wander around the yard at her own leisure. Within about five minutes, she was squatting to pee. I rewarded her with verbal praise and then gave her more time to poke around, hoping she would also have a bit of a poop. She didn’t, but I know she will at some point.

Keeping with the theme of calmness, Daisy was given her breakfast in my office, with the door closed. She did have a few bites, and then she left it. She did not take any water. She went to her bed, laid down, and she’s still there, sleeping. Her water dish is close by.

We did have one incident this morning where Daisy snapped at Glimmer. Glimmer came into the office to greet me. She and Daisy greeted each other calmly, and then, as Glimmer approached me, Daisy suddenly barked and then snapped at Glimmer, startling her. I corrected Daisy immediately with a calm but firm “no”. Daisy accepted the correction and went to lay down in her bed.

Daisy has been through a lot. I understand that. And now, she’s going through even more stress dealing with a completely unfamiliar environment with people and animals she’s never met before. She’s also confused and a bit ticked off that she’s not getting her way about anything. She’s used to demand barking and whining to get her way, and she can’t figure out why that’s no longer working for her. She whines to be picked up and carried, but instead, I make her walk; she whines and barks to be released from her crate, but instead, I ignore her until she stops. It’s a lot for her to process.

But, Daisy is a very smart little girl. She hasn’t been here for even a full day, yet, and she’s already started to figure out that when she pulls on the leash, we stop moving until she relaxes the tension. I am confident that she’s quite capable of handling the other aspects of her training just as well.