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.
Amber: Day 1
Amber’s first night was challenging for her. She was already dealing with leaving everything familiar, the long drive, meeting new people, and then being moved a second time into another unfamiliar environment with two animals and yet another human she didn’t know. Top that off with being bedded down in a completely unfamiliar kennel… It was a lot for her to deal with. She expressed her stress by pawing hard at the kennel door and being vocal. She did this until we went to bed – about 20 minutes. She stopped as soon as she realized she was no longer alone. She fell asleep then, and she slept through the night.
Yesterday was Amber’s first full day with us. She practiced navigating the stairs, potty training, working with the leash, learning house boundaries as well as Glimmer’s and Violet’s boundaries, and resource sharing, and she had her first bath and a bit of a trim around her eyes. She wasn’t thrilled with the bath, but she allowed it without protest.
Throughout the day, instead of putting her on an umbilical leash, I kept her on the 6-foot leash. Because she is already very sensitive to the collar and leash, I felt this would help her to become more attuned to the energy being transmitted through it. Amber responded very well to the exercise.
Bedtime – and the entire night – was a challenge. Amber was not happy about being kenneled. She protested off and on throughout the night. To make sure that her protests weren’t actually potty alerts, she was taken outside… where she did nothing. She just didn’t want to be in the kennel, and she was letting us know. However, she eventually accepted that she was not going to win, and she surrendered and went to sleep.
This morning, she ate all of her breakfast, and for the first time since she arrived, when I took her out to potty, she finally had a bowel movement.
Amber is starting to get a bit destructive now – and I am really happy about that. It means she’s feeling much more secure and that she’s ready to start working on learning her basics. She’s a very smart little girl with a lot of energy to burn off; keeping her brain engaged is important. Teaching her basics and teaching her appropriate ways of fulfilling her breed instincts will engage her body, her mind, and her spirit. By the end of the day, little Amber should be more than happy to bed down – without protest.
Happy Dawgs Obedience Training 