Welcome Home: Leia's first day

A little lost? Read our last chapter: Her Story Continues

As we pulled in to the garage Leia got excited. She knew something was going on and tried to figure out what it was. I made sure the garage door was closed before I turned the car off and  opened the door (again, no first day run away please!). Leia immediately wanted to climb out and somehow managed to get into the front seat. She wouldn't go back, she couldn't jump out. I unhooked her leash but kept a firm, firm grip on her collar, got her to hop out and then unrigged the back seat, hooking her back on the leash. We walked inside and I lead her through the house. She was cautious about it, uncertain of the new smells and sights.

Leia watches Star Trek

After a brief walk through we went for a long walk outside to burn off energy from the car ride and as a chance for her to go potty outside (please Leia, not in the house!). I was amazing. She pulled a little at first, but quickly settled into a great walking routine, slack leash, right by  my side. She was impressive to say the least. We came back home and once in the house, and once inside, I let her walk around the house with the leash on, but let it go, this way if she got into trouble I could grab it and correct, but it also gave her a bit more confidence. As the evening went on she stayed right by my side. If I went into the bedroom she followed, the bathroom, same thing. I made sure I laid down the law about the kitchen. If her paw hit the tile I pointed at her and firmly said "out!" She very quickly got it. She was allowed to walk around on the carpet, or stand and watch, but she was NOT allowed in the kitchen.

After a few hours I made dinner for both of us and I put her food bowl in her crate. I hoped to help make the crate a positive experience by making it a place where all food blessings come from. She was hesitant at first and so I made a food trail (remember the scene from ET with the Reese's pieces?) from just outside the crate to the bowl in the back. It took a good 30 minutes before she really was ready to fully walk in and even then she didn't eat much. She is supposed to get about 2 cups of food at each of her two meals. Instead she only ate about 3/4ths a cup and did so over the course of a few hours.

Riker doesn't have anything on her!

When I made my dinner she was pretty good about staying out of the kitchen. It only took about two corrections. I decided to test how good she was and I sat on the couch and ate dinner (she is not allowed on the furniture). She stood about 4 feet away and watched me eat, but never made a peep. At one point she started to approach but one "eh eh!" and she backed off, resigning to sitting and hoping. She doesn't get people food, especially not when we're eating. Occasionally I will use plain chicken for training, but if we are eating she is not (or is eating dog food).

We went for another walk (I didn't know if she'd had anything to eat or drink at the shelter so we went for a lot of walks) and she met one of our neighbors, a nice man from upstairs. He asked if he could greet and I said yes, but he promptly reached for her head without letting her sniff first. I gently corrected him and said "she's more friendly if you let her sniff your hand first, it lets her know you're a good person." He was happy to know this and did so. The rest of the greet went very well. Later on our walk we met a nice British pair (mom and son) who thought she was not only beautiful but were stunned when they heard she was a rescue and had just come home today. It's true folks, you can find a great rescue dog in the shelter!

Oh! We have a porch!

Back home we relaxed for a while and around 10:30 we went for one more short walk so she could pee, just to the grass and back, and then I put her in her crate for bed. I love Leia, and she is a very, very sweet and good girl, but I found her one flaw. She hates being away from "her person." From the hours of 11:00 to 4 in the morning she cried consistently with only one (almost 2 hour) break. We live in apartments, if she pisses off the neighbors we could be without a home. I tried letting her cry it out and only went out once to tell her "no!" but... this really did nothing to calm her. She was excited to see me when I went out, but immediately went back to her quiet (translation, not a full bark or howl), high pitched pleading. I basically got no sleep.

Earlier in the evening, relaxing

During the day I'd gone into the garage for a second and she'd cried and pawed the door, but I'd chalked that up to "new home jitters" but this... this could be bad. By 6:50 am I'd given up on sleep and wait for a pause in the "I'm awake come get me" crying (to ensure I reinforced the silence, not the crying) and then went and let her out, immediately going outside (no AM accidents). On our walk I decided we needed help, she was new in a new home, this was the best time for her to learn what is okay and not okay in the house (instead of changing and existing routine). When I got back to the house I began research, looking up all sorts of articles on both separation anxiety and crate training. I also did one thing which I knew I needed to do. I called Gisele.

Leia's First Day Video:

  

Read our next chapter together! - Crate Training / Separation Anxiety Training Begins