Leia: The Granddog

This week Leia met Tom's parents. This was a HUGE step for her, as his father has a bit of a phobia about dogs (especially larger dogs). Before they showed up we warned them about her typical introduction (a few low growls and then sniffing) so they were prepared for it. Sure enough when they came in she growled twice and then was over it. I handed both of his parents hotdog pieces and then we let Leia out of her crate. She sniffed, ate hot dogs, and soon had won over both Tom's Dad and Mom.

"Hi! I'm your Granddog!"

His mom was even trying to pick out what her grandparent name would be, "Nona... Nana, Grandma..." still not sure what it will be but they love their new Granddog. Tom's Dad enjoyed petting her and said that photos really didn't do her justice (in both beauty and size). She is a pretty big girl and normally people passing buy have two comments, "She's pretty!" or "Dang that's a big dog!"

We had a great time with the family, went for walks, lots of good talks, got some groceries, (Hear that Leia? You're family has FOOD!) and a nice dinner together.

One additional note, today is Leia's first day trying her vitamins (we got a free bottle from a good friend). Just gave her one (even though her dose is 2-3) to see how it sits. Additionally, Leia has a Facebook (oh my God can this dog Social network) which will be linked to the main page shortly.

List of Friends grows to 2!

Leia has made her second friend. Yesterday she met a little black lab mix named Chief for the second time. She saw him from across the street and got excited. They practically ran to each other, then sniffed each other one more time. Followed by lots of bouncing in circles.

Today they met up at the tennis court and (gulp!) I took the step to drop the leash. Leia ran around with him, chased the ball with him (and didn't get possessive!) and played with both Chief's Dad and I (and stupid me I still haven't learned his name but I am pretty sure it starts with and A). Leia still gets growly if sniffed in the rear (like the hip back) but didn't nip or lunge to nip. This is a huge first step for me as I have never quite trusted her not to bite (even though she never has) but today I did and she didn't let me down nor did she barrel over this little puppy (who can't be more than 20 lbs yet).

Super happy for my girl!

What's this? What's that?

Leia has continued to explore the world around her. Last night on her walk she re-discovered trees. There was a light shining up on the tree and she was suddenly very intimidated by it. We hung out with the tree for a little bit, then moved on.


Leia got another bath (her second) today with Tom and I. We've accepted that during bath time two things happen, Leia gets clean, and we (and the entire bathroom) get soaked. Leia did jump out of the tub this time (before it was time) but I put her back in. She also sat down in the tub for the first time. It's not one of her favorite things but she does very well. 

Leia has also been more inquisitive about the lake and likes getting close while hunkered down and sniffing at it. I talk gently to her while she does and try to encourage her to feel confident around it.

She also got a "new toy" today in the form of the ox my pencil sharpener came in. I cut two holes in it and put a treat inside and "tada!" Leia has a new thinking toy. It took her a moment to realize there was something in the box for her, but when she did it was on and the box was flipping around the room to get the treat out.

Workout: Mind and Body

So I often wonder if I am challenging Leia enough. I have been working on her commands in the evening and we normally run through a few with a treat. Teaching the down command (lie down) is a little challenging but  she seems to be getting it. I want to keep her active and learning (and me too!) so I am thinking up things to expand her repertoire.

Soccer: Get a soccer ball and work on shaping her ability to dribble a ball. It can be done, I've seen workshops on how to do this and Leia already loves batting her tennis ball around so I think we could learn how to play ball.

Scent Games:  These are similar to the "games" that bomb detection dogs do. The simple way to start is put some cups on the ground, one with a treat under it, and the dog knocks over the cup that has the food under it. I am thinking of making a "game board" where there are cups which can be attached to the board so the dog can't flip them, but have them be ventilated.  This way the dog can smell it, try to get it out, and then probably sit and look at you as if to say "Do something about this!" and then they get rewarded. A complicated way to get the dog to sit when they find the scent. (advanced scent game could be identifying one if a few scents)

Recall Games: Essentially, hide and seek. Start this game without really hiding, just from across the room and escalate to more complex hiding places and less hints (or calls). Another step up would be identifying specific people to find (ex: I tell Leia "Find Daddy" and she has to go find Tom. This obviously requires some pregame name training so she learns who is who).

"On the first time" games: Training to do a command on the first time given. This isn't so much a game at first. You give a command, like "sit" and if they do it on the first time you get super excited and bouncy or have a special treat for them. If not, continue on as usual. Example: At the front door Leia is expected to sit before entering. So we get to the door and I say "Sit." She either does it and it is happy freakout time with treats, or I simply give the command again and when she does it open the door, and call her in as normal. The aim of this game is to get her  to enjoy doing something the first time.

Additionally I could look at some of the treat games in which the dog has to search the board for the treat. or figure out how to get the treat out of a puzzle.

Currently I am excited about soccer.

Long time no update: Where are we now?

Well Mommy got busy and forgot to update the blog for 10+ days. Oops!

Leia waiting to update her blog at the laptop.

Leia has been doing very well and is continuing to settle in (yep, it's not just a 1 to 2 week thing, it takes a few months to really settle in. Leia has been home almost 2 months and continues to grow and learn.

She has found a new favorite place to chill which is under the coffee table with her chin on my book bag. This can pose a problem though when  she is trying to get out to go to bed, mainly because she gets stuck and needs us to move the table.

She's gained 4 lbs since coming home but we're not worried about it. She's a big girl and it doesn't show on her at all. Even so I am trying to keep a handle on her treats and food portions.

That being said, she has discovered that she LOVES Dentastix and even though we are currently only doing one a week she would love this to be a daily thing. Someone discovered Bacon recently and we've created a monster. She will sit outside the kitchen and look in, patiently if she smells hotdogs or bacon cooking and wait to see if any of it is for her.

Leia is learning how to cuddle and is learning a hug command where she leans into us and we hug her. She is also beginning to master "down" (lay down). She knows the sit command though sometimes would love to ignore it, and is also learning that two hands held palms out means we are done playing/petting for now. She has also learned her own trick and will go sit beside her leash when she is ready to go for a walk.

She loves running around the tennis court and has developed a new mini game called bowling for Mommy/Daddy where she runs, full speed and risks taking us out at the knee. Great! She loves going to the court and "spinning her wheels" for a bit. We have to be careful with that hip and it has probably bugged her about 3-4 times now. Here is a short video of Leia playing around on the court. I am currently working on training a recall whistle that would help with distance recall. We're still working on it. Sometimes she is great about it, other times she just "can't"  hear us.

On an amusing note, Leia has mastered the dos equis pose "I don't always pose for cameras, but when I do I pose like a boss"

 She has gained a good appetite and now is excited about when it is time for breakfast and dinner.

 She also knows her bedtime routine. One evening I went to bed early and left Tom to put her up. Our room was dark, the living room was dark, and Tom was brushing his teeth. Leia woke up from her place at the foot of the bed, and walked out into the living room and stood in her cage until I got up and shut the door for her, as if she were saying "Ok ma, I know this, come tuck me in and shut the door!"

She is SUCH a good girl and knows when she is in trouble one example of this was the McDonalds burger box that she discovered in a low trashcan. I saw her gently lifting it out and yelled at her to "DROP IT!" She plunked it down and scurried away. After a while she came back over to see if she was in good graces. She still really wants to explore the trash, but knows that she isn't supposed to. She will look at it, look at me, and then back away.

She has started cuddling stuffed animals when she sleeps. I find this adorable beyond words.

All in all, things are gong well. She still occasionally cries when we leave but seems to understand that we are coming back. She will see me getting a Kong ready and runs to her cage because she knows we're going out, and that is the only time she gets Kongs. That being said, she doesn't mind us leaving, as long as we give her the Kong. I forgot once... never again!

I jokingly call her my velcro girl, because if she can't see me, she is trying to find a way to be able to. She isn't quite as clingy to Daddy but I think that is just because she came home with me first. She loves when he comes home or wakes up in the morning and just runs to him for Daddy/Doggy time. It is almost becoming a joke to holler "PETS Daddy!!!" across the house as she barrels after him.


 She also has her morning routine down pat and if I haven't taken her about by 10:30 or 11 she is circling, nudging me, and then sitting by her leash. "Mama, time to waaaaalk!"

She is very determined and expressive. I mean look at the picture on the right. Can't you just see the "Seriously mom, another picture!?" mentality?

I am so glad we brought her home. She keeps me active and smiling, even when things are hard. If I am crying she sits next to me quietly and firm, just trying to make it better. She loves cuddling on the floor and actually doesn't hate the vacuum any more, she still runs but her tail is up, not tucked. Even the maintenance man who saved Mommy from the porch can see she is become a more confident balanced girl. Very proud of her.

Additional Pictures!