We've been lucky to have Penny grace our presence for the past 6 months or so. She first walked into our lives in early July (the 10th, I believe). So ... how is she doing and progressing?
Weight and health: When we first met her in June, she was skin and bones. Very skinny, to the point where we could see every muscle fiber and her spine. She weighed about 35-37 pounds then and had gained wait with her foster parents. We have her on Solid Gold's Huntenflocken (or something like that) which she eats with abandon. She has filled out nicely and is probably around 45-6 pounds. We may have to start to watch her weight a bit in the future, but right now we aren't the most active clan due to the weather outside. When warmer, we'll take her for longer walks and runs. Otherwise, she has no health issues from what we can tell.
Attitude: She was pretty passive for the first 2 months or so, but now she is a bit of a fireplug. She greets you at the door with her tail rotating in a circle (instead of a back and forth motion) and will whine and moan in excitement. When you say her name, she picks her head and tail up and will get a little playful.
This morning as I was lacing my shoes to go to work, she came over and stuck her muzzle in my face. I haven't seen this before, but she puts her nose directly onto you to smell. So you have a cold wet nose being pressed against your lips, nose, forehead, ear, and eye socket as she tries to get a scent. One time, Maggie was dozing in bed and Penny hoped up and started to sniff her back. Maggie shrieked when the cold nose found home.
Anywho, Penny puts her nose on the side of my face and I make a playful motion towards her. She lowered her chest into a playful set and we started to romp around the living room. She has really opened up within the past 2 months or so and seems to be very comfortable with us.
OK - another addition. I was snoozing in bed when Maggie came home from work one morning. She let Thomas and Penny out to go potty. After coming in, Penny made a mad dash to our bedroom and jumped up onto bed with me. She did a partial roll, wound up on her back, and started to lick my face, neck, and arms while whining and yipping. Not sure why she was so excited ....
Appetite: She doesn't have a problem eating foods. We have given her treats of vegetables (carrots and green beans) which she enjoys. I've also seen her eat sauerkraut which is a favorite of Thomas our other dog. She will finish off his food if we aren't vigilant. But then again, I've caught Thomas eating from her dish while she eats from his dish. Go figure.
Walking on a leash: Not good right now. We are using a gentle leader with some success. At first, she tries to get the leader off her face but accepts it within the first 50 yards or so. From there, she pulls a lot. She is always hunting and if she sees a squirrel, she freezes and points. She will point for a good 5 minutes if you let her or the squirrel doesn't move on. Maggie has taken her jogging and she does better. This is something we need to work on.
Socialization skills with other dogs: She is very interested in other dogs and likes to initiate play. She romps with Daisy (our friend's dog) on a regular basis. Unfortunately, Thomas doesn't have much interest in playing with her. I haven't seen her try to dominate Daisy or any other dogs, but I don't think she is a follower. My guess is she isn't quite an alpha female but may not be far from the pecking order.
Socialization skills with other humans: Where she is genuinely interested in other dogs, she doesn't like humans she has not met before. She cowers and barks at them (in particular our friend Rex). I've held her in my lap to calm her down, given friends treats to give to her, petted friends, you name it. She still doesn't like other people that are not her humans. She loves our friend Betsy (Daisy's momma), though.
I should also mention she is a great watch dog. She barks at neighbors, dogs, the mail man, leaves rustling through the yard. I often think she barks to bark. And of course, when she barks, Thomas has to bark. We can incite a chorus of barking and howling from the two. Crazy.
Commands: She knows sit, down, and give paw. That's about it. We have started to work with "Come" and "Stay". I really had a great time working with her one-on-one a week or so ago and she picked up "Give Paw" in three days. She is smart and food motivated. Unfortunately, Thomas likes to butt in and get some treats and love as well.
I would like to have "Stay", "Come", "Sit Up", "Up Up", and an emergency recall word by the end of spring. We will also have time to work with a trainer now that Maggie has a more balanced schedule.
Electric fence: Not good. Actually quite bad. I tried for about 1-2 weeks and she didn't seem to pick anything up. Actually, she spent more time looking for squirrels than paying attention to me. I tried to see how far she advanced and let her off leash while wearing the collar and she bolted from yard to yard to and fro, through the fence over and over again without hesitation. We really need to work with her on this!
Squirrel awareness: Oh my. I thought Thomas was bad, but she may be worse. Thomas is part setter, so he likes to point and flush. Penny just points. And points. And continues to point. She has excellent eyes and a great nose. I caught her pointing while out for a walk after she caught sent of some animal. I could never see what she was pointing at, but she definitely knew that a squirrel was around somewhere.
Future: So what does the future hold? Well, Penny will be getting a private trainer in a few weeks. With the onset and continuance of winter, we are reduced in time spent playing and walking outside. She needs more activity, and hopefully in the spring (with more daylight as well) we will really have some fun. Maggie is training for long runs so Penny will be her distance running buddy. I think that if Penny has direction and motivation she will excel in learning and her behavior will continue to improve.
Feel free to ask questions or comment ....
Dave