Dominant dogs

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks. I’m not as nervous as I was about allowing the dogs in the same space. That said, I’m still keeping them separated and rotating, but only until my back is better. My back hurt before the fight when I held Sam back. He is strong and it jerked me holding him, but I’ve had low back pain several times in my life so I thought it would heal up within a week. This time around it kept getting worse. Long story short, it was unbearable so I went to the doctor. I have an MRI scheduled next week because it’s been going on a month. As long as my back hurts I’m not willing to snatch a dog up that’s flying across the room or one dominating another which could provoke another fight. I’ll give you a few examples in this post.

She's good with the cats. This is Baby.





Bonnie has found her new bed. Darlin’ will continue to sleep in her dog bed over on my side of the room. Bonnie will no longer sleep with us and will continue to sleep in the crate. I never thought I’d see the day where I said that, but we are sleeping better and it’s better for everyone. There were a few nights when she whimpered and whined in the crate, but she’s been a good girl well over a week now. I mentioned in one post about Bonnie jumping out of bed and growling at Sam as he entered the room. Well, wait until you here this!

Bonnie had only been sleeping in the crate a week when one night she whined like a puppy and it got to the point I couldn't take it. She had been sleeping well in the crate, but that night changed things. I finally asked my husband to put her in bed with us. She laid down by my legs and went to sleep.

At 5:30 am I walked across the house to use the other bathroom because my husband was in our bathroom taking a shower. Too many lights on in there for me half asleep. Darlin' followed me, Sam and Chloe came to me, so I let the three dogs out. I looked and didn't see Bonnie, and Toby won’t get up until I do in the mornings. Darlin’ runs down to pee and comes right back to the door. I go back to bed and notice Bonnie still sleeping.

I walked around the foot of the bed to my side when Darlin' enters the room. Bonnie looks up and goes crazy growling and barking! She acts like an aggressive dog that you see on TV. I grabbed her so she wouldn't jump off and start a fight in the dark. Darlin' runs over to the bed and has her front feet on my husbands side! That scared me, thinking she might jump into the bed at any second. I pulled Bonnie up out of the bed and I'm holding her up kicking and screaming at Darlin'! I know it empowers a dog to hold them above another dog, especially a dog like Bonnie. I really had no choice with Darlin’ alert and ready for action. Darlin’ was following me in the room, eyes dead on Bonnie! I'm yelling at Darlin', No! no telling how many times. No matter which direction I turned Darlin' was in front of me stalking and if I allowed her to get too close I felt like she was going to lunge at Bonnie in my hands! I finally threw our comforter off the bed over Darlin' so I could turn on the light! About that time my husband comes running into the room wet and soapy out of the shower. I was so upset trying to catch my breath I couldn't even speak! He put Bonnie back in her crate and I settled down and went back to sleep. Before I dozed off I thought to myself about buying a crate for Darlin'. Bonnie was the instigator by threatening Darlin’ with her barking and growling. If Bonnie hadn't started that then Darlin' would have gone right back to bed! So, we all sleep better with Bonnie in her crate, Darlin’ won’t be needing one.

The days following weren’t very easy between the two dogs. They could sleep in the same room and eat together in the kitchen, but the aggression was still there, at least for Bonnie. One night after dinner Bonnie started walking around the kitchen. As soon as I said, “They made eye contact” to my husband, he had to snatch Bonnie up and carry her out of the kitchen. Bonnie would also growl outside of my office door. Darlin’ sometimes whimpers when I close the door which didn’t help. It showed weakness and Bonnie was on the other side showing dominance.

One night I was on the couch with Darlin’ beside me. My husband was on the other couch with Bonnie in her dog bed. I watched him stroking Bonnie’s head as her face grew tense staring over at Darlin’. I was thinking (please don’t stroke her) right about the time she turned into a devil and flies off the couch in our direction! I snatched her up and asked my husband to please be more observant, especially when he’s showing affection. Bonnie has been more submissive with me since. She walks in with her tail down, she comes to the towel when I need to dry her from the rain, and she’s listening much better too. When she comes in from outside I tell her to go to her bed and she will immediately. She still likes to take her dog biscuit to her bed so she can threaten whoever walks by, but most times I wait and she knows to eat it if I’m standing there.

Now that Bonnie is getting better and more submissive, I have to keep my eye on Darlin’. She pulled a fast one and surprised me a few days ago. I was letting a couple of dogs out back first thing in the morning. Bonnie was already out in the yard, so I thought Darlin’ would stay inside with me. She doesn’t like to go down to the yard without me. Well Darlin’ slipped past me and ran down the stairs! I thought Bonnie would come running and I’d have a darn fight on my hands so I ran inside and grabbed my little cow bell and took off to the yard. It’s a distracter, a noise maker I came up with to distract them if they were to dominate or provoke one another. Darlin’ runs straight across the yard to Bonnie at the fence! My eyes must have been huge as I ran down and started shaking the bell. Bonnie came walking calmly to me with her tail down and Darlin’ is standing out there with her hackles raised looking right down at Bonnie! I picked Bonnie up and praised her for her behavior, told Darlin’ No!, and motioned for her to get back. The rotating continues until I can handle these too without further injuries to each other or my low back.

I got my first real kisses from Darlin’ on Nov. 1, 2009! She’s very playful in the mornings and she’s always excited when I get dressed and talk to her. She’ll follow me to the bathroom and sometimes sit next to my feet when I’m on the toilet. That’s when I leaned over to her, she leaned her head up and back and licked my nose! I know, now I’m on the toilet kissing dogs! Later that day I leaned down to kiss her and she licked me again. Then one day last week I was sitting at my desk with her lying at my feet and she licked my foot! I’m getting kisses from my girl now!

She will initiate play in the floor with me too! Sometimes she’ll jump up and put her paws on my stomach, then quickly give me a play bow! She is precious and playful, but we still don’t get out enough.

Darlin’ is getting use to the noises in the house too. For the first months that she lived upstairs she would hide and tremble at the sound of the vacuum cleaner. Now she’ll run back and forth in the room and watch me. She used to hide and tremble when I used my blow dryer. Now she’ll go to her bed and lie there calmly as soon as she sees me pull it out from my cabinet. She’s still uncomfortable hearing my sons music or TV, but I think her anxiety comes from the fact that she isn’t comfortable around my family yet. I can drop a spoon and she moves but doesn’t run.

She’s still guarding and territorial. Tonight she growled and barked at my husband as he offered all of the dog’s treats. She ran from one side of the room to the other, but her tail was down low the entire time. She's insecure. He kept calling her to him as he passed out treats on his knees in the kitchen. She finally went to him to get one! She loves her dog biscuits. She barks when my daughter walks in my office, then quickly hides under my desk and gets quiet. Sometimes I shake a pill bottle. I have been shaking a vitamin bottle to teach her to hush, but I was advised not to by a trainer on my Facebook. She said it will make her issue worse. Well, it works where nothing else has. It basically gets her attention so that she will hear me tell her No, or Go. The trainer also said that a fearful stray equals an emotional leader. She was fearful when I got her and she has made phenomenal progress in 8 months. Oh my goodness, eight months today! She may not be comfortable with my family, but she loves her Mommy which is more than I could have hoped for.

I just noticed, look at her tail and how high she's carrying it walking past Sam. That's dominance!



I need to get Darlin’ out of the house more so she won’t be afraid of the leash and go stiff on me. She also needs more exercise because she doesn’t run around the yard much. She’s gaining weight. Her belly fat from having puppies is starting to fill out. Because we have a big yard and dog activities, like Frisbee for Bonnie, we don’t walk them that much. My husband will take them each out for walks over the weekend. This way he gets exercise in and manages the dogs better. He’s thinking about starting to run again so that will be nice for them. I want him to take Darlin’ too. I know the first few times she will freeze like she does with me. But it’s a good way for him to spend time with her and for her to see that he’s a good guy.

See her tummy in this one.



This past week my husband has been fixing the dogs food and taken it to Darlin’ the few times I kept the dogs separated at meal time. So she is learning his scent and to associate it with her resources as well. He’s also learned my routine and how I feed the dogs. I have my quirks and certain dogs get their bowl down first. They also have to sit quiet and calm before it goes down. They eat canned dog food with chicken broth and a little meat on top. Yes, my doing. I started cooking for Darlin’ and never quite stopped. I don’t mind boiling chicken once a week. My sister asked one night what I was cooking for dinner. I told her if my husband didn’t mind boiled chicken thighs that we would be in good shape!

My husband has been watching me more and how I interact with the dogs. I showed him that he could treat the dogs when they come inside by pointing to the floor. They don’t have to be told to sit every time you give them a treat. Most of the time they sit anyway if there is any hesitation on my part whatsoever. Sam and Chloe walk in and sit automatically. And they certainly don’t need to be praised every time they take a treat from your hand. All of the dogs do this including Darlin’.

I need to put Darlin’ in the car and ride around the block. I’d love to take her to my Vet in January for her heartworm test follow-up. If I did those things then I would have tons of work cut out for me in just a couple of months if I expect Darlin’ to be comfortable in those situations. I know she’ll be tense and fearful which is mostly why I haven’t hurried introducing her to new things.

Here Sam was on the ground, Darlin' had been sniffing him.



It’s not easy living with five dogs. They do take a lot of time out of my day and sometimes they take a lot out of me. I really love my dogs. The trainer also asked me why I rescued Darlin’, what was I needing to rescue in myself? I’m still pondering that one. I’m so glad that Darlin’ is here with us and not out in the cold tonight. I know she has helped me be a more patient person and that lesson is ongoing. I know that Darlin’ has helped me learn about and understand the canine world a little better. I have to keep my eye on them, but I learn so much in doing so. The trainer also said that everyone wants to be like Cesar and walk a pack of dogs. Nah, I’ll decline on that one, I don’t like dog hair and vacuuming that much. I never wanted five dogs, but I had to get Darlin’ off the street, for her safety and my sanity. I hear the phrase “It is what it is” isn’t favored by many people. It is what it is, I have five dogs that I’m committed to until they cross the bridge someday. Right now I just want to outlive them all because they are my responsibility and I want to keep it that way. The only thing I want to change right now is for Darlin’ to trust my family and for her and Bonnie to go back to how they behaved before their fight. Sometimes it’s hard to balance everything and maintain structure and routine. While separating the dogs has become part of my routine, it hasn’t been challenging. The rest has been easy.

Breaking through fear related issues

Darlin’ is making a tremendous amount of progress. While she would still prefer that no one else lived in the house except me, she’s doing really well trying to adjust to my family and overcoming some fear based issues.

In the living room one evening, but still fearful. See how her tail is low.

click on all images to enlarge, then click the BACK button.








Sometimes it’s obvious that her body doesn’t work in sync with what she’s trying to achieve. She wants to be in the same room while other family members are there, but she trembles so bad most people just couldn’t imagine. She sits at my feet in the kitchen frequently and hides behind my legs. If my husband or children walk in for a drink or to speak to me, she won’t run away like she use to. She does tremble and will scoot closer to me, but the key here is that she stays put and her feet aren’t sliding out from under her trying to get away.



I use to reach down and rub her ears during times like that, or I would tell her she was fine and doing great. I’ve realized it’s time to stop comforting her when she shows any anxiety whatsoever. She trusts me completely now, which I needed her to do. I truly believe it has been love and affection that got her this far in almost 5 months. I’m ignoring all signs of stress and anxiety that I see in her, but when she is in a relaxed calm state of mind I give her affection and praise.

I no longer have to put a leash on her to get her out of my office. She will come out, sometimes hesitant or slow to react, but she will pass through the living room to get to the back door. Even when someone else is on the couch or in the kitchen. That’s a huge step for her!



I’ve mentioned in previous posts that Darlin’ displayed some separation anxiety since we’ve bonded. She still whimpers when I come home and she still looks out the glass at the front door. I managed to get a picture one day of what I see when I come up the steps. She even stands up looking in the back door if I leave her out too long. I need to correct that also, but I’m careful right now. There have been a few times that I corrected her where she acted fearful of me. She doesn’t do it constantly and she’s certainly not hurting anything looking in the door standing on her back feet.



Darlin’ has become more confident and assertive. Sometimes she’ll low growl or low bark at my family when they step outside and she’s in the yard. It’s happened a few times when she’s sitting next to my feet in the kitchen. It’s more like a bark through her cheeks, like a warning or an alert that she is there. She’s being a little protective and territorial, but I correct her and tell her firmly, “No” and she stops. No one seems to mind her growling, but my family will be her caregivers at times and I want her to enjoy everyone. Besides, I won’t allow her to growl at anyone unless it’s a stranger entering the house or yard without my knowledge. She’s harmless, but she has finally found her voice.

She acts a little camera shy, always turning her head away when I start taking pictures.



Last week I went out of town. I hate leaving Darlin’ because I know how she shuts down when I’m not around. She went potty at 4:30 am because I left at 5 am. I called my son a few hours later to ask him to let Darlin out to potty. He said he heard her feet on the woods floors a lot that morning. She kept walking back and forth between my office and our bedroom. I think she was probably looking for me or maybe just felt unsettled. This house is Darlin’s safe haven; I can see that by how she is constantly focused on the back door. My son left the back door open, but she wouldn’t go outside so I asked my daughter to carry her out. My thinking was if they carry her to the deck, and then take a few steps behind her, she would run down, mostly out of fear, but the intent was to get her to the yard. Once in the yard she would potty and if they left the door open she would run back inside.

Well it seems they tried to pick her up from her bed in my bedroom. She jumped out and cowered between the nightstand and the wall so they left her to calm down. Later when they tried again she ran down to the landing in the house so they opened the downstairs door and followed her that way. At that point she had not used the bathroom in 10 hours. My daughter said she trickled and dropped a little mess on her way. That was the first time she ever pottied in the house, although it wasn’t intentional on her part. I know it was from fear. I was afraid she would loose control of her bowels if they picked her up. She did relieve herself and ran back inside. I was told that she actually came back up the stairs only a few feet behind my daughter’s boyfriend. I returned home around 8 pm and immediately called Darlin to go outside. She whimpered and was excited to see me, ran downstairs to the yard, and immediately had a bowel movement right after her feet hit the grass. Poor dog!

We spent time together on the couch before bed.



I have to admit I had concerns about housebreaking a mature dog that has lived outside on her own. The strangest thing happened; I never had housebreaking issues with her! My friend, Sandra, may have hit the nail on the head as to why Darlin won’t mess in the house. She said that maybe it’s because Darlin had always used the bathroom outside so to her it’s natural to go in the yard. I can’t think of any other reason myself. It’s been a real blessing not having to deal with her relieving herself indoors because training a fearful dog is not easy. Heck, living with a fearful dog is a challenge in itself. I do know since living with Darlin’ that she never bonded with a family or lived indoors, nor did she have any social skills with other dogs.

Speaking of socializing: She ran after Bonnie (JRT) when Bonnie chased the Frisbee the other day! It was exciting to see! Bonnie turned around and looked at her as surprised as I was! She usually whimpers wanting to play, but the dogs don’t pay her any attention, probably because the whimpering suggests some kind of instability. She’ll learn because she has come a long way already.

One day Darlin’ was walking through the living room and picked up a toy on her way through. Later I found that she took it to her mat under my desk. It was so cute to see her show interest in a toy and it was such a pleasure to see her with a toy in her mouth. I try to throw balls for her or offer her toys, but she doesn’t know what to do with them. The balls usually scare her so she’ll run away.



Guess who sits for her treats? I started asking her to sit for her treat while holding it above her nose so that she would have to back up. At first she acted like I was teasing her and eventually turned or walked away. Then I used more tempting treats, like boiled chicken, cheese, and salami. Ha! That worked, but she turned ever so slightly to the side and sat. That was enough for me because she was sitting. Now she comes in the kitchen with the other dogs and she’ll sit before I tell her. Last night I did tell her to sit because she had her eyes on my husband in the dining room, but she sat so pretty.

Two nights ago I took the dogs out back. I almost always go out with them because if I don’t Darlin will stand at the back door waiting for me. You’ve heard of moms with a baby attached to their hip, well I’m one with a dog attached to mine. Two dogs actually, Toby, my broken coat JRT rescue, is the other. So I went down with the dogs, then I peeked my head in the downstairs door and let my daughter and her boyfriend know I was there and for them to come out. If they had been outside already, Darlin’ wouldn’t have gone potty. I let her do her business and then we could sit and visit. Previously if anyone else was outside, Darlin’ would run to the back corner of the yard and wait for me to get up to go back in the house. Once I started back up the stairs she would run across the yard and up the steps following just a few steps behind me. She still has the best pack manners and always allows me to lead the way.



Thursday night she sat next to my feet trembling as we all sat around the patio table talking. She was just 4-6 feet away from my daughter and her boyfriend! A few minutes later she crawled under my chair and stayed there until we went back inside. That was a huge step for her in learning to trust and be near my children. These children I speak of are young adults themselves, not little kids running around the yard.

She’s always watching the doors, even when she's sitting at my feet.



Darlin loves her house and yard so much. She’s so happy when she lets down her guard, although she remains fixated on the back door most everyday. She’s been prancing around with her tail so high, she really is a beautiful sight. Just a week ago she would come in the back door so fearful that she would slide through the living room trying to make her getaway to the spot under my desk in my office. If I could coax her to the couch, I would sit next to her and ask my husband to close the door for me. She would scoot in closer to me while hiding from him, she still does that today. I remember one night last week sitting outside watching her scratch her back in the grass and thinking that if I didn’t go outside with Darlin’, she would never stretch her legs. She would lie under my desk all day long, holding her bladder of necessary. I’m sure I’m repeating myself from previous posts, and if I am, well some things haven’t changed yet. I’m watching for signs that she’ll want to go out on her own, either to be outside or because she needs to use the bathroom.







I don’t have many pictures of her that look like this.



I need to keep my camera beside my bed because I would love for readers to see how happy she is in the mornings. She prances around the bedroom when I get up or if I lay there for a minute she comes over to my side and greets me in the morning. Most times she will not get out of her bed until my feet touch the floor, but occasionally she stretches out in the floor on my side after she hears my husband leave for work. She won’t go out with the other dogs when my husband lets them out first thing in the morning. Our dogs get a treat when they come back inside. Since she never gets out of bed until I do, my husband lays a treat down for her. This morning I heard her crunching after he left the room. Just the sound of her eating a treat that he left makes me happy for her. This dog wouldn’t eat anything while I was in the same room for weeks and before that she wouldn’t eat until after dark when the house was quiet.

Normally I wouldn’t tell this to just anyone, but I want to share my joy with you. One morning last week I woke up and went to the bathroom. Darlin sometimes runs in, smells my husband’s clothes in the laundry basket, and runs back out. She’s happy, she knows I’m up, and that we’re about to go outside. Sniffing his scent on the laundry is a good thing too. So there I sit watching her run in and out of the bathroom. I called her to me, “Come here you sweet thing, give Mommy a kiss.” She runs up to me, bows her head, I kiss her on the forehead, and she turns around and prances back out of the bathroom. She was precious!!

I started giving Darlin’ fish oil caps in her dinner because her shedding continues and the hair on her back is so coarse. After about a week I began noticing the difference in her coat. You can actually feel the moisture in her hair and it’s softened up a lot. She is still shedding, but it has slowed a lot. I inherited a Border Collie years ago after my customer died. Seriously! He had a terrible time with excess shedding and inflamed skin due to grass allergies. The Vet put him on fish oil, nothing else, and it cleared up right away so I knew it worked. Since Darlin’ was a stray her diet may have contributed to the condition of her coat as well. She probably had vitamin deficiencies; after all she was skin and bones when we met.



Her coat has dramatically changed since she’s shed so much of it. If you look up at the banner image, taken just a few weeks after trapping her, and you look at the pictures I’m posting today, you’ll notice she has lost all of the extra hair on her backside and quite a bit all over, including around her neck. I don’t know if her coat will grow back the way it was or if it will remain thinner now. The reason I wonder is because last year she lived outside all winter and this year she will be a house dog. I would think that a dog’s winter coat could change depending on their environment, but I haven’t done any research on the subject.

My dad came to visit and finally got to meet Darlin’. I carried her outside because she wouldn’t come out on her own. He was surprised by her size because he thought she was bigger. True, she has a bigger dog look to her, but she is what most people would consider as a medium sized dog. She stands as tall as our Blue Heeler and maybe a little longer, but she weighs between 35-40 lbs. She’s tall and long legged, with a deep chest.









Darlin has eaten in the kitchen every night for at least two weeks now! I have called her from my office, but most days she hears me open the cans of food and knows what I’m doing. So I now have 5 dogs waiting for dinner, all are calm and patient, except my hyper Eskimo Spitz that talks the entire time. I’m usually preparing the bowls when Darlin runs in from my office and scoots in tight next to my feet. Sam (blue heeler) gets his bowl first, then Chloe (Eskie) eats closer to Sam. Then Darlin gets hers on the rug in front of the stove, and Bonnie and Toby. Toby and Bonnie, my Jack Russell’s, don’t eat much at all. They eat the chicken on top of their food and lick the chicken broth I pour over it. Darlin’ is still very hesitant and not completely comfortable eating. I stand with my back against the sink and watch. If she stops eating I tell her to “eat” and she will. She takes a bite of food, and then looks up to make sure the coast is clear before having another bite. Very similar to how she ate when I fed her at the tree before trapping her. Sometimes when she has her head up looking around, Toby will go over and start licking the broth out of her bowl. She doesn’t care at all, she’ll stick her nose back in the bowl right next to his and eat some more. He’s taking advantage because Darlin’ is protective of him and treats him like her puppy sometimes. Darlin’ shows weakness when she exhibits insecure behavior which makes it easier for any dog to take advantage. It has happened, but I’m not allowing Toby to continue the behavior. I don’t want him to intrude while she’s eating and he has learn to respect her too.

Toby leaning up against Darlin.



Cesar Millan had a show on recently spotlighting Baby Girl, a Doberman Pincher, possibly mixed with greyhound. She was fearful of thunderstorms, fearful of the kitchen cabinets being open, fearful of a lot of things. She lost a lot of weight when he had her at his Dog Psychology Center and he tried everything to get her to eat. Darlin’s fear issues are/was worse than Baby Girl. No camera man could ever walk in this house and film Darlin, she’s just too fearful of people to come out. I did see many similarities in Darlin and Baby Girl, but I also saw in Baby Girl things I have not witnessed in Darlin’. I would be terrified myself that if Cesar took Darlin to his dog psychology center that it would set her back. My comments have nothing to do with trusting Cesar’s ability to help a fearful dog; it’s that I know my Darlin. Cesar always says he’d rather work with an aggressive dog or red zone case than a fearful dog. I know exactly where he’s coming from. Fearful dogs need a lot of time to come around on their own. I can’t believe it’s been 5 months since I brought her home. It may seem like a long time, but the months have flown by. In addition, I have read many stories of fearful dogs, some took years to rehabilitate. Five months is a drop in the bucket.

I’d like to interject about my comments regarding Cesar Millan. I watch a lot of dog shows, not just dog training shows. I agree with many of the techniques that Cesar uses to train dogs, but I also disagree with other methods. I've often wondered how Cesar would handle a dog like Darlin’, then I think about some of the methods he’s used to push a dog past their limitations and I realize Darlin’ is in the best place for her rehabilitation. Rules, Boundaries, and Limitations are keys to avoiding problems and building a relationship with your dog. Mastering the walk may be essential to your dog’s health and happiness. Although I know from my own experience with dogs in my life that there are a lot of dogs that don’t need a routine walk to be good dogs and family pets.

Darlin’ crossed a major threshold this weekend. This is the first weekend that she has ever walked around the house passing family members. She may take a detour through the kitchen or behind the couch, but she has surprised us all. She does not like to be alone. I know this because I’m with her when no one else is in the house. She’s such a normal dog when we are alone now. Every time I leave a room, she is right beside me. This weekend her behavior is very similar to those times. Today I stood in the dining room next to my husband while he showed me something on his computer. When I left the room we realized Darlin’ had been sitting directly behind my husband’s chair the entire time! We are all extremely proud of her!

I can’t comprehend why someone would dump or abandon this dog, or any dog for that matter. There is something special about her spirit and something in her eyes that makes me want to comfort her. She actually licked my foot when we were sitting on the couch last week and she has licked my hand a couple of times. I’m not much into kissing and licking dogs, I’d rather be the one that kisses, but what she did meant a lot to me. I actually hope she licks me in the face by surprise someday. Darlin’ is respectful of the other dogs and looks up to her canine leader (me). I have put my hand under her muzzle, lifting her head high, as I kiss her on her head, the top of her nose, or the side of her face. I have never had the slightest concern that she would bite. She is the gentlest dog with so much love to give. I see that when she smiles outside as she runs over to me like a small child happy to meet with her parent’s approval for something she’s done. I can’t help but love Darlin’, she makes it so easy. I tell her often that I’m happy she’s here and that she’ll always have a loving family.

Over the last month I’ve worked with rescues, one long distance rescue that took a lot of me time-wise and emotionally, but there was a happy ending. I worked at my business and my own computer was down. This month I hope to do better. I have a feeling Darlin’ will be making quite a few changes to her lifestyle over the next few months. I can see it coming by the way she’s stepping out showing more trust and confidence this weekend.







Whatcha got Mom?

A new lesson for Darlin'

I went out shopping for just a bit today. Darlin' ran to the front door practically trying to stick her nose through as I closed the door behind me. When I got in the car I heard her barking! That's the first time she barked when I left home. I left, didn't go back inside, and figured she would stop... hoped so anyway.

Gosh, in the time I was gone her behavior and attachment to me crossed my mind several times. I've watched enough dog behavior shows to know what I don't want! Seems I have to work on how much attention she gets and she's going to have to learn to be without me.

When I came home I heard her barking again. It seemed to have started after I opened my car door. She sounds so much like a hound dog with hollow sounding bark, not quite a bay, certainly different. I reached the top step half expecting to see her face in the glass again, but I didn't, I saw that she had both feet there and her face! Feet spread out with her nose practically against the glass! Next time I take my camera. It's funny, I just chuckled when I thought about it, but this can turn into a behavioral issue if I don't nip it in the bud.

I walked in and put my things away. Five excited dogs make getting to the kitchen table with groceries a chore, but I didn't speak, I just put my things away. She was so cute running around me, getting in front of me, so happy to see me! Good thing I had dark sunglasses on because it was hard not to look at her. It didn't take but a minute or two and all was quiet in the house. She's attached to me now, almost too attached. If that's the reason she stopped running the other night then that's a good thing, but I never could have seen this coming! Perhaps I should have. She's so fearful and fearful dogs have more anxiety issues that other dogs. It's going to take some work on both of our parts to get her to relax when I leave the house.