Guardianship.

[bdar]

Oracle, our adopted greyhound, arrived yesterday morning. She's as loving and beautiful an animal as we remembered her, and we're very happy to include her in our lives and act as her caretaker and de facto pack leader. She has a healthy appetite and an insatiable curiosity even for the areas of the house she's explored fifteen times now

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doggy anxiety

[serendipidy]

I am no expert about dogs, but I do work with very knowledgeable folks. One thing that I've been told a lot is that if a dog is nervous or scared, coddling it or showing it extra attention can backfire. It learns that extra loving attention is the reward for being scared. I found this a weird idea at first, but it sort of makes sense, given that the average dog really wants to please.

It's a weird science that I don't quite get yet. Reading up on it is very smart on your part--I know that Dana put "The Dog Whisperer" on your Netflix, and that's awesome. Cesar is AMAZING.

The first two weeks are a period of adjustment, but my boss said that it'll probably take about a month for you to see her true personality. I'd say that you should wait a bit before introducing her to much more than she's already faced with. My boss adopted a dog and promptly put him in situations that were stressful--doggy daycare, a household with three cats and three other dogs, etc. He's adjusted very well, but he was kind of a nightmare for a while. The less of a big deal that you make it, the better the chance that the dog will adjust faster--that's sort of the axiom. Don't be fearful that she'll be scared of things--she'll pick up on that energy and it will influence her. As an example, when we have a nervous dog at work, we tend to ignore them for the day. The less of a deal that we make about them and the situation, the faster they tend to adjust.

The "up" stairs thing happens to puppies, too-TC had issues with it when he was little. Practice makes perfect, and with him, all it took was someone giving positive reinforcement at the top of the step. Can't say the same thing will work with Oracle, but the more she navigates the stairs, the better she will be!

I recommended Patricia McDonnell's books to Dana. I was reading one the other day at work--she has some very short ones that are available on Amazon. One that I read helped the owner establish their status in smart ways, like rewarding behavior with positive attention--for example, if your pet comes to you for attention, ask them to sit first. When they comply, then give them a good petting. Stuff like that. Anyway, interesting stuff.

Anyway, congratulations! I'm sure you'll be wonderful parents!