Little Dog in a Big World

Sorry I haven’t been keeping folks up to date on Misha’s maturation.  Life has been hectic the last few weeks.

She is now 10 months old.  I’ve seen so many changes in her in the last couple of weeks.  The commands are coming easier.  She’s becoming more compliant.  When I say “Let’s put your leash on”, she leans her neck towards me and waits.  She now sits before eating out of her bowl.  She is also learning her toys by name.

She has been going through a destructive chewing phase.  Thank goodness I had alot of old dog toys because I doubt any of them are going to survive until her first birthday.  She seems to enjoy removing their noses and legs.

She is still a biter though it’s decreasing.  It’s almost always during play.  She tends to get a little rambunctious, then I stop whatever we are playing.  I keep reinforcing “no bite” and hope that eventually it will all sink in.

Her fears are lessening but are still a challenge.  I could not believe the hissy fit she put on the other day when I tried to rub her stomach with a wash cloth.  She was find with her feet and her back, but went into panic mode with the tummy.

She’s also fearful of dogs barking and sudden loud noises.  When we take our walks I have to be on guard for her to panic.  I’ve been working all along to desensitize her as this was an issue right from the start.  There are certain areas we walk in where they are dogs barking and traffic.  I take by their twice a day and even if she tries to run away, I hang around.  Eventually, she forgets whatever scared her and goes back to sniffing the bushes.  Every now and then, she won’t relax and then does the whole block on two legs.

So, at 10 months, she is still very much a puppy but picking up quite well on her dog training.  The wild biting is gone, but more work needs to be done on eliminating it completely.  We can now take walks by cars, but motorcycles are scary.  Bicycles are also make her a little leery.

In time, she will be the good adult dog I’m working towards.  She is a fast learning and seems eager to please. I’ve seen her change so much these last few months, so I know we’re getting there.