Day 5

Day 5

Oh my goodness (it feels so strange to write that out instead of omg, lol!), I am so proud of Bean!!! Tonight when she went into her crate she did not cry or bark AT ALL! Just blessed, blessed silence. It isn’t only that she is exhausted from a long day, since yesterday she got LOTS more exercise (a trip to a park! With running!) and she barked for 10 minutes last night. The consistency has really paid off!

Every day Bean grows by leaps and bounds. Today she has begun willingly greeting strangers. Her tail is down but not tucked, and she’ll let a nice, slow moving stranger scratch or pet her head while on the ground. Oh what a good girl! When I first welcomed her to my house she would run from people she didn’t know, hide behind my legs and bark at them from that position. She has started venturing out from my side, running ahead of me when we’re in the back or front yard. Though it’s awesome to see her being more independent, it does mean that I have to keep a much closer eye on her to keep her out of trouble, and new commands like “leave it” and “come” are more and more important! At this point she doesn’t bounce away from me more than 10 feet or so at the very most before she realizes she’s alone and figures out where I am so she can race back. But still, I’m so happy for her. A confident dog is a happy one!

Her adjustment to living with two big boxer dogs is really going well. There’s no more barking or snapping at them – she’s come to realize that she is, for sure, at the bottom of this food chain…er…pack. lol. She all on her own sniffs their faces or butts, or whatever she can reach (she only comes up to their ANKLES) and when they walk around her she sometimes wags her tail and looks at them. This is product of both the positive reinforcement of giving her treats when they’re all together, and the tiny spritz of water every now and then to discourage barking and defensive behavior around them. The boys, even when they’re really excited and insane, know by now not to play rough with her because it scares her so (and because I don’t want them to step on her!!).

One small accident today, no one can figure out when it happened…just on the rug, but a different one, different spot. Otherwise potty training is still going well. I know it could take a while for her to really understand that outside is the ONLY acceptable place to pee, and I’m alright with the long haul. I look forward to the day when she is as well trained as the boys – we let them out of their kennels and they go sit by the door. We open the door – they go out and pee. Then they come back. It’s awesome. That will be a good day.

Tonight, I accept the success of crate training. Yay crate training! <3

- me