Yesterday, little Miss Georgia Peach was handed back to Mommy and Daddy. Given timing, other commitments and of course lonely hearts, she was transported from Atlanta, Georgia to Tampa, Florida via two separate parties. Do not despair however! I have gotten the promise (you are all witnesses) that Georgia’s Mommy would continue to write blogs and updates for me so that you can see her progress. So far, I had a conversation with her last night while Georgia was apparently romping around biting at, climbing on and barking at everything. The last thing I remember is hearing her leave the conversation momentarily only to return saying that Georgia had climbed her way into the bathtub… I guess that is a good thing because it is the first step to getting her used to bath time!
This is how she fell asleep…
It was a bittersweet goodbye, but it won’t be long until we see her again. For now, she can go raise you-kn0w-what at someone else’s house and get a taste for the finer things in life (literally…I foresee her getting into some silk, lace or otherwise!). The trip south was surprisingly easy and she seemed to rather enjoy herself sitting in the back showing us her newly forming adult teeth when she wrapped them around the holes in the carrier.
Georgia is certainly a little peach and has taught me a lot about puppyhood. The stories are hilarious and the days can be frustrating, but in the end, it is extremely rewarding. Keep in mind, I always knew she wouldn’t be mine, so the attachment was very much discouraged, which made the ordeal harder. If you know you want a puppy and are ready for the commitment, (given the experience I had) I would imagine it is the best feeling in the world to conquer training hurdles. For me, it was great. For her owners, it will be greater. Stay tuned for updates, and don’t forget that we are always here to answer your questions!!
- R + K (now, – G)
Georgia has now been in her forever home (or one of them, we have a summer home and she still visits Rabon) for about 2 months and is approaching the 6 month age…yikes! adolescence. This is the hardest phase of puppy training especially if you get a large dog. Georgia is still under 30 lbs so it is easy to manipulate her physically (sit? who, me? did I ever learn this trick? why are you pushing on my backside so much? just give me the darn treat). The adorable puppy is now an (equally adorable to me) semi adult with “notions”. We have had no issues with house training, aggressive behavior, running away, stealing Christmas gifts or chewing up things so we are truly blessed there
I hosted 14 ladies for Bunko the other night and G-dog was delightful, said hello with no (OK…minimal) biting and jumping then settled down for a good chew stick session. Adolescence had to sneak in though and she is now tall enough to reach the appetizers on the counter (why, thank you so much for offering my puppy self some chicken wings, I’d love one!). I was shocked when I said NO, OUT! and she dropped the whole chicken wing and let me take it. Wow, they can retain lessons. Great way to impress your friends with how much better your dog is than theirs will ever be…oh, oops, she did first get up on the counter.
On our Christmas trip to the mountains, Georgia was an excellent hiking companion and extremely well behaved with visitors. She did revert to wetting the floor at Rabon’s but part of that may have been competitive water drinking contests with Mousse and Kimba. So, how does one luck into such a well behaved pup? Part of it is the breeds, we think there is Shepherd/Husky/Beagle/ Kangaroo and something else in there. She does herd on the trail so has a good dose of the shepherd side. Part is the individual. While little puppies are all cuddly and sweet when you meet them, older puppies and adults will show some (not all) of their true colors while still at the shelter. Georgia at over 3 months was playful but not wild, sweet but not overly needy and not yappy. The only part of it we can control is the training. Best advie…give your puppy to my daughter to deal with for the first few weeks! Only kidding… In my totally amateur experience, there are a few keys. Calm, patience and time are critical, if you don’t have the time to help a puppy become a good dog, please rethink the idea of a puppy and consider an adult that is already somewhat trained. We spend hours a day enjoying and working with Georgia as we are retired. There are times I have to put her in a bathroom to calm down for a few minutes (me calming down as well as her, a calm environment makes for a calm dog, sometimes!) The crate is ABSOLUTELY necessary, (early on especially for house training). As much as I would love to have Georgia sleep with us, she sleeps willingly in her crate and knows her place as the dog of the house. The dog has to know the person is the alpha dog, it’s in their nature to need to know their place and they are much happier having a human pack leader. A peanut buttter filled Kong helped with the crate training (yes, bribery does work on both dogs and children up to a point, we just call it rewards not bribes!). Beds and furniture are by invitation only and she seems to get this. Early, often and consistent training are important. I did use treats although some trainers say not to and it worked well. You can not let the dog not do what you say even once or twice. The things we work on most are good leash behavior (DO NOT use those retactable leashes, the dog will pull and not learn how to behave after tying you and itself up in the middle of the road), come, sit, stay, out (really important as puppies pick up everything) some cute tricks, and good house behavior (no begging, no biting, no jumping..still working hard on those with some success). I brush her teeth and cut her nails (even when they don’t need it I fake it) often to get her used to it so we don’t end up with a grooming challenged adult. One of the most important things has been to take her out a lot where there are other dogs and many different kinds of people. Dog parks, Hardware stores and dog friendly restaurants are awesome for this.
As I write this, my friend’s adult dogs (who we are caring for) are alternately whining, scratching my office door and barking at everything real or imagined. Georgia is lying on her bed looking outside quietly (or at least was the last time I checked, hmm, did I leave anything yummy on the counter?) so all the excellent advice I got from the AHS booklets and trainers must work. Thank you so much, Atlanta Humane Society for saving Georgia from a kill shelter and for all the help in making her such a delightful addition to our family. We are smitten and loving (nearly) every minute of it. Maybe you can’t buy love but you can sure adopt it!