Well, I saw the scale read 25.7, but 24.9 is what the receptionist saw and recorded, and what the scale held at the longest, so... either way, Airlie was 19.something lbs last month and has gained 5 or 6 lbs. Still growing. She went through another bout of getting longer & taller this past week, though we've been able to avoid the skinny, bony, lankiness the past couple of go rounds. My friend, Crystal's grandma's recipe for putting weight on active, growing puppies has always been a sure thing! I think I'm making more of it this time than ever before. I just decided to make a batch weekly, freeze half, thaw the spare half out when necessary and supplement Airlie's regular kibble with it during two of her three feedings. I guess next month I will cut her back to two feedings per day.
We were at the vet to pick up her monthly dose of Heartgard & Frontline. I still want her on Revolution, but the vet is still holding off, with the "wait til she stops growing" speech. As it is, she's now in the 23-44lb bracket regarding Frontline, but won't go up to the next weight category for Heartgard until next month. If she'd seen the 25.7lb reading on the scale, she might have given us the higher dosage, but... oh, well.
Airlie didn't bark excessively or cower this time like she did the last time we were there, however, she was too rambunctious to be allowed to meet the quiet, mellow, sleepy-looking yellow lab puppy that was staring at her. I'm thinking it was close to that puppy's nap time. She was pretty, though, and well-behaved. Airlie did do well when we were checking out and a big, English shepherd-looking dog was getting weighed on the scale behind us. I had to keep having her sit- she still doesn't stay for long, and she kept bouncing around at the end of her leash, which made it difficult for me to put away my debit card, sign the receipt, etc... (and probably looked really bad to the lab puppy's owner), but when the big male dog got off the scale and came right over to touch noses with her, she sat and was good. Everybody accompanying him gasped in horror, but there was nothing amiss about either dog's behavior. Airlie did start barking at him, wanting to play and I wouldn't let her, but he calmly followed his folks into an exam room and that was that. She ignored a big pittie-type getting weighed next. His people seemed to be a bit anxious about him and he was hurried off to a room right away, but, again, neither dog behaved in an unsavory manner or even so much as acknowledged each other.
We didn't get to play with Squash, the resident grey tabby Maine Coon this time, but Airlie did meet one new person and, like I said, was much better behaved. I'd rather have her hyper than scared, though I'd prefer it if she were calm. She is improving daily, but I swear she is taking longer to make behaviors habit than any other dog I've worked with. She's very smart, and we're continuing to be patient and consistent but it's a long road. She IS finally doing better about sitting and waiting while I'm filling food bowls, instead of diving head-first into the bucket and stealing mouthfuls. This has been going on since we got her in November, and I think it's odd that it's taking so long to instill in her the proper way to sit and wait politely, given the fact that I'm feeding her three times a day, the other two twice a day and the cats daily as well. There are ample opportunities for practice. I feel like she should be an old hand at it by now, but she's not. She's definitely better about it on the days that she gets walked prior than the days where we have to wait out the weather or temperatures.
Airlie can sit, shake, speak, high five, down, balance on her hind legs, roll over (both directions), knows "off"; is working on "wave", "right foot", and "left foot", knows the words "bone", "ball" and "hedgehog" and will retrieve each as requested. She enjoys Frisbee and, though still chasing rollers, but has caught a flying disc 3 times, recently (when thrown at her or in front of her). She can circle around me to the right and left before chasing the disc, turn around to the right and left before chasing a disc, jump over my extended legs (seated) to chase a disc, roll over then get up and chase a disc.
She seems to be phasing out her penchant for snagging the dish towel off the counter, or taking the towels out of the cats beds and carrying it off to chew.
She still jumps up at the kitchen counter any and every time I'm doing anything. She has to see what I'm doing. Telling her the names of items in my hands and letting her examine them has proven quite helpful, though the things I've allowed her to taste are now things she comes running for, taking a flying leap at the cabinets. "Off" works sometimes, "sit" works other times. She's pretty good about lying down in the kitchen when I'm busy, but hasn't quite grasped staying OUT of the kitchen (though she's good about getting "out" of the cabinets, pantry & refrigerator when told).
Arlie loves the dishwasher. If you let her, she stands with her paws on the open door and licks the water dripping from the dirty dishes you are loading, or she licks the water from the door after the dishwasher has run. She's notorious for standing on the dishwasher door with all four feet. We are still working on deterring her from all of this.
I held off teaching "speak" for as long as I could, because I really wasn't looking forward to that realization that "speak" might just be a magic word for getting what you want. Every dog that learns "speak" goes through a bit of a phase where they begin demanding things by vocalizing. Well, she started that on her own. She quickly learned she could bark at Leo when he was getting a drink of water, and that he would step back and allow her to drink her fill before finishing his own refreshment. Kansas tolerates none of this. They drink together or Airlie waits her turn. She also barks at Leo if he has something she wants, like one of the many Nylabones available to everyone, or if he's in her way in the backyard, preventing her from digging a hole, etc. Leo does his best to teach her what's acceptable and what's not, but I think him barking at her (tattletale) when she was digging is what started this. She also barks irritatingly at Kansas if she wants to play and Kansas is not interested.
Leo is also to blame for Airlie's new penchant for racing the neighbor dog up and down the fence line. Thanks a lot, Leo. We're working on that, as well. That's how Airlie started barking at other sounds around the neighborhood. Now that she's discovered her voice, she barks at whatever, for the hell of it. Sometimes it's very serious-sounding barking, other times just boredom barking. Hence teaching her "speak" and "quiet" (which we are still working on). It was time to give her an "off switch". I feel she barks more than a typical ACD should, and am hoping this is just another puppy thing she will learn not to do or outgrow. She's good with "leave it" (except that she still tries to pick up everything she can on our walks and eat it) and is getting better at "wait". I think I will make heavy use of that one, since it seems she is not yet mature enough for "stay".
I'm still waiting for her to outgrow the jumping up on people, barking in frustration when she can't get to someone because of the leash preventing her, and the mouthing. I'm hoping once all her baby teeth are out that will go away. She's doing better about giving "kisses" when told, and is finally enjoying petting more than grabbing at hands to invite play or attention. She still bites as kind of a "temper tantrum" if you pick her up and don't put her down soon enough (in her mind) or if you pick her up at all.
She's picked out her own places around the house to lie, preferring the tile in front of the back window to her dog pillow. She will also get her elk antler and lie at my feet with it while I am on the computer.
We've been experimenting with her making her own way out the bedroom door, and back in again and to her crate, during our nighttime potty trips, rather than me guiding her with a finger on her collar. So far so good. I just don't want her leaping up on DH in the middle of the night and waking him.
She likes to be scratched between the shoulder blades, she likes having the sides of her body rubbed. She likes tummy scratches. She also enjoys stretching- a lot. Sometimes when she is jumping up on people, it's merely to stretch. Other times, she seems to be wanting to be hugged, wrapping her front legs around your neck, licking your face. She likes to cuddle- as long as you're not holding her or picking her up!
