I am starting into a very busy week so this is going to be one of those posts where I cram in all of the photos and highlights.
We headed to my in-laws home in Alabama for Thanksgiving. We took the four dogs that can travel a few hours with no problems (Maddie, Riley, Seven, and Stacker). My in-laws have set up their garage to be quite welcoming and comfy for the dogs. They definitely make it easier to come for a visit.
The garage has vents for heating and air conditioning and they have added insulation to help control the temperature. We set up ex pens and crates for the hounds.
This was Maddie's first visit and she did great. She was very quiet and well behaved.... unlike some other hound who shall remain numberless. I was very pleased that Maddie ignored and mostly slept through the unsatisfied hound's non-stop complaining. Again, I am not going to name numbers....
One of the things we worked hard on this week was going up and down stairs. Maddie developed a mild fear of stairs when she lost momentum going up some deck steps, decided to turn around, and do so very awkwardly. She decided she did not like them after that.
So we worked stairs everywhere we went. I mixed her dinners with canned green tripe and it was not long before she was going up and down the stairs like a pro.
Maddie also lost another tooth and I found it this time! There was blood all over the toy we were tugging on and I could see that a top tooth was very loose. Maddie was chomping and chewing when suddenly it just fell out. I grabbed it before she could put it back in her mouth.
House training is going great. I cannot remember her last accident. She easily crates seven to eight hours over night with no problems. The best part is that I have to wake her up in the mornings and it is one of the few times of day she is sweet and lovable.
During the day, Maddie has gone five hours which I am thrilled about. It really makes the work schedule easier now that she is up to five hours.
At the end of the week, Maddie weighed 38.5 pounds. I cannot believe she is that big already. Just 13 pounds when I brought her home. Time really does fly.
And then on Sunday, Maddie and I attended an obedience seminar for puppies. I learned some new things and ways to challenge puppies to build confidence. One of the things we did was to fill a kiddie pool with empty plastic water bottles. I honestly thought Maddie would dive right in for a toy or treats, but she was very hesitant. In fact, it was only at the very end of the day that Maddie finally put her two front feet into the pool to eat dinner mixed with canned green tripe.
Of course, I want to get right to work on this, but you cannot buy a plastic kiddie pool this time of year (if you can, let me know where).
I have heard lots about other breeds going though a fear phase where they start too show more caution where it was not there before. So far I have not heard anyone with greyhounds complain of this, but maybe I am experiencing a bit of a fear/caution phase with Maddie. Of course, it is hit or miss, thankfully. Most of the time she is still balls to the wall. All in all, she did really well working in front of all the people and the instructor was very complimentary of Maddie.
