As many of you know, I am NOT a big dog person. I've always preferred a small lap dog to a big, exuberant dog with boundless energy. I have always been highly intimidated by their size and my ability to control them. I don't want BIG dog problems: Counter-surfing, pulling on the leash, jumping on people, big dog droppings, etc. That being said, I must admit that Emme has completely and fully grown on me. Ok, more than grown on me; I am IN LOVE with her! She's playful, but loving. She's big, but gentle. There's this calm energy surrounding her and she seems to bring peace to our household. And, boy, could we use some "peace" around here these days!!!
So, we've reached the 6 week mark since we brought Emme home. She's a little over 4 months old, roughly 20 pounds. Lots of hurdles have been overcome and lots of accomplishments have been made in the past month since my last posting.
I'm happy to report that she's fully house trained. That probably happened within 2-3 weeks of consistent training. I wouldn't say that I fully trust her, but I'm not keeping a watchful eye every second either.
The crate is a huge success. She even prefers to go in there, all on her own, around 8:30 every night. She does still sleep with Logan for about half the night, then I bring her down in her crate for the remaining hours. Otherwise, she'd stir when Brad got up and need to go outside.
We've also started some obedience training. I'm shocked and amazed with how easy she is to train. Thus far, we're working on jumping on people and the kids. She's good about 80% of the time. Logan really hinders my training process as he thinks it's GREAT when she tackles him each morning and when he comes home off the bus each afternoon. I cringe each time!!! We've also completely stopped her bolting out the door. She sits and waits for my "ok"...I've also been trying to get her calm and submissive prior to opening the door. That is still a work in progress...! Neighbors, don't be surprised if I call and ask you to ring the doorbell as a part of desensitizing her to new people. She also successfully walks without pulling on the leash. And as much as all of these things are good, she does have an energy level that we much drain daily. She is a true hunting dog in the sense that she loves running through the tall grasses in the fields behind us. Now, if I could only lighten up enough to let her run off leash. I'm a nervous wreck when it comes to dogs off leash...I was traumatized as a child by watching my dog get run over by a car. Call me controlling (it won't be the first time) but I can't seem to let her go off on her own: Way too fearful!!!
I thought I'd end this posting with a sweet dog story. If you know me well, you've already heard it, but I can't help but share it. We are in the midst of struggling with Logan again. His anxiety has resurfaced with the start of school and we are having a really hard time as a family unit dealing with it appropriately. On one such challenging afternoon, after a 2-hour meltdown all of us were left physically and emotionally drained. I've been walking both dogs each night and while Brad is supportive in every way, he told me upfront that if I were to get another dog, it was totally and completely Logan and my responsibility. He didn't want another dog, hence, he wasn't helping with another dog. I've always respected this and never expected anything from him. On this particular night, I had planned to walk the dogs, but after Logan's episode, I just didn't have the energy. So, Brad says to me, "Do you want me to walk her (meaning Emme)." And I know this isn't much to most of you and you probably don't see the justification in my tears, but I just looked at him and started sobbing...For many reasons, but mainly because he saw a). How important the dogs are to me and b). He cared enough about me to give me the "night off" per say. I went to him and broke down in his arms. Not just merely crying, I was SOBBING!!! Brad tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Look behind you"...I saw Emme just sitting behind me, staring up at us. Through my sobs and tears, I said to Brad, "You may not like her, but she's the most loving dog ever." Almost as if on queue, she came over and rested her head against my knee.
While we got the dog for Logan, to help soothe him and pull him through his darkest moments, Emme has been just as therapeutic for me and I love her with my whole heart...
