Cookie enjoyed some time next to Milo this morning chewing on a bone. This is how most mornings start.
Notice my slippers on the ground... Cookie no longer confuses them with toys- Yay! :)
Curiosity: Cookie is a curious gal and will need some guidance (like all dogs do) as she learns her new home environment. She sometimes just walks around our home looking and sniffing around. She will need to know what is and is not off limits in her new home. She learns quick and areas or items we do not want her to play with she has learned not to touch (pillows from the couch, slippers).
She is very aware of her surroundings. We catch her outside watching birds, butterflies, and bees flying. We have even caught her watching t.v. a few times. :) Furniture: We have not been allowing Cookie up on the furniture or our bed. Crate: Cookie sleeps like a princess in her crate all night long. :) Due to her curious nature and for her safety, we crate her anytime we have to leave the house. We usually leave her with a hard bone to chew on while we are away. When she first arrived, the first few times we crated her we gave her a Kong (filled with a mix of peanut butter and plain greek yogurt) to show her that being in her crate was a positive thing. Car: Cookie does very well in the car. For her first car ride, she sat in the passenger seat as I drove and she appeared to be extremely nervous. She put up a struggle to even get in the car. A few days later we put her in the backseat and took Milo along as well and she was like a new dog. So at ease! I don't know if it was being in the backseat, the company of Milo, or both, but she did much better. Personality: Cookie is a big sweetie. I love when she just gazes up at me with those stunning eyes. She just wants to be loved and given attention by the people and critters in her home. :) She is very playful and silly. Cookie is going to make a wonderful addition to a home. Like all dogs, she will need attention and some training. The good news is that she is totally potty trained, she is very treat motivated (to help with training) and she is a quick learner. She is a big lover and makes us laugh every day. :) Cookie LOVES LOVES LOVES toys! The more, the merrier is her philosophy. We don't have any squeaker toys in the house (Milo destroys them all), but she seems to love gnawing on bones, shredding ropes, or chewing on rubbery toys. Her future home will need to provide her with lots of toys (quality toys that are durable) to entertain her.
She still gets confused sometimes what isn't a toy (a throw pillow or a slipper). When she grabs a non-desired item, I am sure to give her a firm "no" and then lead her right to the toy basket to remind her what IS a toy. When I see her choosing to play with toys appropriately, I try to praise her and give lots of positive reinforcement. Sometimes she plays with toys alone, or sometimes she will try to engage the people or other dogs around her to play with her. Usually with the toy in her mouth, she will nudge us or put a paw on us as a way to say, "Hey! Come play with me!" :) We were able to sneak up north for one last summer getaway. The hubby, myself, Milo, Cookie, and my mom's pup, Frankie all took the car ride up north. Cookie was AWESOME in the car! Slept like a baby most of the time. She went on some nice walks, a rollerblade ride, and went to the lake. At first she wasn't too sure what to do, but after seeing Milo enjoying the water, she soon ventured in and the two were frolicking around. First time seeing the lakeSecond day at the lakeDay two at the lake and there was no hesitation to enter and she was noticably more comfortable in the water. I think Cookie wanted Milo to play with her more but he was busy bobbing for acorns and not paying her much attention. Getting more comfortableOutside relaxing timeUnfortunately at the cabin, the property is not fenced in, so Cookie had to be on a lead when outside. She managed to get herself tangled quite a bit that first day, but she did better the next days. She kept busy watching people passing by, hunting ants, rolling around, chewing sticks and toys we brought outside for her. Cookie was a very well behaved lady at Petsmart. She let people pet her and didn't bark at other dogs. We discovered she is VERY curious about squeaker toys (unfortunately we don't have any at our house because Milo destroys them all). Cookie is still a young gal and has energy to burn. We have been experimenting with ways other than a traditional walk to keep her challenged. We found that she really does well and seems to enjoy jogging with and without rollerblades. She does well alone or with Milo. Here are some videos to show how she is doing. :) JoggingRollerblades*One point of caution, Cookie is not always aware of trees/ poles, so if you don't keep her close, she may go on the opposite side of the pole than you, bringing your walk or jog to an abrupt halt. One of Cookie's favorite games with her foster brother is keep away. This circling was going on for awhile before I even started recording. Cookie is quick and very playful. A few times she has grabbed soft, non-toy items such as slippers, socks, or a coaster off the coffee table. When I first noticed she grabbed my slipper, I lunged for it and she thought it was a game. She began prancing around the house with my purple slipper dangling gently from her mouth. I have since learned that when she grabs an item she shouldn't, I calmly walk up to retrieve the item. I give her a firm "no" showing her the item. This has only happened a few times and has resulted in no damage to our property, I think she is just very curious about her new environment and is still learning her boundaries. This girl loves to play fetch! This is usually how she likes to start off every morning. :) She hasn't mastered "drop it", but I am impressed she even brings it back to me after each throw. In this video, Cookie also shows off her "sit" and "shake". :)
This gal is totally housebroken! Woohoo!!!! On a few occasions, she has even scratched at the back door when she needed to go outside. This is a HUGE advantage for her future family. I love in this video how she has to take a break from playing to take care of "business". Cookie is a fun little gal. Here is what we know so far:
Miss Cookie is a cute little gal. I wanted to show this video because it shows how gentle she can be as well as showing off her beautiful eyes. At first I thought her eyes were green, but when looking at them more closely, they are grayish at the center and fade to a muted shade of yellowy green. Super stunning!
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