This sweet lady has been with us for about a week and here is what we know so far.
Walking: Lucy does great on a leash. She is believed to be a hound mix which is evident if she sees a squirrel on our walk, as she will give an extra tug on the leash. She likes to sniff around, yet she often has slack on the leash as we walk.
Temperament: Overall, Lucy is a very playful, sweet, cuddly girl.
Crate: Lucy is put in the crate when we leave the house. She goes in without a fuss. We usually leave her a hard bone to chew. When we return, she stands up and gives a good stretch, making us think she has just woken up from a nice nap. She has no separation anxiety that we can see.
Other dogs: Lucy is currently living with our dog, Milo, a male boxer. They get along very well. Both have high energy levels, and know how to nap, so they have been doing great together. Lucy also likes to run along the fence with the neighbor's little dog. Last night she met my mom's dog, Frankie, an older beagle who is very submissive. Lucy wanted to play much more rough with Frankie and needed to be monitored a bit, as Frankie isn't assertive enough to let another dog know that she needs a break.
Toys: Lucy loves toys and really enjoys tug toys and anything she can gnaw on. She does great with nylabones, big ropes, and some kong products, but she will need to monitored with some toys. Some rubbery items (such as tennis balls and some kong products) she has been able to gnaw pieces off of. Stuffed animal toys may make your home look like it snowed. :) The good news is that she doesn't ingest toys or broken bits of toys. She knows the difference between dog toys and household items, so none of our personal property (slippers, socks, etc...) have been chewed.
People: Lucy loves to snuggle and does well meeting new people. She jumps a little and may bark when she encounters a new person, but she does not seem to have any aggression. We have not seen her around children, however, with her sweet demeanor, I think she would be fine in a home with children. She may just need to be monitored around very small children when she gets excited.
Food: Lucy is currently eating Innova brand food, about 1.5 to 2 cups per meal (breakfast and dinner). She does get excited around meal time, so we have been practicing her having to sit calmly, make eye contact, and wait for permission to begin eating. We even practice taking away her food bowl mid-meal and have observed no food aggression.
Sleeping: As mentioned, Lucy is DYNAMITE at snuggling on the couch. She has been such a good girl that we do not even crate her at night. She sleeps on a dog bed at the foot of our bed. You'll know she's awake when you hear her tail thumping. :)
Housebroken: 100% potty trained! Woohoo!!!
Commands: Lucy knows the command "sit" both verbal and with a hand motion. The hand motion for sit she has been taught is a palm facing upward, then bringing all four fingers up toward the ceiling. We are working on the command "stay".
Fashion: She looks adorable in her purple winter coat. :)
Any questions, please leave me a comment.