We have had Magnolia as a foster for over a month now. She has been making big gains. We hope she finds her adoptive family soon so they can start making good memories this summer. Here is what we have learned about her so far:
Meals: We have trained Magnolia to sit before receiving her meals. She now does this without any verbal direction. She quickly gobbles up her food and then will go to her foster sister's bowl, so we are now working on teaching her leave the other bowl alone. Car: We have made HUGE gains in getting Magnolia comfortable in the car. She does experience car sickness, which is something she will hopefully outgrow, but until then, going for a longer ride on an empty stomach and with Dramamine helps. We were able to take her up north for Memorial Day and she did awesome with the three hour drive. Toys: Her current favorite toy is the red Jolly ball pictured in this post. She also loves tennis balls, chew toys.... pretty much any toy keeps this gal entertained and happy. Walks: This is the area that Magnolia can continue to make gains. She gets very excited on walks, especially when she hears other dogs barking. Sometimes we can lure her attention back to us with a treat, but especially on nice days when there is a LOT of activity in the neighborhood, it is hard for her to focus. We have found some success in walking at times that are less busy in our neighborhood so she can focus on good leash manners. Stairs: See previous posts. This past month she conquered her fear of the stairs and now is a confident explorer of the basement. Interactions with our dog: Magnolia enjoys time with our dog, but we don't think she needs another dog. Some of our fosters, they won't leave our dog's side and it is evident that they love being around other dogs and are more confident as a result. Maggie is confident and spunky on her own. :) She does play with our dog sometimes, but for most of the day, she is independently playing and interacting with us. The girls overall get along great, but really at the end of the day, I think Maggie just needs a pet parent to shower her with attention and give her a big tub of toys. Other dogs: Magnolia gets very excited when seeing another dog on the walk or meeting other dogs. She gets vocal and pulls. DDR helped us with a nice, slow introduction when meeting our dog and it went well. When we recently had to introduce her to some other family dogs, the slower introduction helped. Like most puppies, Maggie is still learning doggy etiquette. She needs to be monitored when she is with other dogs because she doesn't always pick up on their cues. When with my mom's older dog, Magnolia didn't understand that the 14 year old beagle didn't want to wrestle and play with her. If Maggie is in a home with another dog, we think it would be best if it were another active dog who would accept Magnolia's sometimes rough and tumble playing style. Kids: Magnolia has met some older kids and did well. She still has a lot of puppy energy, so a home with older kids would be best. Adults: She has LOVED everyone she meets. Male, female, old, young, bearded, loud, quiet- she doesn't discriminate from anyone who is willing to give her some attention. Crate: She does great in the crate while we are at work for eight hours stretches. No accidents. We leave her with plenty of durable chew toys and a Kong filled with frozen peanut butter. Bed time: She sleeps in a little dog bed in our room. She sleeps through most of the night. If she needs go potty, she will wake you up with some kisses on your face. Potty training: I saved one of the best ones for last. In over a month, we have had only three little pee pee accidents. She is one of our best fosters in the potty training department, especially considering that she is so young. Thank you for taking time to read this. We want this sweet and sassy pup to find her forever home soon. Please share with anyone who you think would be a good fit and would spoil this little lady. |