Just over a week ago this little lady wandered into our life...
We call her Yula, Russian for "downy." As far as we (and anyone) can tell she is a purebred Siberian Husky.
We have no idea what her story is and how she ended up wandering into our garage, but she is now part of the Harmon Squad.
(and I know you're thinking it, and yes we searched hard for her original owners but none were to be found. According to the animal shelter, we did more to find them than most do)
So I apologize for the silence around here, it was totally unexpected and not at all intentional. Puppies are a lot of work, that's all.
Especially when you've never ever owned a dog in your entire life. We've definitely been learning as we go. Thankfully she is amazing and has responded incredibly to training. (like, shook her bell on the door tonight to let me know she needed to go out to pee kind of incredible)
A random stranger who stopped to admire her on one of our walks made this remark upon hearing the story of how she joined our family; "God gave you a gift." And I couldn't agree more.
She has stolen my heart.
(and for those of you who know me really well, know that I am not a dog person. At all. And still am not. I love this dog, and still despise pretty much every other dog I meet. I know, I'm not sure how it's possible either)
And while I am exhausted and overwhelmed and totally in over my head, she is part of our family now, no doubt about that.
So please excuse the silence around here, we're getting into a schedule but I'm guessing it'll still take some time before I'm able to do more than just keep 5 humans, a fetus, and a dog alive.
And if you have any advice for taking care of and training puppies, please share!! Pretty much every snippet of time I'm able to get on the computer is spent reading up on training and huskies and anything dog related. But it's not the same as getting advice from someone you know who has gone through it. In particular, we're in the process of kennel training and would love tips on that, as well as anything related to puppies and small children. And, does anyone know how to introduce a new baby to a puppy without one trying to kill the other? Thanks in advance for whatever!!
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Oh my gosh. What a BEAUTIFUL dog. You really are lucky.
ReplyDeleteWe had a husky growing up. You have to remember what they're bred for...they're running dogs. So when they're in a fully domestic setting, they require A LOT of exercise, preferably a big yard. Also, huskies are extremely pack oriented, so they're very protective.
ReplyDeleteTraining: best thing we did with our little girl was go to a free training class at petsmart. If she will be kenneled, don't put a potty pad in the kennel. Dogs have to learn the difference in where they sleep and do business. Use hand commands. For us, a fist is sit. A hand open palm down is lay. Pointer finger up is stay. High five, roll over, etc. The first few times she may need you to show her by moving her body and saying what you want. Or an easy way to teach lay is to put your hand on the floor so she chases it. Verbalize the command. Also, there are small training treats. You need to reward the dog when it does a good job via praise and a treat.
Also, it'll become apparent who she considers to be the pack leader. It is whoever she gravitates to, may listen to slightly more. Who ever that is, your husband or you, will have to bring the baby into the house and introduce the new member. This is because it is easier for dogs to accept a new pack member if the leader presents them. Essentially, they associate the leader bringing it in as oh, OK. Well obviously this is supposed to be here.
Hope it helps!
She is beautiful! That is very exciting!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous dog!
ReplyDelete