This past Tuesday Nicki arrived. I thought it was going to be just her but it wasn't long before I started feeling bad about leaving her sister behind at the shelter. They looked almost identical at the shelter except Bell has a streak of white on her chest. Nicki has a very small amount of white on her chest too but it's virtually invisible most of the time.
So the following Saturday I was back at the shelter to pick up Bell. Nicki went crazy with joy when Bell joined her in the car. She was all wiggles and kisses to Bell's face. Bell, on the other hand looked like she wanted to throw up. She drooled all the way home and barely ate anything that night. She really seemed stressed out...poor thing.
Nicki had already been with me for 4 days so she was right at home....full of confidence. Bell on the other hand was confused and a little afraid. She was objecting to the collar around her neck and the leash was even worse. She still resists walking on the leash and has to be steadily encouraged. Stairs seem to be a personal enemy of hers because she often refuses to go up or down them. I still haven't figured out that one. She must have encountered stairs somewhere along the way before I came into the picture. She will go up or down stairs if Nicki is with her (trying to show confidence around her sister?) but when alone with me she's pulling backwards or playing statue most of the time.
Nicki had been for walks with KC a few times already and the reports were that she was erratic on a leash and easily distracted. (sounds like a puppy to me). When I finally got a chance to take her myself I was very impressed. She walked very nice on a leash...even had some moments where she wasn't pulling at all. She surprised the heck out of me by catching on to "sit" and "stand" almost without any effort from me. Her concentration seemed spot on...I didn't need to struggle to keep her attention. However, she does have a strange quirk...she keeps looking behind her like she's expecting someone to show up. And this behavior was there from the start...before Bell arrived. I'm not sure who she thinks is behind her; maybe she's looking for the dog warden! Another little oddity with Nicki is her fear of fire hydrants and statues. Whenever she encounters a fire hydrant or any kind of statue she barks her head off! She's obviously afraid of them so I talk soothingly to her and pet her..let her sniff it and then she'll suddenly spring back from it like it jumped at her. Maybe she looks over her should while walking because she thinks fire hydrants are following her!
Bell is very much the opposite of Nicki in many ways. When alone with me she is sweet and totally docile, a little intimidated by the whole world. Her first day was really rough on her. The collar felt weird, people kept yanking her around on a leash, she was taken in a car a few times, she was taken to a soccer game, expected to go up and down stairs and that sister of hers kept licking her face! I suppose it was no wonder she barely ate any food too because Nicki kept offering to finish it for her.
These sisters may look alike but that's where the similarities stop. And because Bell's white streak is low on her chest it's very hard to tell them apart when they are together. Earlier today I noticed Bell looked like she needed to go out to pee; I took the gate down and both dogs went to the kitchen door but it was Nicki I ended up taking outside! When I came back in Justin was laughing because I took the wrong dog out. (turned out they both had to go out). One of the next things I'm going to buy is a really bright colored collar for Bell. That should help quite a bit.
Nicki has a spunky personality and usually takes charge. But Bell comes alive when playing with her sister. We were jokingly calling them Satan's little Angels. More than once I've had to pen them to prevent total destruction of the house and injury to both of them. Nicki often resorts to racing back and forth through the rooms and Bell pounces as she goes tearing by her. My legs are bruised by having half grown puppies slamming into them so many times. And raising your voice has no effect at all. Once they are all wound up neither one can hear anything but a squeaky toy!
Today was bath day. I was completely duped into believing that Nicki would be a breeze to wash and Bell would be the one I'd have to coax along. Well, both of them stood by the tub (not at the same time...I'm not THAT stupid) looking at the water swirling into the tub but Nicki went ballistic when I put her in. She wasn't having any of that! Not so little one...I'm still bigger than you. Bell on the other hand had to be carried up the stairs but was a statue in the tub. She is easily cowed and had no idea why this was happening to her but in the end it was a much better experience for me than Nicki had been. What a drama queen! Both of them smell much better now but I'm sure that won't last long. They love rolling in the grass! After the bath it was time to trim their nails. Bell's were really long and she laid down and let me do it...Justin was helping in case their was a problem. True to form, Nicki didn't agree that her nails were too long. She kept randomly tugging her foot away (Allie used to do that too) which really sets the stage for too close a clip but she wouldn't listen. After I was finished I spent a little time making sure each dog got used to me touching their feet. (I've already been spending time taking food and things out of their mouths). I do as much of my own vet care/grooming as possible with my animals so this is just one more thing they have to learn to put up with. And because there are two of them I have to ensure that neither gets away with anything...for long. :)
The rest of my day was taken up with doing laundry (for them as well as my own); making dog biscuits (it's been a long time since I've done that!); teaching Bell to sit and stand; teaching them both to walk on a leash and come to me when I call and making chicken and rice to add to their food. I'm slightly distressed that they are both currently on Puppy Chow but it can't be helped. It's what they are used to and a transition to human food will take some time. But it will happen. The chicken and rice is the first step in that road. I will not have a dog on dog food for life! Dog food is garbage....the lowest form of garbage. (You'd be horrified if you knew some of the things that go into dog food. But that's a topic for another post.)
So today the girls learned a few new things...things that will have to be learned again tomorrow...and the next day and the next I'm sure. They are not at the same level and not the same temperament so the training is a huge challenge for me. Plus it's been a very long time since I've had to train really young dogs. I've learned some things today too. I've learned that Nicki needs structure and a firm voice but Bell needs gentle coaching and lots of sweet talk. I've learned that they can't be trained together unless you are trying to teach them to ignore you and jump all over each other. I've learned that just because they eat and drink at the same time doesn't mean that they need to go out at the same time. (Nicki has more control and Bell has no idea why it's not cool to just pee in the living room). They've taught me that I don't know how to teach them to ASK to go out but frequent trips outside will suffice until I get that info from my training books. They've reminded me that a routine works great for young ones of any species but it's not fool proof. And most of all they've taught me that my back is not going to stop hurting any time soon. Especially if I have to keep picking Bell up to go up stairs!
