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WILLOW |
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Foster Update!
Willow is such a happy dog and she looks great now that she has gained weight. She is always wagging her tail. I believe she is mixed with Boxer and she has this adorable bunny hopping thing and she jumps straight in the air about 5 feet high when she is excited. All you have to do is look at her and her tail starts wagging. She and my other dog still run around the back yard like bandits chasing each other - she loves to run. She also settles down very well in the house and anytime she and my dog get a little too hyper playing, she is easily calmed and made to settle down. She learns very quickly and is very easy to work with. She is a bit squirrel obsessed, but she is very good on the leash if you keep her moving without a chance to focus or obsess over a squirrel she might see. She always responds immediately if you tug on the leash - she never fights you. She has really done well with running on the leash. She is not yet ready to be let off the leash and rely that she will stay with you or come back to you, but I need to work more with her on the come command. She immediately responds to sit or No whether out in the yard or just across the room. She will do best in a firm/disciplined but very loving home (preferably not with the entire household gone 5 days/week and 8-9 hours/day). She will do well with children - probably best with ages 12 and above. She is very sensitive to the environment around her, so if it is chaotic, it will make her edgy, but if it is calm and reasonably in control, she will be too. I have grown quite fond of her - she is such a loving little girl in return.
Foster Update!
I picked up Willow this morning around 9 and she has been one big ball of play and love. I don't think her tail has stopped wagging since she's been here. She is absolutely loving playing with my lab/husky mix, River. They run around like bandits in the back yard and wrestle around in the house. I think if I were to take her out for a run, it would actually be a break for her!
She might like to be top dog ;) She does mark and does that typically male thing of scratching the ground with her back legs and she will try to dominate River on occasion. I suspect some of this - especially the marking and related pee things - could settle down a bit after the hormones have had a chance to settle out from the spaying. She is very assertive in play, but she still plays well and is not aggressive. I've had to stop it once because it was seemingly escalating, but she immediately stops and pays attention to you at all times. I might separate them while I'm gone just because I think they might tear up the place playing! She is also happy laying down with an elk antler or bone, although I haven't seen that much yet over the past couple of hours. They've got to get tired here soon!
She is very loving and loves to be loved on. She does not know sit, so I'll have to work with her on the commands (no eating till she sits usually gets that done real quick :-) ). The short time I had her on the leash, she is not great but not terrible. She is a bit all over the place, but seems to respond reasonably timely if you pull on her and she doesn't try to pull too much or resist you. She initially seemed to cower and be uncomfortable with reaching over her head or coming in closer to her face, but in just the last couple of hours, she is more trusting and is starting to get over that more. I'll take them for a walk later when there are other dogs out in the neighborhood and see how she is.
Over all, just in the past couple of hours, I have seen signs of dominance (alpha), but not aggression, but also very compliant to human control/command. Very playful and loving with a little bit of trust issues, but relatively easy to work through those. She seems to be pretty well-adjusted and a good dog who will be easy to work with. Just my initial impressions. . . .More to come in a day or two.
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