Farrah's short video

Click on above to start video

Farrah warming up

Farrah has been with us a few days now, and is adjusting well. We have noticed a few subtle things that an older (sorry…. more mature) dog does that a younger one may not. I would not consider Farrah old by any means, just not a puppy anymore, you know… more seasoned.

Farrah comes right to us and waits calmly when we get the leash for a walk. This is very refreshing if you have ever tried to leash a very “spirited” dog. She also has picked up on the household routines quickly. She knows when we get up in the morning we go straight to the back door to go out. When she comes in she waits by her dish for her breakfast. When it is time for bed, she puts herself into her crate. I think she enjoys the structure and it gives her confidence.

Farah seems to enjoy her crate(s). She goes into both the bigger crate in the living room when we are gone, and a smaller one in the bedroom at night, easily and willingly.

Farrah loves her walks. She does well on the leash and walks calmly alongside our dog Charlie. She will nearly always do her #2 business on her walk. She spends a lot of the walk time with her nose to the ground. She is colored like a Beagle and shaped like a Doxi so go figure...... she loves to sniff.

Housetraining is going very well. We have had just two potty accidents in the first few days. Her crate is always clean and dry, and as mentioned above, she has done all her business while on her walks. She will go out in the backyard with Charlie for potty time, and has gone once or twice on her own, but is much more reliable on the walk.

Farrah is warming up, but is taking her time. She is still quite reserved and will startle with quick movements. She is showing moments of “letting her hair down” from time to time. She will now join us in the living room in the evening and lay on the floor near Charlie. She has also decided that lying on the bed next to me at night is pleasant, even if she has to share that with Charlie as well. What she will not share with Charlie is her crate space. He has been scolded by her strongly and often that her crate is her crate, and that he has no business in it. Nothing serious, and to her defense Charlie is a bit of a thief. He will take any toy or treat that is around with little regard for who it belongs to. She has not shown any resource guarding with us humans, and has not defended anything else around the house. Like I said ….. she really likes her crate.

Currently Farrah shows little interest in toys or playing. I think this will come with time. She is very alert. She will let out a little bark (not excessive, or load) if she sees something passing by the window, or if someone comes to the door. So if you are looking for a dog that will let you know when things are not quite right….she may be your girl. This too, may be temporary. Only time will tell. When my brother stopped by last night she ran to the kitchen and stayed there until he was gone. She is not that eager face liking pup  that loves everyone the moment they see them, however I think with time and confidence she will not be hiding in the kitchen for long either.

I promise more updates and some pictures soon. I think we will see even more changes in Farrah in the days ahead. Farrah just needs a little more time to come out of her shell and we will all see what a great girls she is.



 

Welcome Farrah

Farrah has been in our home for only a few hours so I won't go into depth about her personality until we know her better. First impression is that she is curious and smart. Not afraid but does startle with sudden movements or a load noise.

Here's a few snap shots.

 

 

Click below for video

 

She measures 12 inches to the shoulder and is about 16 inches from collar to the base of her tail. Her fur is course and seems to shed some but we will give her a good brushing and see what happens.

Congrats Cocoa!

Cocoa goes home with a great family and will have two furry siblings to play with.

Good job Cocoa. You're going to have a great life.

We will miss you.

Cocoa the adventure dog?

Are you looking for a dog that will go anywhere and do anything? Then Cocoa might be your girl.

 

 Over the past week or so, we have been very busy and have run all kinds of errands. Cocoa has happily embraced every “adventure”

We have owed a few,  and met dozens of dogs and I would have to say that Cocoa is the most outgoing puppy of them all. She just loves being our sidekick and joining in on whatever we are doing.

 Last night we had to stop at my 80 year old in-laws house to pick up a few things. Cocoa jumped out of the car, skipped up the walkway and waited eagerly at the front door excited to see what was waiting for her on the other side (We owned a lab mix that would have been scared to death of a new house and a strange front door… go figure). Once inside she quickly investigated the front entry way and then stood nicely beside me. When Grandma came to greet her, she simply sat down and looked up at her with her cute little pixie face. She looked up and listened carefully to Grandma as she talked baby talk to her and told her how cute she was. It was almost as if she understood every word. Or could it be the she knew Grandma had a treat? Cocoa seemed to know to be “low key” and quiet. It was like she knew the folks she met were of a certain age. She is such a smart girl

I could see Cocoa being a great travel partner. Maybe one of those dogs you see riding on the dash of a big motorhome, or flying in an airplane with her owner.

 

Travel cross-country in the car  -  Yep, I would do that

Go camping – Absolutely

Climb a mountain – I’m up for it

Go for hike – Sure

Shopping trip – Do you have a purse big enough for me ?

Lounge on the sofa and read a book – I’m a great snuggler

You name it – Cocoa’s ready for it

 

 

 

Cocoa's weigh in

15 lbs !!

Way to go Cocoa
We knew you could do it.

Good food and plenty of excerise

has Cocoa looking good.

(Next...a haircut?)

Cocoa's car ride pics

Cocoa has new experiences

Cocoa had a few new experiences this week. (sorry no pics, it's been a busy few days)

Last night we loaded up the car and went to run errands. We had Cocoa sit in the back seat with her foster brother, Charlie and off we went. She did GREAT ! She wasn’t scared at all, but she wasn’t jumping around and trying to get to the front seat with us either. She sat still and quietly looked out the window while we went from place to place for over an hour. I was so impressed. Maybe it helps that Charlie tends to lie down and snooze when he rides, and she picked up on that. I don’t know. All I know is she is the best car rider we have fostered so far.

 We had two visitors this week. My daughter and our brand new (and first) grandson came over on Wednesday night. The baby is just 10 days old. Although Cocoa’s greeting was just a little overly enthusiastic at first, she settled down nicely when everyone got seated. She did try to “help” get the baby out of his seat, and tried to “help” get his coat off, etc. She was not aggressive in any way. She was just very interested. Maybe a little bit of a nuisance when you are trying to handle a baby, but we will work on “polite greetings” going forward. Once everyone was seated and the house settled, Cocoa just laid by my feet showing little interest in the baby, even when he cried.

 Last night my son came in around 10:00 pm. Cocoa did get a little startled and barked. (One of the very few times she has barked.) But who could blame her. A 6 ft. 3 in. strange man carrying luggage coming in the house after dark might be a little intimidating to anyone, especially if you are just 12in tall. Once he put down his things and took off his coat, Cocoa jumped at the chance to get attention from someone new. My son is great with dogs and immediately got down on the floor for play time and they became instant friends.

 All and all Cocoa did great with both visits, but she does have a very excited greeting. We will do our best to work on a “four on the floor” approach in the future, but be assured she is very gentle, and not aggressive or scared in any way. I think she is just so happy to have people around her that love her.  

Cocoa one week in

I can’t believe it’s been a week since we brought Cocoa home. She’s a great dog to have around. Easy and fun.

Because it’s been a week I decided on Saturday to try to give her nails a little trim. They were trimmed some when she arrived in WI, but when they are really long you can only take a little off at a time. I was prepared for a fight, but she was great. She just sat in my lap, and licked my hand. What a good girl.

Her skin has cleared up nicely, and we are waiting for the fur to grow back. It also appears that she has lost some weight. I haven’t put her on the scale yet though. I will have to do that soon.  If you follow the blog, you have seen that she is moving around much better, and has accomplished the big jump onto the bed J. She is eating only high quality kibble, and has had no complaints about it, and there is no food aggression.

Housetraining is going really well. We had just a few accidents the first couple of days. We have be accident free for 3-4 days now and yesterday she went to the back door and asked to go out. What a smart girl.

Dogs are a little like kids. Once you notice something that begins to worry you, they move past it and on to something else.  Cocoa had definitely found a BFF, and it was me. She is always excited to greet my Husband when he gets home, and she loves it when he gets on the floor to play but she had decided to “glue” herself to me. She would follow me everywhere. When I worked in the kitchen she would be on the rug by the sink. When I watch TV in the living room, she would be curled up by my feet. If I get up to move to another room, she would jump up and follow. When I changed a load of laundry she would be between me and the washing machine. I even found her on the bath mat when I got out of the shower. I began to worry that she would become one of those Velcro dogs that would develop separation anxiety.

The last few days Cocoa has shown signs of more independence. I moved from room to room yesterday, and although she lifted her head to see where I was going, twice she chose to stay right where she was. Also, yesterday she suddenly started playing with some toys our Charlie left laying around. I was shocked. Up until then she had no interest in toys at all. I picked one of the toys up and threw it down the hallway….. and…. she chased it…. YAY for her. It took just a couple of practice throws and she totally caught on to “fetch”….. AMAZING.. I think she will never be one of those laid back dogs that watches the world go by, but I have no worries about her being a Velcro dog either. I think she will land nicely somewhere in between.