Sadie has had a busy busy week yet again. Over this past week, she has essentially perfected collar training outside and we can now trust her off leash with the rest of the pups. She even got old man Blaze to play with her (she hasn't had Tucker to rough house with her lately so she was itching to play).
What's more, is Sadie made THREE, and yes I'm serious, THREE new friends this weekend. There was an intake from North Carolina on Friday and my boyfriend and I thought what better than an opportunity to bring in some new pups for Sadie to meet. First she met two puppies which she has learned to be gentle with! Then, the test, an excited labradoodle, Baloo. Sadie Bug did EXCELLENT. Within 5 minutes, Sadie was comfortable romping the house with our guests. We are so proud of our blooming bug and all the progress she is making.
Sadie Bug has been such a good girl recently! She is getting better and better meeting new friends! This past weekend, a friend had brought over their German Shepard to spend the night. At first, we were a bit concerned because the German Shepard doesn't love all new people. We thought him being anxious around Sadie's foster family would cause Sadie to be more anxious around the German Shepard. Before he came over, we had decided it'd be best to keep the two separate. Turns out the German Shepard LOVED my boyfriend so he decided what's the harm in having Sadie meet a new pup. It took her a mere TWO MINUTES to meet the Shepard three times her size! In no time at all, the two were playing like long lost friends :)
Post play date, Sadie Bug was pooped and couldn't wait to snuggle up tight.
Boyfriend to Sadie: "Do you want to go for a walk?"
Sadie: "Uhh.. Well, we went to the vet, Home Depot, farm and fleet, and menards today. Then we met a new dog, played nap/ hide and seek (in the car trunk... x2), had some ribeye for a treat, and ran in the grass for four hours. Nope. I'm done for the day.
We had always thought Sadie Bug would be best in a home with a fence so she can run around without running away. Well... the most amazing news is we don't think that's true anymore! Over the last week, my boyfriend has been working with Sadie with an electric collar. I know, I know, not everyone agrees with them, but when used properly, they can be great training tools! Sadie spent a short night learning how the collar works: she gets a funny buzz feeling when she gets too far or goes the wrong way, and when she returns, the buzz stops. She learned in ONE NIGHT how to stay in the yard. Even with people and other dogs walking past the house, Sadie Bug has stayed in the front yard! She had such a busy day today exploring the yard on her own for hours as dad worked in the yard :)
Miss Sadie Bug is perfectly crate trained. She goes in her crate nicely. When you come home from work, though she is excited, she doesn't make a peep. What a good girl!
Tonight, we found out about a great exposure opportunity to help find Sadie a home. This inspired us to have a photoshoot with Sadie Bug to get some great head-shots. Sadie went on an adventure, and after running around to get her jitters out, this is what one of our awesome AdoptMe volunteers was able to capture. Vote for your favorite (1-10)!
It's been a while since I've had time to sit down and write a post about Sadie Bug.
Since my last post, I have relocated to Milwaukee and Sadie has come back and forth with me from Milwaukee to Madison. She adjusts so well/fast to both homes. She thoroughly LOVES rides in the car:
We have continued to work with Sadie and she has made tremendous progress. Through our daily walks, she is getting more and more exposure to new dogs and working on our training techniques to handle those situations better.
Recently, Sadie has even made some new pup (and puppy!!) friends :)
This past weekend, Sadie met a potential adopter. It was after this meeting, I learned a few important things to ensure Sadie is successfully placed in a home.
As long as Sadie is inside the house, she is the PERFECT dog. Sadie really enjoys meeting new people, and has yet to meet a person she doesn't like. She is always greeting visitors with big tail wags, butt wiggles, and plenty of kisses. She is completely house trained, loves to snuggle, listens well, and plays great with our resident pups.
I mean seriously, this pup will let you do just about ANYTHING to her without any sign of aggression or annoyance:
Even when Sadie is outside, she loves to zip around the fenced in yard and give lots of big smiles. Unfortunately, when she sees other pups outside, she gets stressed and her anxiety can quickly escalate to some dog aggressive behaviors. With training, we have seen great improvement in her, but there is still a ways to go for her to be completely comfortable in her own puppy skin.
This weekend I was reminded that despite how well adjusted she seems to be in a new environments, precautions should be made so she isn't set up for failure. Most importantly, potential adopters must understand the needs of pup like her. Sadie takes a little more time than most to get adjusted to new dogs (especially dominant ones). For this reason, when she is getting acquainted to a new home, being outside at the same time as the other pups should be avoided.
Over the last couple weeks, I have been studying for an exam. Sadie has tried endlessly to help me study. Okay, I lied. Mostly, Sadie has been perfecting her snuggling tactics. But hey, puppy therapy is a good way to reduce anxiety while studying long hours...
(Keep reading to see what kind of studying Sadie has been doing)
She has done some studying of her own though; she has learned "roll over"
Today I wanted to see how obnoxious I could be to Sadie before she got annoyed with me. Turns out she wasn't the biggest fan of me poking and pulling on her, but you could hardly tell. The look on her face resembled "why are you doing this to me" but there was not a single ounce of aggression. What a sweetheart!
If you are looking for a snuggle bug, Sadie Bug might be for you!
Don't get me wrong, Sadie is still a very independent pup and is more than content taking a snooze by herself on her dog bed or in her crate:
But, I have found out this dog sure loves to snuggle, if you let her :) The following is a compilation of snuggling pictures I have gathered over the past several weeks.
Sadie has been with us about a month and a half now. She is the PERFECT indoor pup. She quickly adapted to our daily routine. She knows we wake up, we go potty (she gives an excited howl), we get breakfast (she give lots of butt wiggles of joy), we wrestle/play for an hour, foster mom/dad go to work, foster mom/dad come home from work, we go potty, we play, we get dinner (more excited howls), we play/snuggle, we go to bed. Once she figured out our routine and she became comfortable in our house, we learned she is perfectly house and crate trained and rarely barks...even when she sees something outside:
Why, you might be asking, has she not found her furever home yet?! I mean really, look at this:
Sadie is the perfect playmate and best pal...once she gets to know a dog. Unfortunately, because Sadie is a rescue from North Carolina, we don't know much of her history. We have found that she is a bit unsure of new dogs. Once she gets warmed up with a proper introduction she becomes a great friend. With our lab Tucker, she shares food, water, and toys beautifully. We just need help with those introductions. That's where "school" comes in! Tonight was our first of 6 classes to make her confident in her own doggy skin. Tonight was humans only so we can know what to expect in the coming weeks. After meeting the teachers and other dog owners, I can't wait for next week to start Sadie on the path to being the best pup ever.
Back in November, my boyfriend and I decided we wanted to start fostering dogs. Since then, we have found homes for many pups!
I've decided to start a blog about the foster pups we have. It gives a platform to share more information about the dog including pictures and videos from our day to day life. If you choose to subscribe, you can continue to get updates on Sadie. Also, please share the blog to help find Sadie (and future foster pups) a home!
Meet Sadie:
Sadie is a lovable, 2 year old #ittybittypitty with a heart of gold who has patiently been waiting for her furever home. Some of her favorite activities include chewing on bones, playing ball, and chasing her four-pawed foster brother around.
Sometimes the two pups run around so much they get tired, but still want to play, so they do what I like to call "lazy wrestling".
After a little play time, Sadie is more than happy settling down and snuggling up.
