JMFS

Medical issues aside: It can fluctuate with their growth and / or energy exerted throughout the day. When he's going through a spurt he'll eat better and then I've noticed there's sometimes a lull. You can try warm water to soften it / give it a different texture and bring out the aroma to help incite his appetite. Broth works, too. As far as training it could have devalued since he gets it as his meals, too. I think of it like this - if I had the same meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I wouldn't want it as a snack or dessert. For new things he'll probably be wanting something more fantastic than his usual kibble. Another thing to consider could be the amount he's being fed. Is it more than he needs? If he's gorged himself and is still content from the previous meal he's less likely to eat again. I tend to feed mine a little less than I think they need. It's much easier to supplement than to take away. How is he fed? From a bowl? If not then it may be more fun to have his kibble dispensed from a Kong or even hidden around a room, or his play pen, so he has to work to find it. After our yard was freshly mown I would toss Momo's food in a 4' x 4' square (1.5'ish meters) so he'd have to "hunt" his meal. He Loved it. He got to use his nose and brain. If Loki isn't developed enough, yet, to find it you can place it in small piles around where he normally eats so he has to move from pile to pile, making meal time a bit more interesting and interactive. For storage we have plastic containers with self-sealing lids that I dump the bags into. If you have a FoodSaver or some such contraption you can portion it into bags and seal those so they last longer. Kibble can also be frozen to prolong its shelf life. Proper Dog Food Storage And I just learned from that page that I should be putting the whole bag in the container instead of dumping it.

Cello and Piano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEnkPV6w91M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpAyaAyWl-M Acoustic guitar for pups. Mine tend to like cello, guitar, and piano music. I've tried the woo woo meditation stuff but they ignore it (I Love the woo woo music myself, lulls me right into slumber). It's not instantaneous for us like some folks have reported, but after some time it does calm Esther. Gertie and Abbi don't really need it, but they seem to enjoy it as well. I played with Esther with a brain toy first, then gave her a long'ish lasting treat and she went to her crate (she seems to like it there). Once she was happily chomping down I started the music and though she's stirred several times she's been quiet. Whew!

I'm not an expert, but I am experienced in resource guarding with my own dogs. My solution with Momo, who was highly aggressive with high value items, was to give him lower value items that don't last as long as a bone. He eventually cracked a tooth chewing on bones so I stopped those entirely. The cleanest solution for us, though, was to keep long lasting treats at a medium value so I could trade him for something higher value. When you Do have to take something high value from them you want to trade them for something Better. His food in this case may not be as highly regarded as the bone, which could explain why you had to tie him up to safely remove it. Throwing a piece (or two, three, five) of steak in the other direction to get more distance could afford you more time, and keep him distracted so he doesn't see you remove the item. It's tough to compete with a juicy bone so you'd have to get creative! Momo's worst aggression outburst was over cat poop so I can attest to the fact that their palates differ Greatly from ours! My gentle loving girl, Gertie, has even snapped at the new pup. I can take Anything from her, but I don't. I Always trade up. It builds trust and is safer than outright snatching their treat. Even if it's cat poop. <gag> I'll leave the rest to Adrienne because resource guarding is tricky. If you want to read more about Momo's situation, it's here: He was a Very challenging dog when it came to resources and I lived with it for his first 8 years. The Best thing I ever did was to hire a Behaviorist who helped Mo and I communicate better. I had to remain vigilant and keep up the training every day of the rest of his life, but it was Infinitely better after we completed the training sessions with our trainer.

I am so happy you mentioned Jenny Higgins! She's the one in Gainesville so now I Know she's good people if she has your stamp of approval! <3 Niki is closer and Leslie isn't all that much further. Jenny is the furthest and it's still a reasonable drive, about 45 minutes. I put Esther in her crate when we got home to feed her and she fell asleep for a good couple of hours so that was good. She's been rather calm today and was even a good pup when I went downstairs to clean my smart notebook (I absolutely Love those things - like paper but reusable). I accidentally sent a cup of coffee flying before her appointment and it went Everywhere so the day was off to a spectacular start. When she woke up I played with her, holding her and treating her, being sure to go slow. She showed zero signs of being uncomfortable so at least she's still cool with me. That may have something to do with the almost full bag of Power Bites she got at Petsmart. I put on some acoustic guitar music and she's been in and out of naps, which this girl does Not do so I'm sure she's still recovering and I'll go easy on her the rest of the evening to ensure we keep things healthy. I really do have half a mind to seek out another Vet. Banfield has that wonderful Optimum Wellness Plan, though. It's so affordable, but at what cost to her mental and emotional state is the question. If Banfield can lift that restriction things would go smoother because I could be there to bolster her confidence or restrain her. I was wondering if doing little pressure / pinches during this training might be a good idea. I like the slow approach starting with a pencil and working up to little pinches better than diving right in with the pinch. Poor Petra! She was lucky to have you as her companion. From the stories you've shared it sounds like she needed some extra care in between being the brilliant girl she was. I can only imagine Einstein's turn coming up after Petra's display, haha. "You want me to . . . what now?!" I still think we got the cream of the crop that day at the shelter. She just has some baggage, but like you said, she's young and that's going to be a saving grace. She has her whole life ahead, 6 months is a blip! Thank you, as always! It would be really nifty if Florida pans out for you. :)

Oh, while they decided not to continue today in an effort to avoid trauma, I did get sent home with Trazadone for the next attempt. I will work with her for about a week and then we'll try again. They didn't Completely turn me away. :) I just wish they'd let me in the room with her. This Covid stuff needs to knock it off already.

Turns out Miss Esther May has some trust issues with anyone not us. So, I get to pick your brain again. Are you sure you don't want to move to Florida? 😉 Banfield is still not allowing pet parents into the exam rooms. Esther went willingly with them, but I got a call 5 minutes into it that she was all done. Wow, that was fast for everything! The little stinkpot tried to bite both the Vet (the sweetest man) and the Tech (a gentle younger gal) when they restrained her for the vaccinations and DNA test. We decided to try again with me muzzling her. 5 minutes later I get a call. /sigh She has the muzzle hanging from her neck and is happy as can be. I'm thinking, "what on Earth is happening back there?!" I know these two people well and I know they're the kindest ones at this location so it's got to be little missy. Apparently this time she wigged out, gator rolled, and managed to get the muzzle off. Yet she still takes treats from them. So, restraining her is the issue. How do you give a dog shots, etc . . . without restraining? I really really dislike muzzles and am leaving that to a last resort. I'm struggling with How to get her to allow people to restrain her. I can do darn near anything to her and she just flops over and enjoys it. That was actually one of the tests I did with her at the Humane Society - I picked her up to see if she would tolerate it and she melted into me. Same with the husband, though she's just the Slightest bit hesitant with him. That's a baby step we can take towards trust at least. When she stops hesitating with him we can go to the next step, but what can that be? Restraining in a confined area maybe? Or with us crowding her? I had them show me how they're restraining so I can emulate it and get her comfortable with being held in that manner. She is so reactive to dogs as well that even a dog on the screen gets her going. I think I have my first step towards deescalation / conditioning her to other dogs with that tool. She's Very keen on television where none of our other dogs could give a care about it. I am fairly certain it's barrier frustration so I'll take her to the dog park to work on that by walking her outside the fence and "looking at that." Then maybe we'll try Lowe's or Petsmart again. There weren't any dogs in the store today and I needed to get back home to work and get Abbi out of her crate. I'm starting to wonder if she was handled roughly, or even perhaps abused at some point. The folks who returned her had a Down Syndrome 5-yr old and they said Esther was "too much for the kids." I'm a little suspicious there, thinking maybe the kiddo was too rough with her and she responded in kind like she does with Gertie and Abbi; or maybe the parents were overly reactive / protective if Esther did something wrong around the child. Doc said it's common in shelter puppies, but neither Momo nor Gertie were like this and they're both shelter pups. Mo was nervous as heck in later years, but he still let them do the things they needed to. Except the temp check. He didn't allow that and I can't say that I blame him! I walked her around the store playing "look at that" with the people to start working on her skittishness. There was an older gentleman with his wife and Esther was perfectly fine with him, a little less sure with her. I think it had to do with his confidence. His wife was confident enough, but not as much as her husband. I did let them know she's been reactive today and to go slow, but he didn't need to. Esther took right to him. She jumped when my bag touched her rump while she was sniffing so I worked on tapping her body while she was sniffing and giving her a treat after she realized it was just me. Eventually she stopped reacting to the touch. This girl is going to take a Lot of work if she's this ornery at 6 months. I anticipate a few breakdowns on my behalf and am so very glad I have you here! I found a Behaviorist 45 minutes away, but her schedule is at night and I can't drive at night so back to the drawing board! There Has to be someone in Marion County, I just need to find them.

Yes! I am pretty good with the training and didn't go through all this with Momo, who was 16 weeks when I got him. Gertrude was 9 months and in fairly good control of her toileting needs. A few accidents here and there, but never poop. Momo pooped once and we spent most of our time outdoors so he learned quickly where to go. Here comes Esther . . .. I feel like a newbie! Not only had she managed to somehow sneak into the dining room, but she then dragged her rear on the floor. And who knows how long the Other poop had been there (I'm telling you, she's Always being watched - she had to have teleported) only to be dragged by the robo vac. Thankfully it didn't get far, but still . . . gah! All this encouragement I've given to new members over the years I've been here I feel I'm needing now. This Same Freaking Thing you shared happened to me the other day. I'd finally met my limit for patience and I said, "I'm done." My husband said, "if you're done then we're taking her back." Okay, husband, let's translate woman speak to man speak, lol. "I'm done," meant, "I need help, I need a break." So I left him with her and did as you - I fled! I hadn't had a proper shower in two days - just a quick hosing off - so that's what I did. After a nice long shower I felt better. I came upstairs only to get a disparaging look from the husband and, "she Just settled down," because my entry woke the beast. It makes me kind of bitter towards the people in videos who have these seemingly perfect dogs and this wonderfully symbiotic relationship where they Totally understand one another. Then I watch some Victoria Stillwell and feel far better about everything, haha. It's nice to read Adrienne's admission that she's human like the rest of us and has had her moments, too. ❤ Somehow it's encouraging knowing that even those with the skill and knowledge experience struggles. I feel less insufficient with Esther after finding this treasure.

It all makes sense, as usual. :) If there's one thing I've learned here it's to proceed with caution and at the dogs' pace. I can do the preliminary CER work without objects being involved - that should be a piece of cake and merely reinforcing what's already happening. They do play very well together in the yard and even with the jaw fighting inside. They share beds with no problems. Though they have 3 in different areas of the bedroom and two in the office, they usually end up together. From what I've seen so far it's only been with the newer toys. That's good news, though, because it means when we're ready to do CER with actual items we have plenty to choose from for the first stage. Lots and lots of play bowing, high-pitched vocalizations, bouncy play, bunny hops, etc . . .. Gertie often invites Esther to play, which I think is a mark in the pros box. There hasn't been a single time when they're playing that either of them has gotten upset. They need to learn to be a little gentler with one another and I play referee to guide them in that regard. Both listen well and ease up, thank goodness. A large part of my stress has been how busy we are with work. I haven't been able to dedicate the time I want to Esther's obedience and basic training. A contributing factor to that is Abbi being so needy. If she's left in the room without a human around she barks, howls, and carries on. I'm looking for ways to carve out time to do the training because it's driving me batty that she's not better mannered already - still having accidents in the house which is something I've always been able to get tackled in the first week or two and we're coming up on week 2 tomorrow. Esther also has no off button. She's wired for sound from 1 pm after her nap to 11 pm when we're ready to go to bed (no more 3 am bed times for me!). Once I can get her basics down we'll be in a better place. She already listens better than the other dogs with leave it and recall so I'm counting that as a major plus. Going from your Einstein story, both Esther and Gertrude were staring at the ceiling the other night. I kept thinking, "knock it off, Mo!" Not sure what he'd be doing on the ceiling, but it's where my mind went, lol.

I sent an email to the gal who helped me find a Behaviorist once before. This is just silly. Gertie and Esther were doing okay today with a ball but I'm guessing I missed signals and when their bodies touched Gertie snapped at Esther. Instead of backing down this time Esther snapped back and it escalated. The biggest issue is that Esther reacts more intensely than I think she should when she gets corrected / shut down / snipped at. Instead of leaving she attacks and goes for the neck. Fortunately it's the top of the neck where Gertie has more hair and muscle than tender parts, but with those sharp puppy teeth I worry about injury. Everyone checked out - it must have been more noise than anything. Things we have going for us are that she's still small, young, and submits when I pull her off - though I am not a fan of having to do that because *I* don't have hair and muscle as protection. I'm quite a bit softer than Gertie! My concern is Esther's going to Probably be around 50 - 55 lbs when she's done growing and more powerful than she is now. 97% of the time they're best buds and still play together very well when resources aren't involved. For now my plan is management. No more new toys when they're together. Esther plays with the old toys while lying on top of Gertie and Gertie sleeps through it so I can only guess it's new things that will be an issue. I'll take a second here to say if Gertie hadn't chewed a hole in most of the old toys trying to get that nib off the squeakers I wouldn't have had to buy new toys. 😆 Then I'll say if someone had been watching Gertie more closely there wouldn't be holes in those toys. 😉 When I find someone to help me I think it will go something like: Give Gertie a low value toy, have her on a leash and one of us in control of that Esther on a leash and the other of us in control of that Walk Esther past Gertie at a distance acceptable to Gertie Give Gertie a high value treat Praise Esther for leaving Gertie alone Rinse and repeat until we can get closer Go at Gertrude's speed My husband isn't comfortable enough with training to assist and with behavior I'd feel more comfortable having someone More experienced than me. Mo gave me plenty of experience, but it's still good to have a fresh set of eyes. Eyes that are versed in doggy body language at that. Whew! I understand why folks prefer to go to a breeder for that known history, but I have it in me to get this sorted and give this girl a life she deserves. <3 Who knows what happened in the house she was first adopted to. They had a special needs child and said Esther was too much for him. I've seen some signs that make me think she may not have had the best treatment while there and some of the answers they put on the intake sheet don't jibe with what I'm seeing (e.g., it said she chewed up furniture and other things - she hasn't damaged a single plush or bothered our furniture. Pee pads are a different story, lol, and they must be ripped asunder).

It's a shame. Gertie used to be sharing like Esther is. It Is a fairly new toy. I ended up trading Gertie a few treats for it because she chews the nibs off of squeakers rendering them silent. I do have a longer tug rope around here somewhere. This is why I asked a while back whether dogs learn behaviors from one another. I think Gertie learned, after interactions with especially Abbi, that resources are to be guarded. Mo used his words, as we know. ❤ Abbi went on the attack immediately. The only warning was a stiffening and stillness of her body and then Cujo-mode was in effect. I managed Momo consistently, never allowing him to have something precious without protection for everyone in place. The interactions between he and Gertie were seldom and always with a gate between them. I can't think of a single time they were in an argument outside of Momo being crated with his treat. Abbi, on the other hand, tried (pathetically) to bite Gertie's throat. Those 8 lb jaws don't do much, but the noise was adrenaline-inducing and when Gertie backed off Abbi pressed on instead of being satisfied that Gertie left. As long as Esther continues to do a good job of reading body language I'll be happy. It's significantly better than it was with Momo and infinitely better than Abbi. :) I can at least have these girls next to one another for training and no arguments break out. I couldn't treat Mo and Gertie at the same time because he'd get snippy even with them on opposite sides of the room. Esther really looks toward Gertie for cues and I'm hoping to limit the amount of guarding she picks up. Even now they're sleeping on their beds with their backs to one another, but Esther's head is outstretched to Almost touch Gertie's neck. Last night Gertie's rump was a pillow for Esther. Velcro pup! She's such a sweet dog (minus her one transgression with Abbi; which Abbi started and Esther finished) and I hope Gertie continues her patient trend Gerts isn't quite yet 4 so she's still pretty young herself. Perhaps one day I can get another Behaviorist to help me with the small bumps if Esther doesn't catch on. I'll help her figure it out, but I only move so quick! Therefore, management will be my mantra. :) It would have been fun for them to play a nice game of keep away / tug, but I'll resist the urge to encourage it until I'm sure they Both accept / want it.

I know someone who has the supersized version of Loki! I literally laughed out loud when I saw his picture and instantly thought, "The Poof!" That's what my friend calls her Newfoundland mix pooch. He's enormous and fluffy and Loki looks a lot like what I'd imagine he did as a puppy. I joined for the same reason - money back guarantee, what's to lose? I've been here around 3 years now and learn something new every time I look at the forum.

So something I've noticed is that Esther doesn't seem to mind when Gertie sticks her nose close to things Esther is "in control" of. A good example is a game of Keep Away they played today. Gertie was trying to get a toy away from Esther and Esther thought it was Fun. Then it slipped out of Esther's mouth for a second and Gerts snatched it up, proceeded to her bed, then hovered over it and the game was over. https://youtu.be/GQTInHAc0sk To me it looks like Esther was trying to entice a game of tug maybe, but then Gertie rained on the whole parade. I traded Gertrude some treats for the toy because she wouldn't let Esther near it. Now, if that had been Gertrude with the toy and Esther chasing, Gertie would have snapped. She did it with a big branch this morning. The thing was longer than my arm span and Esther had the good manners to take the far end, but Gertie was not okay with that. I'm not looking to force Gertie to share (though that would be Grand I'm not holding my breath), but am curious if you have any insight as to why she's all take and no give, especially when Esther is giving (to me) signals that she's inviting shared play. That defeated look on Esther's face at the end, lol. Today has been such an adventure. From Vet to first grooming to the first Post Office trip to lots of hard play in the yard. These two should be tuckered out for couch time tonight (fingers crossed).

Stairs, ramps, step ups, hitch steps . . . no-brainers to us, utterly foreign weirdness to dogs and Not to be trusted. 😆 Gertrude jumped right past the stairs - we'll work on that. I want her to start using them to save her joints. When I had a car it wasn't so bad, but now the SUV is pretty high. If anyone has an SUV that has a narrow door opening, I can tell you 14" will fit and 16" might - it looks like there's room - and these are what I got: https://www.chewy.com/pet-gear-pet-step-cat-dog-stairs/dp/227332 and they're good up to 100 lbs. They were super easy to put together, though I feel I want to find a way to stabilize them just a wee bit. They fit in the back and are super light. Didn't even need the instructions to put them together, it was intuitive. They are covered with a gripping material as well. Much better than me hoisting a 35 lb pup who doesn't help me - so floppy! :p She was Not having it until I put treats on the stairs. I started with one on the very top stair, but she wasn't going for it so I did the same "draw a line" trick we do for "sit" and "down." She slid just forward enough to touch the stair with her paw, which then gave her confidence there was something there. After that it was bloop, bloop, bloop, and done. One round of treats is all it took - I was expecting to spend a good 10 minutes on this but she's all set now. Those ears, haha! This will save not only their joints, but my back. :)

Someone who writes as much as me! <cartwheels> You are a champ for enduring through all those, pardon the pun, growing pains. I'd say you're in a small percentile of people who have the patience, means, ability, and wherewithal to endure a challenging situation like this. <gigantic (air) hugs> for that! I do a DNA test on all my dogs because it's fun to try to pick out the traits that match the results. I think in Gertrude's case they were pretty darn accurate (50% Golden Retriever - she has the demeanor for sure, if not the coloring; 25% Boxer - she definitely used to box us and I warned all men to guard their tid bits, lol; 25% AmStaff - kept her on the small side and those ears are 100% Staffy ears). Momo came out 50% German Spitz, though I think he looked much more Finnish; 25% Siberian Husky - maybe his mantle, prey drive, intelligence, and energy but certainly not his size (34 lbs); 25% Spaniel mix - I was asked once if he had Brittany Spaniel in him. His ears must have been the "mix" part because they didn't match Any of those breeds. On the 26th, I think it was, I'll get Esther tested. I'll be shocked if it doesn't show Labrador Retriever and AmStaff. I did the swab for Mo, and blood for the girls. If we did it on Abbi I think we'd get 80% Dachshund, 15% Seal (perhaps Sea Lion), and 5% Armadillo, lol. I look forward to hearing more about Fraser as she starts her life free of HOD! Momo would have Loved running with her. For as small as he was, no other dog we met could keep up with him and most would stop playing with him because he was too fast. Even at nearly 11 years old he ran circles around Gertrude, who's only 4. He perhaps could have met his match in Fraser - what fun that would have been!

You don't have to ask me twice to share this beauty. 💕

Popping in to say you have Gertrude's twin! If not for his size we'd have a tough time telling them apart if they were playing together.

I appreciate having your input because I'm going on instinct, what I've learned, logic, and winging it. :) I've been putting Esther in her crate with her Kong for about an hour each afternoon to give Gertie, and myself, a rest as well as to get her used to the idea that the crate is a place of relaxation and yummy tidings. An hour is an arbitrary time I came up with based loosely on how long it takes to finish the Kong. I do adjust the water based on how much they play and how hot it is. Today it was 65º so it was an easy water day. Yesterday it was 89º so she got quite a bit more. I also factor in how much *I'm* drinking because humidity, or lack of, can affect thirst and need. I'm thinking by the end of this weekend she'll have a good idea of where to go and we can be more willy nilly with water. The last two days the accidents have been by the door on the puppy pads so I think she's catching on. It's also only been pee so it's nice she has good bowel control - I feel like I won the lottery in that regard! I have an appointment for her free vet visual Monday - no one had an appointment available within the 5-day time frame the shelter wanted. I've been journaling the water / potty / sleep information so I'll be a font of information for him. :) They do tend to swap quite a bit except for chase - Gertie is simply too fast to be chased. She's used to Momo speed not chubby, clumsy puppy legs. They did a beautiful game of chase tonight and it was so much fun to watch. From my human perspective, I need a Lot of recharging time after human interaction. I'd rather hang out with the dogs! For that reason I like the play contest test idea. I may be projecting my own introversion onto their play, and I'm protective of Gertie, so I shall give this test a try. Gertie has Gobs of patience and so can be difficult to read. This test may be a powerful tool in my arsenal in ensuring peace!

Keep your eye open around that sale day after Thanksgiving. We picked up the Furbo for about half price and the pet model Roomba. Both are So nice to have with dogs in the house. The Roomba is set to run every Mon / Wed / Fri. Can't wait to have a single story so it can hit all the rooms. The low tech Swiffer sweeper does the job upstairs most days, but once per month the Roomba takes a spin. Amazing how much I miss with sweeping!

Keeping what you said in mind I got this one on camera. I stopped the video to redirect Esther because Gertie seemed to have had enough. I like how Gerts checks Esther's paws as though to ensure they're clean. I know I'm projecting, lol, but that's what went through my head at the time. Poor Abbi is behind that wall of "junk." Her gate should be arriving Thursday, though that storage container makes a good out of the way spot for the water. Until Esther can control her bladder better (a few more accidents have happened when I was less vigilant) she gets metered amounts. Going by .5 - 1 oz per lb that's 16 - 32 oz per day and she gets 4 oz each outing with an outing every hour or less which I think should be penty of water (it's hot out so I figure she'll need closer to the 32 than not).

I set up the Furbo to do the "disembodied voice" training when she's in the part of the room I can't see. I don't use the microphone because she can hear me fine (my desk has a hutch I can't see around, but that means she can't see me, either, so it's like I'm all-seeing).

They did meet at the Humane Society in their meet and greet area. Abbi did as well, but it was only sniffing. Gertie and Esther tore up the place chasing each other and body bumping after about 5 minutes of sniffing around and ignoring one another. Gertie is a strange mix between hyper and liquid Valium or low energy and turbo charged. She's got a beautiful easy demeanor and takes things as they come, but when it comes to play time or prey she's all in. Even with the cat she lies there while he licks her and head butts her and she completely ignores it opting to instead scan the yard for squirrels or invaders. Where Momo would trip over himself to get out of my way she kind of ambles right into it, bumps into me, bounces off and kind of goes, "okay, I'll go this way instead." She really is the best. <3 I do have boundary areas set up. They tend to end up together despite that. We'll see how it goes towards the end of the week, though. Miss Esther pulled that "keep away" game with me tonight in the yard and kept inching towards Abbi on the couch, so she's testing those boundaries. Abbi sits on a chaise lounge with the husband between her and the bigger dogs, but Esther tries to wiggle behind him to get to Abbi. Still working on logistics for couch time because Abbi isn't tolerating anything these days and Especially not the pup who bit her. That means most things can set her off and that doesn't end well. I can't blame her one bit. When my arthritis kicks up I get downright grumpy myself because it really really hurts and I just want to be left alone to work through the pain so I understand where Abbi's coming from. Abbi and I are those dogs who will try to bite their rescuers, Gertie is the type who would seek help for her friend. For the most part Esther stays next to my chaise on the other side of the couch (there's a love seat between the lounges - lots of room), but she's a puppy and gets antsy. I have hopes it will settle into a routine sooner than later.

Agreed! Gertie is far more tolerant than most, but even she has a limit. I think. Momo never found it, though he tried. Esther was playing on top of Gertie today with a toy, got tired of the toy, left it on top of Gertie, moved to her own bed and took a nap. Gertie never budged. I only wish I could be so relaxed! I often can't see Gertie's face, and it's tough to see her expression because she's so dark in addition to me keeping the lights low to avoid migraines, but she at least gives definitive body language. With Mo she would flatten herself down in the grass and tuck her tail to signal, "enough!" He would try a couple nips to the ears or scruff and sometimes she'd get up, but most times she was content to stay there. Until Esther learns that signal I'll be there to intervene. Plus, they're so entertaining I can't help but to watch. Yes, Esther got the idea. 18 seconds later when she couldn't entice Gertie to play any more she got up and went to her bed. I'm taking that as a good sign!

Caught this one yesterday. Esther's (yellow pup) normally very quiet, but here she's having quite the tantrum. Seconds after this she walked off and took a nap with that fast puppy breathing that sets new pet parents on edge.

Haha, I think she was made without joints with as flexible as she is! She and Gertie got into it last night. Another reminder for me that she's not trained, yet. I had them in their crates but the doors were not latched. Little Missy finished before Gerts and decided to join Gertie in her crate. Gertie did not welcome the visit. I was downstairs getting water for them, heard a lot of noise and thought, "oh, s...!" Ran upstairs and by the time my slow self got up there they were looking at me like, "what?" Both girls checked out okay, whew! This morning Esther's crate was latched tight during breakfast and that settled that. Yard guys are here today so she's back in the crate with her Kong so I can get some work done. She met the pool guy and was timid initially but warmed up quickly. She is So easy to redirect and her recall . . . wow! I'm leery of this being that honeymoon phase thing going on, lol. She's super smart, I think, and has already learned how to sit pretty for treats. 😆 I taught her how to lie down on the tile to cool off after playing and you could see the epiphany settle upon her like, "ahhhh!" She and Gertie are playing even better together now that Gertie has rested from being boarded. She was able to sleep with us in the room last night. She seems to like corners and hidey holes so I put her bed between the nightstand, two walls, and Gertie's bed so she could snuggle in and have protection on all 4 sides, but still an escape route. Only the 1 accident yesterday from excitement. Still working on how to get her to leave Abbi alone. We can't leave her on the couch with Abbi or she makes a bee line so one of us always has to be there. I have to say, the husband is a push over in this regard so I'm trying to come up with barrier ideas that don't involve him. He's not quite understanding that I need his participation and I don't have a magic wand. Aside from the biting, which for many may have seen her returned but after Mo I'm up for the challenge, she's really fitting in. The husband understands the Abbi thing was due to Abbi's instigation and he continues to adore Esther despite the faux pas, which is another positive. I know many relationships have been damaged from pet arguments so I'm thankful he saw that for what it is. He trusts my training. 💜 I would be surprised if she doesn't have Am Staff - those ears are telling! If she does hit on Lab indicators, too, perhaps her flexibility will be a good thing to combat the hip dysplasia common to the breed.