A review of the last couple months with Penny

On the way home... Penny Loves her head out the window... until we hit 20 mph!
After taking Penny home we started her medications for her spay which had happened the day before we picked her up. She was also medicated for kennel cough which she had picked up from the shelter. Penny took right to us and her bed and dishes like they had always been hers. Penny follows us everywhere and whines only when we go to bed and introduce the crate. We started to crate train right from the start so that she would not see it as a punishment but rather the way of things.

The next day, Penny had an accident in the crate... one of many to come. we carefully clean her due to her stitches we could not give her a bath. We go to visit they extended family. Penny loves everyone but the real shock came with my one year old nephew... she crawls towards him carefully and sits with him, as if she was the baby sitter. The baby grabs and crawls over Penny... Penny slides to her back and submits to being the baby's jungle gym. This is why Penny was abandoned? What would her previous owner think Would they have kept her if they had only seen this? It truly saddened me to see that she had suffered for no reason. She also trys to make friends with cats, not her fault they dont like her back. To wrap up the day penny learns sit and fetch.

In the following weeks Penny has problems with controlling her bladder in the home. Airedales do not respond well to punishment but rather should be praised for positive behavior. Penny is given a command for using the restroom and is rewarded when she does so. This is a huge breakthrough in the potty training issue. Penny does still continue to have some accidents. We put a bell by the door so she can inform us when she needs out. We right the bell when she goes out and shortly there after she rings it and looks at us as if to say "please open the door". Penny now only pees when excited.

We start training her to do tricks. Keeping an Airedale mentally busy is one of the key factorsin keeping both the owner and the dog happy in the home. Penny is taught sit shake down get busy (going to the bathroom) and bang (a gun/playing dead) we teach her wait, this is one of the most important things you can get an puppy of any type to learn. We tell her wait before she gets her food water toys or treats. This stops her from getting overly excited and knocking or bitting these things out of your hands.

We wake one morning to find pennys stitches look inflamed at the bottem and oozing. We take her to the vet and she is given an anti-biotic and anti-inflamitory to help her through this and her sinus infection she got from the kennel cough. Penny's stitches heal but her infection worsens as my wife and I are out of town, and she stays with my parents. Penny also starts to teeth being nippy and nipping family on accident while playing. When we get home we take her to the vet once more for a heavier medication. This takes care of the problem within 3 days but we continue the medication as instructed by the vet.

Penny looses all her teeth with a little help from mom or dad. This is a relief, for as they come out and her new teeth in penny is becoming much more calm and docile. Penny watches fireworks with us on the 4th of july. Penny learns roll over with some difficulty due to her long limbs.



I will continue to update this blog as things happen... I feel like we are through the hardest part of owning an Airedale.