It’s been 14 days since Jackie came into our home and our hearts. Today for the first time I groomed Jackie properly. Of course I gave her lots of yummie treats when I picked her up and put her on the stainless steel grooming station, and continued to reinforce her while I brushed her, wiped her with a towel, and checked all her paws, in her ears, and all her nooks and crannies. I knew she would let me do all the grooming, as I tested it perfunctorily during our meet-and-greet, but today I was still sure to reinforce her continued good behavior during grooming.
Jackie is continuing to relax and show her true personality. She has never been extremely timid, but she is getting a bit bolder and comfortable in her new surroundings in general. I’ve continued incorporating reinforcing behaviors that will eventually become basic obedience such as sit, down, recall, eye contact, stay, walk beside me in heel position: the classics. She is implementing her own special “spots” in the house, for example she likes to stretch out underneath our teak breakfront.
Jackie is not shy really, she’s fairly outgoing, but she is sensitive. She reacts a bit timidly at times to novel stimuli, but she recovers quickly and is willing to investigate. In her limited interactions with neighborhood dogs she seems to be friendly and accepting.
We’re still very much in early days, but I’m pleased with the progress we are making.
By definition a door is an object of which a dog is perpetually on the wrong side:
- Grooming sessions are best when short, frequent, and well reinforced with great treats before, during and after
- Sometimes a newly adopted dog’s personality is slow to emerge; by two weeks we begin to see more of the true personality, but everything is still very new
- Sensitive natures should be respected; patience is key
