What I Learned Today Before I Made It to Work
Posted on July 9, 2012
It’s Day 4 with having Malachi, our 5 year old Siberian Husky/Eskie/Spitz mix, home with us since being rescued from a shelter where he spent a couple of months. The past several days have been absolutely amazing, humbling, tiring, and challenging. And I can’t say enough about how much of a good boy he is and how lucky we are to have him.
We’re learning how to communicate with each other and set a schedule and our expectations. Here’s what I learned this morning:
- When you, the leader, make mistakes your mistakes become amazingly apparent.
- Make the dog pee before the pack’s bed time. Regardless of who may or may not be up. See previous.
- Walking and running need to be consistent and Malachi needs both some cool down time and play time.
- Malachi cannot have fluffy things. Two dog beds and $60 dollars later, we’ve learned that lesson. See previous.
- Malachi has issues with the vacuum cleaner. Energy and anxiety are linked. See previous.
- Malachi is not “My Little Pony.” We can comb his hair, but he isn’t a dog that we see in movies or on television. Get real about what he needs to be happy and healthy.
- Move forward.
It took all of us at least a year to get it right
with Maggie Mae. We still can’t own anything
with down in it. Keep up the good work. Discovery
can be enchanting.
Hang in there, Karen. It’s always a little rough at the start.
Are you crate-training him? Many new dog owners seem reluctant at first, but I can tell you that it has been good for all of our dogs. Our greyhounds used to often go into their open crates and lay down during the day. They were their “rooms”. With Rondo, he’s free in the house whenever we are home or if we make a quick run to the market, but he’s crated when we are at work. He knows the routine and trots to his crate when we tell him to “get in” each morning.
Also, the offer still stands that he can come play with Rondo in our back yard whenever you think he may be ready.
Good luck.
T
Thanks Trish! Mike and I are trying to crate train him. And you’ve given us quite a bit of reassurance that we’re doing the right thing. We have a cat, too, so crating him at work is the way to go for us. We’re incrementally training him with the crate, though we understand he has been crate trained. I think it’s the energy level of his breed, plus being confined all of his life – five years on a chain, then nearly two months at the shelter. Bit by bit, he’s getting better and better – and just so excited to be with us. We will make it! Thanks again! –Karen and Mike.
Im blog and computer illiterate so not sure if I’m writing to the aove people. Malachi is beautiful! He looks EXACTLY like my rescue Mae. I was trying to fig out what mix she is. I think I found it!! His personality is extremely similar. I too have lost beds lol. I love Mae !! Please let me know ur continuing progress. I think it would help Mae and I as well!! Maybe some of our experiences can help u! Wish I could fig out to send a pic.