I realized that I haven't been talking about my girls very much, and just jabbering on about myself and my drama. This morning, I read over the post I made about A and E. Well, let me tell you, E has made so much progress. We go on walks consistently now, and she adores going on car rides.
Well, we're doing well, considering. E has gotten comfortable enough
with us that we have returned the crate we borrowed from the rescue.
She doesn't run away from us on every approach (but still flees quite
often.) I think we assumed/hoped that A would help E, and E would just follow her lead. But I forgot how long it took A to figure out where to go. And I think I took A's trainability for granted, and assumed that E would be just as quick to pick things up. Well, E is getting started with life two years later than A, and has to cope with a lot more changes. E has never seen grass before. She'd never been in a household, or a real "pack" before.
One of the biggest challenges that we're still facing is housebreaking. I think E (and A) understands that she is supposed to do her business outside, but both of them have a habit of holding and then messing in the house while we're gone. Now that things have settled a bit, I'm ready to really push to improve. I recently emailed a trainer I'd met peripherally, who has experience breeding and showing IGs. I explained the issues, and asked for advice.
Of course, her biggest recommendation was crating - something I've never done. And I worry about crating them all day. (Especially since I know it will take time for the girls to adjust their bladders to our schedules, and am not looking forward to cleaning up crates every evening.) But it needs to be taken care of, and crating while we're gone is the best solution for while we're out of the house. So, I've ordered crates, and they should arrive in the next few days.
In the meantime, Alpha and I are being more aggressive about taking the girls outside. We're closing the bedroom door, so they can't sneak away. And really trying to make sure they've gone before we leave in the morning, so there will be less messes when we get home. Plus, we cleaned up the yard - picked up the accumulated poop, and I scrubbed the concrete with dish soap (and gave is a vinegar rinse.) And remarkably, having a clean place to go is encouraging them to go there - shocking!
In addition to crates, I ordered a few extras for the girls. It's beginning to get colder, and E needs a coat. I found a shop on Etsy called Ibisco, and ordered a coat and fleece sweater for E, and the cutest little tracksuits for both girls. Yes, the shop is based out of the UK. But trust me, I spent hours searching for coats that would fit properly, and Ibisco is less expensive than a lot of US stores. I can't wait for everything to arrive.
And yesterday, a stroller arrived in the mail. A dog stroller. I'm honestly a little conflicted about having ordered it. The idea was that the stroller would allow us to take E to events where there were a lot of people. I feel bad about leaving the girls alone on the weekends, and this way, we can take them to the art fairs and such without stressing them too much. I think E will enjoy the new sights and smells, and this will help us become more comfortable with the world.
So, I'm a little neurotic, and obsessed with mothering my girls. Like owner, like pet, I suppose.
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