...Siberian Huskies that is.
How our lives have been turned inside out and upside down in less than 3 years.
A little over 2 years ago we adopted Lobo. I spent hours everyday showing the then 1 year old pup the ropes; training him a few tricks. He was such a joy to train, he learned quickly. He learned basic commands like, sit & stay. He learned a few tricks like shake, rollover, speak, bye and a few others. He will and does everything we tell him to do. There is one thing he despise the most, be left in his kennel. He is the epitome of the phrase "escape artist". He will find a way to escape from confinement.
A year after Lobo, we adopted the then 7-month old Layla. She was a skittish little thing but oh so cute. I fell in love with her the first time I laid eyes on her picture on the internet. She had that "puppy dog" look saying "Please love me. I give hugs & kisses." My husband thinks it was all in my head, but I swear that's how I saw it. Anyway, she was an extremely frightened puppy who needed plenty of TLC...and I mean A LOT. The first night she was home she kept checking up on me. She was not potty-trained, she had plenty of "accidents". The worst part of it, she trusted no one. It seems like every time she made a mistake, she expects some kind of punishment. Maybe I am reading too much into the events but it was the only thing that made sense. Her body language just read of submission, and lack of confidence. Her tail was tucked in, her nose low to the ground; she was almost crouching.
We tried our best to show both dogs that they could trust us. The first day we got Lobo, we spent $250 at Petsmart. We got them toys that lasted (in one piece) for all of 2 seconds before it is shred to pieces. That is not an exaggeration. They were loved to the extent that people say they were spoiled. We pay for a "wellness plan" much like our insurance to make sure their health is kept in check and necessary vaccines are updated. Basically they were given the run-of-the-house. That is where the problem comes in.
They cannot be left alone for more than 5 hours or someone is going to get hurt. We had found Lobo a little bloody from trying to break out of the kennel. He will find a way if it means hurting himself. We have tried those doggie hotels but it is too chaotic for them. It's not that our dogs are not sociable, in fact, they like other dogs. But Lobo and Layla are pretty mellow dogs during the middle of the day. When there are other dogs around they cannot nap in peace.
Lobo pretty much lounges around. He could be seen napping around the house when we are home. He does not like to be bothered which is hard to come by when you are in a big indoor playground with dogs constantly wanting to play. Layla will have a nervous breakdown if she's in a pen with other dogs. Her mouth foams when she's in a situation like that. She will have her butt planted on the ground, in submission, the entire day if she has too.
Lobo is very social when he wants to. But he is easily bored and the magic of spending a couple of hours with petmates wears down quickly. We would like to socialize Layla better but I have to leave Lobo because there isn't a dog park with a fence high enough to contain him. Yes, Lobo is a jumper. Taking one and not the other is not fair.
Now, we take them everywhere we go. Good thing they are good in the back of a car, better than in the kennel.
Oh for the love of pets!!! :)
How our lives have been turned inside out and upside down in less than 3 years.
A little over 2 years ago we adopted Lobo. I spent hours everyday showing the then 1 year old pup the ropes; training him a few tricks. He was such a joy to train, he learned quickly. He learned basic commands like, sit & stay. He learned a few tricks like shake, rollover, speak, bye and a few others. He will and does everything we tell him to do. There is one thing he despise the most, be left in his kennel. He is the epitome of the phrase "escape artist". He will find a way to escape from confinement.
A year after Lobo, we adopted the then 7-month old Layla. She was a skittish little thing but oh so cute. I fell in love with her the first time I laid eyes on her picture on the internet. She had that "puppy dog" look saying "Please love me. I give hugs & kisses." My husband thinks it was all in my head, but I swear that's how I saw it. Anyway, she was an extremely frightened puppy who needed plenty of TLC...and I mean A LOT. The first night she was home she kept checking up on me. She was not potty-trained, she had plenty of "accidents". The worst part of it, she trusted no one. It seems like every time she made a mistake, she expects some kind of punishment. Maybe I am reading too much into the events but it was the only thing that made sense. Her body language just read of submission, and lack of confidence. Her tail was tucked in, her nose low to the ground; she was almost crouching.
We tried our best to show both dogs that they could trust us. The first day we got Lobo, we spent $250 at Petsmart. We got them toys that lasted (in one piece) for all of 2 seconds before it is shred to pieces. That is not an exaggeration. They were loved to the extent that people say they were spoiled. We pay for a "wellness plan" much like our insurance to make sure their health is kept in check and necessary vaccines are updated. Basically they were given the run-of-the-house. That is where the problem comes in.
They cannot be left alone for more than 5 hours or someone is going to get hurt. We had found Lobo a little bloody from trying to break out of the kennel. He will find a way if it means hurting himself. We have tried those doggie hotels but it is too chaotic for them. It's not that our dogs are not sociable, in fact, they like other dogs. But Lobo and Layla are pretty mellow dogs during the middle of the day. When there are other dogs around they cannot nap in peace.
Lobo pretty much lounges around. He could be seen napping around the house when we are home. He does not like to be bothered which is hard to come by when you are in a big indoor playground with dogs constantly wanting to play. Layla will have a nervous breakdown if she's in a pen with other dogs. Her mouth foams when she's in a situation like that. She will have her butt planted on the ground, in submission, the entire day if she has too.
Lobo is very social when he wants to. But he is easily bored and the magic of spending a couple of hours with petmates wears down quickly. We would like to socialize Layla better but I have to leave Lobo because there isn't a dog park with a fence high enough to contain him. Yes, Lobo is a jumper. Taking one and not the other is not fair.
Now, we take them everywhere we go. Good thing they are good in the back of a car, better than in the kennel.
Oh for the love of pets!!! :)
