Life With Ella

Written by Susan:

We've had Ella for several weeks now, and her personality is emerging. Week one was spent mostly in her crate which was the only place she felt secure. We left it open all day and sometimes had to go in and gently remove her to get her out. We couldn't look at her directly or move much once she was out without her running back in. We started closing the door as soon as she got out, so she would at least stay with us for awhile.


Week two, she began to spend more time willingly out of the crate, and started showing a little bit of normal puppy behavior by dragging everything that wasn't nailed down into her nest. The funniest object was our older dog, Sig's, comforter off the couch. She would take it right out from underneath him. She really wanted to get the old guy's attention.



We looked for a trainer at the end of week one to help us with her major fear issues. We consulted two people after a thorough internet search, and chose Angelica Steinker at Courteous Canine in Lutz. They teach from an all positive reinforcement standpoint. Angelica, the owner is highly knowledgeable and very sensitive to dogs with emotional baggage. She recommended private sessions for a couple weeks and encouraged us to email with problems in between. Which I did, almost daily, for the first couple weeks. It was reassuring to have a guide when Ella's behavior became overwhelming.

Week three we tried a group agility class at the five acre facility in Lutz. (Agility was recommended to us to help build up Ella's confidence. Normally, agility is done after obedience training, but Ella wasn't normal.) Despite the work we had done the prior weeks, which included walking her several times a week at Rivercrest Park to get her used to people and other animals, and introducing her to other people and animals when the opportunity arose, she was still overwhelmed by the people and dogs in the class. So, we returned home and spent the following week taking her to the park with another dog, having a play date with that same dog at his house, and doing a picnic with a friend at the park. We have lots of animal loving friends who have been willing to just come and sit and let Ella come up to them at will. That along with Angelica's mentoring, and the bond we are forming with Ella, has begun to pay off.

Ella now wags her tail, and we see a lot less of it tucked up under her belly. She has learned to play a serious game of tug, and will chase just about anything you throw. She is walking on the path at the park and actually stays on the path when bicycles and people walk by. She is no longer terrified in the yard and will spend time out there alone, playing. She is also being less destructive in the house, chewing more on her toys and less on the furniture, rugs, etc.She hasn't had an accident in the house since her second week here. Not that there aren't problems to be worked out. Right now she is in the crate on time out and she is wrestling with her bedding and shredding it to bits. Her favorite entertainment is chasing the lizards in the jasmine vine that I had lovingly trained on the fence. It is now a sad version of it's former self. And this morning she began digging with great zeal a large hole near the house, looking at me with tongue hanging out and smiling. Aren't you proud of my digging ability, human?

It will probably be a good long while before Ella resembles a normal dog when a stranger is around. But, we are hopelessly attached to this new addition, and Sig has accepted that she is here for good, but he really doesn't approve.