My adventure - Doodle came home this weekend

[Alla]

Today I finally brought home the 2.5 year old doodle I adopted from the shelter! I don't know how anyone could give up such a sweet dog.  I went to pick her up with my sister who has 2 dogs and knows how to handle them (I'm a first time dog owner so I have no idea). Between deliberations on facebook, coworkers, relatives etc, I still could not come up with a name. My sisters dogs are named Cha-Cha and Tango - so she wanted me to keep the dance theme. I'm a big salsa dancer but her suggestions - Salsa or Samba - somehow didn't feel right to me. On the way to the shelter we were listening to the salsa music and a song came on saying - Baila Baila... which means dance in spanish, and so her name was born - Baila!

The ride home was rough to say the least. The poor doodle was scared and shaking even with my sister in the back trying to comfort her. She obviously has car anxiety. My sister mentioned that she smelled a fart, and was talking about how some dogs pee poop and vomit when they are scared. Well guess what! The smell got stronger, and it wasn't a fart.. It was a pile of doo-doo :( She managed to get it inside the seat belt holes and in 2 seperate areas of my car. To make it worse my seats are leather with perferactions - tiny little holes that are impossible to clean out.  This I did not expect! We had to stop the car while i tried to clean up the mess a bit while my sister walked Baila to get over her anxiety - and we were off on our way home - this time my sister sat in the front. That was a hard mess to clean, but luckly I already had enzyme cleaner in the house. We decided not to tell my husband about the mess, and she had to sneak him out of the house to walk Baila so I could finish cleaning the car.

Other than this mishap the weekend was perfect. She became attached to us immediately, wags her tail whenever she sees us and lies on her back for a belly rub. She recognizes her name. One problem we have is she is a picky eater - she isn't eating the dry food we bought. We tried mixing it with wet, and she eats a little but she needs to be encouraged and watched or else she doesnt eat on her own. What am I going to do with the 40 lb bag of dry food! She loves to eat human food like pieces of chicken, and we put then within her dry food and she picks them out and spits the dry food out. What a picky doodle.

As soon as she was acclimated to being home - we decided to give her a bath. My sister got in with her and she was just great and let us wash her. Then we blow dried her and brushed her and she didn't react at all and let us. We even cleaned her ears and brushed her teeth. She was a perfect doodle the whole time!

She loves walks but is not so great on the leash because she always tries to run ahead and pull (until shes tired) but she is getting better.   Maybe I just can't keep up with her yet, but we try to walk her a lot to get her energy out. At home she lays around and follows me werever I go and likes her new bed. My husband said that she would be sleeping downstairs, but after hearing her whines at night he brought her bed up to our room and she kept us company for 2 nights in a row. She follows commands like sit and come and down and even paw. I took her for a short drive to a park - and she had so much anxiety in the car again but she enjoyed the park and all the people that pet her. She kept panting and shaking even just for 10 minute ride. At least she didn't poop in the car (she barely ate and already pooped so I wasn't worried).I hope she will get better in the car as I take her on fun trips so she can associate the car with good things, but it will be hard. I have to take her for her second set of shots in 2 weeks and I know she will be a nervous wreck - I'm about to buy her a diaper!

We had visitors including kids and she played nice with all of them. I've never heard her bark, she's such a calm dog.

We left her alone for 2 hours and she was fine on the weekend. She seems to be housebroken and doesn't chew and she's not interested in the toys we got her. She just wants humans as toys so they can pet her and give her attention!

Today was the first time we're leaving her alone while we're at work. I hope she finishes her breakfast and isn't too bored.

Here's a pic of her and another one of me and her!

Ok so I need advice on -

• car anxiety
• pulling on leesh when walking
• not eating dry food and not eating a lot in general (and not voluntarily either)

[Bryce P]

Oh ya and cute name.

[Bryce P]

Oh wow her eating habits sound just like Huff's. Huff is currently eating hommade food mixed with kibble and we still have to spoon feed him sometimes.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Baila is such a pretty dog and is very lucky to have found you. 

Ollie was very nervous in the car when we first brought him home.  He would never sit down and would just pant the whole time.  I bought a doggie seatbelt that hooks to his harness and that seems to have made him a lot more comfortable in the car.  He will actually lay down in the backseat when he is belted in.  The few times that I haven't belted him in recently he will still go back to acting tense.  As long as he is belted in, he is fine.  I think it just makes him feel more secure.

Our trainer had a buy a gentle leader head harness at our class the other week and it has made our walks so much easier.  He still tries to pull, but I can easily control it now without my shoulder hurting all the time! 

Everything will get easier with time.  It certainly seems like the love is there, so just stick with it and things will eventually all fall into place.  Best of luck!

[Chamo]

Congrats!

Just a comment on the car fear. My doodle was shaking in the car when we picked him up three months ago. He still doesn't like the part of getting in the car, probably because he still can't jump in to the car on his own and feels sort of like being shoved into the car. BUT he is now enjoying the car ride itself. We took him for short outings almost anytime we went out.

Also, I drive a SUV. He seems to feel more at ease when he's at the backseat with more space to lie down or turn around if he wants to. When I put him in the front seat, I guess it's a bit too tight to move around, and he gets a bit shaky toward the end of the ride.

I'm very new to this dog ownership, so it may be just my dog, but try giving her a little more wiggle space and see how she does. Good luck!

[Mimi Linna, Lilly and Lolly]

so excited for you..what a lucky puppy.can't wait to hear more about your adventures.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

She is beautiful and sounds SO sweet!  I'm so glad you found each other!!

[Sharon & Monty]

Lovely!  I really enjoy hearing how your husband is caving.....LOL  It was obvious he was smitten at the shelter when meeting Baila, and now he was the first to say, ok..... lets let her sleep upstairs.  :)  You & Baila are doing a gret job.  

She's a beauty, best days of your life ahead.   

[Christine & Shelby]

Beautiful doodle... so lucky that you have found each other!  Give her time with the eating - could be stress related.

[Alla]

Wow! Thank you so much on your comments and advice! I will definitely try some of it and report back.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Oh wow, she is gorgeous! Congratulations!