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)

[Ginny Nightingale]

Wow--she looks so much like my Lyric who is an Australian LD--I would swear it was her! The car anxiety will ease with practice--short trips--and she might eat fine once she acclimates, too. Oh, and I had a nervous dog poop into the seatbelt hole etc, and a toothbrush (an OLD ONE!!) works well to get the stuff out of the little holes. Get a "Gentle leader" harness to train her not to pull.

What a sweetie--so glad she found a new home that appreciates her!! Have fun with her!!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Baila is a doll.. Just hang in there - she is probably very confused and will get used to everything with time.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Oh congrats!!! Keep working with her on short car trips! Maybe she's just not used to her new environment to want to eat yet? Most pet stores will take back or exchange the food if it isn't working out for you.Good luck and congrats!

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Baila is a real beauty!!!!  Thank you for giving her a wonderful home!  I can't offer advise on the car anxiety - I have a cat that has it but I've never had a dog that did.  The food issue - others have said and I will say it too - join the Food Group - make sure the dry kibble you are feeding is on the "approved" list - lots of junk food out there.  Then you'll learn that you can tempt her with different toppings!  Welcome to you both - you'll love it here!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good luck with Baila. I agree with the training too. But you should try to acclimate her to the car with very short trips with a fun outcome. Also, just for wet paws etc. I always have me rear seat covered. There are some discussions on car seat covers you can find. Ine was about $40. And just for convenience I usually have a sheet over that: ) My doodles are always happy to be in the car since it usually means they get a new, different place to walk or maybe a treat they don't often get. It's true Luca will whine if he thinks it's taking too long to get to one of those things.

[cheryl & oliver]

Alla, congratulations and thank you for rescuing Baila!!!!!...She is adorable...I totally agree with Adina, she does need to go to obediance class, it helps both you and her.  Since you have no previous experience with a dog, this will benefit you too.  As far as feeding goes, we have the best person for that, Karen, she knows all there is to know about feeding problems,( well in my opinion, anyway, lol) and you should join the food group here and I am sure you will get help from many of the group.  There are many different discussions to read on the subject in that group.  Anyway welcome to Doodlekisses, and please keep us informed on all Baila's happenings...

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Welcome to doodle world - it's a great place.  I love Baila's name - and when she does the "doodle prance" her name will fit her perfectly.  

I don't really have any advice for you (other than adding my thumbs-up to Adina's suggestion of obedience training).  I will commiserate, however, with the picky eater part.  Sedona has always been a picky eater.  Some days she eats two meals and even "asks" for more.  Other days, she seems uninterested in food.  Unlike my daughter's lab who eats anything and will nearly take your fingers off when giving her a treat, Sedona always has to sniff a treat to see if it's acceptable (even if it's her favorite treat that she's had since she was a pup).  I used to worry about her eating habits, but she's healthy, happy, and the appropriate weight so I just go with her flow! 

[Becka]

Your new doodle is beautiful! How wonderful that you found each other.

[Adina P]

Congratulations on Baila!  She's lovely.  As to not pulling on the leash, the key will be obedience training so you teach her HOW to walk in relation to you.  You don't as much teach her to 'not pull' as much as teach her to walk near you.  Have you looked at what obedience classes are near you?