So, I needed to take a break from the forum for awhile. I have a really active imagination that is always trying to plan ahead, prepare, and is exceptionally good at "what if" games. This is oftentimes a strength, but just as often can be detrimental. Over time, it seemed like everything I was reading on the site here was feeding into the negative side of that characteristic. I was seeing SO many things that can go wrong with a dog, either health-wise or behavior-wise. And even when I saw good reports on young dogs progressing so nicely with their training, my dumb brain starts to wonder why MY dog isn't progressing so fast and what am I doing wrong? It's not a fun cycle to be in and it's helped to distance myself from at least some of the sources of worry.
I do still pop in once in a while and scan for some lighthearted threads to skim. And while I don't know if anyone has remembered me, I do know that when I'm involved in forums, I always like to see distant members pop in and say "Hi" and let folks know they're doing ok. So here I am. I don't know if/when I'll start being more active again. I really appreciate the community here and have enjoyed being even just a small peripheral part of it. But until my confidence levels are back where they need to be, I may continue to stay aloof.
So on to Yazzy, as she's the star of the show...
In case anyone is wondering, no, I haven't had her since she was six weeks old...that was just the first time I got to meet her and take pictures at the breeder's. She actually came home with me when she was 10 weeks old. These pictures range from 6 weeks to 18 weeks.
She's doing pretty well. We went through a short bout of roundworms and giardia...hopefully we've got that nipped in the bud. Emotionally, it feels like she's growing so fast, but physically, I think she's going at a slow and reasonable pace. She's long and lanky now. At her last vet check (about two weeks ago) she was 35 pounds. She's not showing any signs of growing pains.
Her land-sharking is oh-so-gradually becoming less frequent and softer.
Training is going slower than I would like, but I don't blame her for that in the least. I'm just not very good at it. OR, maybe I'm better than I realize, I just don't have a good grasp on understanding what I should be expecting. We're still working private lessons with a pro trainer and she gets weekly socialization in their day-care program. She's doing very well, there, and gets along great with many different breeds and sizes of dogs.
She sometimes eats her poop. And loves to eat glops of muddy dirt. :frown2:
She's super affectionate and loves to be close to her people. She's pretty good at entertaining herself when I need her to. She loves her crate and going in there on command is her most reliable (100%) training command so far. She's never done any destructive chewing, but that's probably only because I keep her environment carefully controlled and monitored.
I think she's growing into an incredibly pretty dog. She's challenging as heck....but she's good for me, and I absolutely love her to pieces.
I do still pop in once in a while and scan for some lighthearted threads to skim. And while I don't know if anyone has remembered me, I do know that when I'm involved in forums, I always like to see distant members pop in and say "Hi" and let folks know they're doing ok. So here I am. I don't know if/when I'll start being more active again. I really appreciate the community here and have enjoyed being even just a small peripheral part of it. But until my confidence levels are back where they need to be, I may continue to stay aloof.
So on to Yazzy, as she's the star of the show...
In case anyone is wondering, no, I haven't had her since she was six weeks old...that was just the first time I got to meet her and take pictures at the breeder's. She actually came home with me when she was 10 weeks old. These pictures range from 6 weeks to 18 weeks.
She's doing pretty well. We went through a short bout of roundworms and giardia...hopefully we've got that nipped in the bud. Emotionally, it feels like she's growing so fast, but physically, I think she's going at a slow and reasonable pace. She's long and lanky now. At her last vet check (about two weeks ago) she was 35 pounds. She's not showing any signs of growing pains.
Her land-sharking is oh-so-gradually becoming less frequent and softer.
Training is going slower than I would like, but I don't blame her for that in the least. I'm just not very good at it. OR, maybe I'm better than I realize, I just don't have a good grasp on understanding what I should be expecting. We're still working private lessons with a pro trainer and she gets weekly socialization in their day-care program. She's doing very well, there, and gets along great with many different breeds and sizes of dogs.
She sometimes eats her poop. And loves to eat glops of muddy dirt. :frown2:
She's super affectionate and loves to be close to her people. She's pretty good at entertaining herself when I need her to. She loves her crate and going in there on command is her most reliable (100%) training command so far. She's never done any destructive chewing, but that's probably only because I keep her environment carefully controlled and monitored.
I think she's growing into an incredibly pretty dog. She's challenging as heck....but she's good for me, and I absolutely love her to pieces.