Rusty and Chloe are finally home – Progress Week 1

On the 3^rd of June 2010 we went to pick up Rusty and Chloe from the Yorkshire Kennels. They have lived there since the 3^rd Of December 2009 after arriving from South Africa.  They were very confused and seemed quite restless. The girls at the kennels said their goodbyes and they were quite emotional. It was really touching to know that these people really cared about our dogs.

They advised me to walk them down the road a bit before putting them into the car, as it would clear their heads a bit because they have been in an enclosed environment for 6 months.

With the trip home they were quite happy to sit in the back, which we closed off with a doggy guard. Chloe gets carsick and this is why we had a plastic cover installed in the back. Everything went quite well and although she got sick we could easily clean it.

When we got home we let them into the back yard and we sat there for a while so they could get use to their new home. Only much later did we show them through the house so they could see where they are allowed to go. For example upstairs is off bounds and it is almost like an invisible barrier, as they do not go up the stairs. Very cool!!

The first few days we struggled to get them to eat, and they only started eating properly yesterday.

We are having a few behavioral issues with them that we are trying to resolve. They are jumping up when one of us walks into the house and we are trying to ignore them until they stop. The second thing they do is pulling on the lead when we go for a walk. I stop and I don’t move when they do this, as well as changing direction. This will take a lot of work to resolve and I will see if there are other possible exercises we could try. The other thing is they bark when they see other dogs. I don’t think they are aggressive dogs but they are not good with socialising with other dogs. This is really my fault as in South Africa it wasn’t safe to walk alone at night.

I think we have achieved quite a bit with them in just one week. I am very proud of them and will keep on posting updates on their progress.