She has been with us less than 24 hours so we're still getting to know her but here's what we've seen so far.
We met her at the doggie daycare and she met my dog, Miles, nicely. They play bowed to one another and began to play. She was good on the ride back to IL. She was hesitant at first to get into the crate for the ride but with a few treats she hopped up and in and we were on our way. She was good in the car.
We took her and Miles for a long walk when we got home. She did nicely. She walked pretty well on the leash. She did pull when there was a smell that peaked her interest and because she's large she has some strength in her pull but it was no problem for me. We met a smallish lab along the way and she greeted him nicely.
At home, she met our female, Holly, nicely.
She is a tall girl, about 24-25 inches to the top of her shoulder. It's been a few years since we've had a tall dog in the house so we quickly had to change a few things. We made sure all food was pushed back on the counters and we made sure all toilet bowl covers were closed. All you people with big dogs know this stuff...it's been awhile since we've had to think about those things since we've only had dogs no taller than your knee the last few years. And, I also put her on a long lead while she was in the back yard. I have a 4 foot fence and while I don't think she would jump over it I don't want to risk it until I know her better so we have her on a long, long leash for now. Just some stuff to keep in mind with a taller pup.
She met two of the neighbor dogs through the fence. She was good with both of them, a jumbo lab and a basset. Our neighbor with the lab really liked Missy and just shook his head in disbelief when I told him she'd been given up. He thinks she looks more like a labradoodle than a poodle but I think that's because of the haircut. She doesn't have the stylized poodle cut...it's more of a generic cut and I think she looks just fantastic in it.
We know that she knows a few commands. She knows sit and shake. You can see this from the videos below. She appears to also know roll over because you'll see in the video with my daughter that she seems to start to do a roll but then stops. I imagine as we get to know her better and she gets to know us we'll get a better sense of what she can do and her "execution" will be cleaner. (Plus I'll reinforce with the girls to only reward the behavior you're looking for).
She is a tall girl and appears eager to please. You can see she jumps up a little when my daughter is asking her to sit. She is good with the kids, but is big and could knock a smaller child over. You can tell from the video also that she appears to be a happy girl who is a little silly.
We got out our big wire crate which was last used by our dog Dusty who passed a few years ago. She wasn't eager to go inside but with a few treats she went in nicely and slept the night.
She is thin and needs to gain some weight. I will try to take her to the vet in the next few days and get her weighed on their scale. Then, I'll say what ever she is she could add another 5 or maybe even 10 pounds to it.
Yesterday I showed her the bell on the back door. Miles rings the bell to let us know he needs to go out. I rung it each time I let her out yesterday. Well, as I've been trying to type this this morning she has rung it three times. So, I got up each time to let her out. I'll know in a few days whether she's really got it and understands it but I'll say now that I'm darn impressed. If she's really got it that quickly she is one super smart girl.
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| Resting next to me as I finish typing this |