settling in (august 14-31)

over the next couple weeks, i settled in to having a new dog in my house. i was just settling into denver, which had its own challenges, and now i brought a behaviorally challenged dog into the mix. i wanted to take it slow. so, for the next couple weeks, i had no visitors come over to my house. i wanted sweetie to feel safe, that she could predict the routine in this new environment and she wouldn't feel forced to react to scary stimuli.

while i had been riding my bike to work, i returned to driving once again so that i could come home on my lunches and let sweetie out for potty breaks. as advised by her former foster, she could only go 5-6 hours before needing to go outside, so i knew with my long shelter hours she couldn't go all day on her own.

our routine became, well, routine. i would give her meds in the morning and leave a couple food dispensing toys for her while she was baby-gated into the kitchen. the first days went great - but when i left her for a little longer in the morning, she had an accident. so, we continued on the 4-5 hours in the morning in her crate, a break and then left out in the kitchen the rest of the afternoon. also, at the same time, i decreased her clomipramine dosage from 3 tabs to 2 tabs a day.

thankfully, that one accident in the morning after leaving for work was the last. i started leaving her in the kitchen (baby-gated) in the morning and out still in the afternoon. then, i started leaving her un-baby-gated with free run of the house with - again, success.

then, we had total and complete success beyond what even i thought was possible when i left her out one day and couldn't get back to the house - but again there was no accident. she went over 8 hours without a potty break!

this completely housebroken behavior continues today and i no longer need to go home on my lunches to let her out. she goes out in the morning for a good 45 minute romp in the backyard and then is OK to be left alone until i return after work. she now has a "crate it" command in the morning in which she runs into her crate and then receives her breakfast in food dispensing toys.

i usually find her when i return home in the evening snuggled up on my bed or happily dancing in the kitchen when i walk through the door. she is a submissive urinator, however, and it's important to get her outside first before we have any cuddle sessions.