Pupdate on Gypsy

We're not believing the change in our sweet girl after only 26 days.  (I'd say 27, but it was only about this time on the 1st that I got home with her.)

She looks a little worried in the early days. 

The first few days, she was so afraid of everything.  I guess six months on death row will do that to a girl.  If anyone approached, she hid behind me, trembling.  The slightest noise would make her startle and cower.  She pulled on the leash like monsters were after us.  Couldn't let me get up from the couch for a glass of water without coming with me.  There was more, but this pretty well sums it up. 

After some dedicated training--just basics like Sit, Down, Stay, Wait, etc.--she began to calm.  We took her everywhere with us, to all the dog-friendly places we could find.  Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Tractor Supply, as well as all the pet stores and all the parks we have nearby.  I took home-made beef jerky with us, and enlisted kind strangers to help Gypsy understand that people really are nice (and somehow magically have the same yummy stuff as Mom makes!) 

We started reading furiously about Positive Training.  Zak George, Victoria Stillwell, and others.  I learned, to my horror, that it's a miracle my poor Schultz survived such harsh training as I'd done with him--back in those days, the dominance theories were all I'd seen or heard of.  Poor guy.  It makes me cry to think of how much fun we could have had learning positively to live together.  Well, regret won't help unless I turn it around in this moment--and it's AMAZING how eager a dog is to learn when you treat her with respect!

Gypsy is enrolled (with her humans) in training at PetSmart--the whole shebang, for 18 weeks.  She'll earn her Canine Good Citizen Training when we finish.  We've only gone to two classes, but the trainer was amazed at how she'd come out of her shell just between the first and second classes.  Being unafraid with other dogs, not jumping and shivering at every noise or passing stranger...such a change.

So much reversal of all that fear--she is still a little spooked when the furnace comes on, but if the radio is on, she'll settle.  She and Tater are buds now--Willie is still hissy and afraid, but is down off the high places all the time. 

Walking on a leash is a joy because little by little, Gypsy is learning to stay close and not to pull.  The mysterious Jekyll-n-Hyde behavior of early weeks (sudden on-leash fits of leaping, lunging and play-biting) have almost extinguished entirely.  We gave up trying to find the trigger for this--we can only figure she was ignored and alone in a back yard and never taught to play without being screamed at.  So now, when she starts to jump, we silently stop, turn away from her, and ignore her completely.  No treats, no eye contact, and no scolding.  She's ready to walk normally after a minute or two of this.  It seems like a miracle, because that biting thing was scary!

Worn out from Saturday's class, long walk, and tug-of-war.  The tongue out says it all.

The last thing to add: we got her DNA test back!  So it's official: she's half Great Pyrenees, a quarter Red Heeler, and a quarter mix of terrier, herding, and guard dogs.  I believe we got the best of the mix--she never barks, she has a manageable coat, the perfect size, and an energy level and willingness to learn that guarantees we will live in harmony for many years to come.  We love her.