Meet Nyx [Pics!]-Updated 12.01.14
I wanted to formally introduce Nyx to the forum. We've had her for about 2 weeks now and I can tell you that we've never been so excited by potty. We sometimes call her piglet because she's a very enthusiastic eater. It's actually kind of embarrassing because we'll go out and have strangers feed her treats and she acts like we starve her at home. She's probably met over 100 people in the last 2 weeks and her level of ease while people approach and touch her has increased dramatically. Hopefully this continues. She's also quickly learning to nibble gently.
That said, she's still a pup and occasionally she has her crazy time. Ears flat back against her skull, eyes gleaming- I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. At first, we tried to contain and redirect or settle her down with commands/treats but we've come to realize that she's just releasing some puppy steam. Now we just put her in her pen and let her work it out on her own. She usually runs around for 5-15 minutes with squirrel-murder in her eyes then plops down and lets out a blissful little sigh. She then passes out and has one of her spastic puppy dreams. The frequency of these outbursts seems to have decreased this last week but we cannot wait until she's fully immunized (12 days!) to get in her daily walks so that she can expend her energy in a more appropriate way.
We're continuing to work on her handling, socialization, and bite inhibition but I think the thing we most need to work on at the moment is separation anxiety. It's actually one of the few things we didn't anticipate but she sometimes freaks when we leave the room, even for less than a minute. We're incrementally working up to longer separation times, "pretend" leaving a dozen times a day, and not responding to her whining or barking when she does act up. We also give her some good treats so she can eat her sorrows away. Anything else we should be trying?
Anyway, here's the good stuff. Nyx is between 11-13 weeks in these pics.
Missing Ayla and momma @Shikokuspirit on the ride to her new home
First night home
Bonding time
Meeting her new best friend
Earning her dinner
Just thinking about life, you know?
Right before licking the phone
Posing with yak's milk
Sunset by the lake
That said, she's still a pup and occasionally she has her crazy time. Ears flat back against her skull, eyes gleaming- I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. At first, we tried to contain and redirect or settle her down with commands/treats but we've come to realize that she's just releasing some puppy steam. Now we just put her in her pen and let her work it out on her own. She usually runs around for 5-15 minutes with squirrel-murder in her eyes then plops down and lets out a blissful little sigh. She then passes out and has one of her spastic puppy dreams. The frequency of these outbursts seems to have decreased this last week but we cannot wait until she's fully immunized (12 days!) to get in her daily walks so that she can expend her energy in a more appropriate way.
We're continuing to work on her handling, socialization, and bite inhibition but I think the thing we most need to work on at the moment is separation anxiety. It's actually one of the few things we didn't anticipate but she sometimes freaks when we leave the room, even for less than a minute. We're incrementally working up to longer separation times, "pretend" leaving a dozen times a day, and not responding to her whining or barking when she does act up. We also give her some good treats so she can eat her sorrows away. Anything else we should be trying?
Anyway, here's the good stuff. Nyx is between 11-13 weeks in these pics.
Missing Ayla and momma @Shikokuspirit on the ride to her new home
First night home
Bonding time
Meeting her new best friend
Earning her dinner
Just thinking about life, you know?
Right before licking the phone
Posing with yak's milk
Sunset by the lake
Comments
Jesse
@not4dagames Great suggestion! We're going to record ourselves tonight and see how it goes. She also had her first raw bone today and I don't think she would have noticed if the ceiling caved in so we may try to work that into our plan. Fingers crossed!
How old is Nyx now and how much does she weigh?
We're reaching adolescence now and definitely seeing the signs- massive drop off in responsiveness to commands (SUCH a punk), increased interest in other dogs and small animals, etc. so we're a little nervous for the next phase. But what can we do except take it day by day, right? Here's the spam (Nyx is between 3-6 months in here):
Like most puppies, she sleeps a lot:
When she's not sleeping, we take often take her for hikes:
This, in turn, keeps her pretty happy, as you can see here:
When she gets home, she's usually a mellow little pup:
But when she is truly content, she tells us with her ears:
She's no angel, though. And she makes sure to remind us of that every day.
So, let's see what's happened in the last few months:
We found a new vet. Around the time of our last crappy vet experience, a new vet opened up just a few blocks away from us. We really like the new place but I don't think we found our "forever vet" yet. It'll do for now and the fact that we're only a quick walk away means that we've been able to take Nyx to the vet regularly and give her treats to build up that positive association. However, I think the combination of anticipated treats and some residual anxiety gets her amped and she's kind of frenetic for the first 10-15 minutes , e.g., won't focus on commands, reverts to pulling, jumping on people. If you guys have any thoughts on how to make her more comfortable and calm at the vets (other than treating her), please do tell because I feel like I might be overlooking some other things I could be doing. Also, for those interested, she's been at a steady 33lbs for the last 4 months.
She met her dad! We met up with Corina in Orange County and got to see Shoushuu for a bit. You can definitely see the resemblance especially in coloring but I think Nyx is a pretty even mix of both her mom and dad, right?
She thinks she's a husky. She just plays really well with them and has always gravitated toward them. When she's on leash with a husky, she'll pull like a husky. She won't disrupt water bowls the same way a husky will but she sure as hell has no problem jumping in the puddles they've created. Her best friend is a husky pup named She-Ra. We call them the wolf and the fox. The amount of attention they receive when we're out together is ridiculous.
When she's not pretending to be a husky, she's up to the usual: eating, sleeping, and quietly chewing through my flip flops
She continues to be a great dog and she's taught me more than I could have ever imagined (uh, patience anyone?). Some days I get caught up in all the things I should be doing more of- more socialization, more training, more handling, more hiking, etc.- but then I'll come home and she'll lose her sh*t, run around like a headless chicken and then lick my face for 10 minutes straight and I'll remember that what she needs most is our love. And I do not think we could love her more.
Practicing Stay
Off Leash
Out and About
Napping with Dad
I'll try to upload some videos we have of her too. Also, we created an instagram account for her so if you'd like more regular updates, it's probably your best bet: http://instagram.com/itsnyx
Happy holidays, everyone!!
Thank you for the update!
Jesse