Day 10 - Sunday, January 18th, 2009

Well, Lana did mark in the hallway this morning while I was in the shower. I half expected it since I couldn't find the spot she marked yesterday morning and cleaned the spot I thought she peed on. Guess I didn't quite hit it.

This morning she paced in the kitchen for a bit, then disappeared. When I went to check on her she had let herself out through the doggie door!

Lana came back relatively quickly, then decided to tackle the mystery of the cat door. It is installed in the kitchen door and leads to a mudroom, but the wind was blowing it slightly inward. I watched Lana trying to get out, and she managed to open the flap toward the inside enough so she could slip under it.
She amazes me every day with the things she can do without being shown, just by trying them out!

We've been practicing positive reinforcement when it comes to the cats. Two of them have now figured out that even though Lana charges them, she backs off if they decide to sit it out.
Whenever she starts raising her ears and looks towards the cats one of us says: "Leave it!" and as soon as she turns away, she's praised.
I was hoping the clicker would have arrived by now to make things easier, but it hasn't. Still, she's making progress on that every day and I hope that in about a week she won't be charging cats anymore.

Personally, I think Cheez Whiz should be named best inter-species ambassador, because when that can comes out, the animals line up and suddenly get along, no matter the year, make, or model!



They eat it directly from the nozzle so just remember to never eat cheese with crackers at my house.
Just kidding!


Having had Lana for over a week now, and hoping a potential adopter might read the blog, this is what I hope she can go home to:
a person that understands positive reinforcement, takes daily short walks (Lana can walk easily for 1/2 mile) , has a yard and possibly a doggie door and lots of love and appreciation for this sweet, intelligent girl.
Lana is an active dog, who is showing a very slight stiffness in the hind legs, but loves walking as long as it's not miles and miles.
I also have the impression her eyesight is not the best anymore, but she hears and smells very well.
She'd make a great companion for somebody!

She also gets along with other dogs even though I have to watch her around Luci when they get excited like right before walks or during playtime. Lana does a dominance thing and tries to nip Luci in the back of the neck, but it only happens when the excitement level is high and poses no problem at any other time. In fact, Luci likes to run outside with her and they all form a "pack".
Cats shouldn't be a problem before too long either. It'll take a while for them to get used to each other, but then they'll be just fine.

Lana has peed in the house only twice the last two days, and a few times she's gone on the pee pads.
Again, she's learned this quickly, and I expect her to be fully potty trained in a week, give or take a few days.
She still hasn't attempted to walk up the stairs and we'll wait with that for another few days until her incision has healed up a little more which, btw, isn't bothering her much.

Lana also rides well in the car. I think she's a little scared, because the first few miles she'll stand on the seat and just stare ahead, but she usually settles down after a while.
She's also become much more relaxed in the house. She still paces, but is starting to settle onto her bed a little sooner every day.
As soon as I sit down, she's on her bed snoozing.
Not bad for a dog who obviously hasn't experienced any of this before!