Roxy Update

It's been a long time since I've talked about our second toddler, so here's a little Roxy update for you.  We've had our sweet pooch for nearly 6 months now and rather than calming down, I think this puppy gets more hyper all the time.  Okay, that's not entirely true, she has improved in a lot of ways, but she is definitely a high spirited dog and could probably run 100 miles a day and still be happy happy happy!

When we first got her, she was a major nipper.  She wasn't ever trying to hurt us, she would just get excited and go right for your heel with a quick pressure of her teeth on your skin.  She never made us bleed or really hurt us, it was just annoying.  I don't know what I was expecting.  I mean, she's a HEELER ya'll.  Heelers are bred to herd cattle by nipping at their heels.  It just comes naturally to her.  I am very proud to say, she hasn't nipped at all for a couple months.  She also used to jump all over us whenever we would come outside.  After knocking Daphne over a few times and feeling the wrath of Burke, she never gets up on Daph or Burke anymore, but she still likes to jump all over me when I go out.  She knows I'm the pushover and won't smack her nose, so she doesn't take my "no's" seriously.  I'm trying to be more firm, but I really don't like to physically discipline her.

The vet told me on her third series of shots that the best nonviolent way to break a dog of any undesirable behavior is to pin them on their backs, hold their muzzle with your hand and look them straight in the eye while saying "No!" repeatedly for 10-20 seconds.  Apparently this establishes dominance the same way an alpha male does in a pack of wild dogs.  That way your pooch knows who's boss.  I must not be a very convincing Alpha.

There are a few things we absolutely love about Roxy.  We love her beautiful coloring and fluffy furr.  We love that she is so fun loving and a tireless running partner.  We also love how protective she is of us.  Whenever we are out running/walking, she has a cow if one of us is left behind (for example, if I have to stop to tie my shoe or if Burke is walking with Roxy and Daph while I run).  She likes to have us all close to her so she can keep an eye on us.  Hence, she gets very defensive if there are other runners, cars, dogs, etc., on the road.  We are trying to teach her to calm down unless there are signs of aggression towards us.  It's especially sweet that she keeps a vigil on the back porch step (no matter how cold it is) until every last light is off in the house and she's ascertained that we are all in bed before she trots off to her dog house.

She's not a major barker, but I do appreciate that she will bark if someone comes near our home.  Since we're in a quiet culdesac, she really only yelps a couple of times a day, so it hasn't been a problem, but it alerts people that there is a dog in our yard and to think twice about coming on the property uninvited.  However, there is a pesky cat that comes in our yard from time to time at about 5 AM and Roxy goes nuts, which results in Burke jumping out of bed and trying to shush her through the window before she wakes the neighbors.  Ugh.

After she's been out running or we've played fetch with her for a while, she is a great dog to be around.  That initial 5-10 minutes is a bit much because of her high energy level.  Once she calms down, she's adorable and she'll follow Daphne around, gently leaning up against her and begging for a rub down.  I love that Daphne has absolutely no fear of animals.  Sometimes I wish she had a bit more respect as she is constantly wanting to touch any creature she sees.  She has no problem taking balls out of Roxy's mouth, pushing her out of her way or paling around with her.  Several times a day she wants to go out and "play with Woxy" or she'll sit right next to the sliding glass door and baby talk her in a hilarious high voice saying things like, "Ooooh Woxy!  You're such a good poochy!" or "Woxy is soooo cute!"  I love that they're buddies.

The not so fun part about being a dog owner is the poop duty.  Gag me.  Sometimes I want to get rid of her based on that factor alone.  The other major annoyance is when she won't listen or obey.  Take last week for example.  Daphne, Roxy and I were going on a walk right as the elementary school across the street was getting out.  Roxy was so hyped up from all the action at the school that I turned around after half a block to put her in the backyard until later.  When we got to our gate, I took her off the leash and put her inside, but as I turned to close the gate, she bolted out between the crack and took off down the street.  Daphne was a bawling wreck, I was flaming mad and she had already disappeared around the corner in a flash.  I picked Daph up and tried to run after her.  She had gone just a few houses down to bark at a neighbor dog through their fence and when I demanded for her to "come" she would run towards me, then peel out and head back the other way.  I couldn't get a purchase on her and I was feeling like a complete idiot with the crossing guard staring at us as well as all the parents in their cars waiting for their kids to come out of the school.  Right as I finally thought I had her, she darted out into the middle of the street right as a big yellow school bus came turning out of the parking lot.  The bus driver slammed on her breaks and put her hand up to her mouth in shock while all the little kids inside were screaming.  Roxy was THIS close to being road kill.  I was scared, livid and obviously incredibly embarrassed when I finally got a hold on her collar and hauled her down the street in one hand with Daphne throwing a tantrum in my other arm at the same time.  NOT a pretty moment for us, but I'm sure it was super entertaining to our large audience.  When we got home, I called Burke and left a message that said we were getting rid of the damn dog immediately!

In some ways, that was a good experience because up until that point Burke had always called Roxy "my dog" and any time things would go wrong he would remind me that I had been the one who wanted to bring her home.  However, when he got home from work and heard me talking about who we could give her away to, he looked at the window with a big pout on his face and said, "I don't want to get rid of Roxy!"  And truthfully, neither did I, it was just a rough moment.

People keep reminding us that even though Roxy is full grown, she is still very much a toddler.  She doesn't misbehave to be malicious, she just hasn't learned yet to control herself.  LeeAnn has told me several times that Sally (Roxy's Mama) was the same way until she was about a year old.  Now she is exceedingly calm and will hang out on their front porch with no chain all day.  That gives me hope!

We really do love her and hope that as we continue reinforce good behavior and spend lots of time with her that she'll turn into the perfect family dog.  We still have a ways to go, but it's been a great learning experience regardless.