Riley - Lab Retriever Mix ADOPTED 6/26/22

Was warm enough to get out the splash pad and chairs to make some dinner on the grill.  Wanted to see how she would do for a longer duration of time. And initially she was darting her eyes, but as long as we were sitting down and nearby, she eventually calmed down.  She would walk up to the pad and drink some water at times.  This is really nice to incorporate her into noises and "hanging out" scenarios.  She did well and it's always nice to be able to include her instead of her on the couch, albeit totally chill, but to see how she does with the rest.  

 Memorial day is upon us with a couple days off. Looking to enjoy some nice days. Riley can have it either way. She likes it outside, but noises still surprise her. But she's definitely a couch chill dog too chewing on her favorite toy.

She is  adoptable. Very adoptable. With my over a decade of experience with shy dogs, once she's adopted she'll have to start over again, but from all my families who've adopted always tell me they progress quicker and grow fast.  So what do you need to know? Set a routine. Find her comfort places. Have patience. Done.  She went from shaking her entire body where you can feel it on the other end of the bed to running over the the door/window to bark at a stranger.  She went from cowering in a corner to waiting for you to get comfy and jumping in your lap to cuddle. She went from not eating, to following your every footstep to remind you she's hungry. Waiting under the table for table scraps she knows she isn't getting. She went from having accidents in the house to wanting to explore the whole yard and further. She will never be crazy adventurous and obnoxious. She will be a cuddly, lap dog who will get excited and curious with your presence to reassure her you have...

 So another beautiful day and we really try to leave the windows open until that July hot comes. It's been amazing to watch her run off to bark at strangers without butting up against me shaking as she does it. She's really built her confidence in this time. This video is funny because they're learned to bark, but when I acknowledge but they still want to be guard dog, they do the grunt bark....then decide if they need to still warn me. She's learned to do this as well. lol.

  I honestly can't believe it's been 3 months already!! She is really filling out because she was a little "ribby" when we got her.  She's getting our routine down. Routine is KEY!  She has her comfy spots picked out in the house. She's comfortable in all the spaces. She's good with the clanking in the kitchen. She's good with the shower and sink (you'd be amazed how this can be stressful) We're working on walks where we're not struggling and pulling all the time. She has successfully made a lap here and there. (We have lots of kids and happy folks and it can get noisy).  She's starting to get more interested as a new normal to walk outside to do more than just pottying. She will just walk farther and farther and sniff and look around.

 Was a nice hot day and wanted to take her out a bit but then there was a young boy loudly having fun. So this is a good video showcasing her shyness. She is much braver than she was before, but when she hears something new she doesn't hesitate to walk right home.