Everybody told me it was going to happen. They told me that Luci would eventually outgrow her rambunctious puppy stage and become a calm loving lab just like Goldie. But I didn’t believe them. I was dealing with a little dog that found things in the yard that I didn’t know existed. She destroyed every stuffed toy in the toy box. She LIKED the taste of the Tabasco sauce that I put on the lattice to keep her from chewing. She kept digging holes in the yard even after we sprayed the spots with some horrible deer repellant spray. She’s always so eager to dive into anything and everything and nothing can stop her from getting to something that she thinks is interesting. I figured she was always going to be going full tilt 24/7 for the rest of her life. But I’m starting to see the changes in her temperament.
The closer she got to her first birthday, the more I noticed some subtle changes in Luci. She’s sleeping through the night and we don’t have to use the baby gate to keep her from wandering around the house while we’re asleep. We’ve been letting her stay out of her crate when we leave the house for short periods of time and she’s not gotten into any mischief so far. She’s doing a great job with her basic obedience commands (come, stay, heel, sit, down) and is very well behaved (most of the time) during our evening walks. The only time that she gets crazy is if something spooks her. She’ll follow me through the house and waits at the door for me if I go out at night. The biggest change in the last couple of months is that she actually obeys the "come when called" command!
It’s bittersweet really. I’m excited that she’s growing up and starting to become a civilized little lady. But I’m kind of sad to see the puppy stage end. I told Hubby last night that I think I’m going to miss the puppy stage. He laughed and told me that I only think I’m going to miss the puppy stage. And true to form, Luci did her best to prove there’s still some ornery puppy left in her. This morning while Hubby and I were getting ready for work, she dropped one of her hard rubber chew toys down the stairs. It bounced down the first few stairs and then bounced through the stair rail and knocked a lamp off the end table in the living room. The lamp survived, but the lampshade didn’t. As I was cleaning up the mess, I told Hubby that I really should thank her for doing this. I had just been thinking that the lampshades look a little old and ratty and they should be replaced. How nice of her to help Mommy with that decision!!
Like I said, we’re making progress . . . .
