Day 18: Pip and Kip try Panda Express

Day 18:  Yesterday was fairly uneventful for Pippa and Kipling.  We spent lots of time practicing going outside, getting in crates, and taking treats from my hands.  I've been working hard with the dogs, and decided to give them a little break yesterday.

Today was a bit more eventful.  Pippa is really starting to understand when I tell her to go outside or go to her kennel.  She still spent most of he day in her corner, but ventured out when I asked her to.  She did get up several times just to change positions and she's starting to sprawl out in the corner, rather than laying in a tight little ball.  This afternoon, when I had all the dogs outside, Charm decided that Pippa needed to play.  Pippa was trotting around the yard, and Charm raced up to her and proceeded to bark and play bow at her.  Pippa was a little confused and just kept looking at Charm then at me.  I'm hoping she'll figure it out and start playing a bit.  I think she kind of wants to and I know that Charm can be very persistent.  This evening, I was sitting in the living room, and Pippa got up to peek around the corner to see where I was.  Then, I was outside with the back door closed, trying to coax Kipling inside.  When I opened the door, Buster, Charm, and Pippa (!) all came outside to see what I was doing.  I was very surprised to see Pippa at the door with my dogs.  She has started going in and out on her own.  She won't ask to go outside, but my others go out often enough that as long as she goes out with them, we don't have any accidents.  After our adventures outside, I picked her up and sat her next to me on the couch.  She let me hold and pet her for about 10 minutes before she squirmed loose and ran to her kennel.  She's still hesitant to take food from my hands or to eat while I'm watching, but she does like treats so I often walk by and drop treats in front of her. 

Kipling has finally figured out what "go kennel" means, so I no longer have to play "catch the dog" when I need to leave.  He's willingly going in when I tell him to now.  He's still very skittish and it takes lots of coaxing to get him to come up to me.  He does love Charm.  Yesterday, Charm was laying on her dog bed and Kip decided that he needed to lay on top of Charm!    He loves to play with her in the yard, and they have lots of fun running around.  This evening, I thought Kip had already come inside and started to shut the door just as he was coming in.  That apparently traumatized him and he wouldn't come in the door.  I sat outside and tried to lure him towards me with treats.  He wasn't having any of it, though.  When I opened the door to go back inside, all the other dogs ran out.  I left them outside for a bit, then opened the door and stood back and Kip rushed in with the rest of the dogs.  I decided he'd had enough drama for the day, and sent him to his crate with a treat.  He was quite happy to settle down with a treat.  

So - Pip and Kip's big adventure for the day...I went to Panda Express for lunch, and I always save a bit of orange chicken for each of my dogs.  My dogs will all carefully take food off of a fork, so once I'm done eating, I give them each a little bite off of my fork.  Kipling watched first Britty, then Buster, then Charm each enjoy their piece of chicken.  He was very interested, but kept his distance.  I offered a bite to Pippa and she licked at the chicken on the end of the fork but wouldn't make a move to actually take it in to her mouth.  I tried giving it to her from my fingers, and she still just licked at it.  Finally, I set it on the ground and walked away.  She quickly gobbled it up!  Kipling was still watching, so I put his bite of chicken on the fork, held it out to him, and turned half away from him.  He stretched forward and carefully took the chicken from the fork.  I had an extra piece and I offered that last bite to Kipling...he decided he really liked Panda Express and happily took that second piece of chicken from the fork.  Silly dogs!  Now I'm going to have five drooling, begging dogs watching me eat my Panda Express, instead of just three dogs.  Oh well...they enjoyed it!!!  

Kipling laying on top of Charm