Day 5: Pippa is getting brave

Day 5:  I finally figured out the least traumatic way to get Pippa from her crate to outside for a potty break in the morning or when I come home from being out.  I slide the crate (with Pippa in it) to the back door, with the crate door flush with the outside of the door frame.  Then, I step outside, hold the door tight against the crate, so there's no gap, and open Pippa's crate.  She rushes out and heads for the grass.  As soon as she's out of the crate, I shut the crate door so that she can't go back in.  Once Pippa is out in the yard, I slide the crate back inside and shut the house door so that Pippa can stay outside until she goes potty.  Pippa actually seems more okay with this than with me having to pick her up and carry her outside and it's much easier on my back!!

Today, Pippa was a very brave girl!  This morning, I caught her actually trotting around the yard, exploring.  When she noticed me at the door watching her, she came up to the door and scratched at it to be let in.  This afternoon,  she met a new person and licked cheese off their fingers!  This evening, I was sitting outside on the patio with all the dogs outside.  Charm was sitting in my lap, and Pippa got curious and actually came up and sniffed me...she even touched me with her nose!!!!!  Huge progress for her.

Pippa seems to feel safer outside, she's exploring and watching the other dogs and actually wandering around the yard.  She's stopped trying to hide herself in corners...she still looks at her favorite corner every now and again, but isn't quite as frantic to get back there.

Inside, Pippa is still hiding in her corner in the hallway.  However, every time I talk to her or walk past her, she looks up at me to see what's going on.  I've put a towel in her corner, so that if she does decide to get up, it will be easier for her.  My wood floors are very hard for her to walk on.  She does get up on occasion to change positions, but isn't quite ready to come out of the hallway just yet.  She is very interested in my interactions with my dogs, so I've been spending some time in the hallway, close to Pippa, playing with my dogs or petting them or letting them climb on me.  She watches it all very carefully.  I'm hoping that seeing that the other dogs aren't afraid of me will help her to be a little less fearful.