Kizzie Chocolate Labrador Retriever Female 5 Years Old

Meet Kizzie

Kizzie, a beautiful 5 year old chocolate girl, is fresh off the farms of Lancaster.  She just had her last set of pups in November and wants to begin a transformation in a new forever home.  She currently weighs in at a solid 90lbs and is looking for someone to help her reach her new fitness goals, and get back her pre-pup figure.  If you are ready to start a new fitness regime or are already an active exerciser, Kizzie would love to be your new exercise partner!  You can help Kizzie reach her new fitness goals as a team.

January 30, 2020

Kizzie finally tried out the dog bed last night when we were watching television in the family room.  I couldn’t believe it!  Jet got out of the bed to check out some action in the kitchen, and Kizzie got up from her usual spot and plopped right down on the bed.  She stayed on the bed for a couple of hours after that and Jet settled in the other dog bed when he came back.To my surprise later when I moved the dog bed next to my bed instead of her usual blanket, Kizzie hopped right on the bed again and slept soundly on it all night.  I have another dog bed in the bedroom that she has only been laying her head on at night.  Kizzie never wanted to try out any beds before last night.  It’s so exciting to see her starting to love the comforts in life.

January 29, 2020

Kizzie is adapting to our daily routine quite nicely.  Since the last update, we have been working hard on crate training and house training.

Over the weekend, we continued to give her treats in the crate to get her acclimated with going into the crate on her own.  She would go in, eat the high value treats, and then come right back out.  My resident labs would then go in and spend quite a bit of time in there looking for any missed pieces.  She would stand there and watch them and occasionally go back in the crate.  On Monday after our long walk, we put a nice comfy bed in the crate and enticed her in with some bacon.  I also left her with a Kong stuffed with treats and her ball.  She wasn’t very happy and asked to be let out soon after, so we did.  On Tuesday after our long walk, I took out the comfy bed and put in her blanket that she sleeps on at night.  This time, I left her with a bone stuffed with peanut butter and bacon and her bowl of kibble and water and covered the crate with a blanket.  She was quiet and busy with the bone for 5 minutes and I left the house and went to workout.  My husband was home and reported that she was quiet the whole two hours that I was gone!!  When I got back, I let her out and rewarded her with play time with the ball in the back yard and then a quick 15 minute walk.  Today, I did the same thing.  When I arrived home, she was quiet in the crate, no barking at all.  I immediately took her outside to play ball followed by another 15 minute walk.

If you are wondering why I follow the playtime with a walk, I have two great reasons.  Kizzie absolutely LOVES walks so walking her is a great reward for her good behavior.  Secondly, I have discovered that Kizzie only likes to do her business on a walk and will hold it for hours until she goes on a walk.  When she wakes up, I take her to her “spot” about a block or two from my house.  She will hold it until we get to her “spot” even though she hasn’t been out for about 9 hours overnight, even in the pouring rain!  Later in the morning, Kizzie and my two labs go for a 3 mile walk/run which takes us about an hour.  We’ve been doing some interval training to help Kizzie get back into shape.  She really loves to run and so we start out our trip at a nice easy jog.  When she gets tired, we slow it back down to a walk.  I’ve been letting her tell me how much running she wants to do, and she’s always excited in the morning when we are getting ready for our long walk.   During the day, I take her out every 4-5 hours for a short 15 minute walk, she does her business in her “spot”, I treat her and then come home and treat her when we come in the door.

Until I discovered this little peculiarity about Kizzie, house training was a little frustrating because I knew she should have to go and she was not going on cue in the yard even though she was drinking all day.  Even though, the walks are a little more time consuming, it reduces the likelihood of accidents in the house and it also helps her get the exercise she needs for weight loss.  Since we have had Kizzie, she has only had 2 accidents in the house, both times when she was out of view.  We are currently at 5 days accident free.  I always keep her in my sight when we are home, and when I don’t have eyes on her, I keep her tethered to me on a leash so she can’t wander off to toilet inside.  With the ability to crate her when I am not home and the new walking routine in place, I see a continued accident free future ahead!

Kizzie initially kept very close to me and would move with me room to room.  Now, she will trot off (when not on leash) to check in with my dogs, kids and husband, and seems very relaxed in the house.  She gets along really well with my two labs and always sleeps right next to Jet with her head on his bed.  Kizzie and Max will play ball together in the back yard and make friendly chase with each other.  She continues to love the squeaky ball and a ball on a rope, and will retrieve the ball and bring it back many times.  She’s not that interested in stuffies but did play with one for a short time but only to rip off the tag.  She does have an affinity for leather shoes and belts, and will pick them up if they are on the floor.  My son lost a flip flop to Kizzie’s interest but the positive is that he now puts his shoes away.  She has no interest in shoes/sneakers made out of synthetic material though, maybe that goes back to her Amish roots. At bedtime, Kizzie comes right in the bedroom and immediately settles down on her blanket next to the bed.  Most nights, she sleeps through to morning.  Other nights, she gets up and walks around the room to scratch her sides. When I call her back over, she settles right back on her blanket and sleeps until the alarm goes off.  Hopefully, she soon will be used to staying settled all night.

January 22, 2020

Kizzie’s UTI seems to be clearing up nicely.  During the day, she only has to go out every 4-5 hours.  Last night, she slept on the floor in the bedroom soundly for 10 hours without having to go out.  Today, Kizzie went to the vet to check on spotting that she has been having for almost a week, and a cough that started Monday night which woke her (and me) up every 2 hours but then strangely disappeared late morning Tuesday right after I had made the vet appointment.  It’s a little too early for her to go into heat since she just had her pups in November, so the vet thinks she might have a uterine infection so Kizzie will be on an additional antibiotic for four weeks.  This unfortunately will delay her spaying until mid-March.  He wasn’t quite sure what was going on with the cough but said that the antibiotic that she is on for the UTI would cover any respiratory infection.  Since we have a two month delay, I’m looking forward to be able to continue working on her fitness and helping her learn a lot more commands.  I’d also like to teach her to love a soft dog bed instead of the hard floor.  We had a first step in the right direction yesterday, when she slept with her head on the side of the dog bed!

While at the vet, we had a really funny farm girl moment when we went into the examination room.  There was a giant photograph of a Golden Retriever with a ball on the wall.  Her ears perked up, she barked and ran right over to the wall and jumped up for a better look.  After a few sniffs, Kizzie thought he had no personality and was no longer interested in him. Kizzie has become more interested in technology, however.  Kizzie was excited to see herself chasing a ball on my computer and was watching the television when there were some dogs barking and puppies whining.  She got up and walked right over to the screen when she heard the commotion.

We also have to work on getting her easily into the car.  This morning, she eagerly put her front paws in the truck to try and follow behind my two labs and happily got in with a boost from behind since she couldn’t jump in herself.  But this afternoon before her vet appointment,  she did not want to get in the truck alone and refused to put her paws up even for a treat.  Good thing my husband and I work out because he had to lift her into the truck to get her to the vet and then I had to lift her into the car alone to get her home from the vet.  She turned into a 90lb sack of potatoes at the prospect of getting in the car without her friends.

Kizzie continues to be my trusty co-pilot/foreman in my daily routines.  Yesterday, while I was vacuuming and mopping, she was watching intently to make sure I didn’t miss a spot.  She was very relaxed while I went about my work, but she always kept me in her line of vision where ever I went, moving with me from room to room.  When I’m not home, she finds someone else to hang out with.

She usually walks around the house to see what else is going on, and then settles down in the office with my husband while he is working from his home office.  She enjoys playing ball a lot.  Kizzie really enjoys playing chase and retrieve with the ball, but will also play pass the ball!

Despite her current medical difficulties, she continues to be a calm, sweet and loving companion.  I am excited to watch her grow over the next two months.

January 20, 2020

Kizzie arrived at our house today at 8:30am on January 19.  As this was our first farm girl, we didn’t know what to expect.  Turns out she is the sweetest chocolate chunk!  The introduction to our resident labs was easy.  She was calm, cool and collected when they came over to say hello and was much more interested in just checking out the yard and all the new smells.  I took Kizzie out for her first walk in the neighborhood when she first arrived.  She wasn’t nervous at all and followed right next to me.  She walked great on a martingale collar and the leash was loose the whole time.  When we came inside, she was happy to meet the family.

She was really interested in the cell phones the kids were carrying around.  She probably didn’t see them on the farm so I think she thought it might have been a tasty snack!  She was initially checking out the whole house out (upstairs and the basement) and was not afraid of anything or anyone she met.  She hasn’t been fazed by any of the sights or sounds she has encountered like the TV, printer, Xbox, or vacuum.  She was actually watching herself on my computer on these videos and climbing into my lap to see them better!  She might have been used to following the farmer because when my husband came on the walk with us, she was sure to follow a few steps behind him the whole way.

Between exploring the house and yard and two one and a half mile walks, she was able to finally relax and settle down for a nap.  Today she went on a three mile walk and to the tennis courts to play some ball.  Kizzie loves balls and will chase them and bring it right back to you for another toss.  If you can throw a good pass, Kizzie will want you to play with her for awhile!

Kizzie is on medication for a UTI so she is wearing some fancy pants until the medication is done and the symptoms subside.  She only had 1 accident when she first arrived and hasn’t had one since.  I initially was taking her out every hour on the hour but today she has been going three hours accident free.  I slept with her in the guest room last night and she only woke me up once to go out.  She doesn’t know how comfortable a dog bed is yet so instead of sleeping there she slept next to the bed on the wood floor.  When she is done with her medicine, she will be getting spayed.  This pretty girl has been working hard on the farm and had the last of her litters in November and is ready start living a quiet and stress free life.

Kizzie is learning not to be afraid of a crate and all of her commands.  She thought it was great when I went in last night and she watched as Jet and Max came in for a kibble treat and then decided she wanted to visit me in there too.  When I got out, she even went in alone to see if I left behind any kibble.

She currently is on free roam in the house but is never more than a few steps away from me.  She is content to sit and stay right where I am and settles down right away while I am working.  She knows her name and comes when we call her but still has a lot to learn.

In this short time, I have learned quite a bit about Kizzie and what she likes and would need in a partner or family.  She would love someone who would take her on long walks, and play ball.  She is a gentle and calm girl who really enjoys getting a whole lot of loving and likes to hang around with her special someone no matter what you are up to.  She is willing to learn and try new things and is looking for that special someone who can teach her new things and show all the wonders out there in the world!