Lily #11 Yellow Labrador Retriever Female 6 Months Old ID # 3158

January 7, 2023

We have made a lot of progress in the past week and I believe the main factor has been interaction with the BIG dogs.

Lily loves everyone and everything but I think she loves dogs the most 🐶❤️

She met my brother’s 2 dogs, an American Bulldog, Mazie (female) and American Staffordshire Terrier, Blue (male).

We did an Intro with Blue that certainly showed her affection for him and Blue was a very good and tolerant boy 😊

We then moved on to a walk and she was in step with Blue, and wanted to be right by his side.

After we were confident that play in the yard would be ok, Lily, Blue, and Mazie all played together in the yard.

They have had a few play dates this past week.

Lily is also making quick friends with other neighborhood dogs, including a male Siberian Husky, named Castle. They have had a few play encounters on leash, where you really need to hold on to the leash 😂

I believe these interactions have improved Lily’s home behavior. We spend more time with a gate open than closed between the resident animals and all seem to be coexisting very well together.

Lily does very well with commands without distraction. Her weaknesses are distraction and excitability, and then it is challenging for her to respond to a command. To balance this, we have been proactively asking a command “sit” before interactions. It’s a work in progress as she really just loves meeting everyone and becomes a wiggly and jumpy puppy 😊

She is a large, 50 lb. puppy, so just need to keep that in mind.

I am most impressed with my cat, Honey, through it all, she held her own, knew this was her house, and was accepting of Lily but also did not think twice about putting Lily in her place 😹.

Lily is a great balance of behaviors. Her zoomies in the house after a long walk are met with relaxed time in front of the door.

December 29, 2022

Lily has been in foster care for 4 weeks. She is eating and drinking without any issues and is reliably house-trained. We had a lot of activity at the house over the past 2 weeks and Lily did extremely well. The roof was replaced 2 weeks ago and the siding last week. It gets quite noisy during this work and there are workers right outside the doors and windows. Lily was not scared and did not even bark! She would sit at the front or back door and just watch the activity 😊 She also liked meeting the workers before and after her walks. Her approach with meeting new people can be initially cautious or excessively excited. She seems to be more cautious of men and more excitable for women.

Lily is a curious and playful dog; she loves meeting people and other animals. Lily loves attention and when you give it to her, she becomes super wiggly. Her excitement sometimes leads to her to forgetting her manners, so you need to be prepared.

Lily enjoys walks, play in the yard chasing a ball

and play with her squeaky toys.

December 18, 2022

Lily has been with us for a little over 2 weeks now. She is very adventurous and active but she does settle and nap nicely.

It was a busy week; Lily went to Tractor Supply last Sunday for her microchip. She was on the reserved side and a very good girl waiting in line with other dogs and people.

Lily likes to explore and sometimes puts things in her mouth that she should not. A few rescued items include rocks and an owl solar figure. Luckily, she does let you put your hand in her mouth. We sometimes need to use a “trade” item, her ball usually works well. Lily also like to chew items. We are being careful what is in her chew zone and always have appropriate chew items available.

Lily is active via walks and play in yard. She would like to engage my little dog, Daisy, in play but Daisy is not a fan and usually growls and chases after her. Lily has not been getting the message, so we balance time together and apart. We also started using a can with change (shaking it) when Lily is too engaging with Daisy. So far, success. They do have moments of peaceful coexistence.

We continue working on training. Lily does well with sit and stay. Stills need work with off and leave it.

Lily is now officially 6 months, as of December 16, growing up quickly!

December 10, 2022

Lily checking in…

Lily has been living the puppy life, acclimating to her foster home, foster mom (FM) and dad (FD), foster dog sister, and foster kitty sister and brother.

We met with a trainer on Thursday, December 8, 2022 to make sure FM and FD are doing what is best for Lily and our other pets.

Lily wakes up between 5:30AM and 6:00AM and goes “out” to do her business. She is then in her crate for about an hour for FM and FD to get ready. Lily eats in a separate room from her foster dog sister.

We are using commands during meal times to reinforce them. (e.g., having her sit, as we place the food bowl, and then releasing her from the sit with an “okay”)

Lily is walked 3 times per day, around 7:30-8:30A, 12:00-1:00PM and 5:00-6:00PM. She is doing much better with leash walking. We are using a freedom harness for her. We are also using basic commands before and during her walking to improve her attention to walking and reaction to distractions (e.g., having her sit before crossing a street and releasing her with an “okay”; reinforcing a good walk with “good heel”). Work in progress 😊

Lily does like to retrieve the ball in the yard and brings it back most of the time!

She also like to play with her toys. Some of the softer toys (like duck) have been de-squeakered and have not survived.

Lily is also doing better with her foster dog sister, Daisy. Daisy sets her boundaries and Lily is respecting them for the most part. Work in progress 😊

Lily is learning that the cats don’t really want to be her friend yet. Lily is very curious but does not chase them. Work in progress 😊

Lily loves attention and has met lots of people along our walks. She does have a tendency to jump up, so we continue to work on behaviors and manners. Many times, she does have appropriate interactions. Work in progress 😊

Lily and Daisy were groomed today. The groomer reports that Lily did very well for being a puppy 😊

December 4, 2022

Lily is a 5.5-month-old yellow lab and weighs 43 lbs. She was adopted from a breeder and returned for a minor medical issue.

The breeder surrendered her to Brookline. She arrived in foster care on November 30, 2022.

Lily traveled very well in the car. She was initially chewing a few things but then settled into a nap for the hour-long ride to her foster home.

Lily is eating and drinking without any issues. She had 2 accidents in the house but otherwise is doing very well with housetraining.

Lily is a very friendly and playful pup. She enjoys toys and can amuse herself with them for brief periods of time.

Lily is very exploratory and is learning what she can chew and cannot chew. She is a little grabby with treats but very treat motivated.

Lily is a little cautious meeting new people but warms up quickly. She is happy to take pets and is usually super wiggly receiving them.

Lily is a very dog-playful pup. My 7-year-old shih tzu mix tolerates her puppy antics for brief periods. My pets (small dog and 2 cats) were used to an older Lab for the past few years they have been with us.

We have Lily gated in the Family Room. We are gradually giving more space and interaction between the pets and quickly intervene if our pets seem stressed.

My braver cat has been down to the first floor for eating, will sit on her usual perch and hisses at Lily when she is too close. My scaredy cat is only downstairs for brief periods but the time periods have increased over the days. Lily seems to be curious about the cats but has not chased them. She also does not have access to the second floor where they can find refuge.

We started crate training today; Lily is a little whiny and barky for 5-10 minutes and then settles.

When Lily settles, she sleeps very well.

Lily has been seen by a Vet while in foster care. She has a recessed vulva, so she should go through her first 1 heat cycle to see if it resolves the issue.

Her spay should be held until 2 months after completion of the heat cycle. She also has retained upper canine teeth and these should be extracted (if still present) at the time of the spay.

We are focusing our efforts on establishing a routine, exercise, setting boundaries, basic commands, leash walking, house training, crate training, and taking treats nicely. Stay tuned for updates!