Genius Puppy

Another good night last night. We are very lucky. We think that Emme is very bright, but we may be prejudiced. She travels in the car very well. Each day we have gone out in the car for at least a 5 or 10 minute ride. I read that in one of the many dog books. It said that if you take a puppy for a short ride every day for a week, it will learn to tolerate the movement of a car and will become a good rider, not throwing up or whining. We have ridden daily, even though she probably didn't need it. She came home from the breeder on the first day with no trouble. At this point she is riding on my lap and laying quietly most of the time. We tried her once in the crate in the car and she barked the whole time. She seemed to want the security of someone holding her. I will try her again in the crate in the near future because if I am traveling alone with her, obviously she will have to be crated.

I have bought her a soft pink collar and she is getting used to it. The first day, I put it on her for about 5 minutes about three different times. She spent most of that time scratching at it. Yesterday she had the collar on for some extended periods about a hour one time, over two hours another. She still scratches at it but not constantly. I think it is like wearing a watch. If you haven't worn one in a long time, you are very aware of the feel of it, but after time you don't even notice it. Wearing the collar is very important because she needs to get used to a leach. The first few days I just put her down on the grass to "hurry up." The trouble is that she is so fast and I am sure she could out run me if she tried. She stays pretty close, but I don't want her taking off to a neighbor's yard. So the collar and leash are two very important items.