Laurel (aka LaLa) our new dog!

LaLa not exactly enthused about long place practice, but being a trooper anyway!

It has been 11 years since I selected a dog (a puppy then) for myself.   Also, all the dogs we intentionally sought out, have been Dobermans to date.  Any other breeds that we did have were all client surrenders.   Going into the search, we really were not sure what dog breed we would get.   In my mind, I was more clear on longevity and certain characteristics it would be nice for our dog to have.  We went to Emma's Angels to check out a couple of (possibly) Chihuahua mixes.   Both of them were nice dogs, but they did not have a liking for big dogs.  Being a training facility, we do have big dogs come in, and I thought that kind of disruption might be a little too intense for us at this particular moment in our lives.  In 2021, we lost three beloved dogs all to old age and in different months (Tommy, Boris, and Ziggy).  With Shana, they were a great pack of friends and family mates.   Then in 2023, even though Shana was 10.5 years old, she did die unexpectedly from something I have already forgotten the name of.  It was basically an unexpected death sentence. In my mind, Shana still had years to go according to her health and activity level before this.

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Low drama but with a spark of energy and excitement was what I was looking for myself.   I also wanted (for Robert) a dog that would bond and be loving and fun easily with us.  On a coat note, we also needed a dog that we were not allergic to (I can be allergic to client dogs, but my own dog is a bit too much exposer to allergens).  Ta Da! Then Laurel burst into the outside meeting area, and met all of the above.   We were looking for younger and maybe a little smaller too, but she is the whole package.   Also even though she is 3, maybe she will exceed expectations on longevity, and I have known some older Am Staffs, so fingers crossed for a very long life!

Since her "gotcha day" (April 17th) we have been getting to know this feisty little girl, LaLa.   Somethings we have learned about Laurel in a little over 48 hours:

1. She can indeed chill at times.  Not very important to us overall, but still nice when you want to relax yourself.
2. If we try to play with us standing up (as opposed to being on the same level as her), she is not so sure about playing with us.
3. She does not seem that enthused about ball play, and the ball bouncing or hitting the wall will scare her.  Also the noise of the heater in the dog room can scare her, but she is getting over that.
4. The flirt pole has not enticed her either, as she does not like when it flies into the air.
5. Tug play has some good potential, but still if I am standing up she will not try hard.
6. Teaching her to walk on leash is not going to be as difficult as I thought, at least minus distractions bigger than are in my yard.  LMAO we will be revisiting this later when she is feeling more sure of herself.
7. When excited, she can get mouthy and vocal.
8. She seems to like me and Robert equally (maybe a little edge goes to Robert).  She easily goes back and forth between us.
9. She likes food, but in training other things can easily override the food training treats.  Not horribly so though, so food luring and play has started.
10. It seems like she is not so sure of humans playing interactively with her, so we will be building that up.

Overall, Laural (LaLa) is  a fairly easy student and dog.  As she gets more comfortable, she may be more challenging.  She is slightly stubborn at times, but nothing unusual.  She has a very nice nature and attitude.   She has become more and more snuggly as this short time has gone on.  LaLa is very good company and makes me laugh.

Who knows what her skill set will become?   A working fetch is a good possibility.   I have never done agility, but she could be a contender for that as well.  Obedience competitions are not out of the question, but a long way off in the future probably just to get the basics we need.  Although she has a prey drive, I am not sure Frisbee or Ball is going to her thing.   Tracking may be a good sport for her (if only it could be tracking chipmunk holes LMAO).  I have always wanted to continue the Freestyle dancing that I started with other dogs for fun.  

​As we get to know Laurel more, that will become more clear.