Hazel: 7 ½ month update

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Leeza Castle

Our sweet little Hazel is a little over 7-months-old now. I thought it might be a good time to give an update on our adventures in training and visit some new behavior issues, as well as some new observations regarding her possible breed.

Training updates

At 7 months and 2 weeks, I think we have achieved potty training success! We have not had one accident in the last week. For this last work week, she has even been left in her crate for 8 hours and there were no accidents. We are thrilled­­– especially since we spent 10 hours on Labor Day weekend cleaning the carpets.

The command “come” still doesn’t happen without a treat or the promise of a treat. In fact, the command seems to be losing its meaning to Rudy. Interesting how Rudy seems to be regressing. I believe he’s testing our limits. We now have Greenies stashed at the backdoor to get them to come inside from the yard.

Hazel still loves the agility tunnel and is happy to oblige us for a treat. Next up: training her with the agility weave poles.

New issues

We don’t know what caused the change, but now Hazel and Rudy are chasing the cats. It’s always playful and never aggressive, but it’s constant and a display of Hazel’s obstinance and Rudy’s testing of our rules. Of course, chasing cats is a way for Hazel to relieve her herding instinct. However, she’s very aware that this isn’t allowed, yet takes every opportunity to chase them. Luckily, our cats have no fear of them. It’s normal to see our cats and dogs napping together just minutes after a chase has ensued. Even though everything is in fun now, I don’t want this behavior to become aggressive. I think we’ll increase her daily exercise to see if this decreases the cat chasing.

Ken and I have succumbed and now allow our dogs on the couches. We love being able to sit and snuggle with them, however we promised that our bed is off limits. For the last couple of weeks, Hazel has been slyly sneaking up on the bed while I’m getting my last 20 minutes of sleep and Ken is busy getting ready for work. She is so stealthy about it, waiting for when Ken is busy brushing his teeth, which tells us she knows this is not allowed. She makes 3 attempts every morning. She makes it so hard to tell her “no”. Everything inside me wants to spoon with her but we have to have some boundaries. Right?

Hazel’s breed

We ended up volunteering at a dog park in Portland the day after my last post declaring that Hazel may be on the small side of the Australian Shepherd breed, and most likely not a miniature Aussie. At the park we met a man and his mini Aussie, Max. Max is practically the spitting image of Hazel. The body shape was so similar and the height was dead on. All the information and observations are leading us closer and closer to getting her the Wisdom Panel genetics test. Again, not because it matters which breed she is, but because the information gained can be used to plan for her future needs and to relieve our intense curiosity.

About Leeza Castle

Leeza Castle has been with the practice for 5 years and manages print production and inventory for all hospitals. She and her husband, Ken, have 2 dogs; Rudy & Hazel, 3 cats; Stewie, Grizzly & Panda and a leopard gecko; Luke Skywalker. View all posts by Leeza Castle →


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