Fostering Chanel

So the little diapers have helped her learn her potty routine. She absolutely loves sleeping in the bed. It's a new freedom and comfort she's learning to enjoy. She has successfully peed and pooped on schedule outside with minimal accidents.  She is getting comfortable from sleeping in the corner to laying next to my leg. She'll even accept pets from my feet.  It's been a week and she'll stomp on me and near me to see if we've woken up for potty and breakfast.  This has been amazing growth!!  I've been taking her on our adventures. She's getting more settled in the car and on walks with more people around. Everyone finds her just adorable!

So it's taking some time for Chanel to come out of her shell. Given her history, I get it.  She's learning she doesn't like being in a crate at night, but she's not quite down to snuggle yet. She's not potty trained, but she can hold and go given regular interval training.  So, we ripped the bandaid off! She sleeps in the bed with us now. There is a wall and a rail to give her some borders and she feels safe snuggled in her own corner. She will step all over the bed and us with no fear. We've done this since Sunday and last night she even laid down while we were playing a card game and fell asleep within a foot of us!!! We've gone ahead and bought cute denim diaper skirts. So she can be stylish and also have a barrier to see if she'll not pee and be uncomfortable and wait for the next interval she can go outside.  So far, it's been successful.  We are loving our next phase, and this forces more one on one and intimate interaction so she can continue ...

We've reached the point of another haircut for our Chanel. She did well, better and better each time.  Our walks have been normalized and she even enjoys them. She stops to smell all the smells! I love to see her open up day by day.  When she sees other dogs she will insist she go say hi. When she see people, she will get excited too! She's more excited about kids than adults, but it's probably because of the overbearing size of an adult. She even let one of our neighbor boys pick her up.  She has found her voice. She loves her meal time and treats. When she's not occupied, she's laying closer and closer to us as we relax on the couch. She now prefers the dog beds, unless it's a hot day, then she likes her tummy on the floors.  What a transformation she has made. :)   

 Before winter we only had some time to bond and make her feel safe. So we started short mini walks on a leash. Surprisingly she is doing really well and even walking beside me during the walks. We made close to a mile, along a busy road, people walked by.  One very fun thing she has done was very curious when she saw another dog and wanted to walk up to say hi. AND she wanted to chase a dragonfly. Lol 

Although sweet Chanel didn't know what Easter was. I couldn't miss the opportunity to get a little photo of her and the eggs. She was thoroughly curious as some still smelled like candy and chocolates.  Chanel is officially trained when he hears the cutting board. She knows she will get snacks. She loves apples, pears and strawberry tops.