Skylee

Profile

Please welcome Miss Skylee 14-136 to RAGOM.  Skylee is 14 month old female mixed breed. She appears to be Yellow Lab and possibly Chesapeake. Only a DNA test could confirm that. Skylee weighs in at 52 LBS. She has had her RAGOM wellness exam and is now current on all vaccines. She tested negative for Heart Worm and Lyme disease. In the vet's words " a very healthy young dog".  Skylee is scheduled for spay surgery on 6/11/14  at MNSnap.

 Skylee was a owner surrender from NW Iowa. Her owner was working longer hours and wanted a better life for Skylee.

Skylee was very stressed when she came to me. She had been in boarding for a couple weeks and had a pretty long car ride to me. She met my 2 senior resident dogs with no problems and wanted to play with my cats. The cats weren't really interested in playing with her and kept their distance. Skylee paced and panted a lot, so I took her for a 3 mile walk with resident girl Belle. That seemed to help some and gave her a chance to bond with me and Belle. Skylee was a ball of energy on the walk and does pull pretty hard on the leash. The pulling gradually eased up the further we went. Skylee did yip for the first 10 minutes when I put her in the crate at bed time. She was quiet the rest of the night.

The 2nd day, Skylee was still pretty nervous and had what I call "the new place Jitters". She paced , panted and drank quite a bit of water. We went for another 3 mile walk and it calmed her down some but she was still a bit worked up over all the sudden changes in her life. She did eat her meals good. Another walk that evening. She started to show some of her hunting instincts. She really wanted to work the road ditches for pheasants or any other birds. She did not tire out in the 3 miles we walked. Things went well again at bed time.

The 3rd day Skylee started learning the daily routine and started to relax more and show her true personality. Skylee is very affectionate and likes to follow me where ever I go. The panting and pacing was starting to slow down also. We kept the 4 mile + walks going to keep her "worn down" some. She started to play with toys and chew on bones. No potty accidents in the house since she arrived. I do let her out every 3-4 hours or if she goes to the door.

The 4th day and beyond. Skylee has settled in more and is knowing the normal routine here. Skylee did great on the ride to the Vet's office and was pretty good getting blood drawn for the tests. Skylee still wants the cats to play with her but they have learned to just not run from her and to give a "back off" warning and she will usually heed the warning. Skylee also ,sometimes, tries to initiate play with the 2 senior resident dogs. They give a "knock it off" warning and she heeds it very well. Skyee continues to become friendlier and just a good companion. I've learned that Skylee does know how to play "fetch" with a ball. It was said that she loves Frisbee. I have not water tested Skylee but I would bet she will love it.

Skylee has not had much training. She does have pretty good recall and will sit for treats. Some more repetition and consistency should get this girl well on her way.  Some training classes could help also.  Skylee will need to be walked a pretty long distance every day. Other activities would be good also. She has a lot of energy.

I've only had Skylee less than a week , so there is more to learn about her.  Does Skylee sound like the dog for you? Contact your placement adviser to find out more and possibly set up a meeting.